What breaks most · 1991 to 2019 model years
Ford Expedition problems by year
Owners have filed 6,613 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Expedition across model years 1991 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1999 for engine and cooling complaints, 2000 for electrical system complaints and 1997 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1993 and 1995.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1993, 1995
- Complaints on file
- 66131991 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999944 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 461649 fires · 509 injuries · 36 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 85kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 116Across 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 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 847 | 50 | 9 | Suspension (138) | |
| 833 | 43 | 7 | Suspension (143) | |
| 944 | 52 | 9 | Engine and cooling (248) | |
| 882 | 55 | 11 | Electrical system (211) | |
| 565 | 36 | 10 | Engine and cooling (122) | |
| 331 | 19 | 4 | Engine and cooling (95) | |
| 591 | 55 | 6 | Engine and cooling (127) | |
| 277 | 48 | 4 | Air bags (44) | |
| 309 | 20 | 5 | Electrical system (75) | |
| 292 | 18 | 6 | Engine (83) | |
| 198 | 7 | 2 | Tires (29) | |
| 126 | 20 | 4 | Body and structure (32) | |
| 24 | 2 | 1 | Body and structure (7) | |
| 49 | 8 | 0 | Body and structure (10) | |
| 52 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 74 | 4 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (35) | |
| 42 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (17) | |
| 18 | 4 | 0 | Air bags (5) | |
| 58 | 6 | 3 | Engine (16) | |
| 42 | 2 | 3 | Brakes (10) | |
| 27 | 6 | 4 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 19 | 2 | 14 | Exterior lighting (6) | |
| 3 | 0 | 11 | Exterior lighting (2) |
What fails on the 1999 Ford Expedition
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 26% |
248 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| Tires | 19% |
184 | 9 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 13% |
123 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
116 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
66 | 4 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
58 | 10 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
52 | 4 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 3% |
32 | 9 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 Ford Expedition |
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.
-
1999 FORD expedition. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle blown spark plugs. *smd the consumer stated while driving, the spark plug blew out the cylinder#8. *jb updated 09/21/15*lj the consumer stated the vehicle lost power and eventually stalled. Updated 09/24/15*jb
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My expedition caught on fire parked in my driveway at least 30 minutes after driving it. I was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and a water hose, but the plastic parts were were melted on the driver side. The battery was disconnected and i was told by a mechanic that it was the cruise control relay.
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Takata recall, my steering is bad like im fishtailing on the freeway, when i hit a bump it pulls to one side. Theres alot of play in the steering wheel.
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 30, 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 Expedition years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 1997 carry the most filings on the Ford Expedition. The 1999 alone has 944 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford Expedition problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 248 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Expedition problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Expedition complaints that include mileage is about 85,000 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.