1998 FORD EXPEDITION Complaints

TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER BECAUSE ELECTRONIC FOUR WHEEL DRIVE HIGH SYSTEM WHOULD RANDOMLY JUST DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING. CONTINUES TO DO SO TODAY, AND DEALER SAYS FORD IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND MIGHT BE WORKING ON A FIX FOR THIS MODEL YEAR. SUPPOSEDLY A PROBLEM FOR MANY PEOPLE. *AK

TORSION BAR FRACTURE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LIMP FORWARD AND TO THE LEFT. (APPROX. 6 INCH DROP). *AK

TWO FRONT TORSION BARS FAILED BY SHEARING, APPROXIMATELY 2" FORWARD OF THE REAR FRAME SOCKET MOUNTING. BARS FAILED AT DIFFERENT TIMES, ONE WEEK APART. LEFT SIDE FAILED FIRST. DEALER FIRST ADVISED THAT VEHICLE COULD BE DRIVEN WITH CARE, LATER ADVISED THAT VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN. BROKEN RH SIDE TORSION BAR OBSERVED DURING REPLACEMENT OF LH SIDE TORSION BAR. VEHICLE NOW OUT OF SERVICE 11 DAYS CONTINUOUSLY, DEALER STILL HAS NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO REPLACE LH SIDE TORSION BAR.

PROBLEM WAS FIXED BY DEALER WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED. WHILE AT DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD THAT 2-F150 CAME IN WITH SAME PROBLEM, WHETHER THAT WAS TRUE I DO NOT KNOW

SPEED SENSITIVE POWER STEERING: AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE THE VEHICLE PULLED RIGHT. THE VEHICLE ALSO EXHIBITED A PROBLEM I CALL STEERING BURST OR HANG. WHEN TURNING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT THE POWER ASSIST STEERING WOULD CONTINUE TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS CONTINUED PRESSURE COULD ONLY BE STOPED BY JERKING HARD, BACK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON THE STEERING WHEEL. ANOTHER ISSUE EXPERIENCED IS WHEN ACCELERATING HARD FROM A STOP OR PASSING ETC. THE VEHICLE MOVES TO THE RIGHT OF THE LANE OF TRAVEL. THIS OCCURS IN A SURPRISINGLY QUICK AND UNUSUAL MANNER AS IF THE VEHICLE WHERE DOG TRACKING TO THE RIGHT.?. THE VEHICLE WAS ALIGNED BY THE DEARLER 4 TIMES IN THE FIRST WEAK OF OWNERSHIP. ALSO THE FRAME AND THE TIRES WERE CHECKED. AFTER THE FORTH ALIGNMENT I NOTICED THE VEHICLE WONDERING LEFT & RIGHT ON THE ROAD. SUSPECTING SOMTHING FISHY, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP. THE MECHANIC THER POINTED OUT VISUALLY THE CASTER AND CAMBER ADJUSTMENT SLOTS AND HOW THEY WERE MAXED OUT. THE CASTER AND CAMBER HAD BEEN INTENTIONALLY SET TO 3 DEGREES AND 6 DEGREES OUT OF MANUFACTORS SPECIFICATIONS SO AS TO PULL LEFT. LEFT SO AS TO BURY THE PULL RIGHT PROBLEM. THIS STEERING SYSTEM IS EITHER MAL-ENGINEERED, MAL-ASSEMBLED OR HAS DEFECTIVE PARTS. A PROBLEM WHICH THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER CAN RESOLVE OR DON'T WANT TO RESOLVE IT. FORD HAD TWO OF THIER REPS LOOK AT THE PROBLEM. BOTH TIMES THEY STATED THE VEHICLE OPERATES AS PER DESIGN. THE LAST TIME THEY (FORD & DEALER) HAD THE VEHICLE THEY DEACTIVATED THE SPEED SENSITVE FEATURE WHICH MAKES THE PROBLEM FEEL LESS APPARENT BUT IS NON THE LESS STILL THERE. THE POWER STEERING IS NOW STIFFER AND TIGHTER I CAN ONLY SURMISE TO FURTHER ATTEMP TO COVER -UP THE PROBLEM. OTHER EXPEDITIONS I TEST DROVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. AND ON THE"FORD EXPEDITION ENTHUSIEST" WEB SITE THERE ARE MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS. THE A/C FAILURE WAS CATASTROPHIC THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED, LATE AT NIGHT I MIGHT ADD. MORE DETAILS PLEASE CALL.

ON 1/11/99 I WENT INTO OUR GARAGE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT LEFT OF OUR EXPEDITION WAS NOTICEBLY LOWER THAN NORMAL. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND SAW A BAR BROKEN AND HANGING THERE.

RUNNING BOARDS ON EARLY 1998 EXPEDITIONS DO NOT EXTEND OUT FAR ENOUGH TO BE SAFE. ESPECIALLY IN ICY/SNOWY CONDITIONS, THE NARROW AREA TO PLACE YOUR FEET CAN CAUSE YOU TO SLIP OFF. THE NEWER 1998 EXPEDITIONS APPEAR TO HAVE THE RUNNING BOARDS MOVED OUT APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES.

WHILE DRIVING IN SNOW AND SLEET THE WINDSHIELD COULD NOT BE CLEARED. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS 20 DEGREES, THE DEFROSTER WAS SET TO MAXIMUM SPEED AND TEMPERATURE. ICE FORMED ON THE WINDSHIELD VERY QUICKLY, AND THE WIPERS AND DEFROSTER WERE TOTALLY INE

DEALER HAD TO TIGHTEN AND REGLUE THE JAM NUT TO THE FRONT LEFT TIE ROD END AND ADJUST THE SLEEVE, WHICH MAY CAUSE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. *AK.ET.

I HAVE HAD THE DRIVE TRAIN FROM THE TRANSMISSION BACK REPLACED AND STILL HAVE A VIBRATION THRUOUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. ALONG WITH THIS IT IS DIFFICULT TO STAY IN YOUR LANE WHILE DRIVING. THE FIX FROM FORD WAS TO HANG A TWENTY OR SO POUND WIEGHT OFF THE DIFFERENTIAL. THROUGH THE TSB ON THE VEICHLE PRINT OUT I WAS ALSO INFORMED TO WATCH OUT FOR THE TIRES SPINNING ON THE WHEEL FORM 45 - 80 MPH (FORD TSB - SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGE 11276 UNDER VIBRATIONS CONCERNS)