1998 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

THIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS MENTIONED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN 97V171000. LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY WAS NOT FULLY ATTACHED TO THE STEERING COLUMN BRACKET, THE SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY CAN COME OUT OF THE BRACKET. DEALERSHIP INDICATED TO THE CONSUMER, YES YOU HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM DUE TO VIN NOT BEING INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. *AK

WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. BIG-O, LT26570R17. *AK

WHILE PARKING SPARE TIRE RACK BOLTS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE SNAPPED. THIS CAUSED THE SPARE TIRE TO FALL TO THE GROUND. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED,BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

VEHICLE DISENGAGES WHEN PARKED. WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT IT FAILS, AND WHEN REMOVING THE KEY IT IS DIFFICULT.*AK

WE WERE ON VACATION JUNE 27, 2004 AND OUR 1998 FORD EXPEDITION BROKE DOWN 15 MILES OUTSIDE OF FLAGSTAFF, AZ. WE WERE TOWED TO AAMCO TRANSMISSIONS, WHOM AFTER GETTING AUTHORIZATION FROM OUR SERVICE CONTRACT TO CHECK OUR TRUCK FOUND THAT A SEAL GASKET IN OUR TRANSFER CASE HAD MELTED AND ALL THE OIL RAN OUT. THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED FOR 150,000 MILES, OUR TRUCK IS AT 92,184 MILES. I HAVE A SERVICE CONTRACT COVERING ME FOR 96,000 MILES. THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WAS TAMPERED WITH FIRST, THEN THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION WASN'T COVERED, THEN IT WAS BECAUSE WE DROVE IT WITH NO OIL. AAMCO TOLD THEM US THE PART WAS COVERED UNDER OUR SERVICE CONTRACT BUT THAT THEY GET THIS ALOT FROM SERVICE CONTRACTS WHERE THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR THE WORK. AAMCO ALSO SAID THAT THESE TRUCKS DO NOT HAVE INDICATORS ON THE TRANSFER CASES TO SHOW THAT ANYTHING IS GOING WRONG OR THAT OIL IS LEAKING. WE HAVE NEVER HAD PROBLEMS. OUR R OIL LEVELS WERE CHECKED ON JUNE 25TH BEFORE TAKING OFF FOR VACATION AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. WE HAVE NEVER HAD LEAKS. WE HAD 3 OF OURYOUNG GRANDCHILDREN WITH US. WE WERE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY AND OUR TRUCK JUST STARTED SLOWING DOWN REALLY FAST AND WERE LUCKY THERE WERE NOT MANY CARS AT THAT TIME SO WE COULD PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS THING COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS IF SOMEONE IS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOUR VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN IN HEAVY, FAST TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING THIS IS HAPPENING OR ANYTHING IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR TRUCK. WE ARE HAVING THIS FIXED AT OUR EXPENSE, SEAL GASKET IN THE TRANSFER CASE?, $1700 + $240 LABOR TO CHECK IT AND TAKE IT APART. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SERVICE CONTRACT AFTER THIS ON A USED VEHICLE. I BOUGHT MY TRUCK FROM CHAPMAN CHEVROLET WHO SINCE CHANGED THEIR NAME TO FREEWAY CHEVROLET IN CHANDLER, AZ AND THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO HELP ME WITH THIS SERVICE CONTRACT WHICH I BOUGHT FROM THEM.*AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE SPARK PLUG FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE BLEW OUT. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A BLOW OUT. *AK THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 5.4 AND THE 4.6 FORD ENGINES. THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND TO BE A DEFECT IN THE HEADS NOT HAVING ENOUGH THREADS TO HOLD THE PLUGS IN. FORD WOULD NOT ASSIST IN THE REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH THEY RECENTLY REDESIGNED THE HEADS TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM. *SC

INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTING AND LOCKING SYSTEM; LIGHTS STAY ON INSIDE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING - DISTRACTING AT NIGHT. SOMETIMES CAN TAKE UP TO 30 MINUTES TO "DECIDE" TO TURN OFF - OTHER TIMES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING... NO REAL PATTERN HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. "DOOR AJAR" LIGHT NEVER GOES OFF EVEN THOUGH NUMEROUS CHECKS OF ALL DOORS HAVE BEEN DONE AND NONE ARE OPEN. RUNNING BOARDS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS STAY ON AFTER CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF (WHETHER LOCKED OR UNLOCKED). THESE LIGHTS DO NOT SHUT OFF FOR OVER 1 HOUR AFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXITED LAST. DOOR LOCKS WILL SPONTANEOUSLY LOCK AND UNLOCK WHILE DRIVING. "BEEPING" SOUND WILL ALARM WHILE DRIVING ALERTING THAT DOORS ARE UNLOCKED OR POSSIBLY AJAR - THEN DOORS WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK - SOMETIMES ONCE, OTHER TIMES FOUR OR FIVE TIMES IN A ROW. LIGHTING ISSUE OCCURS EVERY TIME CAR IS EXITED. INTERIOR LIGHTING ISSUE (WHILE RUNNING) OCCURS 3 TIMES WEEKLY, IF NOT MORE AT TIMES. LOCKING ISSUE OCCURS AT LEAST TWICE WEEKLY. NOT UNDER WARRANTY... AFTER INQUIRING WITH DEALER THEY RESPONDED, "NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE". HOWEVER, I HAVE ASKED RANDOM EXPEDITION OWNERS IN PARKING LOTS AND GAS STATIONS - ALL HAVE CONFIRMED THE SAME PROBLEM. *LA

ON JUNE 23, 2004 MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION WAS TOWED TO A DEALER BECAUSE I BLEW A SPARK PLUG. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST OVER $2700.00 TO GET IT FIXED. THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE THE SPARK PLUG WOULD ONLY BLOW OUT AGAIN AND I NEEDED A NEW HEAD COVERING. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THE ALUMINUM HEADS. MY QUESTION OR RATHER MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I AM ANGRY ABOUT THE RESPONSE FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER AND FROM THE FORD FRONT OFFICE. IF FORD KNOWS THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE THEN WHY SHOULD THE CONSUMER BE LIABLE FOR SOMETHING THAT FORD KNOWS IS A PROBLEM. AM PRETTY UPSET ABOUT THIS AS FORD KNOWS THIS HAPPENS AND THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD COVERINGS?? AM I EXPECTED TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $2700.00 WHEN THE OTHER HEAD GOES BAD? THIS ISN'T RIGHT AND IF THEY HAVE A PROBLEM THEN FIX IT AND DON'T JUST ROB THE CONSUMER. *JB

ON MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE FORD COMPANY WILL NOT SAY THAT THE ENGINE HAS A DEFECT. THE SPARK PLUGS ARE STILL THE SAME ONES THAT CAME WITH THE TRUCK NEW. I HAD MY INFANT SON IN THE CAR WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AND THIS MISHAP PUT US IN NEEDLESS PERIL. CAR IS IN REPAIR STILL AND FORD IS NOT TREATING THIS LIKE AN ENGINE DEFECT. I SEE MANY ONLINE POSTS FROM OTHER FORD OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE CAUSED DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. GASOLINE WAS FUMES WERE STRONG AND THE ENGINE COULD HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK

ENGINE AT IDLE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME HEARD A POP AND FOUND THAT SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE HEAD UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FORD TRITON V8 ENGINE. *JB