1997 Ford Expedition problems
The 1997 Ford Expedition has 1,065 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (14%) concerns suspension. After that come brakes (11%) and steering (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,065 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 73 and 83
- Injuries and deaths
- 64 and 19
- Typical mileage
- 119,000 miles 291 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 30 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 34 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 53 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 47 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 30 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 25 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 21 |
| 200k+ miles | 20 |
What the data shows
Among the 291 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 119,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 122,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 73 complaints mention a crash; 83 complaints mention a fire; 64 injuries reported; 19 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 80% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Ford Expedition with enough data (526 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
1997 ford expedition lost #7 spark plug. All 7 people on-board died in ensuing fire. Defect known by NHTSA and ford for many years. NHTSA is the headline your waiting for? This is your responsibility. Do your job. Updated 11/29/10 updated 12/07/10
The vehicle was parked when all of a sudden it caught fire on its own. Results showed that the there was a shortage with the cruise control switch. Manufacturer has been informed by consumer.
While coming to a stop and the intersection of longstreet and highway 82. I pressed on the brake peddle and the brakes locked up and I sled through the intersection into a ditch. I was traveling the speed limit of 50 MPH. The passenger air bag deployed but the drivers did not deploy. I have a broken nose from hitting steering wheel. Seat belts were on front seat driver and passenger.
While driving steering wheel became loose. Was hard to maintain control of vehicle. Took vehicle to dealership. Mechanic indicated that the front stabilizer bar had snapped and needed to be repaired.