This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Leak in driver side windshield which leaks into fuse box causing several electrical problems, engine revs on its own, starts by itself, windshields wipers turn on and off, radio works than turns off, head lights turn off while driving note have had it into dealership and repaired and it still doing the problems, was told by the tech it was a leak and they would not be able to guarantee the work. Happens every time it snows or rains heavily.
2000 Ford Expedition caught fire in our driveway on 10.08.2006 after being parked for12+ hrs. Fire damaged the truck heavily and a vehicle parked next to it and also damaged the rear of the garage door, roof soffit, and nearby fence. Fire was extinguished by local fire dept. No personal injuries occured.
After the truck 100,000 miles service and was giving a green on all areas of Ford quality report, I had to take the car back three days later after it rain our area, I was told the coil needed to be replaced. Since the truck was not driving properly I had no choice but to have the coil replace. It worked for another three weeks until we had another down pour of rain, while driving I heard continuous beeps a minute or two later there was a burn smell in the truck it seems to come from under the dashboard on the driver side, being scared I had to park the truck and have it tow. I am now being told by the dealer that there is a water leak from the windshield which has caused a short with the electrical system and the cost would be $1400 to have it replace. This truck have had regular service every 3000 to 5000 miles since we bought it, this truck have not been involve in any accident.
2000 Ford Expedition parked for more than 3 hours. Noticed white smoke coming from under hood. Strong smell of 'electrical fire'. we were able to smolder before flames ignited and before fire department arrived. The origin was, very obviously, the scds. It was melted and smoking.
Special message #15773 these problems have existed for years. And although I have taken my vehicle in to have correct these problems, at no time did any service personnel reference the above message, or fix my vehicle in accordance with prescribed guidelines. The following is a summary of the services performed on my vehicle that are a direct result of this problem. I will be more than happy to provide copies of these documented services upon request. 2000: My husband and I purchased our vehicle in Washington with 13,000 miles on it while on christmas leave from germany, and our truck sat in storage until our return in Sep 2001. We then drove our vehicle from California to our new duty station at fort belvoir, Virginia. 2002: We had issues with the electrical and transmission modular. We took the vehicle to the world of Ford dealership in arlington, Virginia. They replaced the power train control modular, airbag light, and the check engine light, and reprogrammed the GEM modular. The odometer reading at this time was 26,795 miles. Fortunately, the vehicle was still under warranty. 2002: I took the truck back to world of Ford in arlington, Virginia for the following problems: Transmission slipping, check engine light, airbag lights, and ABS lights. Ford said they could not duplicate problems. The vehicle was still covered under warranty with an odometer reading of 30,481 miles. Again, although the Ford special message had been released in April of 2002, at no time was it mentioned to me as a possible source for these problems. 2004: I went back to world of Ford with the same problems mentioned above, plus the trip meter/odometer was blinking in and out. They replaced the led and electrical connections under the driver seat, and fixed the lights on the dash.
- Stewart , TN, USA
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We first noticed a problem when it was raining. The airbag light would intermittently come on. Then we also started to notice that the heater / A/C fan would continue to run after the vehicle was shut off. On Sunday 4/30/06, I was driving in the rain on a freeway & the wiper light started to come on & the airbag light was on. Every once in a while, the wipers would not work properly. On my way home, again on the freeway in the rain, the wiper light & the 4X4 light would flash off & on at the same time & again, the at times the wipers would not work properly. The next morning as I drove to work, again in the rain, only the 4X4 light was flashing & the rear wiper would not work. Also, the front wipers did not work intermittently. I specificity recall turning the heater fan off that morning before leaving the vehicle. After work, I attempted to unlock my vehicle w/the remote unlock & it would not unlock. I manually unlocked the vehicle & the dash lights were on. It looked like I had not turned the key off all of the way, but I did! and the vehicle would not start. I had to walk a couple of miles to my husband's work & he had to take his lunch early to bring me home. Ford had better get a recall out on this. Not only is it very inconvenient, but when your wipers don't work in the rain, it is very dangerous!!! I had to get the vehicle towed the next day. After the repair facility sent 2 1/2 days trying to determine the source of the problem, they discovered that water was leaking by the windshield onto the GEM module & the fuse panel. Not only do I have to pay $477 for the parts only, I also have to pay to have the windshield resealed. What a joke!!
My car was in front of my house nobody drove the vehicle for over 12 hours in the morning my neighbors called the police because my car was on fire. The car is now a total loss.
Fire to a 2000 Ford Expedition. Owner states that the vehicle had been parked in the carport for about 20 minutes when he noticed fire dripping down under the engine compartment near the left front tire. The vehicle was destroyed by fire and the fire spread to the house rendering it a total loss. Owner also reports only issue with vehicle was that the cruise control stopped working serveral days prior to the fire.
: the consumer stated the vehicle will not shift from park to drive periodically. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the consumer noticed the # 5 fuse was blown. After replacement of the fuse, the vehicle shifted properly. However, the fuse blew shortly after being replaced. The fuse was replaced five times before the vehicle was towed to the local dealership for inspection. The service dealer confirmed the fuse had blown.
Windshield leaking water which blew out fuse box and GEM causing erratic behavior in windshield wipers, radio, heater, air conditioner, overdrive, transmission, speedometer, odometer, RPM gauge, and it also led to our PCM having to be replaced. Replaced windshield, fuse box, GEM, PCM. Cost us $1700 dollars. Two weeks later after a rainy night it is at the dealer again.
When raining car electrical system comes on by itself-dash lights, heater fan, door entry sounds. Car ignition turns over but will not start. I have had the windshield taken out and replaced more than once, the GEM module and fuse box replaced, numerous towing bills and major inconvenience. I have spent $1500 approx. To say nothing of the value of my time. The Ford dealer will not continue to correct the problem nor will he offer a refund for repairs. As the owner of almost twenty personal and business vehicles, I can't believe Ford will not get this issue resolved for myself and the many other Expedition owners with similar complaints. I will no longer be a Ford customer and will replace this and the other Ford vehicles in our fleet with another brand unless Ford does something to correct the problem quickly. Sb.
When it rained or snowed windshield would leak water on to fuse box causing accessories such as the blower, odometer and radio to work when car was not started. Car would also intermittently not start.
Beginning April 2005, our 2000 Ford Expedition has had electrical problems that occur almost any time it rains. The water leaks under the hood and shorts out the truck. We had to replace the GEM module and fuse box at our expense since the truck was out of warranty. Our mechanic cannot replicate the leak after many attempts and he even went to a Ford dealership for their assistance. They also could not solve the problem. Our truck has been towed numerous times to our mechanic dead on arrival. The truck is completely unreliable if it rains. This is a known problem. We have seen discussions about it on various websites. We wrote to Ford after the first occurrence but Ford said they would not take responsibility for it. Our mechanic has been extremely helpful and understanding about this, but at some point, if I were him, I would close my shop if I saw our truck coming on the back of a tow truck one more time.
On several occasions my lights and/or radio and or wipers would give out during a rain storm. On the last occasion my car's electrical system failed and my car turned off. I could not re-start until next day. I took it to the dealer and they told me that water had seeped in between the windshield and into the electrical control box. They would have to remove the windshield, re-caulk it, replace the GEM and fuse boxes and that would take care of the problem. This was not under warranty because the caulking had deteriorated with time as it normally would. I've had cars for 10 to 15 years and the caulking on the windshield has never deteriorated like this. The SUV is only 4 yrs old anyway. My problem was compounded by the fact that they broke the windshield during this process and I was stuck for that cost also. Total of $1,223.67.
Details: The electrical system came on when there was no key in the ignition. The radio and air conditioner were also on. The lights came on and the Expedition was trying to start itself. It continued all night and the next day, the police were called and looked at it, and they said no tampering was done. The battery finally died and I had to buy a new battery. My Expedition is currently at mullinex Ford in apopka, fl. They are still trying to figure out what happened. I found many complaints about the same occurrence, problems with electrical due to a leaky windshield. I feel that this is a defect and Ford should help me with the cost of this repair. I don't mind paying for repairs if they are within normal limits, but due to all the other complaints and service bulletins I do not believe that this is a normal car repair. Recall date: May 13, 1998 component: Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts potential units affected: 1520000 summary: Vehicle description: Multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The lug nuts on these vehicles may not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface. Consequence: This can result in the loosening of lug nuts, stud fatigue failure, and the potential for a wheel separation from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Remedy: Owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. The first notification, which began in May 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available. This interim procedure can be completed by owners or their dealers. It specifies that the lug nut torque must be verified to be 100 lbs. Then the lug nuts need to be tightened an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn more. There will be a second owner notification, which is expected to begin July 20, 1998, under which dealers will inspect the wheel studs and replace the wheel lug nuts. Notes: Ford Motor Company.
Water is leaking under the windshield causing electrical components to malfunction. Three Ford dealers we spoke with, along with a friend who owns an auto repair shop and another who replaces windshields are all very familiar with this problem.
Rolling up driver window-clicking noise/ticking in front end during slow turns-slowing down/engine vibration and roaring on acceleration/accelerator sticking while using cruise control/electrical problems(I.e-windows rolling up and down w/out prompting, door locks inoperable, running board lights flashing on and off or non-functioning, illuminated temp. And compass flashing or non-functioning, fan in A/C running for no reason w/vehicle off and keys out of ignition, indicator lights in dash flashing on and off, wipers operating w/out prompting, rear window wiper non-functioning, stereo only working in park and reverse or not at all, electrical clicking noise under the dash, left blinker faster than the right)/black foam substance coming from A/C vents/thumping noise right wiper when in use. The problems have been reported to Ford dealer and they stated it was a bad GEM module and told us that it was getting wet. They stated to disconnect the battery when the vehicle is parked. These problems are worse when it rains. They also stated that this will happen if it is humid. We live in Florida, I don't think that we should have to disconnect the battery everytime we park the vehicle. But if we don't, we have all of this going on when the vehicle is off and then the battery goes dead. I was driving on the highway and all of these things started happening at one time, it was raining. I almost lost control of the vehicle trying to get the wipers to function and get the vehicle off the road until all of this stopped. I bought the truck used from a local dealer back in November of last year. The problems began almost immediately. As the problems have gotten worse, I looked this up on the internet and found that Ford knew about the problem with the GEM module, just as they knew about the cruise control problem and they are doing nothing to fix it. As I stated above, their answer to the problem which they knew existed, is to disconnect my battery everytime I park the vehicle.
Chronic windshield leak, drivers side. Complained to dealer (3/14/05 & 4/4/05) - seal supposedly repaired? still continued to leak. Severe rusting under dash area. Started having electrical problems (fan blower and courtesy lights would come on by themselves while the vehicle was off and parked at night). Dealer claimed fuse block and GEM module were damaged due to the water leak (a defect). The same leak we had been continually complaining about. The windshield, windshield seal, fuse block and GEM were all replaced. The interior rusting was not and cannot easily be fixed. All this because of a Ford defect. The total repair was over $1,000.
I first noticed a problem with my windshield wipers, they would not come on or just stop running then they started not turning off I had to pull the fuse to turn the wipers on and off. I made an appointment with Ford to have the problem looked at and was advised that the control switch was bad and would have to be replaced also during the same time period and same appointment I had to have a brake sensor replaced. I started noticing electrical problems like the radio would turn off when the vehicle was taken out of park and some times it would turn off when you were driving down the road and turn back on by its self. There have been times when I would be leaving work and try to use the remote to unlock the doors and it would not work and when I use the key to open the door the radio would be on and the ac would be blowing air. I have since discovered that the windshield is leaking and after a rain was when the problem would occur mostly. I made another appointment and advised Ford what was happening and I was advised that this is a common problem in the Ford Expedition and Ford F150. I was advised that the seal on the windshield over time separates from the frame and causes the leak. I said then this is a defect and was advised no its not its just something that happens. My Expedition is only 5 years old its a 2000 in great condition and had been garage kept for the past 4 years. Now I am out $1043.69 just to have the windshield replaced and the GM module and fuse box replaced as well.
Ford Expedition was sitting in carport. Just returned from the doctors office about 5:15 pm. About 6:00 my son hayden was going out to feed the animals and noticed that black smoke was comming from the car. He screemed and at that point I ran to the kitchen to find out what the problem was. He pointed out the smoke and I ran to the bedroom to get the keys to the car and had my sonn call 911. I then ran out the door and was going to try and move the car away from the house. By the time I could get close to the car flames started to appear on drivers to middle of the car between the hood and windshield. The black smoke began to thicked and I could see the paint bubbles in the hood. I attempted to open the drivers side door, but it was too hot and my son and the 911 operator were telling me to get away from it. At that point I could do nothing but watch as my car was burning and then it started to catch the house on fire as well. As we waited for the fire department to arrive all we could do is watch car explode several times and cause sevre damage to our house. Ford motor will be at the house Monday Aug. 22, 2005 to review this case. Experts in the area are telling us that this was caused by a faulty curise control switch and Ford, ti and dupont all know about this problem and are doing nothing about it. I will however not stand by and watch since we were lucky and no lives were lost,
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Nixa, MO, USA