Ford / Expedition / 2003
2003 Ford Expedition problems
Owners have filed 800 complaints about the 2003 Ford Expedition with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 16.1% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electrical system at 13.1%.
Complaints800
Crashes81
Fires43
Injuries94
Deaths4
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 16.1% · 129
Electrical system 13.1% · 105
Service brakes, hydraulic 8.4% · 67
Air bags 7.4% · 59
Tires 7.1% · 57
Power train 6.4% · 51
Engine 5.5% · 44
Visibility 5.1% · 41
Severity
Of those complaints, 81 describe a crash, 43 describe a fire, 94 report an injury and 4 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 23 model years of the Ford Expedition in this data, 2003 sits 5th by complaint volume. 1999 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 6 in the last three years against 13 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 78,875 miles.
In owners' own words
My 2003 Ford Expedition blew a spark plug completely out of the cylinder head without warning. This happened while driving at almost 65 mph, and the engine stalled, causing a very dangerous condition. The vehicle had less than 59k miles at the time of the incident. It cost me over $4k to repair, and I now find out that this has happened to thousands of owners with Ford triton motors from 1999 to 2004. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 58,400 miles
On april 13, 2007 my 2003 Ford Expedition with the 5.4 Liter triton engine blew out the #3 spark plug destroying the threads and requiring a total head replacement. The cost of this repair, in spite of the fact I purchased the extended warranty, was $3655.22. Upon further research I have found that apparently this is a very common occurrence affecting thousands of Ford owners. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 59,022 miles
At 92,000 about miles the passenger side plug blew out. I put jb. Weld around the plug and put it back in the truck. It worked for 3 months and now its done it again. I am now out of work and my wife can't make it to here job because of the truck. So I am looking for a heli coil repair kit. But no way to go and get it I have one truck. So I don't know what to do next. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 100,008 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…