1999 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

ENGINE SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT AT 80,000 MILES ON ENGINE. ENGINE HAD 40,000 ON IT FROM NEW AND WAS CONSUMING OIL DUE TO THE RIGHT HEAD LEAKING OIL. FORD REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET. THE GASKET DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM SO A NEW MOTOR WAS INSTALLED. NOW AT 120,000 (80,000 ON THE MOTOR) AFTER THE SPARK PLUGS WERE CHANGED, A PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE HEAD. A HELICOIL WAS INSTALLED AFTER THE PLUG BLOW OUT BUT THAT ALSO FAILED. REBUILT HEAD IS BEING INSTALLED. FEEL THIS IS A FORD PROBLEM ON THIS SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT. THE 5.4L HEAD IS NOT MANUFACTURED TO WITHSTAND THE HORSEPOWER. *JB

MY 99 FORD EXPEDITION'S SPARK PLUG EJECTED FROM THE HEAD. THIS HAS CAUSED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO AND FROM WORK AND OTHER PLACES. I HAD IT REPAIRED FOR A PRICE OF $300 DOLLARS. THIS WAS RIDICULOUS, FORD SHOULD PAY ALL EXPENSES. THEN I WAS DRIVING TODAY AND ANOTHER PLUG BLEW. MY TRUCK IS SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD RIGHT NOW. THIS IS TERRIBLE! *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A LOUD BANG IN THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER AND WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. ONE MONTH LATER ANOTHER SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN AGAIN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WERE THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. *AK

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE (05S28) FROM FORD IN SEPTEMBER OF 2005 STATING THAT THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY OVERHEAT CAUSING AN UNDERHOOD FIRE IN MY 1999 EXPEDITION. IT ALSO NOTED THAT THE NEAREST DEALER WILL TEMPORARILY DISCONNECT THE SWITCH UNTIL A PERMANENT REPAIR IS PERFORMED. THE DEALER REFUSES TO DISCONNECT THE SWITCH AND STILL HASN'T RECEIVED THE PARTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME TO CALL BACK IN FEBRUARY 2006. *NM

MAJOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: AIR SUSPENSION STOP WORKING; INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LAMPS CONTINUALLY CLICK ON AND OFF; REAR WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING. ABS WARNING CLICKS ON AN OFF, WHEN OFF BRAKES TEND TO LOCK DURING BRAKING. *JB

PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN IN NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN SUDDENLY SMOKE SMELL AND LOUD RHYTHMIC BANGING FROM UNDER HOOD. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO SHOP. THEY DISCOVERED A SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN THROUGH THE HEAD, REQUIRING A HEAD REPLACEMENT. SUBSEQUENTLY I DISCOVERED THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH FORD VEHICLES WITH THE TRITON ENGINE-DESIGN DEFECT IN THAT THEIR ARE ONLY 5-6 THREADS HOLDING SPARK PLUGS IN LEAVING THEM SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS TYPE OF FAILURE DURING NORMAL OPERATION. FORD WOULD NOT ASSIST ME WITH REPAIRS STATING THERE WAS NO RECALL DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. *JB

1999 FORD EXPEDITION - BLOW SPARK PLUG OUT OF NUMBER 3 CYLINDER. RESULT IS LOSS OF POWER AND VERY POOR DRIVABILITY AT LOW SPEEDS. ALSO, GAS SMELL FROM LEADING INJECTOR IN NOW OPEN CYLINDER. FORTUNATELY I WAS NOT TOWING WHEN THE PLUG BLEW, OR THE LOSS OF POWER COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION. FORD DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE CYL. HEAD ($3,000), DOESN'T ACKNOWLEDGE ANY DEFECT THAT FORD HAS AUTHORIZED. SEVERAL OTHER MECHANICS INDICATE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS ENGINE, DEALS WITH INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF THREADS TO HOLD THE PLUG IN THE ALUMINUM HEAD. *NM

I ALMOST FLIPPED MY WIFE'S 1999 FORD EXPEDITION ON CHRISTMAS EVENING (YESTERDAY) WHEN BOTH STABILIZER BAR LINKS SHEARED OFF. MY FAMILY, INCLUDING FOUR CHILDREN, WERE IN THE CAR. WE WERE PROCEEDING ON A RURAL ROAD AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT WHEN THE HANDLING WENT OUT AND THE VEHICLE STARTED DRIFTING ALL OVER THE ROAD. ANYTHING OVER 40 MPH BECAME UNSAFE AROUND TURNS. IT COST ME $84 TO REPLACE THE PARTS TODAY (SELF-INSTALLED). IT COULD HAVE KILLED MY FAMILY. I WANT FORD TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PARTS AND I WANT THEM TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER A RECALL WOULD BE PRUDENT. I OWNED TWO 1995 EXPLORERS AND BOTH WERE RECALLED FOR THIS DEFECT (WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON I KNEW TO LOOK FOR IT). I AM A LICENSED ATTORNEY. NOTICE OF A DEFECT GIVES RISE TO NEGLIGENCE. NOT ONLY DOES A QUALITY AND SAFETY ISSUE LIKE THIS ONE DAMAGE FORD'S REPUTATION, ECONOMICALLY IT LESS EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THE PARTS THAN TO WAIT FOR THE FATALITIES TO MATERIALIZE AS THESE VEHICLES AGE. I WANT FORD TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PARTS AND INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE OR I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD PRODUCT AGAIN. FORD, DO THE RIGHT THING HERE. *JB

IT STARTED A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD COME ON FOR NO REASON. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN AT THE TIME I TOOK IT IN TO EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIX A PROBLEM THEY DIDN'T SEE. SLOWLY THE PROBLEM GOT WORST, ESPECIALLY IN WET WEATHER. ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OUT IF THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOWERED. I CAN NO LONGER RAISE OR LOWER THE COLUMN ANYMORE FOR FEAR THE WIPERS, LOCKS AND HEADLAMPS WILL NOT WORK. AT TIMES, THE LOCKS TO THE BACK SEAT WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE POWER LOCK BUTTONS. THE REAR WIPER DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE, YOU CAN HEAR THE MOTOR RUN AT TIMES, BUT NO MOVEMENT. THE ODOMETER BLINKS ON AND OFF AT TIMES. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES IT DOESN'T COME ON AT ALL. THAT NORMALLY HAPPENS WHEN I'M ON THE ROAD FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. WITH ALL OF THAT GOING ON, THE WORST THING IS TO DRIVE THE CAR IN THE RAIN AND SNOW AND NOT KNOW IF THE WIPERS WILL WORK AT ALL. *JB

MY 1999 FORD EXPEDITION HAS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH A SUPPOSES SAFETY FEATURE. THE "DOOR AJAR" WARNING LIGHT COMES ON EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO DOOR OPEN. PART OF THIS SYSTEM TURNS ON THE DOME LIGHT AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 5 AND 18 MPH. THIS LIGHT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT THE WINDOWS. IMAGINE YOURSELF BACKING OUT OF AN UNLIT DRIVEWAY AT NIGHT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE IF THERE IS A CHILD APPROACHING THE REAR OF YOUR CAR. THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF OR OVER-RIDE THE DOME LIGHT SHORT OF REMOVING THE BULBS. FORD TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONCE AND IT WORKED PROPERLY FOR A WHILE, BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNED. IT IS FRIGHTENING WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR SIGHT IMPAIRED. I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE DOME LIGHT WARNING SYSTEM DISABLED THAT HAVE IT MALFUNCTION. THE ODDS OF AN INCIDENT HAPPENING DUE TO IMPAIRED VISION ARE SURELY GREATER THAN OF AN OPEN DOOR NOT BEING NOTICED AND SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSING AN INCIDENT. *NM