The windshield wipers would randomly go on or off when I was just driving down the road... sometimes when I stepped on the brakes, but I never knew when they would start going. Had this repaired at the same time as the tow hitch recall.
The tow hitch recall.
The front seatbelt height adjuster broke off as I was attempting to adjust it.
The car is going in to the dealer tomorrow to see if the head gasket is blown. The service guy told me that this has become a real nuisance on the 5.4l and Ford is aware of the problem, they will cover the costs... but my car is less than two years old and with regular maintenance, I should not be experiencing these problems... especially for a car that costs as much as these do.
The car is also pinging and has become very loud, per my salesman, I do not have to have a tune-up until 100,000 miles... if so, why would I be experiencing the pinging well before any scheduled or expected maintenance?
The car drives like a Mac truck. It used to drive smoothly and ran much quieter than it does now. The problem is not the tires... the suspension leaves a great deal to be desired and cornering is really bad!
Value dropped 12,000 in less than two years... that is totally unacceptable!
For the price you pay for the car... this was a real disappointment. I will never again buy a Ford, recommend that anyone else does or for that matter even consider another American car. I am going to buy a new Toyota Sequoia as soon as I can. The trade-in value dropped significantly and these cars do not seem to be worth the money you spend. I am a very dissatisfied consumer.
Pinging isn't usually caused by anything a tune-up could fix. It is usually the result of a bad lifter inside the engine.
Pinging is not a lifter, pinging is pre-detonation in the combustion chamber. Generally caused by running fuel with too low of octane, or the timing being a little too far advanced.
As far as handling, check your front and rear sway bar tie bolts. My wife and I both have Expeditions, one of the tie bolts on the front sway bar broke, and it made an unbelievable difference in the handling. Every little dip in the road was a handful.
That person is right, the pinging is just the valves rattling. Put premium gas in it and that will fix it.
Ford tells right in its factory manual - REGULAR GAS ONLY!
PREMIUM? HUH?
I got a lemon too!!! All-American Ford in Hackensack NJ sold me one and refuses to fix it - wants to charge me for the same problem which happended 3 times? Everybody: Get rid of your Fords and run away from them as far as you can.
Re: Ford Expedition. I have owned an Eddie Bauer with the 5.4 liter engine. Very dependable. 54k miles and no maintenance except oil changes. Also had a front-sway bar tie rod bolt break - not sure when this happened - noticed it yesterday when changing the oil. Dealer acknowledged this is a common problem. Also just had a service engine light come on - realize the "gas cap" can be a cause - doesn't seem to be the case, though.
We'll see how the dealership does fixing it. Will update comments later.
I owned a Ford Expedition till 07-06-2002. The vehicle was brought for my wife as a gift. A/C went out one week after buying it and the door molding pulled away and had to be put back. On 07-06-2002 my wife drove it to work at about 04:30 and parked it. At 11:00 the vehicle burst into flames, burning to a total loss status. Thank God it did not happen to her on-route, because I would have lost her. I really don't know about buying a Ford again any time soon.
Thanks. Doug S.
My mother owns a 1999 Ford Expedition 5.4 Liter and it has been great. It has 75,000 miles on it and the only thing we have had to do is replace 1 center cap and keep the oil changed.
His Expedition only has 24,000 miles on it and it's already pinging? Sounds like this vehicle is not a quality automobile. I've heard many other fords (mainly 4.6 liter v8's) ping also. Another problem with Fords is the check engine light is always on for one reason or another. I'll never buy Ford.
Guess I'm fortunate... my '98 5.4L Eddie Bauer has just over 125K on the clock with no major problems... the alternator packed it in at the 122K mile point, but considering when I've replaced alternators on other cars I've owned, this was an acceptable service life.
Plan on buying a used expedition.
Can anybody tell me what kind of gas mileage this car gets?
Thanks.
I have a 1997 XLT 4X4 Expedition. Am experiencing a rumble sound in the rear end when making a left or right turn during accelerating after a stop. Any comments as to what may be the problem?
Plan on getting 13 miles to the gallon, if you are lucky. Killing the environment?? Come on! When a good cup of coffee costs 3 bucks for 8oz, I have no problem paying 1.40 for a whole gallon of gas. Then I can drive up to the mountains here in Colorado and ENJOY the environment. God Bless America...
The pinging on the 1999 Expedition (I believe) is low octane fuel. I have a 5.4 and going up inclines etc, with just Regular gas in it isn't going to cut it. So get medium or premium.
As far as my 99, I ran into the issue with the wipers going on by themselves...
Just at 70K I had to replace a valve assembly - part of the emissons control - not covered under extended warranty.
Now, at 71K, it is not cranking - think the alternator is shot.
Hope Ford didn't set the termination dial on 70K and above on all parts!
Have 99 ford expedition, I purchased new. Head gasket blown at 34000 miles. Vehicle now has 72000 miles on It, and again a blown head gasket. Ford is aware of their sorry workmanship, but refuses to do anything about it. My first and last ford vehicle!
Purchased my 98 Eddie Bauer 5.4L a year and a half ago with 114,000 miles from a good friend who had it since new with no problems. Now it has 133,000. Looks and runs like new. Replaced alternator at 122,000. Replaced broken front sway bar bolts also, so this must be a common problem. This made a big handling difference. Also switched to Michelin X-Country Tires which ride and wet grip far better than the Goodyears.