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1998 Ford Expedition electrical complaints

Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 115, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 1998 Ford Expedition electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed May 15, 2012 · Electrical · 200,000 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact was traveling 20-30 MPH when the anti-theft warning light illuminated as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 200,000.

Filed Aug 13, 2010 · Electrical · NH · fire

My 1998 ford expedition had a recall and they wanted to keep my car for three day minimum of three days. I have to work so I waited until I had a long weekend. I waited to long I guess because I came out of the bank and my car was on fire. I called auto fair ford in manchester,nh and they said because I did not bring it in immediately that they would replace the part that started the fire but I was responsible for everything else destroyed by the recalled part. I will never buy or deal with ford or ford vehicles again!

Filed Jul 6, 2010 · Electrical · 180,000 miles · FL

My 1998 ford expedition began having severe electrical problems after heavy rains. The starter will cycle when the key is not even in the ignition, the AC blower remains on when truck is shut off, speedometer fails to work, transmission shifts roughly, interior lights come on, truck shuts off unexpectedly. Researched on internet and apparently many ford trucks made in 1998 have similar problems due to leaky windshields, allowing water to enter fuse boxes. This problem could be very dangerous particularly the constant cycling of the starter in an unattended truck, and shutting off while driving. I would imagine engine fires are also a possibility given the range of electrical issues this is causing. Repairs include a new windshield and gem box, running approximately $1,000.

Filed Mar 23, 2010 · Electrical · MS

Ford special message #15773. Why is there not a recall for this? This is despicable. The amount of damage this causes is horrible. The air bags can deploy because of this problem. How many children are in danger because of this? How many fires can be started? Any vechicle that falls under this message should be repaired by ford at ford expense. I have spent a lot of money trying to find out why this has happened when ford has known the entire time. Multiple people with same issue. See link: http://www.my3cents.com/showreview.cgi?id=15119

Filed Mar 10, 2010 · Electrical · 93,000 miles · IN

Our 1998 expedition only has 93,000 miles and it is posing electrical problems, the mechanic has told us it needs a new gem module. I have read at least 50 complaints about fords windshield leaking and causing same symptoms. Why would ford do a recall. Or maybe they have. Can you tell me if they have. This could cause a fire which could cause a sever accident. All the complaints are very similar so it is a manufactured defect.

Filed Jan 28, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 169,000 miles · MI

First, the interior lights and running lights would not power off while all doors were closed, door ajar indicator was on. Took to dealer problem resolved for a month or so. Now need to spray wd40 on latches religiously. Dealer also replaced cruise control harness at this time. Then came the radio and heater running with the key out of the ignition. Beeps and clicks and bad smells coming from under dash. Again to the dealer, no codes found for the issues I was having. Battery draining occurring frequently now and no resolution. I now have to disconnect the battery everynight. Now when I drive down the road I get the many failure lights flashing on the dash, the windows won't work, speedometer fails, truck loses power and the transmisson shifts strangely. I was hours from home and doing 70mph on the highway when evidencing decided to not work at the same time. Then I realize that this is occurring only when it rains or is very wet out. And I was truly afraid for my life and the others that were on the road with me. I had to drift across a lane of traffic with no power to get to the side of the road. I put the truck in park and put my head down, whew, and the motor powered back up and all the failure lights were off. Only after investigating on the internet today do I find out this is a common problem. And the fix... Replace the windshield seal! And possible damaged fuse box and gem! Now why didn't the ford dealer help remedy this problem one of the many times I was in? This problem has been occurring for several years. New windshield $165 and they come to the house. I paid big money for "no codes match your issues, miss." tw*

Filed Dec 21, 2009 · Electrical, Visibility · 65,000 miles · WA

I have a 98 expedition, windows roll down, stereo come on heat turns on, all dash panel warning lights come on and off,the air bag light go on and off,and the wipers and overdrive go on and off ,the starter tries to start while running it started few years ago on occasion when it would rain now everytime ,found out the windshield leaks water on the fuse box and some other generic box, I feel ford should fix the expedition its there default look on the internet ,there are lots of other people with the exact same prob. Please help.

Filed Dec 18, 2009 · Electrical, Visibility · 132,456 miles · ID · fire

I have a 1998 ford expedition eb model. I just had to take it into the dealer because the windshield is not sealed properly and the gem module has been getting wet and needs to be replaced along with the fuse box. Apparently this is quite common with this year and modle.I have to spend 885 to have it fixed and now have to have the windshield replaced as well. The car would not start and the lights flickers on and off while I was driving the power locks would lock and unlock while I was driving. The windows would go up and down while I was driving. This is not safe! It died in the middle of an intersection once then the engine revved up and it wouldn't stop. The only way to stop it is to disconnect the battery. The dash started smoking and a beeping noise came from under the dash somewhere. I was lucky enough to get the battery disconnected before there was any real fire damage. If I had know nothing about cars I would have kept driving and could have been seriously injured.

Filed Sep 2, 2009 · Electrical · 197,400 miles · IN

Corrosion on blower motor resistor components and thermal event on wiring harness to blower motor resistor.

Filed Aug 10, 2009 · Electrical · NY · fire

My SUV caught fire parked in a parking lot and not running at the time.

Filed Mar 24, 2009 · Acceleration, Electrical · 181,000 miles · NC · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact noticed a large amount of smoke while the vehicle was parked in a carport. Suddenly, the vehicle erupted uncontrollably in flames and exploded. The fire department was called to the scene and a fire report was filed. There were no warnings prior to the failure. The two pet dogs that were outside when the massive fire erupted sustained severe burns. There were no personal injuries. The property damage consisted of the carport and portions of the house, such as the roof, siding, and a couple of rooms inside. The vehicle was completely destroyed and currently remains at the scene for investigation purposes. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The insurance company was notified, but the cause of the failure has not yet been determined. The failure and current mileages were 181,000. Updated 05/08/09 *bf updated 05/12/09.*jb updated 06/09/09.

Filed Nov 26, 2008 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact stated that her vehicle caught fire in her driveway. The fire department extinguished the fire and a report was filed. The insurance company was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, they would not replace the vehicle because the insurance coverage was cancelled. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer wanted possession of the vehicle in order to perform an inspection; however, it was no longer available because the insurance company disposed of the vehicle. The manufacturer would not assist with any reimbursement and stated that they were not liable for the repairs. They further stated that the customer's claim will be closed. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Jan 29, 2008 · Electrical · AE

While driving my vehicle my spark shot out and I had take to the auto repair for them to replace the halo coil in which it happen twice.

Filed Nov 27, 2007 · Electrical · 145,000 miles · TN

My 1998 ford expedition xlt has the leaking windshield problem, which has LED to misdiagnosis by the dealer and by independent mechanics. The lights, fans, and switches randomly turn on and off, the power windows work intermittently, the blower fan and radio stays on, and the battery has gone dead three times. Today is the most recent occurrence of the problem, and I found it as noted in an online forum. Ford is/has been aware of the problem, yet will only fix it if the car has less than 75,000 miles on the odometer, which works intermittently as well. Apparently the repair will run in excess of $1,000, even though ford has multiple reported cases of the same problem.

Filed Jul 20, 2007 · Electrical, Engine · 220,000 miles · IL · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The fire spread from the instrument panel to the radiator and finally to the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department stated that the fire may have been caused by an electrical source from the engine. The police and fire departments filed a report. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 220,000.

Filed Mar 1, 2007 · Electrical · 110,000 miles · MN

1998 ford expedition interior lights staying on, door ajar light staying on, radio turning on and off by itself, trailer lights not working, dash lights flashing off and on. I found out there are a lot of problems with these cars having leaking windshields allowing water to enter the vehicle and cause electrical shorting on the gem and fuse box. Ford dealership said this is a well-known issue with a tsb 98-9-13 !!! I did a quick search on the internet and found that these can cause electrical fires or cause cars to start by themselves, losing electrical stability while driving resulting in several near accidents. (no brake lights, etc..)

Filed Jan 11, 2007 · Electrical · NE

The battery keeps running down. Can't find anything left on inside truck. Have replaced battery three times. Battery has the right amount of cranking amps. Still keeps running down. Heard that there maybe problems with the battery cables or some other type of electrical wiring.

Filed Nov 20, 2006 · Electrical · 140,000 miles · CA · fire

My 1998 ford expedition xlt caught fire when parked in the parking lot of georgio's restaurant after driving for about 20 minutes. Fire started in the engine compartment and remained localized there. Entire engine compartment flamed up, burned a hole through the hood, and damaged everything forward of the vehicles firewall. Flame was contained and extinguished using industrial fire extinguishers available at the restaurant georgio's where my wife, daughter, and I were meeting my parents for dinner. The vehicle has a good service record and has been service at the local ford dealer a few times, so this was a huge surprise. I am fairly confident the vehicle will be declared "totaled" by my insurance carrier geico. My wife and I depend on having a second vehicle because I drive our other vehicle 60 minutes away every day for work. Since she spends her time raising our daughter, I am the sole source of income, but we're unsure that income can accommodate a car payment (both of our vehicles are paid for).

Filed Aug 9, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · NY

I own a 1998 ford expedition xlt. My check engine light has been on for the past 8 months. When truck is connected to computer for trouble shoot egr code is detected. I have changed egr,solenoid,computer and to this date light is still on. I have been doing research and a large amount of people with ford expeditions are having this problem. Please help.

Filed Mar 9, 2006 · Electrical · FL · fire

My wife driving the vehicle a 98 ford expedition on u.s highway 27 about 5 miles east of clewiston and the car started to smoke, she stopped it , got off and then the car caught on fire.

Filed Feb 23, 2006 · Electrical, Locks · 27,900 miles · WI

Dt*: the contact stated the driver's side power seat mechanism does not work properly, resulting in driver's inability to view the road. The seat moves up and down, but will not go forward or backward. The dealership determined the mechanism needed to be replaced. Updated 3/17/2006 - right front axle leaked, windshield washers failed. The glass in the driver's side window would not go up. The door locks locked the consumer out of the vehicle. The horn was difficult to locate. The rear tailgate window exploded.

Filed Oct 9, 2005 · Electrical · 128,000 miles · TX

Spark plug blew out from engine. Normal driving conditions, failure caused lack of driving power. If incident had occurred during rush hour, accidents would have occurred. The engine block had to be re-tapped, plug and coil replaced.

Filed Sep 21, 2005 · Electrical · FL

Dt: there is an investigation # pe05033 for the 1099-2002 models, but it does not included the 1998 model that was having the same exact problems as described in pe05033.. Took vehicle to a mechanic shop, and they have replaced a jammed module on august 30, 2004, and on september 13, 2005 they replaced the alternator. Had no trouble until it rained again and the vehicle would not start. Then, the vehicle was sitting for about thirty minutes and it started. After driving the vehicle, turning the vehicle off, and taking the key out of the ignition the door chime was clicking ,/the radio was going, and the air conditioner was running with no keys in the ignition.

Filed Aug 4, 2005 · Electrical · 118,000 miles · TX · fire

My 98 expedition was parked in my garage when my son came home and opened the garage a saw smoke coming out. I had been home about 80 mins. The smoke was coming from under the hood of my exp. I quickly started the vehicle to get it out of the garage area, but it would not go into reverse - the brake pressure fuse had blown due to the wire fire, so the car was stuck in park. Luckily the fire went out on it's own. Problem was the cruise control deactivation switch sparked (somehow) and started a small wire fire under the hood - near the brake fluid reservior. This could have burned my car and my house down !! North central ford (richardson tx) would not fix the problem at no charge, because "only the 2000 models had a recall" !! They did acknowledge that the 1997 to 2001 models are currently being "investigated" by ford engineers and the federal safety agency for the same fire problem that I had. My mechanic (not a ford dealer) disconnected the wire harness so now the fuse won't blow and I can drive the vehicle. I will have my mechanic fix the problem tomorrow.

Filed Jul 5, 2005 · Electrical · 119,000 miles · FL · fire

1998 ford expedition. On july 1, 2005 cruise control deactivation switch burned and melted rendering vehicle inoperable (temporarily). Three children needed to be "evacuated" in tears as smoke billowed from under the hood. Altough a known issue to ford, because their current recall is 2000 year only they offered no (yes no) assistance for repair (only asking that the defective part(s) be replaced - not any other subsequent damages. There were none other than the smoke). Thought you may like to here about it. Thanks, david

Filed Jun 20, 2005 · Electrical · 173,883 miles · MI

I just started experiencing about 2 years ago about the same problem described in the the associated press article on the cnbc financial web page. During extreme periods rain, dampness or high humidity, my truck would not run correctly. It started out with the speedometer not working (or the cruise control), but drove fine down the road. Then as time & months went on the symptoms seemed to get worse. Besides the speedometer not working or the cruise control when it rained, the transmission started not shifting at its normal ''shifting points'' & the overdrive light on the gear shifter would flash on & off repeatedly. When it was dry out or if I used the floor heater when it rain, it would run ok. Then one day in the rain all the ''idiot cluster lights'' in the dash would all start flashing on & off with a ''clicking or switching'' sound from under the dash. It got to a point during a heavy rain that all of the above would happen at the same time over a 40 mile drive, & the rear window wiper would stop working in mid-wipe & the vehicle would start loosing power. At this point I took it to my local ford dealer & told them the same things. Finally after the 2 visits & another hour to hour & a half to diagnose & troubleshoot the problem they told me that my windshield was leaking somewhere & was causing the problem. They said ford had a ''tsb'' technical service bulletin out. They found both the ''gem & cjb'' modules (part #''s f852-14b205-ka & f752-14ad68-ba) under the dash all ''wet & corroded'' & needed to be replaced at a cost of $589.94 just for the parts plus $74.95 hr. Labor & a $7.50 hazardous waste for a repair order charge. I took my truck to a local glass shop to find the leak & replace the seal. They discover that the ''seal'' for the windshield was leaking at the top near the rain cutters on the roof & running down the ''a'' pillars & was also starting to rust that area near the support structure for the glass.

Filed Jun 14, 2005 · Electrical · 133,000 miles · OR · fire

Dt: consumer's 1998 ford expedition burst into flames. While consumer was in vehicle, with the vehicle off, she noticed white smoke coming from under the hood. When the consumer got out of the vehicle the smoke turned to black. When the consumer walked away she looked back towards the vehicle and the vehicle burst into flames.

Filed May 31, 2005 · Electrical · FL · fire

Dt: the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. He states that while he was in a store and came outside and vehicle was on fire while it was parked and the engine was off. The fire department was dispatched. Something exploded towards the right side of the hood and shot up in the air.

Filed May 25, 2005 · Electrical · TX

Cc quit working, replaced at dealer, would not get out of park

Filed May 23, 2005 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · NY · fire

While driving 25 MPH consumer hear a popping noise from the engine. Vehicle caught on fire under the hood. Pulled over, put out the fire, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *bf nm corrected 6/16/05 - incident date wrong and 0 injuries not 2 spoke with owner - passenger (uncle) is devastated and driver (owner) still hears ringing in his ears - they both feared dying because of vehicle exploding while driving

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