Sudden backfire resulting in spark plug ejection. Replaced with helicoil kit.
2003 Ford Expedition engine complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 171, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle as it operated as normal. The failure recurred approximately 5 months later. While attempting a turn at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after twenty minutes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but the failure could not be duplicated and the mechanic was unable to produce any failure codes. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 127,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle began to smoke inside of the engine compartment and vehicle. The vehicle also made a loud noise and would stall. The vehicle was towed to a ford dealer who stated that a spark plug melted into the engine and that the vehicle needed a new engine. The dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the repair cost. Ford motor company stated that there was nothing they could do. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 88,546.
I was driving my 2003 expedition o the highway with my family in the car, all of a sudden the jeep just cut right off no warning anything I hit my blinkers to come on try and cut it on again and it did but again cut right back off. I had to continue cutting on and cutting on constantly until I got it to the side of the road. It was the scariest moment of my life this could have caused a serious accident injuring not only my family but other people on the highway. When I take the jeep to the mechanic he states that this is a problem a lot of people complain of and ford will no take responsibility for it. Ford build this jeep this way so people can only return to ford for the repairs which cost a lot. The coils on the jeep were white and rusted because the way this jeep was but is very difficult to get to them a mechanic literally has to move the motor or motor parts toget to it. Ford has this problem as a recall on other ford vehicles but will not honor this as a recall for the 2003 expeditions.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. While the contact's wife was driving at 60mph the engine failed. The engine over heated. She was able to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The contact diagnosed the vehicle himself, he located the failure at the number seven factory plug it ejected causing the vehicle to overheat. The manufacturer was contacted, but he didn't't received a response. The vehicle was serviced. The failure mileage was 94,000 and the current mileage was 94, 2000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition, eddie bauer edition. The contact stated the vehicle unexpectedly exploded while parked in front of her place of residence. The contact stated the vehicle and the front yard of her home was engulfed in flames and smoke. The fire department advised that the fire originated from the engine. A fire report was available. The contact stated there was severe damages done to her garage and a large portion of the exterior of her home. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and current mileages were 105,002.
2003 expedition spark plug blow-out. Yesterday evening driving home with my wife and 10 year old son, we heard a loud pop and the a compression sound. Pulled over and inspected the underside of my vehicle and saw no fluids or exhaust defects. Proceeded to pop the hood and realized the noise was coming from the engine block. It was 113 degrees outside and wasn't going to stick my hand in the engine compartment and get burned. Luckily I was not far from my house, so I limped very cautiously to my home. I proceeded to pop the hood again for a more detailed inspection and with a flashlight I could see sparks firing on the top of the engine block. Looked closer and there was a hole next to what appeared to be a long rubber tube. Grabbed my tools and removed the engine shroud to get a better look and that's when I figured it out. There was no spark plug in the hole, I thought maybe ford has some new technology that this vehicle doesn't use spark plugs just coils of some sort. The coil housings plastic nub was broken off. O.k. That would be an easy fix, close to 8pm getting dark, so I jump into my wife care and drive the parts store up the street. Ask the manager that was there for the part and he asked if the spark plug was still in the hole fully attached. I stated that I didn't see a spark plug only a empty hole, he replied that I have a bigger issue and that I just experienced a spark plug blow-out. Apparently the model of vehicle that I have has had a serious problem with spark plug blow-outs and there hasn't been a recall. And that I would have to get it towed and repaired at my own cost. Why hasn't this problem been addressed nationally? I searched it online and there are thousands of the exact same issues with others. Do I need to be dead for someone to hear that this is a problem with the manufacturing of such components. 2003 ford expedition with 60k miles, 40k miles away from recommended tune-up per ford.
Driving our 2003 ford expedition thru the desert to green river utah. Loud pop and car shuddered and lost power. Pulled over immediately and had it towed back to price ut. Ford dealer said spark plug blew out of cylinder head. $2000 to re-thread head, $3000 for new cylinder head or $5000 for a new motor. Since our motor had 90,000 miles on it we opted for a new motor. But after researching all the other people who blew spark plugs out of their motor's head I do not feel safe driving this vehicle anymore. Come to discover this has happened to many people who own this type of vehicle with the aluminum cylinder head. This is a manufacturers defect that should be recalled. The public is being sold a defective motor and having to pay unnecessarily when it breaks down. Ford needs to recall these defective engines and fix the problem. These motors are not "built ford tough".
Spark plug ejecting from my 2003 ford expedition 5.4 triton engine. 3rd plug that has shot out.
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 own a 2003 5.4l ford expedition ed bauer with 63,000 miles. My 2003 ford expedition very recently blew the #3 spark plug in may 2010. I purchased the expedition in 2006 with only 14,000 miles. The spark plugs on the vehicle are the original spark plugs from the factory and have not been replaced. The expedition started making a knocking sound. On may way home from work, as I tuned into the freeway entrance, the engine made a loud popping sound followed by a rattling soung. I continued to operate the vehicle for approximately 3 miles and then exit the freeway. There was also a smell of gasoline coming from the engine. Since I was not far from the ford service center (galpin ford in north hills, ca.), I continued to operate the vehicle to the service center for repair. A day later I received a call from the service technician indicating that the #3 spark plug blew out of the head. The technician mentioned that the enginene needed a new head since they could not repair the problem. Total parts and labor...$3834.00. After reading comments from this website, this is clearly a manufacturer defect that should not continue to be overlooked by ford.
Spark plug ejected from the engine causing the coil to brake as well, and the whole car to smell of gas. This happened once in april, and again the other day (may 17th), on a different plug. It has caused me to lose work, and my mechanic installed a repair kit with a new spark plug. It was $200-$300 for each repair. Ford says its not a problem, but my mechanic has had other cases like this, and stated ford issued a service bulletin on how to fix the problem. I have contacted ford, asking them to at least check my other plugs to make sure they are tight, but they were unhelpful. There was no warning in either case. The truck drives fine, and then suddenly starts making a loud noise as its driven, and the whole truck smells of gas. These are the original plugs, and the truck has 78k miles on it. I believe the head needs to be replaced so it doesn't keep happening. I went on different car problem websites, and this seems to be a problem with this model truck.
I have a 2003 ford expedition 5.4l that has blown the #3 spark plug 3 times. Each time I have purchased oem plugs. It appears that I am not alone in this experience and many speculate that the thread depth is not enough to secure the plug appropriately.
2003 ford expedition spark plug blowed out and broke the coil and damaged the threads.
We own a 2003 ford expedition eddie bauer. In january 2009, we had a "misfire" in the #6 spark plug and was advised to change all of the spark plugs - which we did. Since that time, we've had 3 other "misfires" in the #6, #8 and #7 spark plugs. Each time a repair is made, there is a misfire in another spark plug within 3 months of the repair. On 4/19/2010, the number 4 sparkplug blew completely out of the engine upon starting the car. We have had the vehicle serviced regularly at the ford dealer and all repairs have been made by the ford dealer. We've been told that ford knows of the design defect in their engines and it is a regular problem with the v8 engines in the ford trucks and they are choosing to do nothing about it. We have spent well over $3000 total to fix all of these issues. Why isn't ford standing behind their product - are they waiting for a injury or worse, a fatality in order to issue a recall?
I have a 2003 ford expedition with the triton 5.4l engine. I had the spark plug eject from the #7 cylinder. In my case the garage that I took it to had to remove the cylinder head to helicoil the cylinder. It took 5 weeks to get my truck back and cost over $1200 to fix. I had to replace 2 coil packs, a spark plug, the head gasket, intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket and timing chain gasket.
Spark plug had blown out of its place in the engine. At first, I had the check engine light on and I had promptly taken to the shop (ase cert.) but the light didn't come on any more. After the service man ran the test some time later, nothing appeared to be wrong. A day or so later, I was hearing a "clicking" sound under the hood, later, I had lost a spark plug. Which by the way is a horrible noise! I was told by the service technician that it was a problem with ford vehicles.
I have a 2003 expedition 5.4l and since 2006 to present every two or three months I have to replace a coil pack and spark plug. Now since the coil packs have blown out so many times my catalytic converter on the passenger side has melted on the inside.
My 2003 ford expedition threw a spark plug.
Ford spark plug ejection, 2003 ford expedition 5.4l triton engine. "consumeraffairs.com" has 317 pages of complaints regarding this issue. Ford does not acknowledge a problem. I have had two (2) blow-outs, costing me $1,200.00 I would like to see a petition for recall started, based on potential fire and safety issues. In my case, I was traveling at 60 MPH and lost power while in traffic. I had to carefully pull off highway with very little engine power. This is a serious issue which needs to be addressed. I now own a vehicle that I can not take on a long trip, for fear of having the engine explode again. Hopefully, it will not take a fatality or serious injury to have someone review this problem and take action. The february 21,2007 memo from dot, ref: dp05-005 review is in need of updating. The numbers are now much greater than previously reported. Please review this problem. Ford simply says " not my problem". [xxx]
2003 ford expedition eddie bauer, spark plug on passenger back side ejected from head while I was driving. They were still original spark plugs. Going to cost over $1000 to temporarily fix problem.
I was stopped at a light. I went to go and I heard a pop,so I went under the hood and I could see the last spark plug in the rear on the passenger side firing.
1st occurance: 2003 ford epedition, 5.4l v8 engine. Factory original spark plug exploded while travelling at 60mph.mileage: 72,955. Date: 8/17/08. 2nd occurance: same engine, original plugs( less above repair). 2/05/2010, miles 77,525. Spark plug exploded while travelling 40 MPH.
My husband was driving his 2003 ford expedition on the way home from work on feb.4,2010. He heard a bang and smelled a small vapor of gas along with the truck not running very well. He made it home safely to find that spark plug blew through the head!! We went online to see about this problem,and what could be done. He has only 69,000 miles on it and he is the original owner and takes care to keep up on everyday mainentance. I have made phone calls to no avail--ford cistomer relationship center told me to take it to the dealer or reputable service center. This is not covered under any warranty at all!! So I am going further with this because if you go to get it fixed--(a) it could happen again and (b) a fire could start, and (c) very expensive to get fixed. We have read many other consumers have had this same problem but fords does'nt want to help out. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed before worse scenarios happen with possible deaths. To make matters worse, I own a 2004 f-150 and have read stories of it happening in those engines too!
2003 ford expedition spark plug blew out of cylinder head. Apparently a common problem that needs to be readdressed.
My ford expedition has less than 90,000 miles and the spark plug for #3 cylinder fell into the cylinder chamber thus the piston was hitting the spark plug ,this repair can cost as much $1800.00...for a spark plug that cost around $5.00 on a SUV that cost $50,000.00... This could have caused a fire since the piston was pushing into the engine compartment, a fuel air mixture, plus, the presence of electrical spark are a perfect mixture for a fire... !!! I was charged $ 689.00 for a tow back to my home. I want this problem to be addressed by ford asap before someone loses their life!!!! A recall is in order! I want ford to pay for my repair and towing bill because this is an engineering flaw and it is extremely hazardous!!! Contact me please! I hope this can helps other expedition owners.
My 2003 ford expediton was making a slight tapping noise all day as I drove around town. When I hit my home town I was a .10 of a mile from my house and a huge banging noise occured. The vehicle lost power and I could smell gasoline vapors. From inspection under the hood I noticed the coil assembly above in the right rear cylinder was broken and the spark plug was laying on the motor. It had blown a spark plug. I had purchased an extended warranty when I purchased the vehicle. I had the car towed and was told they would inspect for repairs. The car was sub-letted out to a ford dealer. The ford dealer said that a helicoil repair was what was once accepted but their dealership no longer performed that procedure because it was only a temporary fix. Ford put out a service bulletin that said the best repair is to replace the head but a helicoil type repair would suffice. Because of this temporary fix announcement and ford's inablilty to admit there is something wrong with the triton motor built between 1997 and 2008 my extendede warranty company will not make the best recommended fix. Ford needs to be held accoutable. I do not want to put my family of five at risk of breaking down and possible engine fire because of this defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition which was purchased used in 2003. The spark plugs were blowing out of the head and causing the coils to break. This failure has occurred three times within 8 months. The dealer stated that the vehicle would cost over $1200 to repair at the owner's expense. There were no recalls on her vehicle nor for her particular model pertaining to the failure. The failure mileages 96,772. Updated 2/22/10 *cn updated 07/27/10
2003 ford expedition 5.4l v-8 engine blew a sparkplug out of the cylinder head.
One of the spark plugs blew out of the head while I was driving on the highway. There was no external damage, however internal damage to the engine is unknown. This could have started a fire under the right circumstances as raw fuel was being blown through the spark plug hole. This vehicle has the original spark plugs, so this is not a case of someone putting too much torque on replacement plugs. This is a serious issue and after reading the posts on the internet from other ford owners that have had the same problem, I am convinced that ford needs to do a recall.
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