1998 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION EDDIE BAUER WITH 84K MILES ON IT HAS HAD TWO SPARK PLUG COILS GO BAD AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOR $425 EACH TIME. ON JULY 1, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR MADE A LOUD POP AND WE HAD TO PULL OVER, LUCKILY WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE FORD DEALER IN OJAI, WHO LOOKED AT THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT THE A SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE HEAD AND COST TO REPAIR WAS GOING TO BE $3800. MANY PEOPLE WITH THE 5.4L TRITON ENGINE REPORT THE SAME PROBLEM AND FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS. THE ENGINE SHOULD BE RECALLED SINCE IT HAS A FATAL DEISGN FLAW. THERE ARE ONLY 4 THREADS IN EACH SPARK PLUG HOLE INSTEAD OF 8. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF THE CAR HAD STALLED AT THE WRONG TIME. PLEASE GET FORD TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.

DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 1998 FORD EXPEDITION. WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE WHITE PLASTIC PIECE ON THE FRONT OF BUMPER RIPPED OFF AND WAS COMING UP ON WINDSHIELD, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. CONTACT HEARD SOME FLAPPING COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. SHE GOT OUT AND CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. ABOUT 20 MILES FURTHER OF THE BUMPER CAME OFF. *AK

DT: THE VALVE INSIDE THE GAS TANK THAT KEEPS THE GASOLINE FROM EVAPORTAING IN THE AIR BROKE. CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THIS PART VERY RARLEY BREAKS AND THERE WERE GOING TO CHARGE CONSUMER TO HAVE IT FIXED. *AK

THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE A NOISE, WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. THE DEALER STATED THE UPPER CAMSHAFT SENSOR HAD BROKEN. THEN A MONTH LATER THE LOWER CAMSHAFT SENSOR BROKE. THE MANUFACTURE STATED THE WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY AFTER MILEAGE HAS BECOME TO HIGH. *NM *NM

I JUST STARTED EXPERIENCING ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARTICLE ON THE CNBC FINANCIAL WEB PAGE. DURING EXTREME PERIODS RAIN, DAMPNESS OR HIGH HUMIDITY, MY TRUCK WOULD NOT RUN CORRECTLY. IT STARTED OUT WITH THE SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING (OR THE CRUISE CONTROL), BUT DROVE FINE DOWN THE ROAD. THEN AS TIME & MONTHS WENT ON THE SYMPTOMS SEEMED TO GET WORSE. BESIDES THE SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING OR THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN IT RAINED, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED NOT SHIFTING AT ITS NORMAL ''SHIFTING POINTS'' & THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT ON THE GEAR SHIFTER WOULD FLASH ON & OFF REPEATEDLY. WHEN IT WAS DRY OUT OR IF I USED THE FLOOR HEATER WHEN IT RAIN, IT WOULD RUN OK. THEN ONE DAY IN THE RAIN ALL THE ''IDIOT CLUSTER LIGHTS'' IN THE DASH WOULD ALL START FLASHING ON & OFF WITH A ''CLICKING OR SWITCHING'' SOUND FROM UNDER THE DASH. IT GOT TO A POINT DURING A HEAVY RAIN THAT ALL OF THE ABOVE WOULD HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME OVER A 40 MILE DRIVE, & THE REAR WINDOW WIPER WOULD STOP WORKING IN MID-WIPE & THE VEHICLE WOULD START LOOSING POWER. AT THIS POINT I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER & TOLD THEM THE SAME THINGS. FINALLY AFTER THE 2 VISITS & ANOTHER HOUR TO HOUR & A HALF TO DIAGNOSE & TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM THEY TOLD ME THAT MY WINDSHIELD WAS LEAKING SOMEWHERE & WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID FORD HAD A ''TSB'' TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN OUT. THEY FOUND BOTH THE ''GEM & CJB'' MODULES (PART #''S F852-14B205-KA & F752-14AD68-BA) UNDER THE DASH ALL ''WET & CORRODED'' & NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $589.94 JUST FOR THE PARTS PLUS $74.95 HR. LABOR & A $7.50 HAZARDOUS WASTE FOR A REPAIR ORDER CHARGE. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO A LOCAL GLASS SHOP TO FIND THE LEAK & REPLACE THE SEAL. THEY DISCOVER THAT THE ''SEAL'' FOR THE WINDSHIELD WAS LEAKING AT THE TOP NEAR THE RAIN CUTTERS ON THE ROOF & RUNNING DOWN THE ''A'' PILLARS & WAS ALSO STARTING TO RUST THAT AREA NEAR THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR THE GLASS.

DT: CONSUMER'S 1998 FORD EXPEDITION BURST INTO FLAMES. WHILE CONSUMER WAS IN VEHICLE, WITH THE VEHICLE OFF, SHE NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN THE CONSUMER GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE THE SMOKE TURNED TO BLACK. WHEN THE CONSUMER WALKED AWAY SHE LOOKED BACK TOWARDS THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES.*AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES THAT HE IS HAVING PROBLEM WITH HIS 1998 FORD EXPEDITION. THERE IS A RECALL 05V017000 FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CRUISE CONTROL. THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH QUIT WORKING AND MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS.*AK

DT: CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND PREPARED TO EXIT ON OFF RAMP WHEN LEFT DRIVER'S SIDE TIE ROD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE AND ENTERED THE WHEEL WELL WHICH CAUSED VEHICLE TO COME TO A VIOLENT HALT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER, AND DEALER CONFIRMED TIE ROD BROKE. INSPECTED RIGHT SIDE, AND SAID THAT TIE ROD WAS NEAR FAILURE AS WELL. REPAIRS WERE MADE. THAT WAS SECOND TIME IN 3 YEARS THAT TIE RODS WERE REPLACED. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY, AND THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. CONSUMER WAS UPSET THAT THESE PARTS T FAILED. HAD NOT OCCURRED UNDER NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS WAS STREET AND HIGHWAY DRIVING, NO ROUGH WEAR ON THE VEHICLE. *AK

BOTH OUTSIDE MIRRORS SEPARATED FROM THE OUTSIDE, MAKING VISUAL CONTACT VERY POOR. OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT WAS INFORMED THAT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO. *AK SIDEVIEW MIRRORD WERE DELAMINATING,CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *AK SIDE MIRRORS ARE DELAMINATING CAUSING POOR VISABILITY.*SB

WHILE DRIVING MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION AT ABOUT A 35 MPH SPEED, ON A SMOOTH DRY PAVED ROAD, A SUDDEN LOAD BANG NOISE WITH TIRE SQUEALING AND A LOSS OF CONTROLL OF THE STEERING OCCURED. INSPECTION OF VEHICLE STEERING REVEALED THE RH INNER TIE ROD JOINT HAD FALLEN APART. THE BALL AND SOCKET OF THE TIE ROD HAD BROKEN AND NO STERRING CONTROLL OF THE RH FRT TIRE RESULTED. NO VEHICLE DAMAGE RESULTED (OTHER THAN THE TIEROD), NO PERSONAL OR PROPERTY DAMAGE OCCURED. FORD HAD SENT ME A LETTER OF CONCERN WITH THE STEERING AND SUSPENSION. IT CONTAINED A BRIEF NOTE ON HOW TO CHECK FOR DEFECTIVE OR WORN PARTS. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME THEIR WOULD BE A CHARGE FOR THE SERVICE. I CHECKED THE VEHICLE MYSELF USING THEIR RECOMENDATION AND NOTICED NO WORN PARTS. I HAVE INFORMED FORD AND THE DEALERSHIP OF THE CONCERN, THEY SAID BRING IT IN TO THE DEALER TO INSPECT. AGAIN THE WANTED $$. I WILL HAVE A PRIVATE GARAGE INSTALL ALL NEW FRONT STEERING PARTS ON MY VEHICLE. I WANTED TO INFORM YOUR DEPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE STEERING COMPONENT FAILIER AND THE SUDDEN LOSS OF CONTROL TO MY VEHICLE WHICH COULD HAVE LEAD TO VERY BAD CRASH.