1997 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

1997 FORD EXPEDITION WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. UNDER HOOD FIRE AND SMOKE ERUPTED. CRUISE CONTROL DISCONNECT SWITCH HAD BURST INTO FLAMES AND SET BRAKE FLUID ON FIRE. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. PARTS REPLACED, OLD PARTS AVAILABLE.

THE CAR IS A 1997 FORD EXPEDITION. THE FRONT TO REAR BRAKE LINE CORRODED AND FAILED. THIS HAPPENED COASTING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. EVEN THOUGH IT IS A SPLIT SYSTEM THE BRAKING LEFT WAS MINIMAL. THE PARTITION BETWEEN THE FRONT CHAMBER AND THE BACK DIDN'T SEEM TO LEAVE ENOUGH FLUID IN THE FRONT CHAMBER TO ALLOW EFFECTIVE REMAINING BRAKING. NOT TO MENTION THE BRAKE LINE CORRODING THROUGH IN LESS THAN 8 YEARS. I HAD THE BRAKE LINE REPLACED BUT DID NOT RETAIN THE OLD BRAKE LINE. THE COST WAS $623.04. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON STAYS ON. AT FIRST, I WAS TOLD THIS WAS BEING CAUSED BY A GAS CAP NOT HOLDING PRESSURE. I PURCHASED A NEW GAS CAP WHICH SEEM TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THE COMPUTER WAS RESET BY TAKING THE CABLE OFF THE BATTERY. THIS LAST ABOUT A MONTH UNTIL I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE EVAP CAN SOLINOID, WHICH WAS REPLACED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASED. THE COMPUTER WAS RESET BY REMOVING THE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY. THIS LASTED ABOUT A MONTH AND WAS TOLD TO CHECK THE GAS CAP AND THE COMPUTER RESET BY REMOVING THE BATTERY CABLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL GO OUT WITH FRESH TANK OF HIGH OCTANE GAS, BUT WILL REAPPEAR WITH LOWER GRADE OF FUEL AFTER A WHILE. I AM TOLD NOW THAT 1 OF 4 O2 SENSORS ARE BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. FURTHERMORE, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL 4 O2 SENSORS BE REPLACED ($150/EA) AT THE SAME TIME. I AM RELUCNTANT IN BELIEVING THE CAUSE OF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WAY TOO MANY TIMES TO THROW DOWN $700 ON SOMETHING MAY OR MAY NOT WORK. OHIO EMISSIONS TEST WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL YOUR VEHICLE IF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. THERE NEEDS TO BE RECORD SOME PLACE SO THAT OWNERS CAN FIGHT BACK IF THEY PASS THEIR EMISSIONS TEST, BUT CAN'T GET THE CERTIFICATE IF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. I HAVE WASTED TOO MUCH MONEY AND TIME TRYING TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THIS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT.*AK

DOOR AJAR LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON INTERMENTLY. I HAD THIS SAME ISSUE WITH MY 1995 FORD RANGER. ON BOTH VEHICLES THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM WAS REPLACED AND FIX THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. THE ISSUE RETURNS WITH OEM REPLACE PART. MECHANIC MENTIONED THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY USES A VERY THICK LUBRICANT ON THE MECHANISM CAUSING THE ISSUE. I NOW JUST LIVE WITH THE ISSUE AS I AM NOT GOING TO KEEP SPENDING MY MONEY ON LATCH MECHANISM THAT KEEPS GOING BAD. THE ONLY ISSUE IS THE INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY ON UNTIL THE DELAY OUT 45 SECONDS LATER. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ISSUE WITH FORD VEHICLES ACROSS MULTIPLE MAKES OF VEHICLES. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO FORD DIRECTLY.*AK

REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER WILL NOT TO TURN ON MOST TIMES. IF WIPER ASSEMBLY IS JARRED HARD ENOUGHT (EITHER BY BUMP OR BANGING ON IT) WILL CAUSE IT TO WORK FOR A WHILE. THIS PROBLEM WAS ORGINALLY FIXED BY DEALER, BUT WARRANTY HAS PASSED AND THE PROBLEM HAS RETURNED. I HAVE TAKEN THE UNIT APART, BUT BELIEVE THE UNIT WAS NEVER CHANGED AND BELEIVE THE CONTACTS WERE CLEANED. I BELIEVE THE WIRING IS BEING CORRODED CAUSING FOR GOOD CONTACT OF THE WIRES.*AK

THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR CHILD SAFET LOCKS ENGAGE AUTOMATICALLY. THE SWITCH WILL DROP INTO CHILD SAFET LOCK POSITION ON ITS OWN. I HAVE READ THROUGH MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS POSTED TO THIS WEB SITE OF SIMILAR STORY. THE PASSENGER EITHER HAS TO PUT THE WINDOW DOWN TO OPEN DOOR FROM GRABBING OUTSIDE HANDLE OR WAIT FOR ANOTHER PASSENGER TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. THIS CAN BE CAUSE FOR CONCERN TO PASSENGERS LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE DURING ACCIDENTS. CHILD SAFETY LOCKING MECHANISM SHOULD BE REPLACED. HAD THIS REPLACED ONCE UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY TO ONLY HAVE IT FAIL AGAIN. CURRENTLY LODGING THE SWITCH IN PLACE TO KEEP IT IN FROM FALLING INTO PLACE AUTOMATICALLY.*AK

THE INTERIOR DASH LIGHTS OF MY 1997 EXPEDITION GO OUT EVERY TIME IT RAINS OR THE VEHICLE GETS WET. THE CAUSE OF THIS APPEARS TO BE IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CONNECT WITH THE DIMMRER SWITCH THAT CAUSE A SHORT THAT THEN BLOWS THE 5 AMP FUSE. I HAVE REPLACED THIS MULTIPLE TIMES AND IS FINE AS LONG AS IT IS DRY (OHIO ISN'T A VERY DRY CLIMATE). I HAVE GONE THROUGH MANY 5 AMP FUSES. I HAVE DELAYED GETTING ANYTHING DONE SINCE THE FIRST OCCURANCE BACK IN 2000 DUE THE COSTLY EXPENSE OF JUST TRYING TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THIS SEEMS SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE READ POSTED ON THIS WEB SITE DUE TO WATER LEAKING FROM WINDSHIELD. I HAVE EVEN HAD MY WINDSHIELD REPLACED AND STILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM TO DATE. I HAVE NOW STOPPED REPLACING THE FUSE AND LIVE WITH NO DASH LIGHTS AT NIGHT. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SPEED YOUR GOING. IN MY PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING OPINION THERE APPEARS TO BE A WATER LEAK ISSUE IN THE WINDSHIELD/FIREWALL AREA. THIS WATER LEAK ISSUE SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AS THE ROOT CAUSE TO OTHER FAILURES THAT HAVE BEEN SEEN ON EXPEDITIONS AND F-150S IN REGARDS TO ELECTRICAL ISSUES AND FIRES.*AK

CONSUMER WAS INSIDE THE HOUSE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE HEARD THE HORN GOING OFF INSIDE THE GARAGE AFTER IT WAS PARKED FOR 45 MINUTES. SHE IMMEDIATELY WENT TO TURN OFF THE HORN AND NOTICED THAT BLACK SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE HOOD. CONSUMER CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND WITHIN MINUTES THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE ALONG WITH THE HOUSE. RESULTS SHOWED THAT CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH HAD A SHORT WHICH CAUSED THE FIRE.*AK

AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR 4 HOURS CRUISE CONTROL ON CAUGHT FIRE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. EVOQ FILED BY: PHIL CREAMER. *AK

RE: SAFETY CONCERN WITH 1997 FORD EXPEDITION, OUT OF 8 SEATS, ONLY 4 HAVE HEAD RESTS. *BF *JB