2004 Ford F-350 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 19about this part
- Share
- 12%of 159 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 60,942miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 19 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Ford F-350, 12% of the 159 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,942 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“For unknown reasons on 12/20/13 at 0030 hrs my truck caught on fire as it sat in my driveway. I drove the truck last on 12/14/13. The fire started in the engine compartment on the drivers side. I have owned the truck for about 8 months and it had 105000 miles on it when I purchased it. The fire department advised it could be due to some type of electrical issue near the master cylinder. I told them that I have not done any work under the hood in months and that was oil/filter change. Still under investigation.”
NHTSA complaint #10556774, filed 2013-12, 111,000 miles“My 2004 Ford F-350 6.0 diesel. Hesitate or surges while driving, and/or the engine may stall while driving at all speeds including highway speed, will lose power steering and brakes and when at a stop it will lunge forward. The engine may or may not restart after stall. I feel that this is a great safety concern I have almost lost control of my vehicle on a few occasions while towing my boat and going around corners. I have heard of other people having the same problems with their 2004 6.0 diesels. Please help!”
NHTSA complaint #10445520, filed 2012-01, 89,000 miles“Since new vehicle purchase, my Ford f350 diesel p/u experienced engine surging (200-250 RPM) while stopped with the automatic transmission in drive. The surge was significant enough to lurch the truck forward with the brake applied, such as at a stoplight. In several cases, I almost rear ended other vehicles before applying the brake hard enough to stop the truck from moving forward. I later learned to anticipate the surge using the brakes to minimize movement of the truck while stopped. …”
NHTSA complaint #10314198, filed 2010-02, 3,000 miles“Ford F-350 diesel-2004 car shut down in the passing lane on pa turnpike. Towed to Ford...no insulation on wiring harness, shorted out the truck. The truck stopped dead in the road..now the Ford dealer fixed it by putting insulation over it to get me back on the road. It had been in the shop the week before, and the week before that because I complained of losing power on the road when I travel. I don't want to have a fire with my family!”
NHTSA complaint #10137798, filed 2005-09, 63,285 miles“Shortly after starting from a stop the vehicle lost power and had to be towed to repair shop. Problem diagnosed and repaired as replacing the PCM and reflash of the onboard computer.”
NHTSA complaint #10640857, filed 2014-10, 176,253 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10014688Mar 21, 2005Low battery voltage - snow plow equipped vehicles - 6.0l diesel with single generator.
- 10013322Jan 1, 2005Popping or quavering from radio on the am band.
- 10013116Sep 6, 2004Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips. Various models including 2004 f-series.
- 10011174Aug 1, 2004Dtc u1262 (scp communication bus fault) stored in the instrument cluster (ic).
- 10013113Jan 1, 2004Adding additional bulbs to turn indicator or hazard flasher circuits - service tips.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6 | 7% |
| 2013 | 2 | 3% |
| 2012 | 6 | 4% |
| 2011 | 11 | 8% |
| 2009 | 1 | 4% |
| 2008 | 4 | 3% |
| 2007 | 4 | 11% |
| 2006 | 7 | 5% |
| 2005 | 15 | 13% |
| 2004 | 19 | 12% |
| 2003 | 11 | 12% |
| 2002 | 14 | 12% |
| 2001 | 10 | 6% |
| 2000 | 10 | 3% |
| 1999 | 8 | 2% |
| 1997 | 7 | 5% |
| 1996 | 8 | 6% |
| 1995 | 9 | 7% |
| 1994 | 5 | 5% |
| 1993 | 5 | 5% |
| 1992 | 3 | 6% |
| 1991 | 3 | 10% |
| 1990 | 4 | 10% |
| 1989 | 7 | 17% |
| 1988 | 9 | 31% |
| 1987 | 1 | 13% |
| 1986 | 3 | 21% |
Other parts of the 2004 Ford F-350
64 complaintsFuel system
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsEngine
16 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsTires
11 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsSuspension
4 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsEquipment
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Ford F-350
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology