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.
I bought my Ford Expedition (2002) brand new, have always been the registered owner and have never received a recall notice for the vehicle. My Ford Expedition caught fire at our family medical facility (rancho bernardo) after an hour of being off and parked. The medical facility announced a car on fire with description and I ran outside and called 911 but fire department responded as I was still on the phone. Thanks to the lightning speed of rb fire there was no damage to anything except my vehicle. The firefighters on the scene told me that they suspected the cruise control switch. It only burned inside the engine compartment - in front of the driver side. An independent fire investigator determined after completing his investigation that the vehicle fire was due to a faulty cruise control switch and brake fluid had leaked into the electrical circuit that is always on for the cruise control. The vehicle was still declared a total loss by my insurance company due to high repair estimates. On 8/5/2008 my insurance company purchased the vehicle from me for a little over the kbb private party value due to recent vehicle add-ons I provided receipts for. My insurance company waived the deductible. My family (3 people) was down to 1 car for a little over a month and we all work and go to school. On several days I had to get a rental car and did not have insurance to cover these costs and have not been reimbursed for the days I had to rent a car.
I have received letters from Ford stating that there is a defect in my cruise control system on my 2002 Ford Expedition. I have been receiving such letters for over two years. I have on at least six occasions attempted to schedule an appointment to get this repaired at one of several local Ford dealerships. I am constantly informed that there is a shortage of parts and they cannot schedule the repairs. If this is a serious safety concern, Ford needs to make it a priority to make the parts available. My most recent letter is dated May 20th, 2008.
I received a letter from Ford stating that there is a safety defect with speed control deactivation switch for my vehicle. In this letter I've been instructed to contact my local Ford dealer to set up a time/ date for repairs. I've been told by the dealer that "they don't have the part in" and would "call me" when it arrives. Its been almost a month and nothing has been done. What my next recourse of action?
The cruise control switch that was under recall caused my 2002 Expedition to catch fire in my driveway. I had gone down when the recall was first announced, but the part was not available and no one ever called me to let me know that the part was available.
2002 Ford Expedition I purchased 6 days ago caught on fire in my front yard. The vehicle was not running it was just sitting in my yard. I informed the seller when I purchased the vehicle that the cruise control did not work and a few other things were wrong. I was told to bring the vehicle back on the day that it caught on fire. Before I left my house, I was informed by a neighbor that it was on fire. I do have a police report of the incident. Received 12/12/07. 64200. Updated 12/12/07
- Clayton, NC, USA
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Vehicle caught on fire under hood as a result of vehicle speed control switch. Filing claim for resulting total loss of 2002 Ford Expedition eddie bauer. Please contact for details and engineer report. (reported by ins co).
2 - electrical problems the first problem resulted in about $800 worth of repairs - a wire underneath the dash grounded itself on the frame of the automobile. This showed itself by blowing several fuses as well a shutting down the ability to put the car in gear once started. It took several weeks to realize the exact problem. Replacing fuses helped, but blow several days later. Many options such as the power windows, radio, rear wipers, running board lights, interior lights, etc. Would not work. The second instance is even more alarming - the speed control deactivation switch caught fire while in the garage. My wife was at home at the time. She needed something out of the car. When she opened the door to the garage she noticed that the garage was full of smoke. She called 911. The fire department got the car out and extinguished the fire.... we were lucky.
: the contact stated while parked and unattended, there was a fire in the engine compartment. The fire engulfed the entire vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was taken. The contact was informed the fire began in the area of the vehicle speed control. Pictures were taken, and the manufacturer had not been notified.
The contact states there is NHTSA recall campaign 05V388000 concerning the vehicle speed control. The parts needed to repair their vehicle are not available at the local dealership. The contact spoke to the manufacturer, who confirmed the parts were not available at this time.
The caller complained about unwanted vehicle acceleration. This happened regardless of weather conditions and intermittently. Dealer can't find the cause of the problem because they could not duplicate it. Manufacturer said they would note the problem and contact dealer if they found an answer. Caller stated it happened mostly when vehicle was sitting still, like at a light or stop sign. Caller said the problem she read about was the throttle sticking. The consumer states that this could've caused and accident, she was in her driveway and the car lunged forward while her foot was on the brake pedal. Update 4/23/07tr
The consumer states her 2002 Ford Expedition the vehicle lunges forward. Her husband was at a stop light and with his foot on the brake it lunged forward. Her son picked her up in the vehicle today, with his foot on the brake it lunged forward while she was trying to get in the vehicle. Then it happened again at a stop light and they almost hit the vehicle in front of them. At that point, she called her husband and he told her it has occurred a couple of times to him. The dealership did not have any information as to why this happened. The dealership where they purchased the vehicle stated Ford is not responsible for that problem. The problem started a couple weeks ago, not definite.
Vehicle was parked and it caught on fire. Owner was notified by nephew that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was notified, and extinguished the blaze. A report was taken, and the cause was determine dto be the ABS sensor and or the cruise control where the fire originated.
On at least 3 occasions when applying the brakes my 2002 Expedition accelerated. One of these times I was at a complete stop and saw my rpms jump up to 2000.
Vehicle accelerates by itself while braking during stops. The speed of vehicle is about 2-5 mph and the acceleration comes on without warning. Tachometer jumps to about 1500 RPM. This lasts for 2-3 seconds with engine speed returning to normal. This is an intermitant problem that I nor the dealer can duplicate. They are unable to find the cause. The first time this happened was behind a miata that was stopped at a traffic light and I was approaching from behind when it accelerated and I almost mounted the rear of that car. It pulled through the brakes and jumped forward. This has happened 4 times since bought new in Aug of 2002. It is happening more and more frequently. I have requested a replacement truck thru Ford as well as the franklin square, NY Ford dealer where I bought the car. I have not received and communication from the company or the dealer. The dealership refused to indicate in their paperwork that this vehicle was in safe mechanical condition. This is a severe safety problem and need your assistance forthwith.
We purchased our 2002 5.4L Expedition on October 13,2001. On approximately 5 occasions, we have been at a stop with the brake pedal depressed. The engine suddenly accelerated, causing the vehicle to lurch forward requiring you to apply additional pressure to the brake pedal to avoid collision or further unwanted movement of the vehicle. It is very stressful to drive, thinking that it will happen again. We have brought this problem to the attention of our dealer several times. They cannot detect the problem and indicated that there were no similar complaints on file. The last incident occurred on on Dec. 4, 2003. After contacting the customer service department at Ford Motor Company, we requested that the dealer install a flight recorder. I we fear for the safety of ourselves, of our children, and of others. To further aggravate the situation, service staff from our Ford dealer have suggested that it is driver error (suggesting that we are applying pressure to the brake and gas pedal simultaneously. We are certain this is not the case). Please let us know of your findings and any additional steps to take. Thank you.
SUV will suddenly idles at a very low speed - mostly when coming to a stop or yield. The brakes are applied with much force in effort to keep vehicle from lurching forward into the rear end of another vehicle. Vehicle's engine will then 'die' and I will have to put it in neutral or park to restart. Does not matter what the temperature is. The vehicle does the spiradically about once a week. I'm afraid this will cause an accident in which my 5 year old is precious cargo - daily.
While at a complete stop with foot on brake, engine "revs" and lurches forward. This has happened 5 times over the past 2 years. No accidents have occurred. Took vehicle to shop after the 4th time but they found nothing.
2002 Expedition 5.4L - when braking, vehicle accelerates. Brakes were applied as hard as possible yet the vehicle accelerated against the brakes. This has happened 3 time before. Speed of vehicle ranged from 5 or 10 mph to 50 mph at time of problem. Vehicle has been taken to local dealer but no problem was found. This last time we almost rear ended another vehicle. Appears to occur only when slowing down for a stop. Will take vehicle to dealer yet again.
While at a busy intersection, the vehicle engine revved and lurched forward requiring extra brake pressure to avoid collision. The rpms were over 1500 at a stop. This is the second incident and the dealer has been contacted.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Marcos, CA, USA