1998 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

I OWN A 1998 FORD EXPEDITION WITH A 5.4L V8 ENGINE. I HAVE IT SERVICED AT DIERS FORD IN FREMONT, NE. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN DRIVEN 2 HOURS AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN A LOUD POP WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY ROUGH ENGINE OPERATION. UPON INSPECTION, ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE CYLINDER HEAD STRIPPING THE THREADS OUT OF THE HEAD AS IT WENT. UPON TOWING THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALER, I WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF $3,000 TO REPLACE THE HEAD. I HAVE GIVEN THE DEALER PERMISSION TO HAVE THE HEAD REPLACED BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WILL NOT BE UNTIL LATE FEBRUARY UNTIL THEY CAN EVEN GET A HEAD TO REPLACE THE DAMAGED ONE. TO THIS POINT THEY HAVE LET ME USE A LOANER VEHICLE BUT HAVE NOW TOLD ME THEY WILL NO LONGER PROVIDE ME ONE. THUS, I AM OUT OF A VEHICLE FOR AT LEAST 8 WEEKS. *JB

THE VEHICLES THE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH (COMBINATION TURN SIGNAL, WINDSHIELD WASHER/WIPER) HAD A DESIGN OR ASSEMBLY FLAW. *BF THE ORIGINAL SWITCH WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO CORROSION IN THE WASHER . A FEW MONTHS LATER THE REPLACEMENT FAILED. *NM

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. OWNER CONTACTED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. OWNER SAYS THAT THERE WAS NO MODIFICATIONS MADE TO THE ENGINE. VEHICLE WAS PERFECTLY FINE PRIOR TO THE FIRE. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *NM

VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE BEING PARKED. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK

NEVADA TRAFFIC ACCIDENT REPORT. *NM THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *NM

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION OF 35 MPH AND NEITHER FRONTAL AIR BAG DEPLOY. NO INJURIES WAS REPORTED AT THIS TIME AND THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *NM THE CONSUMER STATED THAT SHE IS EXPERIENCING SOME ON GOING LIGAMENT AND NERVE DAMAGE IN HER BACK AND NECK. *TC

DRIVING FROM VA TO MI, HIT SNOW IN OH. HIT PATCH OF 'BLACK ICE', SPUN OUT, HIT TRACTOR TRAILER THAT WAS ON THE RIGHTS SIDE OF US WITH THE FRONT OF MY TRUCK(1998 FORD EXPEDITION), ROLLED 3-4 TIMES. SLIDE ABOUT 20 FEET. NO AIRBAG DEPLOYED THROUGH ALL OF THIS.*AK

MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION BLEW A SPARK PLUG OUT OF THE HEAD. I NOW LEARN THAT FORD'S ENGINEERS RECOGNIZED THIS DEFECT IN THE HEAD AND HAVE INCREASED THE THREAD COUNT IN THE HEAD FROM APPROXIMATELY 4 THREADS TO APPROXIMATELY 10 THREADS (PER POWER FORD, TORRANCE, CA). *AK

ON MAY 24, 2003, I (MELODY) BACKED IN MY 1998 EDDIE BAUER FORD EXPEDITION INTO MY GARAGE AROUND 8:15 PM FOR THE NIGHT. AROUND 8:30 PM, MY SON AND I LEFT WITH A NEIGHBOR TO A HOUSEWARMING PARTY 2 BLOCKS AWAY WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS ASLEEP IN THE HOUSE. WE RETURNED TO OUR HOME AROUND 10 PM AND DID EVEYTHING AS USUAL (SHOWER, BED). MY SON AND I FELL ASLEEP IN THE LIVING ROOM AREA WATCHING TELEVISION AROUND 11 PM. AROUND 1:15PM I HEARD THE GARAGE DOOR SOUND LIKE IT WAS OPENED AND I PROCEEDED OUT THE FRONT DOOR AS MY HUSBAND WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME; HE HAD HEARD THE SOUND ALSO IN THE BEDROOM. AS I CREPT DOWN A FEW STEPS, WE HAD SEEN SMOKE COMING FROM THE GARAGE AREA AND I YELLED "THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE, RUN!" WE BOTH RAN BACK INTO THE HOUSE, I GRABBED MY SON SLEEPING BY THE WINDOWS AND MY HUSBAND GRABBED THE KEYS TO HIS TRUCK AND HIS CELL PHONE. MY SON AND I RAN TO NEIGHBORS HOUSES TO CALL THE FIRE DEPT. AND MY HUSBAND OPENED THE FRONT SIDE ENTRANCE INTO THE GARAGE AND MOVED HIS TRUCK THAT WAS PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY OF THE HOUSE. WE STOOD ACROSS THE STREET WATCHING OUR HOUSE BURN WHILE THE FIRE DEPT. EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. AS MY HUSBAND AND I SAT OUTSIDE OUR BURNED HOME THAT EARLY MORNING, WE CONTACTED STATE FARM TO MAKE A CLAIM AND FIND OUT WHAT TO DO. ON JUNE 9, 2003, INSURANCE INVESTIGATORS AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM FORD MOTOR CO. CAM TO THE HOUSE TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WHICH ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE. LATER, MY HUSBAND AND I WERE INFORMED THAT QUITE POSSIBLY THE BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH OR CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE.*AK

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, A FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE. THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *JB