My 1997 Ford Expedition has been having serious electrical problems. I have had the GEM mod replaced as well as the fuse box. It seems as though water is leaking into these parts from the windshield. I am still having these problems with a family of six, I am concerned with the prospects of an electrical fire or something else. We have had instances where the car lost power while on the highway, this could cause a serious accident. Please talk to Ford. This seems like a very common problem!

- Norwood , MA, USA

I have a 1997 Ford Expedition which has had the following symptoms: The fan blower stays on while truck is off, the battery dies for no apparent reason after truck has sat unused for short periods, various lights on instrument panel come on and off while driving(including ABS, airbag, all 4WD related lights, low wash, check engine), overdrive light blinks, speedometer doesn't work, truck doesn't accelerate and shift properly, radio comes on when truck is off. Clicks and beeps can be heard sometimes when in use and off. The dealer said the GEM and fuse box were damaged by water leaking from windshield. They replaced parts(for $600 and told me that I had to go and get the windshield fixed. I asked how they knew the water was certainly coming from windshield, and they said because of location etc. And I asked them what will happen if it rains after I pick it up and before it gets looked at. They said I'd be fine if it's within a few days ("just don't wait a month"). well I picked it upon the evening, and made an appointment for the next day for windshield. It rained overnight, though I even covered the area as best I could. I woke up to the radio blaring from my truck. I turned the truck on, shut it back off, radio still played so I shut its power off. As I drove to work, some of the other things started to happen again as well. I am not happy that (a) I have had to pay for Ford's inadequate workmanship and (B) I now have to fight with them about what is going to happen now since the rain has already screwed it up again because they left it in my hands before the leak was fixed. That truck never should have left their garage until it was taken care of. I don't know why they couldn't do it themselves, but they could have at least had the glass company come and do it there. This clearly is a common problem with Expedition, and I think Ford should be forced to do something about it. Electrical malfunctions are not something to let.

- Waterford, PA, USA

: the contact stated the vehicle caught on fire while parked. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted but would not investigate the cause of the problem to determine if it was caused by a recall or defect. Pictures of the incident were taken.

- Whitesville, KY, USA

97 Expedition that has multiple electrical problems, air bag light stays on, clicking under dash wet carpet on drivers side. Local Ford dealer tells me oh that's an easy fix, only $1200 to replace the generic electric module and remove and reinstall the windshield! went on to tell me they do this all the time on Expedition! I asked why and they told me that "the factory screwed up when the windshields were installed and they leak"! I thought that was why we had recalls! if this is the factories fault then why must I pay for it?

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

I have experienced a problem with my 97 Ford Expedition not starting after sitting for longer than two days for over a year now. I have had the local Ford dealership attempt to find the draw keeping the vehicle for over a month total. When it rained the problem seemed to be worse. Eventually I was left with having to have a battery booster in the back and jump the car as it needed with no solution from the dealer. Today I went out to the car almost a year later of dealing with this and the car wouldn't start after less than 24 hours of not driving it. The car was not completely dead as there was clicking noises upon turning the ignition but did not turn over. Removed the keys from ignition and got out of car to get battery booster from the back and heard popping and static noise from passenger front speaker very loud. Again, keys were not even in the ignition. Noise continued to come from the speaker for over 30 min until I jumped the car. When started the clock and radio would not work and noise continued to come from the speaker, also noticed water leaking down passenger side handle located by the windshield. Drove immediately to garage specializing in electrical and was told of water leaking from windshield seal failure very common in this vehicle and position of fuse and GEM module allowing water to leak in and pool acting as a conductor resulting in components coming on and malfunctioning without vehicle on is very common. Resolution, replace windshield as seal needs to be corrected (approx. $280) and replace fuse and GEM module (approx. $600). I left the garage and called the local dealer and was told the same and service manager said with our recent rain of 25 days running here in wa they were seeing a lot of this and is common but there is no recall for this. After doing research online this evening I am shocked how many similar complaints I have found for this and a couple of other problems I have noticed.

- Olympia, WA, USA

Ford expidition caught fire this past Saturday on July 16, 2005. No keys were in igition, it had been sitting for about 5 minutes, got in and began to drive it, backed it up and smelled something funny, so left it there. The fire department had a hard time putting out the fire. They said fire was so bad they couldn't determine what started it or where it started from. Couldn't even tell there was an engine in the truck. It burnt the front of the vehicle. Contacted dealer, they said there was nothing they could do.. at this point have not contacted the manufacturer.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

Cruse controll brake switch burned up while attempting to back car out of the garage. When this switch burned up it caused the stop light fuse to also burn out and and this causes the shift leaver to lock in the park position. Now we have an electrical fire and can't get the car out of the garage. A good friend of mine has his own shop and he used to a chief mechcanic for Ford so I called him and he corected the problem. He gave me the parts that burned up and told me to call Ford because they had a recall out for this problem on thier 2000 & 2001 modles. My car is a 1997 and they said they could not help me. Any suggestions. P.S. I still have the parts from the car.

- Santa Fe, TX, USA

Ford Expedition caught on fire.** answer required***. the vehicle had been sitting for 6-8 hours before it caught on fire.

- Cypress, TX, USA

Consumer stated that since T she bought vehicle it had electrical problems. Dealer told consumer had consumer to take vehicle to a special shop, they would try to figure out the problem. Consumer said that within the first three months vehicle had two ignition switches installedt hat consumer did not have to pay for. Vehicle had several other electrical problems. Consumer said that without the key in ignition the windshield wipers /radio came on, and the air bag deployed. Sometimesm the windows would not role back up after being rolled down. Consumer arrived home after driving vehicle all day. Consumer parked and went inside the house. About five minutes later, found out that vehicle was on fire. Firemen stated they could not tell what caused the fire.

- Aurora, CO, USA

June 7, 2005, I picked up my son at school; we drove home and got out of the truck. We were in the house 3-4 minutes when I heard a very loud noise and then started to smell smoke. I looked outside and my 1997 Ford Expedition was engulfed in flames. I immediately called the fire department who arrived with the police department. The fire department said it was a fire that started under the hood and burnt the entire truck up.

- Roslindale, MA, USA

1997 Ford Expedition caught on fire while parked. The consumer was informed that smoke was coming from the hood along with flames on the drivers side of the vehicle. The fire spread to the vehicle parked beside the consumers vehicle and damaged the rear driver side quarter panel of the other vehicle.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

My 97 Ford Expedition caught on fire while parked in home depot parking lot 10-29-05. The fire was electrical, and it started under the hood according to the insurance report.

- Lancaster, CA, USA

1997 Ford Expedition was parked in driveway. Under hood fire and smoke erupted. Cruise control disconnect switch had burst into flames and set brake fluid on fire. Significant damage. Parts replaced, old parts available.

- Powder Springs, GA, USA

Check engine light comes on stays on. At first, I was told this was being caused by a gas cap not holding pressure. I purchased a new gas cap which seem to take care of the problem and the computer was reset by taking the cable off the battery. This last about a month until I was told it was the evap can solinoid, which was replaced under the extended warranty purchased. The computer was reset by removing the cable from the battery. This lasted about a month and was told to check the gas cap and the computer reset by removing the battery cable. The check engine light will go out with fresh tank of high octane gas, but will reappear with lower grade of fuel after a while. I am told now that 1 of 4 O2 sensors are bad and need to be replaced. Furthermore, it is recommended that all 4 O2 sensors be replaced ($150/ea) at the same time. I am relucntant in believing the cause of the check engine light as I have had this problem way too many times to throw down $700 on something may or may not work. Ohio emissions test will automatically fail your vehicle if the check engine light is on. There needs to be record some place so that owners can fight back if they pass their emissions test, but can't get the certificate if the check engine light is on. I have wasted too much money and time trying to diagnose and fix this check engine light.

- Avon, OH, USA

The consumer was unable to start the vehicle. The engine light illuminated the dash board and flashed very fast. It made a clicking noise in the front end of the vehicle. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer who replaced the keys and, the PCM, the PCM burned out again, and the consumer was told some wires were pulling from the front to the transmission. The vehicle is out of service again with the same problem.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

Engine compartment fire while vehicle was parked. Vehicle had been parked 30 minutes. Alternator replaced 1 month ago. Cruise control used sometimes. Last used 1 month ago and it worked. No after market equipment. Bruce york went to see vehicle and took pictures.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

Wet conditions cause electrical malfunctions on my 1997 Ford Expedition. Was traveling on 01-10-05 on snow packed roads with 4X4 activated. Four whell drive cluster on the instrument panel started to flash intermittently causing the vehicle to shift very akwardly. Took car out of 4X4 and seemed to correct the problem. Next occurance was on 01-21-05, traveling on wet roads. Turned off vehicle in parking lot and interior lighting and running board lights would not shut off for a few minutes. After the vehicle had dried out after a few days the problem seemed to fix itself again. The next incident was on 01-29-05, once again wet road conditions. Parked vehicle in driveway overnight went out to start the next day and heater blower was still running without the key in the ignition. Vehilcle had dead battery, jump started the car and the interior lights would not turn off, as well as the running boards. Heater blower would not shut off. Took the vehicle out to make sure that the battery was charged enough and the speedometer stopped working and it would not shift correctly. It felt at one point that it had shifted itself into neutral. This is very unsafe as the traffic behind me had to suddenly brake. Managed to get the car home safely. I have been made aware that this seems to be a common problem on the Expedition of any year. I am having the car serviced tomarrow to find out what the problem is. Hopefully this can be corrected, but the more I look into it other owners have had their vehicles in several times before it can be corrected. I think this is a terrible situation that should be looked into by the Ford Motor Company. It is not an isolated incident.

- Norfolk, NE, USA

My husband went out to start vehicle. He heard a pop. Turned off the truck. Saw that the coil and plug blew out of the cylinder head. Had it towed to Ford dealer who said all they could do is charge me $2700 to replace the head that was damaged from the spark plug blowing out. I've seen other complaints on this website similar to my problem and yes, it should be a manditory recall. Will never buy another Ford. Also talked with Ford company who acted like they had never heard this complaint before. Ford dealer has worked on truck each time it needed repair. Buying a Chevrolet.

- Biglerville, PA, USA

Parked vehicle at 12 pm at around 5 pm the vehicle caught on fire. One day prior to the fire the low washer fluid level light came on. Then the light cluster for the 4 wheel drive flashed a few times. The day of fire, the vehicle was driven about 14 miles. The sames lights were flashing and then the odometer stopped working. Took it to local gas station and they said probably a loose wire. Car started it self and the starter motor kept trying to start the vehicle on its own. Popped hood and saw lots of sparking and popping. So video taped it as it happened. Fire seemed to come from the passenger side. Did not use cruise control and so do not know if worked.

- Rehoboth Beach, DE, USA

Paint and finish on roof of vehicle peeling, cracking, flaking off - oxidation from rust, ruining entire outer car surface - have been advised that primer coat was either missed or skimped during the production process... Ford will not address this issue - one male rep from Ford stated: "the paint job is only supposed to last 2 years" not an acceptable answer...also, child safety locks engage themselves, thus preventing occupants in rear seats to exit vehicle, can cause injury or death in an emergency situation... also, vehicle rear wheels and or axels "chatter" at low speed turns... also, an audible hum in vehicle at normal highway speeds...also, audible squeaking from interior side panels...Ford dealer states: Cause cannot be located...also, leather seats have cracked and show signs of abnormal wear - this is apparant in all leather seat coverings but especially in the front "bucket" or "captain" seats...Ford states warranty for vehicle no longer covers -engine has had several episodes of "misfiring" of "revving" on it's own - has been explained away as a "computer" problem or a "sensor" problem - always at cost to consumer..."check engine" light has come on on numerous occasions, using previous explanations as stated previously. Have numerous invoices for replacements of sensors, computer chips, etc.

- Massapequa, NY, USA