It started off with a beeping, that happened once and a while. I also noticed when the defroster was turned on black dust like stuff would blow out. Then one day my husband and I heard the Expedition trying to start. No keys in the ignition, no one in the truck! my husband had to disable the battery to get it to stop. We were going to take it to the Ford dealer, but when we started it, it continued to try and turn over. Therefore my husband had to disconnect the battery again and we had to pay for a truck hauler to take it to the Ford dealer. While at the dealer we told them it couldn't be started, because of it trying to turn over, but apparently they did let it run and now we have starter problems. Also they had the windshield seal replaced, but it still leaks. We will be taking it back to them to have their repairs repaired. It's a shame, I was so proud of my SUV, now I just don't know.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

Windshield leaked into fuse box and GEM module, growing a fungus and needing replacement, creating electrical functions to turn on and off at will with the potential of causing a fire.

- Watsonville, CA, USA

Electrical system had intermittent failures, lights going on and off, dash lights flashing, radio going on and off, ammeter fluctuating.

- Brighton, MI, USA

Unwanted electrical activity that can result in fires. Radio, wipers and HVAC blower turn on spontaneously when vehicle ignition is off. Burning rubber smell sometimes.

- Frisco, TX, USA

Every time it rains. When SUV is parked and turned off the wipers come on. Headlamps and flashers go on and off. Radio turns on and off. Vehicle tries to start itself without key in the ignition. Battery discharges.

- Frisco, TX, USA

I own a 1999 Ford Expedition truck, this truck caught on fire and blew up Tuesday October 2, 2007 at approximately 7:02 pm. I had just finished parking the truck 7 minutes prior to it catching on fire and blowing up. The vehicle is now of no use. The consumer stated wrote Ford twice about the defect but Ford informed him there was nothing they could do due to the extensive damage on the vehicle. New Jersey incident report. Updated 11/06/07

- Elizabeth, NJ, USA

My Ford Expedition caught on fire on 4th of June 2007. In my driveway at 5 am - my garage was burned and the car was a crisp.

- Hillside, NJ, USA

After going through a car wash electrical system on my 99' Ford Expedition started to malfunction. All gauges going back and forth violently many warning lights illuminating loud clicking and popping noises like shorting out noises in fuse box area. Battery died shortly after while in traffic heading home leaving me stranded could have caused an accident. Replaced old battery with new one and still experiencing electrical failures. Vehicle is still sitting to this day!

- Fresno, CA, USA

I sent you an E-mail about a week ago bringing to your attention to this safety issue with Ford trucks. What happens is in a hard rain water comes into the fuse panel, it shorts out, the GEM shorts out, the PCM shorts out, > > you smell an electrical burning smell, all gauges start going crazy and truck cuts out instantly! this has happened to our family -once pulling out into oncoming traffic (during a hard rain) the truck stopped running instantly. Got someone to jump start the vehicle. The second time at least six months later, again in hard rain - same situation this time my husband was 170 miles away. This time he smelled an electrical burning smell. After smelling this he got out of the truck and pulled out the battery in fear of what was next. Later put the battery back in however, this time a jump wouldn't work. He got a "new" battery and that didn't work either. The truck has been towed to the nearest Ford dealer lake Ford in lewistown, pa. Here's what they say. The fuse panel has to be replaced it was shorted out along with the GEM, and the PCM. With all that totaling over $800. And just yesterday I talked to lake Ford and they informed me their going to put in a new alternator and it also needs a new instrument panel due to it was burned out also. (approx $700) and they tell us that even after all of the above is fixed the trucks radio and air bags! will not work they too were shorted internally. So when we get our truck back and paying over $1,500 we will have no airbags! all due to a Ford manufacturing error.(windshields not sealed properly). Even more important than the dollars we will have to pay. What will happen to the next person will they be able as lucky as us and avoid a serious accident? I have brought this to the attention of the Ford motor vehicle company several times and they are failing to address it. There should be a safety recall put in on these Ford trucks right away.

- West Grove, PA, USA

Many Ford trucks have a "water intrusion" problem leading to serious safety issues. Some of their windshields are not sealed properly -in a hard rain water leaks into the fuse box causing an electrical burning, causing the vehicle to stop running instantly! Ford is aware of this and is failing to address it.

- West Grove, PA, USA

I have a 1999 Ford Expedition eddie bauer 4X4 that has all the symptoms of your investigation #EA05015. I took my vehicle in while it was still under warranty and I was denied a claim for them to fix it at my local dealer because they said that the cause was due to moisture and it was not covered by under warranty. This sounded to me to be a manufacturing defect and felt it should have been fixed by them. During that time I had to replace my transmission and transfer case which are controlled in some way by the GEM module so I am told. I have not been able to fix the GEM and fuse box to this date due to the high cost that was presented to me. I am not certain of the actual date this took place but it was identified while the vehicle was still under warranty.

- Murrieta, CA, USA

Events leading up to failure: (1) started with fog light switch not working. (3) took it in for service and was told the windshield was leaking and shorted the switch. Service attempted to correct leak by leaving windshield in place and providing more sealant. (1) leak in windshield discovered to persist after battery drained due to radio and various electrical functions would continue even without the key in the ignition. Most recently, the starter would repeatedly attempt to start the engine randomly after the engine was started and even while the key was out of the ignition! (2) with this uncontrolled electrical activity battery drain was causing stranding and the most recent occurrence the smell of an electrical fire was noted. (3) the car was taken immediately to a Ford dealership for service, where currently the GEM module and fuse box are getting replaced as well as the windshield to fix the leak - I was told that the original windshield cannot be re-sealed as it will break when removed. I don't have VIN with me at this very moment, but can submit it later. What does oem mean next to the defective elements I've listed?

- Lafayette, CO, USA

1999 Ford Expedition burned in garage, destoying garage and damaging house. Not driven for over 12 hours. Burned so badly investigators could not determine how it started. Recall was done for cruise control switch.

- Wynantskill, NY, USA

During driving of vehicle all gauges went to zero, lights wouldn't work, radio went out, ac went out, windows, etc. Replaced the battery and it worked fine for 1 day. Put in a new battery and all of the lights started flashing on and off with a clicking noise coming from the fuse box. Replaced the alternator and tried to hook up battery. Vehicle started doing the same thing. Now we are looking at having to replace the GEM and fuse box due to water/moisture. Isn't there something we can do about this? it is obviously a problem as you can see from other complaints.

- Greenville, MI, USA

1999 Ford Expedition 5.4 liter V8 eddie bauer - vehicle odometer began to fail intermittently, then radio, then random dash lights, I.e. 4X4 - even after car turned off. All of the above and then some went haywire and car stalled out. Got to safe place w/out power steering, brakes, etc. Took to mechanic and had alternator replaced. After 3 days same event occurred. Mechanic replaced alternator again and battery - said battery was problem now. After 3 days event has begun to recur. Co-worker has 2000 model and is experiencing same problems. No info on recall but internet reveals several similar complaints.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

1999 Ford Expedition, eddie bauer with 67,000 miles. During/after rain certain electrical components malfunction (I.e. four wheel drive system, lighting, windshield wipers (front and rear), radio, climate control (important in Alaska). Problem is intermittent and occurs without warning. At the suggestion of the local Ford dealership, the dealership replaced the generic electronic module ($350) but this failed to correct the problem. The technicians stated they did not know what to do or why the problem is occurring.

- Palmer, AK, USA

: the consumer stated there was a recall 05V388000 concerning the cruise control. The vehicle was taken to a local service dealer for repair under the recall. When the dealer made the repairs the 5 amp fuse in one of the circuits was replaced with a 15 amp fuse without the consumers knowledge or consent. The manufacturer was contacted and indicated the dealer should not have replaced the fuse with a large amp when completing the recall work. As result of a larger amp fuse being installed in the smaller circuit the electrical circuits were melted. The four wheel drive will no longer disengage, the windshield wipers and the front defroster will not work. The consumer discovered the larger fuse when inspecting the fuses because of the other electrical problems. Updated 2/28/2006 -

- Palm Beach, FL, USA

Major electrical problems: Air suspension stop working; interior and exterior lamps continually click on and off; rear windshield wipers stop working. ABS warning clicks on an off, when off brakes tend to lock during braking.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

It started a year and a half ago. The windshield wipers would come on for no reason. It didn't happen very often at the time I took it in to evaluate the problem. The dealer told me they could not fix a problem they didn't see. Slowly the problem got worst, especially in wet weather. About eight months ago, the headlights would go out if the steering column was lowered. I can no longer raise or lower the column anymore for fear the wipers, locks and headlamps will not work. At times, the locks to the back seat would not respond to the power lock buttons. The rear wiper does not work anymore, you can hear the motor run at times, but no movement. The odometer blinks on and off at times. There have been times it doesn't come on at all. That normally happens when I'm on the road for a long period of time. With all of that going on, the worst thing is to drive the car in the rain and snow and not know if the wipers will work at all.

- Columbus, OH, USA

My 1999 Ford Expedition has a recurring problem with a supposes safety feature. The "door ajar" warning light comes on even when there is no door open. Part of this system turns on the dome light at speeds between 5 and 18 mph. This light makes it difficult to see out the windows. Imagine yourself backing out of an unlit driveway at night and not being able to see if there is a child approaching the rear of your car. There is no way to turn off or over-ride the dome light short of removing the bulbs. Ford tried to fix the problem once and it worked properly for a while, but the problem returned. It is frightening when you have your sight impaired. I would rather have the dome light warning system disabled that have it malfunction. The odds of an incident happening due to impaired vision are surely greater than of an open door not being noticed and subsequently causing an incident.

- Pensacola, FL, USA