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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,850 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Ford Expedition steering problems

steering problem

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2003 Ford Expedition Owner Comments

problem #10

Dec 152015

Expedition

  • 149,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on the highway at 70 mph, the vehicle just suddenly lost power and shut down. I managed to get the vehicle to the side of the road. After a few minutes it started and I continued on, after a few miles the same thing happened again. I got it started again and was trying to make a rest stop a few miles away. While pulling into the rest stop the vehicle lost power again and resulted in a collision because of no steering or brakes. The loss of power happened 8 times that day. While looking for answers about the problem, I found on the nhtsb website that other vehicles of the same make, model and year also experienced this same problem that turned out to be a problem with the fuse block. I took it to a Ford dealership to have it checked out. They said it was a fuel pump issue. That would not cause a loss of power. I took it to another mechanic who did find that it was indeed a faulty fuse block. The same mechanic told me that this was not the first time they had come across this problem. This is a dangerous condition that needs to be rectified before someone loses their life in an accident because of this. The loss of power occurs without any warning or check engine lights or codes.

- Townsend, GA, USA

problem #9

Jul 032015

Expedition

  • 197,000 miles
Truck shut off at 60mph towing a camper because my fuel pump relay blew because of a defect in the fuse box!! almost killed us........ not happy at all. I've spoken to many mechanics and been on many forums and this seems to be a wide spread and dangerous issue Ford should take care of. Spoke with the local Ford parts department and they are aware of the issue. This is not a cheap part by any means, but on top of that it almost killed my wife and family! please do something about this defect. I can send you pictures of the fuse box board so you can see the burns.

- Goldendale, WA, USA

problem #8

Mar 162011

Expedition

  • 120,000 miles
Driving on interstate 70 mpg vehicle stalls then proceeds, this happened several times over a course of 1 year. One later incident engine died but restarted. Several months later completely dies. After several hrs vehicle restarts. Ford mechanics claim they cannot make a diagnosis. It will never stall or quit when it's in the shop. I'm afraid this vehicle will be someone's death trap.

- Pell City, AL, USA

problem #7

Aug 172013

Expedition 8-cyl

  • 163,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Lost control, hit parked car and tree, front end damage, driver side fender, driver door, driver received laceration to forehead and two fractured ribs. Air bags did not deploy.

- Levelland, TX, USA

problem #6

Jul 272012

Expedition

  • 150,000 miles
I was driving on the interstate on 7/27/12 to take my daughter back to her mother, as I had my daughter during summer visitation. Half-way into my trip (525 miles one-way) it started to rain and I hydro-planed, resulting in a one-car accident. I slid from the inner lane (passing lane), across the outer lane, into the shoulder and crashed into a guard-rail. If not for the guard-rail, my vehicle would have fallen about 30-feet from the interstate to the elevation below. After the responding department arrived (highway patrol and local police departments), we evaluated that my daughter and I were ok physically. Once I started to evaluate the damage, I looked at the front tires and they are severely warped!! I'm not an automobile aficionado, but my front tires (both) are completely bald on the outer portion of the tires, while the inner threads on the tires show little wear (the tires are only 2 years old). From what I have gathered, the "cupping" the tires experienced are from a faulty/defective front end alignment. I noticed shortly into my trip, that my steering wheel had a moderate vibration. I have had a similar experience when I used to own a 1997 Ford Explorer (it always need a front end alignment/adjustment). I was not ticketed for the incident and am coming to the conclusion that the faulty front end alignment may be the cause of the steering vibration, and the wheels cupping, resulting in uneven tread-wear, leading to my hydroplaning accident...

- Decatur, AL, USA

problem #5

Aug 222010

Expedition

  • miles
On Sunday August 22, 2010 at approximately 10:30 P.M I was driving on the 215 freeway going southbound in the city of riverside, ca. Traffic was light, weather was moderate and it was nighttime. While driving my parents' 2003 Ford Expedition on the far right lane at the speed of 60-65mph I felt the steering wheel lock up and I tried to keep control of the vehicle but the wheels turned to the right and I veered off the lane and into the dirt on the shoulder lane. I lost control of the car, it spun out of control and rolled over two or three times, and took out a big piece of fence and finally stopped. I walked out of the car in complete shock and panic, people pulled over to help, police was called to the scene as well as an ambulance. Accident report was taken by the chp and I was taken to the hospital in the ambulance. I suffered from minor injuries to head and body and had nightmares and woke up screaming for a week. The vehicle was totaled and towed away at the scene of accident.

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

problem #4

Dec 202009

Expedition

  • 102,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Expedition. While driving approximately 25 mph on the highway in rainy conditions, the vehicle fishtailed and almost slipped on a ramp until he regained control. He also noticed a vibrating noise. He took the vehicle to a repair shop but there were no definite answers as to what the cause for failure was. He had not spoken with the manufacturer or taken the vehicle to the dealer to-date. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 105,000. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- North Miami Beach, FL, USA

problem #3

Dec 012004

Expedition 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Front tires were wearing unevenly on outside edges. Took to tire shop for rotate and alignment. They said that alignment was outside manufacturer specs, but there is no adjustment mechanism on vehicle. Special camber/castor adjuster kit must be purchased and installed at my expense to allow adjustment. Otherwise tires will continue to wear unevenly and cause premature failure and possible loss of vehicle control.

- Venice, FL, USA

problem #2

Nov 012003

Expedition 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,500 miles
Vehicle has developed noticeable play/shimmy in steering. When vehicle was new play was not there. It was mentioned to dealer. They checked vehicle over but could not find any problems. However, when vehicle is driven over surfaces like rain grooves, or any surface less than smooth, vehicle wanders/shakes bad. I test drove a couple of similar vehicles at different dealers, neither vehicle had the 'play' in the steering. The problem started at 7500-8000 miles.

- Dimondale, MI, USA

problem #1

Mar 312003

Expedition

  • miles
The steering wheel was difficult to turn.

- Anderson, SC, USA

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