1997 Ford Expedition Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 38about this part
- Share
- 4%of 853 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 130,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 38 complaints about the body and structure of the 1997 Ford Expedition, 4% of the 853 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 130,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Our spare tire that was mounted underneath the car, -fell off- while driving through a residential neighborhood. The cable broke that was holding it in place underneath the car. Thank goodness we were not on the freeway. It will cost $100. To repair.”
NHTSA complaint #10319219, filed 2010-03, 136,000 miles“Husband drove car all day long with no issue. The car was running fine. He parked it about 10pm. We all went to bed. At 3:15 am we were awakened by neighbors screaming our car was on fire. It had started on fire. Not sure why or how, when it was running just fine during the day. The whole front end was burnt up, the tires were melted, it was ruined. The fire scorched part of the house on the front. It was parked in front of the garage and melted away some of the siding and the door.”
NHTSA complaint #10477155, filed 2012-09, 151,000 miles“While driving down the highway a normal speed the spare tire on my Expedition fell off when the cable holding the tire up seemed to have broke. My vehicle ran over the tire and I could see the spare bouncing wildly down the road. Fortunately, no other cars hit the tire but it was extremely close since a car just passed from the other direction and there would have been no way they could have missed the bouncing tire in the oncoming lane. Ford does not know how close they came to killing innocent people. The road was smooth without bumps, the tire just fell off. …”
NHTSA complaint #10399202, filed 2011-05, 130,000 miles“The vehicle would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate park. Have accident, the car roll over to another car, I can t park down hill is to dangers, is not safety .”
NHTSA complaint #10703149, filed 2015-04, 90,000 miles“The vehicle would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate park. Have accident, the car roll over to another car, I can t park down hill is to dangers, is tot safety .”
NHTSA complaint #10703148, filed 2015-04, 90,000 milesBody and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 5% |
| 2024 | 5 | 6% |
| 2023 | 4 | 6% |
| 2022 | 13 | 11% |
| 2021 | 11 | 5% |
| 2020 | 22 | 5% |
| 2019 | 16 | 3% |
| 2018 | 13 | 3% |
| 2017 | 6 | 2% |
| 2016 | 3 | 1% |
| 2015 | 8 | 5% |
| 2014 | 6 | 8% |
| 2012 | 15 | 13% |
| 2011 | 10 | 14% |
| 2010 | 10 | 17% |
| 2009 | 7 | 25% |
| 2008 | 34 | 23% |
| 2007 | 9 | 4% |
| 2006 | 19 | 6% |
| 2005 | 15 | 5% |
| 2004 | 24 | 8% |
| 2003 | 32 | 5% |
| 2002 | 14 | 4% |
| 2001 | 25 | 4% |
| 2000 | 47 | 5% |
| 1999 | 20 | 2% |
| 1998 | 25 | 3% |
| 1997 | 38 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1997 Ford Expedition
138 complaintsBrakes
110 complaintsElectrical system
95 complaintsSteering
94 complaintsEngine cooling
89 complaintsVehicle speed control
79 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
76 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
44 complaintsWheels
41 complaintsTires
36 complaintsAir bags
26 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
26 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Ford Expedition
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology