2004 Ford Expedition Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2004 Expedition report a wide spread of problems on a now-old, high-mileage vehicle, with airbag non-deployment in crashes and brake vibration/pedestal-fade type complaints drawing the most attention. Sample mileage ranges from a few hundred miles on early brake and tire complaints to well past 180,000 on engine and structural rust reports, suggesting many of these are age- and wear-related rather than one early-life defect.

1. 1
   Engine

   Spark plug blows out of the cylinder head

   • 39 complaints (13%)
   • median 119,680 mi at 9.9 yrs old (33 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2026

   Complaints describe a loud pop from the engine bay followed by rough running, vibration and a burning smell, with a mechanic finding that a spark plug had ejected from the cylinder head. In some cases the plug damaged the head and repairs ran into the hundreds or thousands of dollars; one owner reports the plug went through the cylinder head. The engine stalling without warning at speed is also described by several owners. Reported from roughly 60,000 to 189,000 miles, typically during normal driving.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the spark plugs have been replaced and whether any thread inserts or head repairs were done. Listen for a ticking or popping sound at idle and look for evidence of a repaired plug hole.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving in the city on local streets, the engine just stops with no ability to drive. I am an instant safety problem on the road. This happened 3 times in one day. Fortunately, no one was injured. After a few minutes, the car starts up again. My mechanic can't duplicate the problem. Anyone help before there is a major life-threatening accident!! Thanks!”

   NHTSA complaint #10884825, filed 2016-07, 115,000 miles

   “3 weeks after 60,000 mile check up, my wife turn the vehicle on and it made a loud pop noise then engine started vibrating abnormally and making a loud putt-putt noise. She drove the vehicle home approximately 1/4 mile and it smelled like it was burning. My mechanic said, it blew out the #5 spark plug, and that this is a very common problem on a Ford triton engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10348625, filed 2010-08, 60,433 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbags fail to deploy in a crash

   • 46 complaints (15%)
   • median 87,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 31 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2026

   Complaints describe frontal and side impacts — rear-ending a stopped vehicle, hitting a pole or wall, guardrail contact — where the airbags did not inflate. Several owners say they were injured and were told by dealers or the manufacturer that the vehicle was not covered by a recall; others had the vehicle totaled before any diagnosis. Reported from roughly 27,000 to 180,000 miles, in crashes at speeds from about 30 to 55 mph.

   What to check: Ask for any airbag-related diagnostic history and check that the airbag warning lamp behaves normally (illuminates briefly at key-on, then goes out). A pre-purchase scan for stored airbag fault codes is worth the cost.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2004 Expedition eddie bauer. I rear ended a 7 ton dump truck going 40 miles an hour while he was at a dead stop. My hood was in a v and none of the doors would open. The front airbags did not go off. It was a very solid hit in the front of the vehicle. I believe the air bags should have went off. The dump truck did not budge so did not absorb much of the impact.”

   NHTSA complaint #10176257, filed 2006-12, 48,000 miles

   “Was driving down interstate highway and a car next to me swerve sideways into my lane right into my path had nowhere to go. My car left front side of my vehicle and center struck the other vehicles right side. My passengers side airbag went off but my drivers side did not. There was no passenger in my front seat.”

   NHTSA complaint #10825575, filed 2016-02, 71,115 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Engine dies or won't restart (fuel pump relay)

   • 70 complaints (24%)
   • median 115,000 mi at 10.2 yrs old (57 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2026

   Owners describe the engine cutting out at highway speed or at idle and then restarting after a few minutes, sometimes requiring a tow. Several trace it to the fuel pump relay inside the fuse/smart junction box, citing burned marks or a poor solder joint; mechanics reportedly could not reproduce the fault. Some also describe battery drain and door locks cycling on their own. Reported from about 98,000 to 186,000 miles, at both highway and idle speeds.

   What to check: Ask whether the fuse box or fuel pump relay has been replaced. If a stall occurs on a test drive, note whether the engine restarts immediately; have a mechanic inspect the under-dash fuse panel for heat marks.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Battery drains, took fuse to radio out and fixed the problem for a while but then the locks started to act on there own no way to fix dealers keep saying they never heard of the problem or they want to try things but all they end up dong is costing me more money. But I have found hundreds of people on the internet with the same problems.”

   NHTSA complaint #10557228, filed 2013-12, 98,000 miles

   “When driving home from seattle wa. To walla walla wa. At a speed of 70 MPH the vehicle died and I had to get off the road, it then restarted and did it to me 3 more times. When I took it to the shop the mechanic stated that it was in the fuse box. He had just did a replacement on the same type vehicle that had caught fire. It is the fuel relay in the fuse box that malfunctions and catches fire. I feel this is a safety issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11006585, filed 2017-07, 124,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal pulsation and shudder when stopping

   • 41 complaints (14%)
   • median 18,250 mi at 1.7 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2026

   Owners describe the steering wheel and front end shaking or pulsating when the brakes are applied, sometimes returning after rotors are resurfaced or replaced. Some complaints describe the pedal going near the floor with reduced braking on hard stops. Dealers reportedly turned or replaced rotors, and in some cases attributed the symptom to rotor heat and lining design or to how the brakes were applied. Mostly reported between about 16,000 and 30,000 miles, though some at much higher mileage.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test-drive and brake firmly from highway speed on a safe, empty road to feel for pulsation, and ask whether rotors or front linings have been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On three occasions the brakes on my 04 Expedition failed. Twice was when towing a 5000 lb. Trailer, and I assumed the problem was connected with that. But the other day when not towing I almost clobbered the car ahead of me when I had to make a hard stop. On the three occasions the pedal goes almost to the floor with little (but some) braking effect. The Ford garage cannot find anything wrong.”

   NHTSA complaint #10095810, filed 2004-10, 20,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2004 Ford Expedition. While the vehicle was parked, it rolled down an incline and struck a boulder at the end of the driveway. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 208,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11084035, filed 2018-04, 208,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Undercarriage and body rust

   • 14 complaints (5%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 10.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2009–2022

   Complaints describe rust on the subframe, frame rails, roof drip rails and brake lines, in some cases severe enough that a mechanic found the rear subframe heavily corroded and a related axle or mount problem. Owners who had roof seams repaired repeatedly say the corrosion returned. Reported from about 39,000 miles into the 180,000-mile range, on vehicles in salt-belt use.

   What to check: Get underneath and inspect frame rails, the rear subframe, body mounts and brake lines for scaling rust, especially on a vehicle from a snowy region; a pre-purchase inspection on a lift is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Roof canel rust, had repaired it 4 times since 2007. Ford is unwilling to take ownership of the defect and with each repair, the roof is weaker. Spoke to two dealerships and this defect keeps them in business since this is all they do.”

   NHTSA complaint #10476942, filed 2012-09, 38,938 miles

   “The frame is rusting. See photos. The body is rusting away also the brake lines. The entire vehicle is rusting away. Why has this 2004 Ford not included in a recall for rust.”

   NHTSA complaint #11343564, filed 2020-08, 85,000 miles

Buying note. This is an older, often high-mileage vehicle, so condition and service history matter more than any single reported issue. Have a mechanic inspect the undercarriage for rust, scan for airbag and engine codes, and confirm spark plug and brake service records before deciding.

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.