2000 Ford Excursion Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2000 Excursion report tire failures and front brake shudder most often, followed by electrical problems that in some cases involved underhood fires. Many complaints describe a large, heavy vehicle where failures at highway speed were hard to control, while electrical and cooling complaints tend to appear at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tire blowouts and tread separation

   • 198 complaints (37%)
   • median 42,724 mi at 4.4 yrs old (58 state mileage)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2022

   Owners describe sudden tire failure on highway trips, in many cases with the tread separating from the casing and damaging the fender, quarter panel or taillight. Several mention the vehicle pulling toward a guardrail or becoming difficult to steer after the failure. Complaints frequently name the original Firestone Steeltex tires as the affected set, and some say the tire maker's response attributed the failure to underinflation or a prior rupture. Typically reported between roughly 30,000 and 60,000 miles, though some failures are described much later at high mileage, usually during highway driving.

   What to check: Check the DOT date codes and brand of any tires still fitted, and inspect the sidewalls and tread for cracking or separation. Ask whether the original tires were replaced and keep an eye on inflation pressures for the load carried.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Traveling on interstate 75 in florida when the tread seperated from the drivers side rear tire on my 2000 Excursion. This caused the vehicle to skid on the highway, but I was able to maintain control and did not crash. Damaged was caused to the vehicle from the tread hitting the side and rear of the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10128949, filed 2005-07, 47,689 miles

   “I have a set of autoguard tires size 265/78/16 that were installed on my SUV apx november of 2013 in october of 2014 the tires started to developed crack along the bead line above the rim. This is the same effect or defect that resulted in the recall of autoguard tire size 245/75/16. Both the tire that were the subject of the recall as well as the tires that were install on my SUV were manufactures in the same time period and I believe have the same DOT no of 4412.”

   NHTSA complaint #10652499, filed 2014-11, 242,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Electrical fires and melted wiring

   • 95 complaints (18%)
   • median 115,000 mi at 6.8 yrs old (70 state mileage)
   • 48 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,750 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2020

   Complaints describe smoke or flames from the driver side of the engine compartment, sometimes while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, with melted wiring harnesses or headlight plugs found afterward. Owners often link the incidents to the cruise control switch or to the headlight and harness connectors, and some report that fuses did not blow. Several say dealers replaced wiring or told them the vehicle was not covered by the speed-control related campaign. Reported from about 60,000 miles upward, including incidents on parked vehicles with the ignition off.

   Recall 09V399000Recall 06V286000Recall 01V075000

   What to check: Inspect the cruise control switch on the brake master cylinder and the headlight switch and connectors for discoloration or melted plastic, and ask whether the speed control deactivation switch campaign work was completed for this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Electrical harness (which includes the cruise control, horn, etc) caught fire and burned.we were able to replace the burned out parts. I went back recently to the local Ford dealer to ask if it was related to the recall and they said that excursions were not part of the recall and it was just coincidence. I am now concerned that it will catch fire again.”

   NHTSA complaint #10118554, filed 2005-04, 55,000 miles

   “4 a.m. We heard a loud noise. Woke up to see what it was and our 2000 Ford Excursion was in flames. At that time the fire was consentrated under the hood on left side.the left tire was already in flames. Vehicle was totally destroyed by the time the fire depatment arrived to put it out. Which took about 10-15 minutes. The only problems we had was the cruise control had recently quit working.”

   NHTSA complaint #10124570, filed 2005-06, 120,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Spark plug blown out of the cylinder head

   • 154 complaints (29%)
   • median 92,000 mi at 7.4 yrs old (79 state mileage)
   • 16 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,000 (median of 20 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2020

   Complaints describe a loud bang from the engine, then rough running and a strong fuel smell, with the spark plug and sometimes the ignition coil found ejected or damaged. Owners report the repair involved replacing the cylinder head or installing an insert kit. Service bulletins address misfire and rough-running diagnostics for coil-on-plug ignition systems. Mostly reported between about 95,000 and 160,000 miles, often during acceleration or highway driving.

   Recall 07V5530002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any spark plug threads have been repaired or heads replaced, and have a mechanic check for thread damage and for ignition misfire codes before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While me and my family headed out on the highway to visit family, we began to hear a noise coming from the engine, soon after it sounded as if the engine had exploded, and almost loosing control from the noise that it created, I was able to drive off to the shoulder and park my vehicle. Once I opened the hood of my truck I found that a spark plug had blown out of the socket and had also broken the ignition coil, soon after I ran to turn the engine off, do to smell of gas fumes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10299937, filed 2010-01, 156,000 miles

   “A spark plug blew out of my 2000 Ford Excursion today on my way home. It was a loud bang, I thought the exhaust manifold cracked or muffler went. Apparently this is a common problem that Ford will not repair. It will cost about $4500. To fix. I am very surprised that I did not hear this on the news, it has happened to many Ford owners but never heard about it until I had this issue. It is very unfair that it is a common problem with Ford and the government does not enforce a recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10247408, filed 2008-10, 97,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Front brake vibration and rotor warping

   • 54 complaints (10%)
   • median 52,000 mi at 4.8 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2016

   Owners describe shuddering, vibration through the steering wheel and a grabbing or pulling feel when braking, most noticeable from highway speeds or on long descents. Some say rotors were resurfaced or replaced repeatedly, and several report that a dealer could not reproduce the condition. A service bulletin describes a brake pedal kickback and grabbing condition in the booster system. Appears early, with some reports under 25,000 miles and many between 40,000 and 130,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and apply the brakes firmly to feel for pulsation or pull, and ask for service records showing whether rotors were resurfaced or replaced and whether the booster bulletin was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It's happened be for but never so scary. We were coming down one of the mountains on highway 299. We were,doing the speed limit of 55. And as we applied the brake it started pulling to the right. Like it was gonna go off the road. It also was vibrating so bad it felt like it was going to fall apart. We pulled over checked for loose bolts. Tire imperfections but nothing.”

   NHTSA complaint #10851524, filed 2016-03, 134,000 miles

   “My Excursion has been to the dealership 8+ times since purchase in 12-2002. The brakes and suspension are the top recurring problems. I do not have enough room to conclude all problems. Brakes have been serviced 3 times at dealership, I have asked them to look at the brakes two times in the last two months because of difficulty stopping, they find no problems. I don't see how they can tell when my mileage in is the same as my mileage out. I don't think Ford wants to deal with this problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10100441, filed 2004-11, 52,000 miles

Buying note. Have a mechanic inspect the tires, brakes and engine wiring before buying, and ask for records on the speed-control switch campaign and any spark plug thread repairs. These are older, heavy vehicles, so service history matters more than mileage alone.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.