Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. While attempting to shift from drive gear the contact noticed that the gear shift would not shift into park. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current mileage was 150000 and the failure mileage was 100000.
1998 Ford Expedition: stuck in gear or won't shift
6 of the 836 complaints about the 1998 Ford Expedition describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 116,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 53 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact stated that the gear shift control would malfunction every time he used the vehicle and attempted to shift. The vehicle would not shift into park correctly. If the vehicle did shift into park, it would roll backward, especially on an incline. He took the vehicle to a dealer, but they would not inspect or diagnose the vehicle because it had over 120,000 miles. The contact stated that both the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 97v171000 (power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)). The contact owned two other ford expeditions that exhibited the same failure. The current mileage was approximately 170,000 and failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Dt: 1998 ford expedition. The contact found recall 97v171000, for the gear position indicator. Upon taking the vehicle to the dealership, they stated it was not part of this recall. The contact stated for a month the vehicle will not go into park, the vehicle has to be in reverse to be in park and in neutral to be in reverse. The vehicle has to be in drive to be in neutral and it has to be driven in drive 1 or 2. The vehicle was looked at in the dealership and he has received an estimate. The vehicle was not fixed at that time. The contact called ford and they state the same as the dealership, according to the VIN the vehicle is not part of the recall. The contact did have the transmission checked, but the transmission shop stated there is nothing wrong with the transmission. This is a constant problem..
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.
When it rains water leaks onto the gem module and fuse box under the dashboard left of the steering column. Some of the effects are, windshield wipers stopping, transmission going into limp mode with od light flashing, battery going dead if raining overnight, speedometer not working, heater fan running while off, left front power window not working, and instrument panel warning lights flashing on and off. Everything comes back to normal after it dries out. I had the windshield replaced. I had the new windshield resealed twice. I had to replace the battery. I still can see water dripping next to the parking brake. I have browsed the net and found that this is a common problem with expeditions and f150's. I would like ford to take responsibility and repair this defect.
Recall campaign 97v171000 concerning automatic transmission cable assembly. The shift lever will not go into park. The shift indicator is off by one. Owner contacted the manufacturer, but was informed that this vehicle was not included in the recall due to VIN.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Rear axle noise repair
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
- Subject regarding driveline angle-related vibration at various speeds and load conditions
- Some vehicles equipped with 4 wheel drive may exhibit a notchy or sticking feeling in slow speed turns...
- Some vehicles with 4R700 transmissions built from 4/16/98 through the end of the 1998 model year may...
- Brake shift interlock
- Some vehicles may exhibit a driveline vibration at speeds between 60-70 mph
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. If the automatic transmission shift cable assembly was not fully attached to the steering column bracket, the shift cable assembly can come out of the bracket. The vehicle operator would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate "park."
- Risk
- The condition would not allow a disengagement of the transmission from the park position or affect proper neutral start switch operation. Unintended vehicle movement could occur if the parking brake was not set.
- Remedy
- Dealers will make the proper attachment of the transmission shift control cable to the steering column bracket and add a tie strap to that connection.
Recall number 97V171000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1998 Ford Expedition won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
6 of 836 owner complaints about the 1998 Ford Expedition (1%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 2020.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
There is 1 recall and 53 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Ford Expedition
Fire or smoke 61Adaptive cruise 33Tire blowout 30Ball joint 29Wipers 27Stalling 18ABS 13No deployment 12Seat belt 12Brake failure 11Engine failure 9Headlights 9Loss of power 9Won't start 9Grinding brakes 8Door locks 8Knocking 8Sudden acceleration 8Transmission failure 8Check engine light 7Hesitation 6Overheating 6Pulling 6
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Ford Expedition?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history