Vibration: have the wheels checked to be sure one (or more) isn't damaged.

Doors: Adjust so the backs don't rattle, obviously someone damaged the front...

Tranny: These trannys use "fuzzy logic" and learn how you drive and shift accordingly. You probably don't drive like the PO, so it shifts poorly for you. You can disconnect the battery (I believe it will tell you for how long in the OM) and then it will learn your style quicker)

I've had many Ford trucks, and I can say that overall I think my '07 is the best built yet, by far. I'd say most of your issues are from how the PO treated it. There is a reason they got rid of it with only 38k, and there was obviously some damage...

Good luck, with some TLC I'm sure it will be a great ride for you.

 

You bought a used work truck that the prior owner used and didn't concern himself with minor issues. A few adjustments and attention to minor things the prior owner didn't bother with should take care of the minor problems. The 4.6 is an excellent engine but is small for the weight of the truck. The 5.4 performs much better and get as good or better mileage than the 4.6. It wasn't available in anything less than the XLT in 2004. The higher trim levels has more sound insulation than the XL and are less tinny. My 04 XLT regular cab is quiet, smooth and performs well.

 

You are not alone. I bought my o4 pretty much loaded XLT and I am just amazed at how much cost cutting they did to these trucks. Millage really sucks with the 5.4l but yet it still has no power. The wheels and tires vibrate, the brakes suck and the seats are extremely uncomfortable and stain with water, (cloth). The paint job on these trucks are very thin, and the sheet metal vibrates when you shut the door. THe interior lacks any lights for the glove box, center console, and the dash is made out of very cheap plastic. Except for the noisey rear slider and the moon roof, this truck is just really very expensive and yet dissapointing to drive day to day. This was my first, and unless ford does a dramatic turn around and starts to build quality trucks again, my last ford pos. PS the XLT trim line has that cheap tin can feeling also.

 

what are you comparing your trucks power to? my 5.4 ain't no sports car, but it can and will get up and run with the average truck on the road. and I do drive a sports car as my DD. if I drive it hard, the MPG do truly suck (12 mpg or so), but driving it easy with the occasional full throttle, I pull a 15 mpg mixed, and I average 18+ on highway. that's on par or better than the 5 SUV's I had previously...and they were V-6's

what is this sheet metal vibration? never heard it. my truck is as quiet going 70 mph as it is going 30 mph. very little increase in interior noise.

all the interior joints are well made, the plastic is a bit much, but then again, all cars are plastic nowadays. the front seats are awesome. I just recently drove for 2,600 miles one way in 2 days and I never got the sore rear butt. I'll admit that the rear bench isn't the most comfortable though. leather seats are where it's at

like I said earlier. you get what you buy. I am missing the trip computer and the rear slider...otherwise, my truck is loaded. it's the best truck/vehicle I've ever owned, and I'll buy another one in 3, maybe 4 years...and keep this one unless some weird issue occurs...although, a nice 09/10 Cobra could be nice...no reason for 2 F-150's in the driveway

to the OP:

there truly is a huge difference between XL and a decent XLT or higher model. the carpeting, dash, power options, seats, seat material, sound deadening material. it's little things, but they make a world of difference.

as others said, try to reset the computer for the transmission. it'll eventually learn your driving style, but you can speed that up.

you've got to remember that alot of soccer moms buy these trucks and don't want to feel it shifting gears. the Edge will take care of that for you.

for the other issues, it never hurts to ask. you did just buy it after all. most dealers aren't bad people, they just need a little prompting.

best of luck.



maybe it's just me, but it seams alot of people forget they bought a truck. a truck that weighs 5,000 to 6,000 lbs empty. and they wonder why when the ride is rough, MPG isn't what they expect, or that it doesn't just scream off the line....oh wait, that's right. it's a truck.

 

sorry to hear about the problems with the truck. I'm not here to judge you but it appears to me that most of your complaints could have been noticed with a through evaluation before the purchase. Anyway that doesn't solve the problems. Good luck in whatever route you take and chalk it if toa lesson for experience.


ford9c are you sure your talking about the same truck as we are I realize comparing an XL toan XLT or Lariat is apples to oranges but my XLT is the ncest truck I have ever owned. It has no rattles, extremely quiet and smooth ride. Feels to me to be the most "solid" truck I have seen. Way ahead of the 89 f250 and a better ride than my 93 chevy 2wd. I will have to agree about the seat fabric and the mileage does suck. But hey it's a Ford, What ya expect.
I have never owned anything...ANYTHING that I couldn't find something I was dissatisfied with. ALL in all I love my F-150 and wouldn't take anything for it.
People always rant and rave about Toyota's and Chevy's or whatever. I take my Ford over any and all of them.

 

man u got that right!

Ray

 

Again thanks for the responses. I do remember this is a truck. I am the kind of person who cant even see the point in having a short bed truck let alone a 5.5' bed. I guess i just expected more but hopefully it will be a good truck. A friend of mine bought an '05 new and some things i also noted was how much thinner the bed metal was and it just dented in easier. Also there is no metal under the tailgate plastic thing that always comes off or the top of the bed rails. I know i'm just complaining but i guess if i really looked at the competition it would be very similar. On a positive note i noticed that the truck is very quiet driving and i like the deepness of the bed. I have seen these truck haul heavy loads well because they are soo wide and they just seem to handle the load well. I bought this truck to work it hard and i hope it does that. My last truck was a ranger and i had a yard of gravel (2600lbs) in that so hopefully this will hold up as well. Also between the xl and the xlt and up models the sheet metal is the same its just all the other stuff like seat and electronic stuff thats different. Lastly i really like this forum because it seems that whatever the question people can usually help but with the newer trucks no one uses them like people used to so i dont see much info on people working there trucks. Anyway sorry for the long post and thanks for the help.

 

i know chevy is using plastic bedsides.... and some manufacturer was thinking about or using a plastic bed floor too.. so be happy u got metal.. infact the more and more people want lighter car like rides.. with good gas millage the more metal will become missing on the trucks.. i prefer somthing that will last myself


Ray

 

So how will you be able to tell if Ford is making a better product without purchasing another one? Obviously the research preformed before purchasing the truck was not done correctly. If the trucks are such junk...why did you buy it in the first place?

Like GPEADE stated before, you can be dissatisfied with anything. Even the most luxurious cars will have issues, rattles, etc.. I have family members with new Lexus (Brakes related) and BMW (Tires, A/C, suspension related) vehicles and guess what...they have issues too. If you are so unhappy driving it everyday, sell it and enjoy annoyances with another manufacturer.

 

Ignore the guys that are busting your b---s. It's easy to miss stuff when your all excited and nervous about buying a new truck. My truck has about 5-700 lbs of tools all the time. I won't load it with stone, I have an older truck for that. But I do work it. I'm curios what the average age is of people on here. When I first started driving in 1976. You knew you where in a truck. They bounced down the road. You would literally get sore from bouncing up and down. They where built like a tank. If you got 15-20,000 miles out of a set of tires on a 4X4 you where doing good. My 04 XLT seat is very comfortable I drive about 500-600 miles a week. It drives and handles better than my 1973 ROAD RUNNER. Zero to 60 in my 04 150 is about 9.5-10 seconds. My 2000 Chrysler Concord was 8 seconds. For a 6000 lb. truck that's not to shabby. If you wanted performance you should buy a Mustang. All vehicles require up keep. You need to grease your hinges and latches. Don't slam the doors & tail gate. People max out there budget on the cost of the vehicle then when something breaks you can't afford to fix it. After the first few years you need to plan on spending $500-$700 a year on any vehicle. All that said this is 2007, your trucks steering shouldn't shake. Doors should line up. If you don't know what your doing don't mess with door alignment. You can make it a lot worse. What is a couple hours of your time for a 12-15000 dollar investment. Take it back, tell them what's wrong. Be reasonable. Look into an extended warranty maybe. Or a service plan. Good luck. Man this is officially my longest post.

 

Thanks for the advice it definately gave me some ideas.

 

I bought my 04 XLT new and they apparently made two different versions. I have none of those problems or concerns and wouldn't trade mine for anything.

 

Yeah, I like my truck but...it does have some downfalls and is somewhat cheap in areas, not really going go into detail about what because I will get crucified on here, but c'mon guys you know some of the things said by ford9c are true, not going to go through the entire paragraph that he said but how about the cloth seats, defend that someone i dare you...

 

I dont think anyone is trying to crucify anybody else, its just people dont take into account everything. I dont have cloth in this truck but I can name two previous vehicles that had cloth seats that if water spilled on them they stained...its not just a Ford "problem". I personally think my leather seats are quite comfy..

Again, not trying to crucify anyone, but I am defending the vehicle because some make it seem as if it is only a Ford issue and if they hadnt bought the vehicle they wouldnt have any issues, which simply isnt true. All vehicles are becomine more expensive and are being made with different materials for weight savings which in turn will try to improve gas mileage.. Maybe Ford is trying to get better mileage (weight reduction) versus having an added 100lbs of plastic in a dash and added weight in other places..

 

The best remedy for the cloth seat problem is a can of Scotchguard. Clean the seats with a good upholstry cleaner, let dry, and then give the seats a good coat of the Scotchguard. Water, soda, coffee, etc. stains blot right up and don't stain. I do my vehicles twice a year and the cloth seats still look new........