After accelerating from a stop, a loud bang was heard. What had happened? A spark plug blew out of the aluminum head, taking the threads with it. I was not aware that fuel would continue to blow out of the spark plug hole which could have been ignited by the ignition coil or exhaust manifold. Ford is aware of this issue, but has not recalled the defective aluminum heads, but rather offered a repair kit to fix the stripped threads when this issue occurs. This could have been a very different ending if the fuel would have ignited.
2003 Ford Expedition electrical complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 104, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Engine wont turn off with keys taken out, dashlights on and off, air conditioner came on when door was opened, warning bell and no keys in ignition, head and tail lights remain on, side mirrors move and will not go back, when key pod used all these problems go off at the same time.
The engine would randomly shut off with no warning. Sometimes the engine would shut off while driving, other times would shut off at a stop light. The issue happened 10 times over a 3 day period. I was lucky to not crash as the engine died once while making a turn on a busy road. Once it died, so did the power steering and brakes - very scary. There were no engine codes that came up and no indication anything was wrong, the engine would simply shut off. While diagnosing the issue I did some internet research that indicated it could be the fuel pump relay issue. The fuel pump relay is a non-serviceable relay that is soldered to the main fuse box circuit board. I removed the fuse box and disassembled it revealing the fuel pump relay was getting hot and had melted the solder on the board. When the relay cooled, the solder made contact and the engine would start right up. When driving the solder would warm up and break contact. This would shut the fuel pump off and the engine would die. There are reports of this all over the internet. The only repair for this item was to replace the main circuit board as the relay cannot be replaced without soldering to the circuit board. Once the fuse box was replaced, the issue was resolved. I believe this could potentially be a huge problem and could lead to serious accidents. I have read this problem affects numerous years of the ford expedition.
The car was running well and suddenly it die. No lights in dash board, no shakes, no any previous sign of trouble. Simply it die. I pumped the accelerator pedal and the car continue running. Next time, few days after the incident, the car does the same. This time do not continue running when I pump gas. I have to put in neutral and start it again. It start at once. Could be more than two weeks without signal of problem and then, it happen again. Some other time, it happen 4 or 5 times in a half hour trip.
Driving down state highway when the battery gauge went to "l" and the ABS light came on. The engine was still running. Pulled into apartment complex parking lot and the engine shut off. All lights and bells were still working. Aaa was called and performed a diagnostic and determined the starter was going bad. The starter is less than 2 years old as is the battery. Was told it was safe to drive home. Took vehicle to local repair shop where another diagnostic test was performed and was told it was not the starter nor the battery and another diagnostic should be performed to determine cause. Engine has not shut off while driving since but am apprehensive to drive very far from home. Will wait for 3rd diagnostic test.
Driving on interstate 70 mpg vehicle stalls then proceeds, this happened several times over a course of 1 year. One later incident engine died but restarted. Several months later completely dies. After several hrs vehicle restarts. Ford mechanics claim they cannot make a diagnosis. It will never stall or quit when it's in the shop. I'm afraid this vehicle will be someone's death trap.
Bulbs melting third brake light assembly internally. This happened to original and recently replaced unit. Bulbs were seized to the plastic mounting and melted/deformed both bulb mounts and reflector. Unit is now defective.
Was driving the 2003 expedition on interstate 10 near pensacola, when the vehicle shut off. The car coasted to a stop, luckily I did not cause a wreck and my family and I was safe. It has happened several times, at least 10 so far. We have replaced the fuel pump, fuel pump relay switch, the fuel filter, had the injectors inspected and it still does it. I did some research into the problem and it turns out the right side front passenger window leaks down onto the interior fuse panel and is causing the electrical system to short out. In all cases once the vehicle cools down, the car starts right back up again. I have taken it to 4 garages and now I have it at the ford dealership in pensacola. Where they are looking at it. It turns out that the p0231 code keeps re-appearing in the system (fuel pump relay circuitry) which shows the problem could be the fuse panel since the fuses are soldered to the board and not plugged in. Hopefully ford recognizes this problem and will order a recall soon.
We moved it around in our shed at about 10pm on 6/16/12 and we awoke at 4 am to our shop, machine shed, and chicken coop engulfed in flames. We lost over $100,000 in property. The fire marshall determined that our ford expedition was to blame and that it started under the hood, somewhere in the electrical. We only had liability only on 2 of the 3 vehicles in the shop along with our motorcycle and trailer so they were not covered by insurance. I think ford should of compensated us for the items we did not get paid for. They should do a recall on this vehicle, and compensate the people that had fires with this vehicle.
While driving down the freeway I put my foot on the gas and did not get any response. In a few seconds I pushed on the gas again and nothing. I started to pull over and pushed on the gas again and the car had power. The same thing happened 25 minutes later getting back onto the freeway. Next incident was starting from a stop light the car just died. No warning. Engine light, battery light and service now lights come on. Again I pulled over put the car in park and it started back up. We had the coils and plugs changed. Next time driving at 35 MPH out of the blue no power to the gas and the car shuts down. Changed a relay. Took it to the ford dealership who can't figure out what the problem is. We changed the battery next time I am coming to a stop and the car stops. No battery light, no service light nothing. Again I pull over and it took a long time to get the car started again. Took it back into ford. This time I gave them a thread of email about others having the same issue. Now they have changed another relay and we hope this solves the problem. This is a huge safety concern. For a person who is driving 55-66 MPH on a highway or freeway and their car dies is a big accident waiting to happen. I did email ford but so far have been told to talk to the service person.
Why is there no warning light,or signal of any kind when the PCM fails? Our PCM failed, which caused our catalytic converters, 02 sensors, & fuel pump to fail. Our ignition coils had to be replaced. Would have been nice if a warning light came on the dash. This has caused our expedition engine to randomly shut off while driving countless times! I have miraculously been able to maneuver my expedition to the side of the freeway &have it towed eight times without killing myself, my family or any one else! We have had odd electrical and performance problems since august of 2002 when we purchased it. Not one ford mechanic (3 different dealerships) could ever diagnose or repair issues. Because there is no warning light/code when the PCM is out, the damage snowballs. There are no computer codes, or warning lights to show up on the dash board when the PCM is out, which befuddles the mechanics. We are literally $5,000 in the hole so far! Ford dealership "repaired" our expedition by replacing the PCM ($1,300.00). 48 hours after they replaced the PCM, and 18 miles after we drove expedition off the ford lot, the "service engine soon" light came up on the dashboard -for the first time ever! We drove back to the ford dealership, and he said for $3,400 plus tax he could replace our new catalytic converters in "bank one" that were destroyed again, & the "bank two" converters which are now very weak, not up to spec. The driver's seat motor that has been fickle since aug of 2002, stopped working when we went to pick it up, so I can't drive it, because I can't reach the gas or brake pedals. $800 will fix that, ford says. If you google "2003 ford expedition eddie bauer engine shuts off randomly", thousands of people are reporting the same issues. Until someone crashes and dies, I don't think ford cares. The consumer also stated the vehicle had electrical problems. The consumer stated the driver's seat motor stopped working while being serviced at the dealer, there were problems with the windows as well.
While driving at highway speeds the engine cuts out/dies.
After making a complete stop at a traffic light I made a left turn and began to accelerate when I heard a loud pop which at first I thought was a tire blow out. The engine was running so erratically that I could feel it in my steering. We inspected the vehicle for a flat when we noticed every tire was fine. I opened the hood and removed the top cover to the engine to discover a spark plug laying on top of the engine and the coil that was once attached blown off of the plug and damaged off to the side still connected to its electrical source. This cold have caused a fire. For the record these plugs were the original factory spark-plugs. Via the internet I have discovered this website to file a complaint.
At 4:40am, was woke up by the police and fire department who responded to a call in of our vehicle, a 2003 ford expedition being on fire. Based on the information received from the fire crew chief, the fire had started in the engine compartment, on the driver's side, and appeared to be electrical in nature. The car had last been used the prior night at 8pm, when we returned from eating dinner, and had remained idle since that time. Upon hearing our story, several friends mentioned that they had read stories about ford vehicles that had an issue with the cruise control switch causing fires, even in vehicles that had remained idle for several hours. I checked and it does not appear there were any recalls for my vehicle's year, but had been for the prior year's (2002). Here is a link to one article (although there are many): http://articles.cnn.com/2005-06-16/us/ford.vehicles_1_ford-vehicles-brake-fluid-cruise-control?_s=pm:us the car is a complete loss, the engine mostly gone and the tire and part of the body melted to my driveway. The damage inspector for our insurance company stated it was likely that they would not be able to cover our full lien amount and I believe at the very least ford should make whole for us. The insurance company is working with ford about possible subrogation, but it is unclear at this point in time if the insurance company will ask for dollars beyond what they would pay out in the loss. We were fortunate it did not spread to our home, my husband's ford parked next to it or to our boat which was directly in front of it. It was very, very close and could have easily happened. We feel very fortunate that we did not park the vehicle in our garage or any closer to the boat, whose cover had melted and could have easily set on fire given the heat and severity of the fire.
My 2003 ford expedition will be driving fine, then all of a sudden it will die in traffic and have had several close calls of being rear ended. One other time it died and while coasting after it died, it started again causing vehicle to lunge and my wife almost rear ended someone else. The vehicle is at the repair shop and it is diagnosed as a PCM that is and now has a hard failure.
2003 ford expedition would not start after long tow to mechanic it was a burnt relay switch but now it turns off while driving, change the relay switch and problem is temporarily fixed now since the relay is for the fuel pump and PCM my transmission is acting up not shifting 3rd or over drive no one can figure out the problem but we are scared to drive the truck!
One of my spark plugs blew out of the head with only 47,000 miles on my 2003 expedition. 4 hours to fix it. Now I have to go back and torque the other 7 plugs and hope the piece of crap doesn't spit out any other plugs. This is my last ford!
I have an 2003 ford expedition SUV, the spark plug in the #3 cylinder head pops out every 5-8k miles. Resulting in a loss of power, per the 3 dealerships I have spoken to as well as the b.a.r ford is aware of this problem and refuses to fix it. Per the b.a.r. It is an casting/manufacturing defect. Im worried that I will be on the freeway and loose power, and get in an accident due to not being able to exit the free way under my own power. The problem goes back to the 2000 model year. I have had the car worked on at the ford dealership 2 times to correct this issue,and it is currently broken again. The dealer ship refuses to fix it as an warranty on their repair done on 8/13/09 or as an factory defect from ford direct. Don't know where else to turn, any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I was driving down the freeway when my expedition made a noise, the inside dash lights flickered and the transmission started acting up. I pulled over at a hotel. I called a tow truck who came to pick it up a few days later. When he started it the wiring harness caught unfire. The entire wiring burned up on the lift side of the vehicle. The mechanic told us we were luck to have stopped. If we continued down the highway my family and I would have been in great danger. I believe the fire was the fault of bad wiring. I check the recall sites and my vehilce was not part of the faulty wiring recall.
On june 19 2009, returning home from a short trip, thick smoke erupted with strong rubber smell from underneath the driver seat. I immediately turned off the ignition and exited the car. The following day I contacted ford motor co. And inform them of the safety issue, after going back and forth, ford general consul office made decision that the issue is not safety hazards and will not repair the vehicle. Pat milliken ford has the vehicle, and inspected the damage, which declared to be very extensive the repair cost may exceed $2000.00. Ford general consul was informed of the damage and still will not consider it as safety issue because the vehicle did not burst on fire. My smart and quick reaction to turn off the vehicle and cut the power off prevented a disaster to happen, and yet as a consumer I'm left with hefty repair bills for a possible manufacturing defect in the wiring.
2003 ford expedition- after it rains I am having many different things happening within the electrical system. The doors won't lock, the radio won't light up any more, the interior lights won't shut off, the front windows won't work, mildew smell in the car. The electrical problems alone can cause a fire but with the doors not being able to be locked is a completely different story and I am concerned for my families safety. I heard from the dealer and others that ford will not issue a recall for this ongoing problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer because all of the instrument panel indicators illuminated, except for the brake light. The interior of the vehicle was torn apart and there was an electrical fire. The dealer is ordering a new wiring harness. The vehicle was initially taken to the dealer for the illuminated indicators; however, another failure was found without the contact's knowledge. The failure and current mileages were 83,000. Updated 12-02-08 *bf the consumer also had a problem with the brake lights and the cruise control had to be repaired as well. The consumer stated he never reeived a recall letter for the cruise control. Updated 12/02/08
Loss of brake lights to 2003 ford expedition, took it into dealership they found a fire in overhead wiring harness. Ford claims to have no problems with harness. None of these wires were visible to us , but had melted the underside of overhead compartment. Visible burn marks on metal interior of roof. All overhead wiring has to be replaced.
Live in chicago il. (20 minutes outside) and my expedition was left outside. It got cold (48 outside) over night, and my ford was dead in the morning, (dome lights wouldn't even turn on). I jumped it, and noticed that the climate control was inoperable (doesn't even light up). I took it to ford, and they had thought that the unit burned out. Cool, I can buy one on e-bay for about $40.00 instead of 326.00 that they quoted me... I left feeling a little better, knowing what the problem was....then something strange started happening... The 4wd high/low is flashing in 1 minute intervals at the same time. The driver seat is adjusting on it's own, while I am driving, and cannot be stopped, leaving me crammed into the dash/steering wheel, the back up aid is not working, when I exit the vehicle the radio stays on, I have to re-open the doors and close them again to turn it off, and I still have the problem with the climate controls. Call me stupid, but this sounds a little more indepth than a climate control burning out. After reading countless issues with the expedition (including the cool feature of auto ignite, where it decides to burn it's self to the ground after being parked for 3-5 hours due to electrical fires) I am not sure I am very fond of this truck anymore. I am not encouraged by everyone on this having similar electrical problems, and not having ford be able to identify the problem causes grave concern, seeing how my wife and 3 kids (who are secured in their car seats) are driving in a fire laden death trap, or worse, my wife getting pinned against the steering wheel from the seat going haywire, then hitting another car and the air bag going off.... This is serious, I need you to investigate this a little more closely, please for my family's well being.
My husband's 2003 ford expedition caught on fire. He had been out of the car for about 30 minutes. We heard a loud popping noise and thought nothing of it. We heard another loud popping noise, and went to see what it was. When we got outside there was smoke coming from under the hood. Then we saw flames coming from the dashboard. At that point we called 911. The fire department came and put the fire out, and said it was caused by something electrical. There was some sort of short in the wiring. He had taken the car in for repair because the door ajar light stayed on, although there were no doors open. This problem was supposedly fixed by car max. There have been no modifications to the vehicle.
First, the door ajar light came on and stayed on. I continued to go around the vehicle opening and shutting the doors and the light remained on. Consumer could not start the vehicle since the light came on, and had to get a jump to start it. After a few days of this the battery was finally ruined, and I was forced to buy a new one. I used lubricants to try and clear debris from the door sensors and this worked for 3 months. Now it will not work at all. Talked to dealer and they want to charge 600 dollars per sensors. Nothing wrong with sensor its just dirty. Second, the rear AC is making a clicking noise and will not control temperature. I sent it under warranty to the dealership and replaced the AC mechanism, stated "this was a common defect with the vehicle". 5 months later this part went out again and it was no longer under warranty and the dealership would not replace the problem and wanted to charge me over 300 dollars. They apparently replaced the defective part with the same defective part and would repair it again 5 months later!!!. Third, the side panels on the expedition exterior started fading at about 20,000 miles. The dealership replaced them under warranty. About 20,000 miles later we noticed they had faded again. We took it to the dealership and they would not replace the defective panels this time because it was know longer under warranty. Even though it was another defect replaced with a defective part. Forth, the rear passenger exterior door/window trim is bubbling and peeling off. This looks horrible! Fifth, the front passenger and font driver window switches that roll down the windows are having issues. I had the motor replaced for the passenger window and it fixed the issue for a little bit. Now the passenger can not roll down the window. However the driver can??? Please help! I need help with any or all of these issues. I don't know where else to go!
While traveling at highway speeds, the engine would quit with no proceeding symptoms or indications. Shifting to neutral and trying to re-start would not work. Shifting to neutral, turning off the ignition and then turning the key to start did cause a re-start. This problem causes the "service engine soon" light on the dash to light, so a code is being generated. Ford is aware of this problem, since it has issued a notice (not a recall) to it's service departments. The repair is the replacement of the alternator wiring harness assembly and reprogramming of the processor. Ford has not issued a recall for this very unsafe problem, so the charge for the work is $ 342.64.
Outside mirror lights and interior lights would not go off after getting out of vehicle and pressing remote lock button. They eventually ran the battery down. This was after a hard rain. A few weeks later the same thing happened only this time, the radio would not turn off (key out of ignition and doors open) the chime kept going off and the battery went dead because I did not disconnect it. I researched online and found this is not uncommon because the windshield leaks, from the factory, and water drips down onto the computer module and fuse box. I checked my fuse box and I did have dripping water in it along with corroded connectors, inside the vehicle, indication long term intrusion of water. This causes all kinds of problems. Other owners have reported complete loss of power while driving. Upon inspecting my oem windshield I found it completely separated at the top and I could see light between the glass and seal. I now have to buy a new windshield along with fuse block and computer crap. The other problem is that the entire top of the windshield, as mentioned, is not sealed. I have been informed that the windshield integrity is a huge part of the strength of the vehicle and the windshield is used to support the passenger side air bag in case of deployment. I don't have that integrity on my vehicle. This is very unsafe condition and this should be something that ford pays for.
For the past few months I have been having problems with the mirrors and windows on my ford SUV. I took it to the dealer they claim they could not find out what the problem was. They were able to fix the broken gear shift and jam radio. One month later I wake up to my truck on fire after sitting for seven hours.
My 2003 ford expedition is shutting off while I am driving, nearly causing me to lose control and be rear ended. It happens when I least expect it and the dealership is baffled. All their expensive diagnostic equipment can't even track down the issue. So far they have replaced some fuel parts and my fuse box but it still shuts down unexpectedly. I am $900. In the hole already, let alone I am going to have my first grandchild within a week, and I have this tank that shuts down on the middle of the highway. It sounds electrical and I am in fear of catching fire.
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