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2004 Lincoln Aviator Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 81 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Lincoln Aviator, most often about the transmission (26% of complaints, typically around 79,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Aviator model year since 2000.
Most common 2004 Lincoln Aviator problems
Transmission
21 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
Gear shift not changing smoothly, gear difficult to get out of "park" from time to time. The transmission shift cable finally become dislodged from the shift cable bracket and the vehicle is unable to move at all (not even able to push vehicle while gear in neutral). Needing to replace shift cable and gear lever.
The contact owns a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed while trying to shift into reverse. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal and tried to change gears but the vehicle would not respond. She then attempted to remove the key from the ignition but the key could not be…
Engine
20 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
2004 Lincoln Aviator 74,000 miles. While attempting to merge onto interstate 95 s the vehicle shuddered and lost power unable to accelerate. Final determination by a mechanic determined the #8 cylinder was not holding pressure because the valve was not sealing correctly. The 4.6l v8 ford engine's valve's are powder…
I recently purchased a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. About a month after I purchased this vehicle it started to develop problems. The rear bearing seal failed and oil is leaking out. The gear shifter on the console is starting to stick and not go into gear. I understand the Aviator is having a lot of problems in these areas.…
Body and structure
15 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 71,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
As I was exiting a store and walking toward my vehicle, I noticed what looked like a black streak on the back of my liftgate. When I was closer, I saw that it was a crack in the back of the lift gate on the right side of the emblem of the vehicle from the bottom of the back window to the bottom of the lift gate. This…
Why washing SUV noticed a stress crack on my rear lift gate. Believe this to be a manufacturer defect. I noticed this crack on other Lincoln/ford SUV's.
Electrical
8 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 105,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition.
Early this morning was driving on the freeway in our 2004 Lincoln Aviator. There was a moderate rain fall and zero natural light was available. Without warning, the electrical system, including the headlights, in the vehicle shut off. I was traveling at approx. 70 MPH and was carrying a total of seven people. Unable…
I purchased my truck used in december 2011 and it has been nothing but constant problems. First, the door locks would randomly engage/disengage on their own. Or if button pushed nothing at all would happen. While the heater works, it emits a death rattle before blowing air. My AC doesn't work at all and was told that…
Visibility and wipers
7 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, rearview mirrors/devices, glass, side/rear.
Air bags
7 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated as she was reversing, miles per hour was unknown ,the driver side air bag deployed. It continued to rupture as she put the gear shift in park and jumped out of the vehicle. No one was injured. The vehicle was driven to the dealer after the air bags were taped.…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. The driver side air bag deployed right before backing out of a parking space. The contact's son sustained injuries to his hand and legs. The vehicle was taken to south point Lincoln mercury. The dealer stated that the air bag deployed due to a previous front end crash several…
Steering
6 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, column.
The back hatch panel cracked was fixed , the steering not right some times its hard to steer. Main problem is cylinder coils going bad alot. Now #8 coil went bad and has been replaced 2times, and its still in the shop they cant find out why it keeps coming up #8 still misfiring .. They think its the head now. I…
I had just gotten onto the highway,at about 40 MPH the rear wheels started to skip and jerk also there was a loud cluck from under the front....the mechanic found the transfer case was damaged due to cheap ford parts.....
Suspension
5 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: rear.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Lincoln Aviator. While driving at any speed, the driver heard a loud roaring noise coming from the rear end of the vehicle. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they rebuilt the rear end pinion and bearings, which only remedied the failure for ten months. When the failure recurred, the contact…
The contact owns a 2004 Lincoln navigator. The contact stated that the air suspension system dropped the vehicle down upon starting. As a result, the vehicle would bounce and drive low to the ground. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the air suspension system needed to be replaced. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Lincoln Aviator recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Vehicle rollaway allegations
Summary
This investigation is being closed based on several considerations.by the most inclusive counting of all alleged rollaway incidents (I.e., counting all alleged rollaway incidents and assuming a singular failure mechanism), the incident rate is low, however during ea09-013, odi identified a number of different failure mechanisms in 180 incidents related to the alleged defect.the highest rate for any particular failure mechanism, the failure of the automatic transmission parking system, was 4.4/100k.the next-highest failure rate was for the bsi system, at 3.4/100k.for all identified failure mechanisms there has been a drastically declining trend including very few incidents occurring in recent
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehi
Questions about the 2004 Lincoln Aviator
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lincoln Aviator?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (21 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles); engine (20 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); body and structure (15 complaints, typically around 71,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Lincoln Aviator have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2004 Lincoln Aviator. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Lincoln Aviator?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Aviator model year since 2000, with 81 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.