Transmission Solenoid problems of the 2004 Ford F-150

Within a few weeks of purchasing my vehicle in February after pulling into a parking lot the check engine light came on. I also noticed it was making a ticking noise like a diesel engine but it's not a diesel. I went to get the codes and found it was a retarded variable valve timing issue code p0022. I looked online and went to multiple shops and mechanics to figure out the problem. After paying to replace the vct solenoids it was apparent that that was not the issue causing the timing problem. For weeks I noticed the truck shaking and at one point it actually stalled as I was pulling out of a parking lot into a busy road and it stalled as I was going into the road which caused the on coming traffic to slow and stop to avoid hitting me in the middle of the road. After spending weeks in the dealership service shop and a large sum of money they found they needed to replace the engine entirely. I have witnessed this issue happening to many many others online and in person who have the same year range with the 5. 4l 3 valve triton engines. This is absolutely unacceptable for so many vehicle to have the same issue especially when it has under 100,000 miles. It is not only very poor quality for such a large price but also a safety hazard to the owner and others around these vehicles.

2004 Ford F-150: the transmission will not shift out of 4wd when driving. It will however shift into neutral. The failure was caused by the solenoids which can get wet and short out ruining the actuators. This is a part which Ford knows is defective, because they have created a new part. They currently have a TSB out on this issue. In April of 2006 they started putting water guards on the solenoids to ensure this won't happen. Having a transmission that will not engage properly is a safety hazard.