Problems with 1999 Ford Expedition VISIBILITY

Exterior mirrors are deteriating. deal would not replace.

Nar 3-11-03 the consumer has experienced several problems with his ford expedition, the side view mirrors have turned back from the inside, the top of the shift handle broke off, and all the tires had to be replaced before a firestone recall had been issued. the consumer feels that the dealership should be responsible for repairs since it's was a manufacturers defect and not a maintenance problem. *cb *jb

I purchased this vehicle on 9/8/2002. i have had a problem with the windshield wipers coming on while riding down the road, and also when i turn on the turn signals. it is very embarrasing when other people are looking at this happening to a dry windshield. i had it in the shop on 9/13/2002 and i was told that the machine did not diagnose a problem and to keep driving it until the wiper completely stop>ak

Consumer states' the vehicles driver and passenger side, side view mirrors have developed a scratchy cloudy looking. consumer is not able to see the road clearly behind vehicle. please provide any further information. mr

Front windshield wipers self activates. occurence is more common when turning corners. may be associated with using turn signal. if i recall correctly, during early month of ownership, ford notified me of similar problem with rear windshield wiper. i brought the vehicle in and had this and the trailer hitch recall taken care of. ford dealership told me my vehicle did not have a defective part (for the rear wiper switch) and therefore did not change out. mr

Consumer states that both the driver and passenger side mirrors are delaminating. as a result, consumer can not see objects with the mirrors. ph

Both driver and passenger mirrors have reflective coating pealing off the mirrors causing some distortion in the mirror when sunlight reflect in mirrors. manufacture contacted and reffered back to regional warranty service. car milage beyond warranty would only cover portion of replacement cost. reject offer from regional. my opinion a saftey item due to manufacturing flaw should be charged to manufacture. rejection of this deal may cause the full cost to be to me.*ak

The mirror coating on the back of the side mirrors on my ford expedition is coming off & has been since just after the warranty ran out. it makes using the mirrors questionable at best. it looks like the mirror was sandblasted from behind. *la

Rear windshield wiper operate extremely intermitently. *ak

Since about 2002 the reflective material on both rear view mirrors has alot of cracking. unable to view clearly. this to me is a big safety issue. cost from for ford to replace was $500.00 each side. *nm

1999 ford expedition. both exterior mirrors (with integrated red turn signal chevron) delaminated lost reflective coating on back of mirror. have contacted ford dealer on two occasions, and contacted ford consumer services. ford acknowledges several service bulletins on the issue but would not tell me what it contained. the vehicle had 55,000 miles and now has 65,000 miles. quoted $169 per mirror to replace mirror glass or $400 per mirror for complete replacement. the mirror was manufactured by muth and i contacted them. they acknowledged a manufacturing defect and had a upgrade kit to provide new mirrors glass for $216 delivered to my door. i paid a body shop $65 for repairs. i am happy with the results. this is a safety issue like seat belts, air bags, etc. i will ship the old mirrors to you at my expense for your investigation. *jb

Both exterior mirrors are distorted and cause severe visibility problems. dealer and manufacturer have been notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states that both passenger and drivers side rear view windows over time become scratched and spiedery looking. consumer can hardly see the road. dealer has been contacted. please provide any further information. ts

Both exterior mirrors are severely faded and consumer was unable to see properly. dealer was not notified at this time. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

Turn signal/wiper control stem shorting out with electrical arc sounds as long as stem is in l/r position. same item occurred in similar vehicle owned by same: 1997 ford expedition, vin#[xxx]. suspect this is a defective assembly which may cause accidents due to lack of ability to indicate turning intent, especially when turning left or changing lanes. *ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Both exterior mirrors are discolored and cause poor visibility while driving. dealer contacted. feel free to provide any further information.*ak

From both rear view mirrors reflection is coming off, leaving mirrors black. unable to see out off them. dealer contacted.*ak

No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak

Mirrors - they've been replaced twice for the same problem. both left and right mirrors develop black streaks, which makes hinders my viewing ability, especially at nighttime. it just tarnishes on its own. the first pair were replaced 6 months after purchase. according to the dealer, it is common in mirrors with built-in light signals. as far as the a/c is concerned; ever since i purchased this vehicle, it gives off this bad odor (musty smell) as soon as the a/c is turned on. the dealer re-conditions the ventilation system each time i take my vehicle in for service. according to them, along with two other dealers, it's common in ford vehicles.*ak

I own a '99 ford expedition-both of the side mirrors have deteriorated to the point i can barely see out of them during the daytime, and its impossible to see out of them at night. i went back to the ford dealership and was informed they can't do anything about mirrors deteriorating and to replace both will be 498.00 a piece plus taxes. i have extended coverage, which state they won't pay for replacement ,due to mirrors being considered glass. service dept at the ford dealership said that mirrors are not glass and that it's actually reflexor paper or something. i would appreciate if you could look into matter. i have done some research and have found the deterioration of side mirrors on ford expeditions to be a well documented service problem under the website of recalls. this is my 2nd time trying to get ford to work with me on this matter. *jb

The side view mirror has deteriorated to the point there is no reflective material left. i am unable to use the mirror, causing a safety issue. ford dealer will not replace/repair as car is out of warranty. technical service bulletin issued. will cost $300 to $400 to have fixed.

Consumer turned on interior dome light at night, was blinded by it and lost control of vehicle. he was able to recover and stay in his lane. glare from light went to sun roof, and then reflected off driver side of windshield. it did not refelect off passenger's side. *slc

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Mirror backing ( silver) falls off this was replaced several times. now they want to charge for repair

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Windshield wipers will go off intermittently. noticed, most often when using blinkers. she will contact the dealer.*ak

Dd (tiresize: 255r70-16)( dot number: tire size: 255r70-16 )

Windshield wipers come on automactically. manufacturer sent technical service bulletins to dealer on windshield wipers. tsb only covers consumers with warranties. consumer lived in a area were there was alot of road salt, and when coming on involuntaraly it smears with lack of visibility.*ak the consumer states that it is unsafe to drive, especially under bad weather condition. *yh

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

This vehicle has been back to dealership seven times since purchase for warranty service problems and recalls. in may of 99 there was a recall on the wheel lugs: nuts. in september 99, november 99, and march 2000 it was in for windshield wiper problems; moulding replacement; twice for front end alignments (steers to right); and trailer hitch recall. the constant smelll of burning oil has just been diagnosed on latest visit to dealership 5/15/00 as needing a new cylinder head. vehicle has been in on three other occasions for this same problem, but they could never find it. now parts are on order---will take 3-4 days to obtain parts before they can repair it. regarding the "windnoise" dealer says its "normal" yet service bulletins have been issued on this problem (996780 & tsb 99-6-5). in november of 1999, the left "tie rod" broke off while we were in phoenix. a phoenix dealership did a same day repair for us. *ak

Rearview mirrors on passenger's and driver's sides are deteriorating. consumer can't see out of mirrors. contacted dealer, and dealer stated that mirrors were defective. but, consumer's warranty expired. *ak

On sunday windshield wipers started goinig crazy.they started to go on and off for 5 minutes after several attempts to shut them off.finally my husband pulled over and turned the car off, and the wipers shut off.the dealer was not notified .on tuesday at about 7:56 am i was driving to go to a gas station and as i was turning to the left i heard a loud sound that sounded like an explosion and the truck turned off.i tried tunring the car on since i have had problems with the car turning off before and i realized that the car was smoking fron the inside.i tried to open the door from outside they did not open. so in fear that the car would blow up that i tried to start the car and it started. i opened the door quickly before the car blew up.then the the plastic started to burn under the running board and by the time the fire dept came the inside of the car was on fire.the car was towed to the dealership.the inside of the car was destroyed. *ak

While driving could smell engine burning oil which came through the vents. there was no oil leaking. coil broke in the engine/ windshield wipers would come on by themself, while the rear wiper does not work at all/ passenger door panel was loose & came off/ electrical system would cause lights to flicker on & off, and fuel gauge failed to register the correct amount of fuel when filled.*ak

When vehicle had 3,789 miles on it, coolant leaked onto plugs & coils. had it repaired. on 8/30/99, coolant leaked onto plugs & coils. had it repaired again. wrote to zone division with copies to ceo and chairman of ford requesting to be released from my lease. only got form letters back. on 1/2/2000, same thing happened again. left car at dealership, putting envelop with keys and note stating problem in their night service window.. have had other problems with vehicle i.e. rear wiper blade inoperative. adamson ford, where car was leased from kept vehicle from thursday 8/30/99 until monday 9/2/99. dealership very rude and uncooperative, and failed to repair items listed on service order. i believe vehicle is a defective product sent from the factory to the dealership who in turn leased it to me. *ak

Wipers run without being activated. when wipers are used in a rainy situation, can not stop wipers by turning switch off. when using wipers in a "delay" mode, wipers stop in the middle of a sweep.

Windshield wipers don't work due to the fact that consumer had to remove a fuse because the windshield wiper's kept running. *ak

Windshield wipers work intermittently when in use, affecting driver's visibility in inclement/ rainy weather. *ak

Approximately 2 months ago my windshield wipers started going on without me turning the wipers on. at first i thought that i had hit the button but then it started to happen more and more frequently so i took the truck into the dealership. i had made an appointment but as soon as i told the gentleman what the problem was he told not to even leave the truck that day -he knew what the problem was and was going to order the part for me. i asked approximately how long it would take to get it in and he replied with a shrug of his shoulders that the part that i needed was back-ordered. that was about three weeks ago and i had heard nothing about it until i saw a report on channel 7 news about all of the problems.

Windshield wipers are working intermittently. they will come on by themselves and go off. dealer suppose to order a part. *ak

I would like to file a complaint about the rearview mirrors on my 1999 eddie bauer expedition. i noticed before my warranty ran out that they began to show black spots. the maintance department at my local ford dealership brushed it off as no big deal. after my warranty ran out, i again told the maintance department that the mirrors were worsening. now after a few years have passed, and speaking to other owners of that specific model, the mirrors are unuseable. i feel that the mirrors are a defect of the manufactorers and think they should be the one to replace them. i have been quoted a price of $400. / mirror for replacement on my part. please investigate this matter and respond to me.*ak

Rear windshield wipers do not work. when consumer applied rear windshield wipers, the only thing that came out was the fluid. *ak

Windshield wipers are working intermittently and come on by themselves. the dealer has been notified and can't determine the cause. *ak

Phantom wipers

Wipers would just turn on without any contact with muliti-function switch. no common time, driving pattern or person found..all at the wim of the vehicle. dealer was very reluctant to repair problem. didn't beleive my wife the first time and never fixed it. then after second appt they cancelled because they (ford) didn't have a "fix" to the problem. after much much yelling they agreed to replace the multi-function swictch which was done. no re-occurrance of the problem since.

Wipers turn on automatically while switch is in the off position. wiper motor replaced once, problem still exists. *ak

Windshield wipers went out intemittently. took vehicle to dealership and was told they didnt know what it was, to come back at a later time when they had more info on the problem. *ak

While driving windshield wipers are intermittently coming on . dealer has yet to be contacted. *ak

Windshield wipers go on and off without driver intervention, causing distraction. ford does not have a solution or fix. hundreds of thousands of vehicles have the same problem with no fix. *ak

My expedition has seriously dangerous problems with the front and rear windshield wipers: they turn on whenever they want, they do not turn on on demand and occasionally the washer fluid pump begins to pump fluid continuously for 30 seconds or more. the problem can sometimes be eliminated if i stop the car and restart it - only problem with that is that it's not always feasible to pull over and turn off the car. i have contacted the dealership and brought it in two times for repair. they cannot fix it, they tell me, because they don't have repair instructions from ford in detroit. basically, they don't seem to care that i'm driving a 6,200 pound vehicle that occasionally becomes impossible to control. hmmmm!

Windshield wipers fail all the time. consumer cannot cut them off. manufacturer told consumer that they connot correct problem, but to go and have them disconnected. dealer claimed that they do not know how to correct them. *ak *yc