2003 Ford Expedition problems
The 2003 Ford Expedition has 800 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (21%) concerns engine. After that come electrical system (13%) and brakes (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 800 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 81 and 43
- Injuries and deaths
- 94 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 79,000 miles 592 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 | 111 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 68 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 62 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 59 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 65 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 58 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 56 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 37 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 18 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 24 |
| 200k+ miles | 34 |
What the data shows
Among the 592 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 79,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 101,000 miles (148 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 81 complaints mention a crash; 43 complaints mention a fire; 94 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 81% 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 2003 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Ford Expedition with enough data (430 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
Tl* the driver owned a 2003 ford expedition. The contact stated that the driver was traveling 40 MPH and completing a turn when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed head on into a brick building. None of the air bags deployed. The driver was killed and four other passengers were injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileages were 100,000. The VIN was not available.
2003 ford expedition, with factory original tires by continental, had a tire tread separation on june 11 which resulted in one death and four serious injuries. Vehicle was in motion, driver lost control and hit a tree...updated 02/02/17
When driving 70 MPH or higher steering wheel and the vehicle shook excessively, causing the vehicle to become unstable. Dealer has replaced the tires twice, and replaced the steering gear box. However problem recurred. Dealer indicated to the consumer that it could not be fixed.
The vehicle will randomly shut off at any speed, under any condition. Engine dies unexpectedly at highway speeds creating a panic to get out of the roadway. Power to steering and brakes are gone when the engine dies. Vehicle will restart after a couple minutes. The faulty part is the fuel pump relay. It is integral to the fuse box and cannot be changed without changing the entire fuse box. The fuse box is only available from a ford dealer for $485.20 parts only.