2002 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

WE BOUGHT OUR 2002 EXPEDITION FEB/2006. SINCE THEN, EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WE EXPERIENCE WATER DRIPPING FROM THE VISOR HINGES. WE WERE CONCERNED THAT OUR ROOF WILL RUST SO WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC BUT HE COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. WE CONTINUED TO DRIVE IT BUT BECAME MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS SO WE TOOK IT BACK TO OUR MECHANIC AND TOLD HIM TO KEEP IT UNTIL HE FINDS THE PROBLEM ON OCT 30, 2006. WE ALSO NOTICED OUR DASH LIGHTS FLASHING. WE TOLD HIM TO ALSO FIND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM ALSO. WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM HIM LATER IN THE DAY AND HE ADVISED US THAT HE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHO ADVISED HIM THAT THERE'S AN OVERLAYMENT OF METAL BEHIND THE WINDSHIELD THAT FORD FAILED TO SEAL CORRECTLY AND THE WINDSHIELD WASN'T SEALED CORRECTLY SO WHEN IT RAINS OR SNOWS, THE WATER SEEPS THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND FILLS THE PILLARS WITH WATER. THE OVERFLOW OF WATER FROM THE PILLARS IS WHAT DRIPS THROUGH THE VISOR HINGES. SOME OF THE WATER LEAKS INTO THE WIRING IN THE DASHBOARD AND OTHER PLACES. FORD ADVISED THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS. WE FOUND SOMEONE ELSE HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM FROM A PETRINA COMPTON @ MY3CENTS.COM WHICH SHE ADVISED OF A "SPECIAL MESSAGE" SENT DIRECTLY FROM FORD TO ALL FORD DEALERSHIPS IN APRIL OF 2002 WHICH STATES 1997-2002 EXPEDITIONS MAY EXHIBIT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS DUE TO WATER LEAKING IN THROUGH INCORRECTLY SEALED WINDSHIELDS. SPECIAL MESSAGE #15773. IF FORD IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THEY ADMIT THEY ARE AWARE OF IT IN SO MANY YEARS OF MODELS, WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS? I FEEL THAT THIS DEFECT WILL BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE WHEN THE ELECTRICAL FAILS OR CAUSES A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND CAUSES A FIRE. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO INVESTIGATE THIS DEFECT. I'M SURE THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN OR HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THEIR MECHANICS AND DEALERSHIPS THAT THEY CANNOT LOCATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED MY VEHICLE DEVELOPED A DISTINCT VIBRATION SHORTLY FOLLOWED BY A TREAD SEPARATION. WE REDUCED SPEED AND PULLED INTO A SERVICE STATION WHERE THE SPARE WAS INSTALLED. THE SAME SCENARIO TOOK PLACE APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK LATER WITH A DIFFERENT TIRE. THE VEHICLE IS A 2002 FORD EXPEDITION, PURCHASED NEW IN OCTOBER 2001, AND CURRENTLY HAVING LESS THAN 30,000 MILES ON IT. TIRES (GENERAL GRABBER AW) ARE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAVE BEEN ROUTINELY ROTATED AND INSPECTED BY THE DEALER DURING SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE SPARE WAS PUT ON--IT, TOO, IS A GENERAL GRABBER AW, SAME AGE AS THE OTHERS--AND A NEW SPARE WAS PURCHASED. THAT SPARE WAS PUT ON AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT. I HAVE THE TWO DEFECTIVE TIRES. GENERAL TIRE WAS CONTACTED AND THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE UNSAFE TIRES. *NM

DT*: 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.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON A PAVED INTERSTATE, THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIE ROD FELL OFF. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED BOTH SWAY BARS WERE FRACTURED AND THE OTHER THREE TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 11/3/2006 - *NM

FORD HAS A RECALL ON 2002 FORD EXPEDITION. IN DECEMBER 2005 THEY PUT A HARNESS ON THE SWITCH BECAUSE SWITCH WAS NOT LEAKING THEN. IN SEPTEMBER 2006 MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT BECAUSE OF THE SWITCH LEAKING AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE. AT THAT TIME FORD MADE US PAY FOR THIS REPAIR JOB EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THESE SWITCHES ARE BAD. WE HAVE THE PART THAT THEY REPLACED. RECALL SHOULD ADVISE THAT THEY ARE ONLY KEEPING THE BAD SWITCH FROM STARTING A FIRE, NOT REPLACING A DEFECTIVE SWITCH. *NM

DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT FAILS (DISCONNECTS) OFTEN. SERVICE PERSONNEL AT A FORD SERVICE CENTER INFORMED ME THAT THEY KNEW OF THE DEFECT AS BEING A FAULTY FEMALE CONNECTION IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT. THEY STATED THERE HAD BEEN NO RECALL AND THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR IT WITHOUT FULL COSTS BEING PAID BY ME. *NM

WE WERE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 30-40 MPH ON A SHARP CURVE ON A FREEWAY ON-RAMP. WE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER AND A VERY LOUD POPPING NOISE. WE PULLED OVER SINCE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE. WE WERE STRANDED IN A VERY DANGEROUS SPOT ABOUT 100 FEET IN FRONT OF THE FREEWAY ON-RAMP. AFTER AAA INFORMED US IT WOULD BE ABOUT AN HOUR FOR A TOW TRUCK AND AN ACCELERATING VEHICLE CAME WITHIN INCHES OF OUR CAR, MY FAMILY AND I DECIDED TO ABANDON THE VEHICLE AND CLIMB A VERY STEEP AND DANGEROUS EMBANKMENT. I FEARED FOR MY THREE KIDS AND WIFE'S THE WHOLE TIME WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK. WE WERE TOWED TO A FORD DEALER WHERE THEY TOLD US( A WEEK LATER) THE NUMBER THREE SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN. THE USUAL PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES. THE PLUG BLOWS BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY FIVE THREADS FOR THE SPARK PLUG IN THESE ALUMINUM HEADS. THE NEW DESIGN FROM FORD NOW HAS 12 THREADS. WE DECIDED TO HAVE THE WHOLE ENGINE REPLACED SINCE THIS COST LESS THAN HAVING TWO HEADS REPLACED. ITS 5500 FOR THE ENGINE AND 3500 PER HEAD. WE WANTED BOTH HEADS SINCE THE OTHER HEAD WOULD BE PRONE TO THE SAME PROBLEM. I THINK FORD SHOULD OWN UP TO THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE EVENTUALLY THERE ARE GOING TO BE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES TO SOMEONE AS A RESULT OF THIS. WE WERE ONLY INCHES AWAY FROM THIS HAPPENING. *NM

STARTED WITH PINGING NOISE FROM ENGINE 1 DAY BEFORE SPARK PLUG ON #3 CYLINDER BLEW OUT. BROKE COIL-OVER-PLUG MODULE & REQUIRED REPAIR TO HEAD. ANOTHER FAILURE RECENTLY OCCURED ON #8 CYLINDER INVOLVING HEAD REPLACEMENT.

ON JULY 6, 2005, MY OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 EXPEDITION TRITON V-8 THE SPARK PLUG DETACHED FROM THE CYLINDER AND/OR EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE. I HEARD A LOUD POP WHILE DRIVING OR UPON STARTING UP THE VEHICLE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD, REPETITIVE CLICKING OR POPPING SOUND. THE POPPING SOUND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SOME LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER. THE VEHICLE DID STALL AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE IT UPON STARTING IT DUE TO THE LOUD NOISE I ALSO SMELLED GAS OR A SLIGHT BURNING SMELL WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED.*JB

FAILURE OF REAR AIR SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING. FOUND PREVIOUS MODIFICATION TO REAR HEIGHT SENSOR, REPLACED BALL JOINT BRACKETS WITH BOLT, WASHER, AND NUT. "DEALER NOT RESPONSIBLE", BUT THEY DID ADJUST THE SENSOR PRIOR TO SALE. *NM