What breaks most · 1997 to 2010 model years
Ford Excursion problems by year
Owners have filed 1,146 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Excursion across model years 1997 to 2010. Three years stand out: 2000 for tires complaints, 2001 for tires complaints and 2002 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1997, 1999 and 2004.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2001, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 1997, 1999, 2004
- Complaints on file
- 11461997 to 2010, all trims
- Worst year
- 2000533 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 7991 fires · 66 injuries · 8 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 29Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 533 | 37 | 6 | Tires (184) | |
| 209 | 17 | 7 | Tires (57) | |
| 129 | 13 | 5 | Engine and cooling (31) | |
| 106 | 6 | 5 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 95 | 4 | 2 | Engine and cooling (22) | |
| 65 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) |
What fails on the 2000 Ford Excursion
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 35% |
184 | 13 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
59 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
59 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
58 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
35 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
30 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
19 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2000 Ford Excursion |
| Air bags | 3% |
18 | 16 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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The turn signal will intermittently stop working or not signal at all when the signal is activated in either direction (right or left turn). This will occur whether the vehicle is in motion or stationary. This has been occurring for over a year now.
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My 2001 FORD excursion ejected a spark plug from the cylinder head. This is the second time that this has happened. After research, i have learned that this is a commong defect.
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#4 spark plug blew out of engine head, threads destroyed. FORD dealer service department told me this is a known defect in the FORD 5.4 triton engine head and that FORD is doing nothing about it.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Excursion years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2001, 2002 carry the most filings on the Ford Excursion. The 2000 alone has 533 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common Ford Excursion problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 184 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Excursion problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Excursion complaints that include mileage is about 79,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.