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2003 Ford Expedition Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 615 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford Expedition, most often about the engine (28% of complaints, typically around 100,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Expedition model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2003 Ford Expedition problems
Engine
171 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
At 92,000 about miles the passenger side plug blew out. I put jb. Weld around the plug and put it back in the truck. It worked for 3 months and now its done it again. I am now out of work and my wife can't make it to here job because of the truck. So I am looking for a heli coil repair kit. But no way to go and get it…
Today is the second time we have had a spark plug blow out of the cylinder of our Ford Expedition. The first time it stranded my family in the mountains of southern california in the winter. We are supposed to go away for a weekend trip tomorrow. It cost US 3k the first time and today's quote is about the same. This…
Electrical
104 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 96,500 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, alternator/generator/regulator, horn.
After making a complete stop at a traffic light I made a left turn and began to accelerate when I heard a loud pop which at first I thought was a tire blow out. The engine was running so erratically that I could feel it in my steering. We inspected the vehicle for a flat when we noticed every tire was fine. I opened…
On june 19 2009, returning home from a short trip, thick smoke erupted with strong rubber smell from underneath the driver seat. I immediately turned off the ignition and exited the car. The following day I contacted Ford motor co. And inform them of the safety issue, after going back and forth, Ford general consul…
Brakes
87 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 28,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, antilock.
Braking system degredation, all four brake pads and rotors need to be replaced at 27k miles. During the first week of driving the new vehicle I noticed that the braking system performed worse than the 2000 Expedition I had just traded in. After explaining this to the dealer, they decided to replace all four brake pads…
We had excessive brake dust and then at 29,000 miles when we would turn right it began squeeking. We took it to the dealer and they stated we needed brake pads (first time changing and they were not even to the metal clip) and that the rotors needed to be replaced because they were wore down below the saftey level.…
Wheels and tires
61 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, sidewall, rim, pressure monitoring and regulating systems.
Three of the four original tires on my 2003 Ford Expedition have had a tread separation failure. The first occurred june 2006 at approximately 36,000 miles. This tire was replaced pro rata at the Ford dealership. The second occurred fall of 2007 at 48,000 miles and was also replaced pro rata at the dealership. Now a…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford Expedition. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the rear passenger side tire suddenly lost tire pressure. Several weeks later, the contact experienced an identical failure with the front driver's side tire. A local technician identified the valve stem as being the cause of the failure and…
Air bags
59 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 84,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
On 12/10/2008 my wife was involved in a traffic crash. She drives a 2003 Ford Expedition. Impact occurred on the front driver side. Airbags did not deploy. Not sure what to do about this? Wife has neck pain, children on board are ok, not complaining of any pain or injury. Everyone on board were fastened to seatbelts…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford Expedition. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the air bags deployed without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they referred the contact to her insurance agency. The manufacturer stated that they would not inspect the vehicle because the mileage exceeded the warranty. They…
Transmission
50 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, clutch assembly, axle assembly.
I kept feeling a "slipping feeling" in the rear of my 2003 Ford Expedition. Like a gear and notches of the gear were not lining up properly to inter-lock and turn. It would feel like a jumping, slipping. I took it local dealership, they replaced the rear clutches. Since that time, it has been in two different…
-the contact stated that while researching the service bulletin on the NHTSA website, he noticed that there was a bulletin on the 2003 Ford Expedition. The contact owns a 2003 Ford Expedition with the current mileage of 40,000. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH the vehicle had a vibration of the clutch slip…
Visibility and wipers
38 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 18,500 miles. Parts named most often: rearview mirrors/devices, power window devices and controls, windshield, sun/moon roof assembly.
Side mirrors do not return to original position after backing up. Too much brake dust and wear. Tires had to be replaced at 20,000 miles for sidewall degradation.
Outside mirror lights and interior lights would not go off after getting out of vehicle and pressing remote lock button. They eventually ran the battery down. This was after a hard rain. A few weeks later the same thing happened only this time, the radio would not turn off (key out of ignition and doors open) the…
Fuel system
38 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 122,500 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
2003 Ford Expedition xlt 4.6 fuse box fail fuse pump relay burn, on 01/14/2015 while the truck was in motion on the 5fwy going 70 miles the truck shot off luckily my wife was able to pull to the emergency lane with out hitting any other car on the fwy. I replace the fuse box for another used one that I bought at a…
Fuse relays keep burning out! I have brought over 10 relays in 2 weeeks. I have done my research and this is a common problem with all 2003 fords and is very exspensive to fix. I was shocked to find that it has not been recalled! There are videos on you tube to prove that all of these trucks have this problem. I was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Ford Expedition recalls
Body and structure: structure
Risk: This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began march 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1-800-745-6096.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehi
Questions about the 2003 Ford Expedition
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Ford Expedition?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (171 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles); electrical (104 complaints, typically around 96,500 miles); brakes (87 complaints, typically around 28,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Ford Expedition have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 7, 2003 (body and structure). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Ford Expedition?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Expedition model year since 2000, with 615 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.