1997 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

AS I WAS DRIVING MY FORD THE SPARKPLUG BLEW OUT OF MY CYLINDER HEAD AND TOOK OUT MY COIL. *TR

SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF CYLINDER #6 WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS RESULTED IN A LOUD NOISE AND A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. DUE TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES OF -10 DEG F CAR WAS DRIVEN TO NEAREST EXIT, LUCKY THERE WAS NO FIRE. *TR

AFTER RAIN, WATER LEAKED THROUGH WINDSHIELD ON 1997 FORD EXPEDITION RESULTING IN ELECTRICAL ANOMALIES. THIS COULD POSE A FIRE HAZARD. *TR

I HAVE A 1997 FORD EXP WITH A 5.4 ENGINE, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND I HEARD THIS LOUD POP SOUND AND THEN LOST POWER! I OPEN THE HOOD AND FOUND THAT THE SPARK PLUG EJECTED OUT THE ENGINE AND BLEW THE IGN COIL APART. I HAVE HAD THREE SET OF SPARK PLUGS INSTALLED FROM 1998-2007 AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM(175896 MILES ON MY TRUCK). IM A AUTO TECH BY TRADE AND HAVE WORKED FOR WESTERN AUTO FOR 11YEARS, AND PEP BOYS AUTO FOR 14 YEARS. OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS I HAVE SEEN ALOT OF FORDS TRUCKS COME IN WITH THIS PROBLEM ! WITH SO MANY PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN WILL FORD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE OR SOME TYPE OF RECALL PUT IN PLACE ?IT HAS NOT BEEN FIX YET , BUT I HAVE LOOK INTO BUYING A ONLINE INSERT KIT THAT DRILLS OUT THE SPARK PLUG HOLE AND INSTALL NEW THREADS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE THREADS. THE COST OF THE KIT IS $367.95 AND IM DOING THE WORK MYSELF BUT IM SURE IT WOULD BE BETWEEN 900 TO 3000 THOUSAND DOLLAR IF I HAVE GONE TO A SHOP FOR REPAIRS. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH A RESPONSE ? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! *TR

I HAVE A 1997 FORD EXPEDITION WITH A 5.4L V-8 ENGINE. WITHIN THE PAST 2 MONTHS, ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE SAME SPARK PLUG BLEW OFF THE ENGINE. THE 2ND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON OCT 22, 2008 WHEN I STARTED THE TRUCK IN A PARKING LOT. I NEEDED A TOW TO GET THE TRUCK AND MY FAMILY HOME. NOW, A NEW SPARK PLUG CAN'T BE SCREWED IN BECAUSE THE THREADS ARE STRIPPED. I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO A MECHANIC BUT BASED ON THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS IN THE CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM WEBSITE, IT SEEMS THIS PROBLEM COULD COST ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. DEPENDING ON THE COST, I MAY NOT REPAIR THIS SINCE THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN WITH THE OTHER 7 SPARK PLUGS. I WILL NOT BUY A FORD TRUCK AGAIN AND WILL ADVISE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO GET RID OF THEIRS. *TR

INITIALLY, WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT, THE ABS WOULD ENGAGE INTERMITTENTLY. THE FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED AFTER THIS HAPPENED. UNFORTUNATELY, IT CONTINUED TO OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. AFTER WHICH, THE ABS LIGHT WOULD LIGHT UP. THE REAR ABS SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND IT STILL CONTINUED TO HAPPEN, BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD BE HARD INITIALLY BUT COULD BE PUSHED THROUGH. A BEARING WAS REPLACED ON THE FRONTEND. THE ABS WOULD CONTINUE TO ENGAGE RANDOMLY. NOW, AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN, THEN SAT FOR 15-30 MINUTES, AND THEN DRIVEN AGAIN, THE ABS WILL ENGAGE--BUT THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS VERY HARD AND DIFFICULT TO PUSH. THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON. OUR MECHANIC IS NOW USING HIS "TECH HOTLINE" TO LEARN HOW TO FIX THIS. *TR

1997 FORD EXPEDITION--ALUMINUM HEADS ARE ENGINEERED INCORRECTLY. THE PROBLEM IS THE SPARK PLUG RECESS BORE IS TO THIN, THE SPARK PLUG DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MATERIAL TO PROPERLY SEAT IN THE HEAD AND AFTER AWHILE THE PLUG WILL BACK OUT. THE PRESSURE FROM THE COMBUSTION WILL EVENTUALLY BLOW THE PLUG OUT. THIS WILL LEAD TO COSTLY DAMAGE TO FUEL INJECTION DAMAGE, PISTON, INTAKE MANIFOLD, ETC. THE PROBLEM IS RANGING FROM 96' TO 2005 TRITON ENGINES. FORD WILL NOT HELP YOU NOR WILL THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER UNTIL SOMEONE DIES! REPAIRING THIS PROBLEM...... LOW COST-HEILI COIL INSERT $100 TO $1000 DEPENDING ON YOUR SERVICE TECH. OR A COMPLETE HEAD REPLACEMENT (STEEL HEADS) $3000 TO $5000. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD EXPEDITION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. SHE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND INSPECTED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND HOOD. THE CONTACT SMELLED A BURNING ODOR UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO A DISCONNECTED SPARK PLUG IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION. ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES, BUT THERE WERE NO RESOLUTIONS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

1997 FORD EXPEDITION WITH A 5.4 L V-8. SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF CYLINDER HEAD. HAVE READ THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM BUT TO THIS DATE FORD HASN'T HAD TO RECALL TO REPAIR THE DEFECTIVE CYLINDER HEADS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD EXPEDITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 97V171000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)); THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 137,000.