2003 Ford Expedition Electrical System

MY HUSBAND'S 2003 FORD EXPEDITION CAUGHT ON FIRE. HE HAD BEEN OUT OF THE CAR FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES. WE HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE AND THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. WE HEARD ANOTHER LOUD POPPING NOISE, AND WENT TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. WHEN WE GOT OUTSIDE THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THEN WE SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD. AT THAT POINT WE CALLED 911. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT THE FIRE OUT, AND SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY SOMETHING ELECTRICAL. THERE WAS SOME SORT OF SHORT IN THE WIRING. HE HAD TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR BECAUSE THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT STAYED ON, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO DOORS OPEN. THIS PROBLEM WAS SUPPOSEDLY FIXED BY CAR MAX. THERE HAVE BEEN NO MODIFICATIONS TO THE VEHICLE. *TR

FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE MIRRORS AND WINDOWS ON MY FORD SUV. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY CLAIM THEY COULD NOT FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX THE BROKEN GEAR SHIFT AND JAM RADIO. ONE MONTH LATER I WAKE UP TO MY TRUCK ON FIRE AFTER SITTING FOR SEVEN HOURS. *TR

THE VEHICLE WOULD RANDOMLY FAIL TO START OVER A PERIOD OF 2 MONTHS, USUALLY IN THE MORNING. ALL LIGHTS, GAUGES, RADIO, AND HEATER WOULD WORK, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT CRANK. AFTER TURNING THE KEY 4-5 TIMES, IT WOULD EVENTUALLY START. ONE TIME, NOTHING WORKED AND HAD TO JUMP START THE BATTERY. I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND 1 WEEK LATER, IT DID NOT TURN OVER AGAIN AT ALL, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS WORKING. I LET IT SIT, AND TRIED IT LATER IN THE DAY, OF WHICH IT STARTED RIGHT AWAY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TESTED IT. THEY HAD THE PROBLEM HAPPEN TWICE ON THE FIRST DAY AND DETERMINED THE CAUSE TO BE THE STARTER TERMINAL WIRING PIGTAIL WAS CORRODED, AND THEY REPLACED IT WITH A NEW ONE. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD EXPEDITION. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK AND RIDE ROUGHLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SHE PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. SHE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE FORD DEALER. THE DEALER PERFORMED AN IDS DIAGNOSTIC AND PINPOINT TEST AND DISCOVERED THAT A CYLINDER MISFIRED ON CYLINDER NUMBER 4. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION COIL AND SPARK PLUG ASSEMBLY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,800 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,776.

ALTERNATOR FAILED AT 55,000 MILES, SEEMS A BIT EARLY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. REPLACED WITH NEW, BATTERY LIGHT AND CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING WILL NOT GO OFF. BOTH ALT AND BATTERY TESTED FINE ON ANALYZER. *TR

COIL PACK WENT OUT ON MY 2003 FORD EXPEDITION @ 36,200 MILES, 200 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. DEALER WOULD NOT MAKE EXCEPTION AND COVER. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, IT STALLED AGAIN. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS CONTACTED, AND DETERMINED THE BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. BECAUSE THE ALTERNATOR WAS NOT CHARGING THE BATTERY, THE ALTERNATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. AFTER BOTH REPLACEMENTS, AND CHECKING THE FUSES, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED INDICATING THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED. NOT TOO LONG AFTER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS CORRODED. THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE AT THE DEALER THEREFORE THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER SERVICE DEALER WHO INSTALLED A NEW WIRING HARNESS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED.

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE ENGINE WOULD QUIT WITH NO PROCEEDING SYMPTOMS OR INDICATIONS. SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL AND TRYING TO RE-START WOULD NOT WORK. SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL, TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AND THEN TURNING THE KEY TO START DID CAUSE A RE-START. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ON THE DASH TO LIGHT, SO A CODE IS BEING GENERATED. FORD IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, SINCE IT HAS ISSUED A NOTICE (NOT A RECALL) TO IT'S SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. THE REPAIR IS THE REPLACEMENT OF A WIRING HARNESS AND REPROGRAMMING OF THE PROCESSOR. FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS VERY UNSAFE PROBLEM, SO THE CHARGE FOR THE WORK IS $ 358.18. *NM

2003 EXPEDITION RELAY JUNCTION BOX BURNED. *TS ***NAR*** THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE BEING DRIVEN. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A RELAY PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE RELAY. AFTER REPAIR THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE. THE DEALER PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH DETERMINED THAT THE JUNCTION HAD MELTED. THE JUNCTION BOX WAS REPLACED BUT THE VEHICLE STILL HAD NO OVERDRIVE NOR THIRD GEAR. THE DEALER REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION PAN AND FOUND INTERNAL TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DESTROY WHEN THE JUNCTION BOX BURNED OUT. THE CONSUMER HAS THE BURNED JUNCTION BOX IN HIS POSSESSION. PRIOR TO THIS FAILED THE VEHICLE ALTERNATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NM

2003 FORD EXPEDITION LOST ALL POWER AND ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED. *KB ***NAR*** THE VEHICLE CROSSED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. THE VEHICLE FINALLY STOPPED AND WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO THE CONSUMER'S HOME. THE NEXT DAY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE CONSUMER. ABOUT A WEEK LATER THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A LEFT FOR A FEW DAYS SO THEY COULD TRY TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY THEY WERE UNABLE TO AND THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER. THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE NO LONGER FELT SAFE DRIVING THE CAR ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE TRANSPORTED HER CHILDREN IN IT. THE CONSUMER READ SOMEWHERE THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS THE CAUSED OF THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER TOLD THE DEALER OF HIS FINDINGS BUT THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE COULD NOT FIX IT UNLESS THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. *NM

THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. COULD CONTINUE TO GO AROUND THE VEHICLE OPENING AND SHUTTING THE DOORS AND THE LIGHT REMAINED ON. CONSUMER COULD NOT START THE VEHICLE SINCE THE LIGHT CAME ON, AND HAD TO GET A JUMP TO START IT.*AK

DT: ORANGE WIRE UNDER THE THIRD ROW SEAT, THIS WIRE STARTED SMOKING. WE LEFT THE CAR. THIS WIRE BURNED INTO. FLAMES WERE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE SEAT, AND IT SMOKED UP THE VEHICLE. PARKED THE CAR, AND THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN MOVED SINCE. THIS HAPPENED 6:30 PM, AND ALL THE DEALERSHIPS WERE CLOSED. *AK

DT: VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED WHILE PARKED FRO ABOUT 6-7 HOURS. VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 6-7 HOURS. FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNDETERMINED. FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD, AND BURNED EVENLY THROUGHOUT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, ALL THE WAY BACK TO JUST ABOUT THE PASSENGER DOORS ON THE OUTSIDE, AND ABOUT TO THE BACK GATE ON THE INSIDE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH FUSE ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, AND THE FLAMES BEGAN TO SETTLE. *AK

#1 NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY #2 CAR HAD BE PARKED FOR ALMOST AN HOUR WHEN A PASSERBY KNOCKED ON THE DOOR TO SAY THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND SHE HAD ALREADY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. #3 FIRE WAS PUT OUT. CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. ALSO, THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF MINE WAS BURNED WHEN THE FIRE SPREAD AND THAT CAR WAS TOTALLED AS WELL. IT BELONGED TO MY FRIEND, OLIVIA JACKSON OKE, WHOM I WAS VISITING AND MY CAR WAS PARKED DIRECTLY BEHIND HERS IN HER DRIVEWAY. I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE AND SO DID OLIVIA.

THE VEHICLE HAD DEAD BATTERY AND REQUIRED JUMP START. THE ATTEMPT WAS SUCCESSFUL HOW EVER I BEGAN HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS AND ODOMETER DISPLAY MALFUNCTIONED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, INCLUDING JUMPS IN MILEAGE OR NO CHANGE AFTER A TRIP, RADIO WOULD GO OFF OR CHANGE STATIONS BY ITS SELF, DOOR LOCKS WOULD UNLOCK AND LOCK BYSELF,AND INSTRUMENTS NOT WORKING. THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER MOUNTED NEXT TO THE ASHTRAY IN THE DASH SOME HOW BECAME WELDED IN PLACE. ON OCCASION WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AS YOU PUT KEY IN IGNITION YOU WOULD HEAR THE DOOR CHIME AS NORMAL THEN WHEN YOU TURN KEY TO START POSITION CHIME WOULD DIE AND NOTHING HAPPENED THEN RETURN THE KEY TO OFF AND BACK TO START AND IT WOULD START FINE ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO MY DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE RADIO BUT THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY WHERE UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. I CONTINUED TO HAVE THE PROBLEM AND IT JUST SEEMED TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY. *NM

THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF THE VEHICLE BEING PARKED AND TURNED OFF. AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE TWO CHARGERS WERE PLUGGED INTO THE LIGHTER OUTLET AND THEY BOTH MELTED. *AK

DURING A RECENT TRIP TO DENVER, THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW 20 DEGREES AND THE BACK-UP WARNING BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ADVANCE TRAC LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND ALTHOUGH I CYCLED THE SWITCH, THE SYSTEM WOULD NOT COME ONLINE. THE BACK-UP WARNING SYSTEM EITHER EMITTED A CONSTANT TONE, EVEN THOUGH NOTHING WAS BEHIND ME OR I COULD GET RIGHT NEXT TO SOMETHING AND IT FAILED TO ALARM. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE IT IS AN INTERMITTANT PROBLEM THAT ONLY OCCURS WHEN IT IS COLD, THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO, AS THEIR SHOPS ARE HEATED TO ABOUT 68 DEGREES. THIS VEHICLE ALSO EXPERIENCES PROBLEMS WITH THE SIDE MIRRORS MOVING OF THEIR OWN ACCORD. THE DIRECTION IS NOT ISOLATED TO A SINGLE DIRECTION. SOMETIMES THEY MOVE UP AND OTHER TIMES DOWN. MOSTLY WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED IN BOTH. IN SOME CASES IT IS ONLY A MINOR CHANGE AND AT OTHER TIMES IT IS QUITE DRASTIC. THE DEALER STATES THAT THE MINOR CHANGES ARE BECAUSE I SIT IN THE SEAT DIFFERENTLY EACH TIME I SIT IN THE VEHICLE AND THE MAJOR CHANGES IN SETTINGS CANNOT BE DUPLICATED AND THEREFORE, THEY CANNOT FIX IT. ASIDE FROM THIS, I ASKED THE DEALER IF THERE WERE ANY OUTSTANDING RECALLS AND WAS TOLD NO. ACCORDING TO THE VEHICLE PAGE THAT THEY PROVIDE, THERE ARE 8 RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE NOTIFED ME OF THESE RECALLS. THE RECALLS ARE: 01V310000, 02V154000, 02V018008, 02V317000, 03V074000, 03V094000, 03V251000, 03V317000, AND 03V362000. WHEN I LOOK THESE UP ON YOUR SITE, THEY SHOW THAT THEY DO NOT BELONG TO MY VEHICLE AS MOST ARE FOR RVS, WHICH MAKES THIS ALL THE MORE CONFUSING. *LA

THE DRIVER AND REAR VIEW MIRRORS ERRATICALLY REPOSITIONED EACH TIME THE DOORS WERE UNLOCKED OR IF THE VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO REVERSE *AK *CB. ALSO THE DRIVER SEAT REPOSITIONED ON ITS OWN, AND BECAME STUCK IN THAT POSITION. *JB

THE VEHICLE HAD AN ALL-INCLUSIVE COMPUTER CONSOLE ON DASHBOARD WHICH CONTROLLED THE FUNCTIONS OF REAR/SIDE VIEW MIRRORS AND MEMORY SEATS, ETC. THE CONSOLE DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, WHICH CAUSED THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS TO BE INCORRECTLY POSITIONED WHILE DRIVING. DEALER DIAGNOSED DEFECT WITH SYSTEM, BUT ADVISED THERE WAS NO REMEDY OR PARTS WHICH EXISTED TO CORRECT. *JB

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS. EVERY TIME VEHICLE PASSED BY RADAR WEATHER STATION THAT WAS LOCATED NEAR THE AIRPORT DRIVER'S SEAT WOULD RECLINE BACK TO THE FURTHEST POSITION. *AK

THE SEATS, MIRRORS & GAUGES ALL WILL READJUST WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. MY WIFE ALREADY HAD A NEAR MISS ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE FORD DEALER. ANDY MOHR FORD SAYS HE CAN DO NOTHING AND THE ENGINEERS ARE WORKING ON A FIX. I HAVE CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WROTE THEM 2 LETTERS. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 5 MONTHS NOW AND NO ONE WILL ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THEY SAY IT IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL 2003 EXPEDITIONS SO I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE A PRIORITY TO FIX. *JB