U.S. public vehicle records

2004 Ford E-250: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

8 owner complaints analyzed

16 distinct recall campaigns

89,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2004 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 6 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 8 complaints (12.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	5	62.5%
Engine operation	1	12.5%
Electrical and battery issues	1	12.5%
Steering behavior	1	12.5%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Electrical System

Electrical System:Ignition

Electrical System:Wiring

Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.

Exterior Lighting:Back Up Lights

Interior Lighting

Power Train

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Air Bags	1
Electrical System	1
Electrical System:Ignition	1
Electrical System:Wiring	1
Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	1
Exterior Lighting:Back Up Lights	1
Interior Lighting	1
Power Train	1

Air Bags: 1; Electrical System: 1; Electrical System:Ignition: 1; Electrical System:Wiring: 1; Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.: 1; Exterior Lighting:Back Up Lights: 1; Interior Lighting: 1; Power Train: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2004

2008

2010

2012

2018

2022

2004: 2; 2008: 1; 2010: 1; 2012: 1; 2018: 1; 2022: 2

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 5 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 1 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10057751 · 2004-02-09 (February 9, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN WILL NOT COME BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POSITION. DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, AND REPLACED THE STEERING GEAR BOX. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTERWARDS, THE RADIO, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AND BACK UP LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT THE ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AGAIN. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 3,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10057751 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10093688 · 2004-10-06 (October 6, 2004)

FORD HAS NOT NOTIFIED THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THE 04S22 SAFETY RECALL AS OF 10/6/04. ON DEALER'S NOTIFICATION , POSIIBILITY OF SHORT IN ABS MODULE COULD START FIRE IN UNATTENDED VEHICLE - WITH THE IGNITION OFF WAS STATED. AS WELL AS A WARNING NOT TO PARK ANY UNSOLD RECALLED VEHICLES INSIDE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10093688 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10232750 · 2008-06-30 (June 30, 2008)

2004 E-250 STANDARD-LENGTH VAN (CONVERSION) WITH 4-WHEEL ABS DISC BRAKES. THE RIGHT REAR AXLE-TO-CALIPER BRACKET BROKE (CRACKED) COMPLETELY THROUGH ONE EAR AND COULD'VE SHEARED THE REMAINING EAR PERMITTING THE CALIPER TO COMPLETELY BREAK FREE, POTENTIALLY SHEARING THE BRAKE LINE AND CAUSING THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL TO LOCK/SEIZE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS. FAILED PN (ORIGINAL) WAS PART NUMBER XC2Z2B292AA WAS SUPERSEDED BY PART NUMBER 5C2Z2B511CA. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 69,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10232750 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10325732 · 2010-04-14 (April 14, 2010)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 FORD E 250. THE CONTACT STATED IN ORDER TO REMOVE HIS KEYS FROM THE IGNITION; HE WOULD HAVE TO PRESS AND HOLD HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HOLD THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR IN THE PARK POSITION WHILE APPLYING SLIGHT FORCE. THE CONTACT FOUND (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 08V051000: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: CRUISE CONTROL) WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT IS DEFECTIVE.THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO COVER THE REPAIR EXPENSE FOR ALL TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 9,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10325732 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10485290 · 2012-11-20 (November 20, 2012)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD E250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GLUE THAT HELD THE EMERGENCY BRAKE PAD SEPARATED FROM THE PEDAL. THE CONTACT STATED HE TRIED TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT IT WAS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED WHO STATED THERE WAS NO RECALL AND IF THERE WAS A RECALL IN THE FUTURE HE WOULD RECEIVE A REIMBURSEMENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,339.

Owner-reported narrative. 175,339 miles reported. Look up ODI 10485290 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11062583 · 2018-01-13 (January 13, 2018)

THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ONCE IGNTION WAS TURNED OVER. NO ACCIDENT JUST DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON.

Owner-reported narrative. 135,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11062583 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11451171 · 2022-02-09 (February 9, 2022)

The contact owns a 2004 Ford E-250. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road and the contact waited for a minute to restart the vehicle before starting to drive however, the failure persisted. No warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle but could not duplicate the failure. The mechanic believed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V270000 (Electrical System) and r…

Owner-reported narrative. 110,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11451171 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11468282 · 2022-06-08 (June 8, 2022)

I arrived at my destination, lined up to park, shifted my foot from accelerator to brake and ... YIKES the engine was racing like crazy. I put both feet on the brake, shoving hard, engine continues to accelerate over the curb & into a fence. Pulling against the brakes, the engine continued to race. I reached to yank it out of gear, when it TOOK OFF backwards across the parking lot. Still standing on the brakes, I frantically looked for a path that would give me time to kill the engine. skipped the window that I couldn't see if there were …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11468282 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

16 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

04V444000 · Electrical System:Wiring

Reported: 2004-09-13 (September 13, 2004)

ON CERTAIN VANS, A DIODE IN THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) MODULE MAY EXPERIENCE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.

Consequence: THE ELECTRICAL SHORT MAY CAUSE AN ABS MALFUNCTION THAT WOULD ILLUMINATE THE ABS WARNING LIGHT, OR THE MODULE MAY OVERHEAT RESULTING IN A BURNING ODOR, SMOKE, AND/OR FIRE. THIS CONDITION MAY OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN OR UNATTENDED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW FUSE IN THE ABS CIRCUIT AND INSTALL A HEAT SHIELD OVER THE ABS MODULE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 15, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673. ALSO FORD IS EXTENDING THE LIMITED WARRANTY (FOR A ONE TIME REPLACEMENT) OF THE ABS MODULE FOR A TOTAL OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES FROM THE WARRANTY START DATE, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST. IF YOUR VEHICLE HAS ALREADY ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 150,000 MILES, THIS COVERAGE WILL LAST UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30, 2005.