2004 Ford Expedition: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jul 20, 2017 · Electrical, Fuel system · 124,000 miles · WA

When driving home from seattle wa. To walla walla wa. At a speed of 70 MPH the vehicle died and I had to get off the road, it then restarted and did it to me 3 more times. When I took it to the shop the mechanic stated that it was in the fuse box. He had just did a replacement on the same type vehicle that had caught fire. It is the fuel relay in the fuse box that malfunctions and catches fire. I feel this is a safety issue.

Filed Nov 29, 2016 · Engine · 140,000 miles · OR

Spark plug blew out of block: out of nowhere, my spark plug blew out of the block on my 2004 ford expedition. My car drove perfectly fine coming home from work. I parked it in the driveway and a short time later went out, started it to leave and it popped and had a low rumbling sound and a burning smell. Threads possibly stripped.

Filed Jun 4, 2015 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · NJ

I am the 2nd owner of this vehicle. Had problem w/ drivers seat & mirror fuse blowing out since I purchased truck in august 2011. Some time in 2012 I started having additional problems w/ my truck like radio &/or heating/air not coming on when started. Check engine light going on & off & back windshield wiper stopped working. Then it was the vehicle was dying quickly by leaving the radio on for 10 min after vehicle was turned off. We replaced the battery & terminals that connect at the positive & negative. We had plenty of other issues like the entire brake lines needing replacing due to rusting. There is now rusting on other parts of the truck. Blew fuse to air conditioner 2x. Things seem to be ok after battery was replaced until the truck shut off several times while driving it over the past year. Sometimes if you waited 5-10 minutes it would restart. Vehicle has been in shop & nothing comes back on diagnostic test. We have had the alternator & fuel pump tested. The cables to the battery were just found rotted & replaced but something is still killing my battery. The fuse box has been making loud click noises when the truck struggles to start. Today it wouldn't start again until jumped & now the radio wouldn't go on. At the shop again & the mechanic is stumped but working on it! From research it seems to be either a fuel pump relay that is apparently sodder into the fuse box & almost impossible to replace w/ replacing the whole box or it is the fuse box itself. I am also seeing claims of water leaking down windshield & getting into fuse box. All I know is ford should acknowledge & recall before someone gets killed! My children were in the car several times now when it staled while I was driving or stuck in parking lot & even a severe thunderstorm when it won't start. And now I'm reading the fuse box has caught fire in some of these cars! I rely on this vehicle!

Filed Apr 24, 2014 · Engine · TX · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 ford expedition. The contact stated that her vehicle was parked and smoke emitted from under the hood. The vehicle then became engulfed in flames. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure and current mileages were unknown.

Filed Dec 18, 2013 · Electrical, Lights · 109,089 miles · GA

We have had a down pour not long ago on saturday. The next day after using the expedition once when it was turned off the power locks repeatedly lock and unlock (we had to take the fuse out to get it to stop). There is a clicking noise in the fuse box/on the passenger side where the fuse box is located. When the locks function on their own with every click the dash lights faintly flicker. With the power locks fuse removed the dash lights still flicker making the gauges jump with every flicker. It eventually stops. I've read on many forums of these similar problems. But ford seems to turn the other way with these reported problems. I've called ford already and there is no recalls. On the forums with these similar and same issues it says it was diagnosed as a leak into the fuse box by bad manufacturing windshield sealant. Some vehicles seem to function on their own even at night and there had been some that burst into flames and the loss of the vehicle was the result. This is the manufacturer's responsibility due to faulty put together and product causing electrical problems when water drips down into the fuse box. Please help us! We cannot afford the $1000's of dollars for this particular repair that is an ongoing issue for many other ford expedition and ford f-150 and ford taurus vehicles!!!

Filed May 23, 2013 · Engine · 140,000 miles · IL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, a popping noise emitted from the front passenger's side of the vehicle. The driver exited the vehicle and noticed smoke near the front passenger's side tire area. The vehicle then became engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the flames and informed the contact that the fire originated from the engine compartment. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Feb 13, 2013 · Engine · 142,000 miles · OH

I was driving down the interstate when I heard a pop from the engine compartment & smelled gas fumes. A spark plug (passenger side, 3rd plug back) had ejected and ruined the coil. I took it to a local auto service center & they immediately knew what had happened as they have worked on several of the ford 4.6l v8's with the same condition. Checked for recalls & found nothing. This could have set the engine compartment on fire. This is a problem that has to be fixed.

Filed Apr 18, 2012 · Engine · 195,000 miles · CA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. The contact was informed by a neighbor that her vehicle was on fire. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not destroyed nor was it taken for inspection or repairs. The cause of the fire was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 195,000.

Filed Jul 28, 2011 · Engine · 110,238 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he smelled a burning odor and noticed smoke emitting from the hood area. Upon inspecting underneath the hood, the contact observed an excessive amount of smoke which originated from the engine oil reservoir. There were no flames. The contact allowed the engine to cool for a period of four hours before operating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the anti-lock brake module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however the anti-lock brake sensor was disconnected. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,238.

Filed May 27, 2011 · Brakes · 98,835 miles · TX · crash · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. The contact was coming to a stop and depressed the brake pedal when the vehicle would not stop or slow down. The contact crashed into a pole and a gas meter before the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire and a fire report was filed. No one was injured yet the vehicle was destroyed. The origin of the fire was unknown. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that they will send a representative out to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 98,835.

Filed Nov 23, 2010 · Engine · 109,000 miles · MI · fire · 1 injury

Engine hood insulator material began to smolder and smoke. Needed to remove before vehicle caught fire. Burned two fingers.

Filed Jan 28, 2010 · Acceleration · 79,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford expedition. She smelled plastic burning in her garage; however, she observed flames coming from underneath the hood of her vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire and the vehicle is in her garage. The vehicle was destroyed and there were major damages to her residence. The dealer was not notified. Her insurance company stated that ford will be sending out an investigator to determine what caused the fire. There is an incident report from the fire department .there is a recall on ford vehicles for the cruise control switch but at this moment they don't know if that caused the fire to occur. The failure and current mileages were 79000.