1998 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

TORSION BAR ON DRIVER'S SIDE OF 1998 EXPEDITION BROKE APART CAUSING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE TO LEAN AND CAUSE EXTREME DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE CAR. THE BREAK LOOKS LIKE IT HAPPENED ON A SEAM AND RUST WAS INSIDE-CLEARLY POINTING TO A BREACH IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THIS PART.*JB

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT, I HEARD A POP AND THEN MY 5.4L ENGINE ON MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION STARTED MAKING A LOUD CONTINUOUS POPPING/TICKING SOUND. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A BLOWN SPARK PLUG CAUSED BY THE CYLINDER HEAD THREADS GIVING WAY AND CAUSING THE SPARK PLUG TO BE BLOWN OUT OF THE SPARK PLUG HOLE. THEY ARE CHARGING US ALMOST $3300 TO FIX THE DEFECT IN THEIR CYLINDER HEADS. THEY DENY THERE IS ANY TYPE OF RECALL, BUT I DID SEE A TSB# 98B33 WHICH RELATES TO CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT. IF YOU GO TO THESE WEBSITES, HTTP://WWW.F150ONLINE.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=90A1A25C42DBFFDE23D53146381E3E78&THREADID=88853&PERPAGE=15&PAGENUMBER=2 AND HTTP://FORUMS.PICKUPTRUCK.COM/SHOWFLAT.PHP?CAT=&BOARD=UBB10&NUMBER=155196 YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ALOT OF OTHER FORD OWNERS WITH 5.4 AND 6.7L V-8'S AND V-10'S. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A SPARK PLUG BLOWING UP AND CRACKING A HEAD BEFORE IN MY LIFE AND TO ME THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND FORD SHOULD RECALL THESE ENGINES AND FIX THIS PROBLEM AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. WE HAVE DONE ALL OF OUR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT FORD DEALERS AND SPENT CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY DOING SO AND WE WERE NEVER WARNED OR TOLD OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES. FORD SHOULD AT THE VERY LEAST RECOMMEND MORE FREQUENT MAINTENANCE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. *AK *TR

WHILE DRIVING LUGS NUTS BROKE, CAUSING THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE. *AK CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WHEN LUGS AND NUTS BROKE IN THE FRONT WHEEL. TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND PUT THE SAME TIRE AND RIM. WHEN CONSUMER LEFT DEALERSHIP, LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK AND EXPERIENCED SHAKING IN FRONT END. TOOK VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP, AND FOUND OUT THAT THE FRONT END WAS SO BAD. DEALERSHIP REPLACED SHIMS TO ALIGN FRONT END. THE FAILURE OF LIGHTS WAS CAUSED BY THE REPAIR FROM THE PREVIOUS DEALERSHIP BECAUSE WHEN THEY TOOK THE DASH BOARD APART, THEY POKED A HOLE IN THE HEATER WHICH BURNED THE WIRE. *LA

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT TIRE BLEW OUT. ALSO, WAS WARPED FROM THE INNER SIDE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE, AND DRIVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MICHELIN, P195/55R15, DOT 895VB68X4100*AK

FRONT TORSION BAR SHEARED OFF WHILE PARKED, CAUSING THE RIGHT FRONT TO DIP APROX 6 INCHES. *JB

MY 1998 FORD EXPEDITION EDDIE BAUER WITH A 5.4L TRITON V-8 JUST BLEW A SPARK PLUG. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.

HELLO, MY NAME IS [XXX] AND I LIVE IN MARTINEZ, CA. I HAVE A 1998 FORD EXPEDITION WITH APPROXIMATELY 111,000 MILES ON IT. I RECENTLY HAD A SPARK PLUG POP OUT WHILE DRIVING. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM I DETERMINED THAT IT IS INHERENT IN MY TYPE OF ENGINE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WEBSITES WITH STORIES OF FORD OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCED IDENTICAL PROBLEMS. ONE OF THE WEBSITES IS: WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/FORD_SPARK.HTML THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO IT. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM IS APPROXIMATELY $3,000. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TURN SIGNAL CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS. RIGHT SIGNAL NOT WORKING UNLESS STALK IS PULLED SLIGHTLY BACK AND LANE CHANGE FEATURE IS USED. EMERGENCY FLASHERS FAIL TO OPERATE. PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND IS NOW CONSTANT.*AK

NUMBER 2 SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE HEAD, DAMAGING THE COIL AND STRANDING MY WIFE, 2 YEAR OLD SON AND MY 8 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER.*AK