2003 Ford Expedition Engine Problems
- 43
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 43 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- spark plug · 36 records
- spark plugs · 9 records
- blew spark · 8 records
- cylinder head · 7 records
- plug blow · 4 records
- plug blew · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 20 |
| 100–150k mi | 11 |
| 30–60k mi | 4 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
Blew #3 spark plug after starting up from a traffic light. Pulled over to side of road. With vehicle idling, opened the hood, but the vehicle then stalled. Called aaa and had vehicle towed to ford dealership. *kb
ODI 10426313
Engine
My best friend's 2003 ford expedition blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head while pulling a boat across a highway. This caused the vehicle to be stuck in the middle of the road, and several cars had to slam on their brakes and swerve to barely avoid collision. Upon internet research, i learned that thousands of people had the exact same problem with this same engine in ford vehicles over several years of…
ODI 10412077
Engine
Oil leaking from head gasket on passenger rear of head..... Leaks onto manifold where a fire can start. Ford mechanics know that there is a problem. The mechanics say that there is a flaw in the casting in the head. There are numerous complaints of this happening. *tr
ODI 10376927
Engine
Sudden backfire resulting in spark plug ejection. Replaced with helicoil kit. *tr
ODI 10351251
Engine
2003 expedition spark plug blow-out. Yesterday evening driving home with my wife and 10 year old son, we heard a loud pop and the a compression sound. Pulled over and inspected the underside of my vehicle and saw no fluids or exhaust defects. Proceeded to pop the hood and realized the noise was coming from the engine block. It was 113 degrees outside and wasn't going to stick my hand in the engine compartment and…
ODI 10343564
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. The contact was traveling 55 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was performing normally. The dealer was unable to locate a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.
ODI 10355193
Engine
Driving our 2003 ford expedition thru the desert to green river utah. Loud pop and car shuddered and lost power. Pulled over immediately and had it towed back to price ut. Ford dealer said spark plug blew out of cylinder head. $2000 to re-thread head, $3000 for new cylinder head or $5000 for a new motor. Since our motor had 90,000 miles on it we opted for a new motor. But after researching all the other people who…
ODI 10340913
Engine
I have a 2003 ford expedition 5.4l that has blown the #3 spark plug 3 times. Each time i have purchased oem plugs. It appears that i am not alone in this experience and many speculate that the thread depth is not enough to secure the plug appropriately. *tr
ODI 10330579
Engine
Spark plug had blown out of its place in the engine. At first, i had the check engine light on and i had promptly taken to the shop (ase cert.) but the light didn't come on any more. After the service man ran the test some time later, nothing appeared to be wrong. A day or so later, i was hearing a "clicking" sound under the hood, later, i had lost a spark plug. Which by the way is a horrible noise! I was told by…
ODI 10324088
Engine
Spark plug ejected from the engine causing the coil to brake as well, and the whole car to smell of gas. This happened once in april, and again the other day (may 17th), on a different plug. It has caused me to lose work, and my mechanic installed a repair kit with a new spark plug. It was $200-$300 for each repair. Ford says its not a problem, but my mechanic has had other cases like this, and stated ford issued a…
ODI 10331280
Engine
2003 ford expedition eddie bauer, spark plug on passenger back side ejected from head while i was driving. They were still original spark plugs. Going to cost over $1000 to temporarily fix problem. *tr
ODI 10313291
Engine
1st occurance: 2003 ford epedition, 5.4l v8 engine. Factory original spark plug exploded while travelling at 60mph.mileage: 72,955. Date: 8/17/08. 2nd occurance: same engine, original plugs( less above repair). 2/05/2010, miles 77,525. Spark plug exploded while travelling 40 mph.
ODI 10307395
Engine
Ford spark plug ejection, 2003 ford expedition 5.4l triton engine. "consumeraffairs.com" has 317 pages of complaints regarding this issue. Ford does not acknowledge a problem. I have had two (2) blow-outs, costing me $1,200.00 i would like to see a petition for recall started, based on potential fire and safety issues. In my case, i was traveling at 60 mph and lost power while in traffic. I had to carefully pull off…
ODI 10315499
Engine
My 2003 ford expediton was making a slight tapping noise all day as i drove around town. When i hit my home town i was a .10 of a mile from my house and a huge banging noise occured. The vehicle lost power and i could smell gasoline vapors. From inspection under the hood i noticed the coil assembly above in the right rear cylinder was broken and the spark plug was laying on the motor. It had blown a spark plug. I…
ODI 10300377
Engine
2003 ford expedition 5.4l v-8 engine blew a sparkplug out of the cylinder head. *tr
ODI 10298195
Engine
One of the spark plugs blew out of the head while i was driving on the highway. There was no external damage, however internal damage to the engine is unknown. This could have started a fire under the right circumstances as raw fuel was being blown through the spark plug hole. This vehicle has the original spark plugs, so this is not a case of someone putting too much torque on replacement plugs. This is a serious…
ODI 10293465
Engine
While driving my 2003 ford expedition down the freeway @55 mph noticed a loud pop and a weird noise. Stopped vehicle, popped hood and inspected. Found #5 coil hanging by harness and #5 plug sitting on manifold. Plugs are original as the truck has on 76,000 miles. No other damage noted. Will helicoil the hole using a kit for this specific problem.
ODI 10290859
Engine · Exhaust System
My 2003 ford expedition blew a spark plug out of the engine today. After reading about events leading up to this failure, my auto was acting exactly like all the others. A slight ticking sound while the engine idles. While driving 20mph, a slight loud bam occurred and the engine began to idle hard. The car was towed 70 miles to a repair center near my home and i now am to decide on a new manifold or a coil repair…
ODI 10282978
Engine
I have park my truck and went to have dinner with my family and upon my return when i start my truck. The engine make a loud sound and spark plug blow out from the engine. *tr
ODI 10283123
Engine
2003 ford expedition 5.4l ejection of factory spark plug form cylinder head. *tr
ODI 10279082
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition which was purchased used in 2003. The spark plugs were blowing out of the head and causing the coils to break. This failure has occurred three times within 8 months. The dealer stated that the vehicle would cost over $1200 to repair at the owner's expense. There were no recalls on her vehicle nor for her particular model pertaining to the failure. The failure mileages…
ODI 10299532
Engine
Driving from las vegas to phx we were at wickenberg, az a loud pop occurred and knocking sound from the engine. The smell of gas was present and wouldn't run properly. The ford dealership in wickenberg was luckily open and instructed us that the spark plugs had blown out in the 1st and 2nd cylinders. They did also tell us that this occurs often in and there is a temp fix for it. They tapped out the head and inserted…
ODI 10277285
Engine
I have a 2003 ford expedition with a 5.4l engine. Was driving the truck when i heard a pop and the engine started to misfire. Spark plug no. 7 had been ejected breaking the coil. I have owned the truck since it was new and it has been well maintained, only 65000 miles. I have read many of the other complaints online and i'm amazed at the numbers of issues with this engine. This was obviously a bad design that spans…
ODI 10261702
Engine
COIL #1 MISFIRE & HAD TO BE REPLACED. MILEAGE 97,000. *TR
ODI 10252043
Engine
I have experienced the 'blown spark plug' problem with ford's triton 5.4 liter engine for a second time. My 2003 ford expedition blew the # 3 spark plug on november 15, 2008. I am the original owner of this vehicle. The original engine was replaced august 22, 2006 with 86k miles because of the same problem at a cost to me of $5,400. This engine has 53k miles and was installed by koons ford of annapolis. Although…
ODI 10248984