Problems with 2000 Ford Expedition ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2000 ford expedition caught fire in our driveway on 10.08.2006 after being parked for12+ hrs. fire damaged the truck heavily and a vehicle parked next to it and also damaged the rear of the garage door, roof soffit, and nearby fence. fire was extinguished by local fire dept. no personal injuries occured.

2000 ford expedition parked for more than 3 hours. noticed white smoke coming from under hood. strong smell of 'electrical fire'. we were able to smolder before flames ignited and before fire department arrived. the origin was, very obviously, the scds. it was melted and smoking. *nm

We first noticed a problem when it was raining. the airbag light would intermittently come on. then we also started to notice that the heater / a/c fan would continue to run after the vehicle was shut off. on sunday 4/30/06, i was driving in the rain on a freeway & the wiper light started to come on & the airbag light was on. every once in a while, the wipers would not work properly. on my way home, again on the freeway in the rain, the wiper light & the 4x4 light would flash off & on at the same time & again, the at times the wipers would not work properly. the next morning as i drove to work, again in the rain, only the 4x4 light was flashing & the rear wiper would not work. also, the front wipers did not work intermittently. i specificity recall turning the heater fan off that morning before leaving the vehicle. after work, i attempted to unlock my vehicle w/the remote unlock & it would not unlock. i manually unlocked the vehicle & the dash lights were on. it looked like i had not turned the key off all of the way, but i did! and the vehicle would not start. i had to walk a couple of miles to my husband's work & he had to take his lunch early to bring me home. ford had better get a recall out on this. not only is it very inconvenient, but when your wipers don't work in the rain, it is very dangerous!!! i had to get the vehicle towed the next day. after the repair facility sent 2 1/2 days trying to determine the source of the problem, they discovered that water was leaking by the windshield onto the gem module & the fuse panel. not only do i have to pay $477 for the parts only, i also have to pay to have the windshield resealed. what a joke!! *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford expedition. the windshield leaked when it rained and caused an electrical failure in the gem box. the failure mileage was 85,000. the engine remained on after the contact removed the key from the ignition. the dealer replaced the gem box. however, they did not reseal the windows to prevent it from leaking. the current mileage was 97000. *ak

My car was in front of my house nobody drove the vehicle for over 12 hours in the morning my neighbors called the police because my car was on fire. the car is now a total loss. *nm

I took our 2000 ford expedition (eddie bauer ed.) into joplin ford lincoln mercury because of various electrical abnormalities. including but not limited to: wipers stopping while driving(1-20-07). i had the dealership run computer diagnostics to tell me what the source of the problems was. i was informed that "wds performed diagnostic tests found central junction box, and gem module causing concern, water intrusion caused by leaking windshield." total estimate to repair between $885 and $948 (depending on whether windshield could be reused). i declined to have repairs made (couldn't afford it) but pre-paid ($503.04 for parts and diagnostics) so that i could do the work myself. it was during an internet search for "gem module" that i happened upon this (nhtsa) website. i've read all of the complaints (expedition electrical problems) and realized that mine is not an isolated case, but quite common. i went on to read ( ea05015) by the odi and documents. unless they were not published, there are several flaws in the report. 1. is it possible that wipers failing is not widespread; but, the result of faulty production at one plant? the report i saw doesn't indicate that any discernment was attempted in this regard. 2. the leak was in the upper left corner of the windshield behind the support column. it was out of sight, contrary to ford's ascertion. 3. odi's rational for not recommending a recall is that not enough percentage could be established as a result of service records and customer complaints to nhsta. it would be interesting to contact some of the owners that had gem problems and leaks; and ask them if they had their wipers stop... because, though i reported the wipers to the service manager, what was shown on the repair order is, "...a c/s the blower fan runs on high when the key is shut off. heard clicking noise from the abs when the veh is shut off..." maybe just a mistake, maybe not. *jb

Dt*: the consumer stated the vehicle will not shift from park to drive periodically. upon inspecting the vehicle, the consumer noticed the # 5 fuse was blown. after replacement of the fuse, the vehicle shifted properly. however, the fuse blew shortly after being replaced. the fuse was replaced five times before the vehicle was towed to the local dealership for inspection. the service dealer confirmed the fuse had blown. *jb

When raining car electrical system comes on by itself-dash lights, heater fan, door entry sounds. car ignition turns over but will not start. i have had the windshield taken out and replaced more than once, the gem module and fuse box replaced, numerous towing bills and major inconvenience. i have spent $1500 approx. to say nothing of the value of my time. the ford dealer will not continue to correct the problem nor will he offer a refund for repairs. as the owner of almost twenty personal and business vehicles, i can't believe ford will not get this issue resolved for myself and the many other expedition owners with similar complaints. i will no longer be a ford customer and will replace this and the other ford vehicles in our fleet with another brand unless ford does something to correct the problem quickly. sb. *nm

Windshield leaking water which blew out fuse box and gem causing erratic behavior in windshield wipers, radio, heater, air conditioner, overdrive, transmission, speedometer, odometer, rpm gauge, and it also led to our pcm having to be replaced. replaced windshield, fuse box, gem, pcm. cost us 1700.00 dollars. two weeks later after a rainy night it is at the dealer again. *nm

It started last winter the wipers would fail when it rained and then we came out and the radio and dash was on and the keys were no where near the ignition. now after the last rain my husband turned on the headlights and my car tried to turn over!!! what next, we are not sure how to correct it but im afraid to drive it. what happens when the wipers fail and i have no visibility. it is a 2000 ford expedition, ford really needs a recall this is dangerous. *jb

When it rained or snowed windshield would leak water on to fuse box causing accessories such as the blower, odometer and radio to work when car was not started. car would also intermittently not start. *jb

Details: the electrical system came on when there was no key in the ignition. the radio and air conditioner were also on. the lights came on and the expedition was trying to start itself. it continued all night and the next day, the police were called and looked at it, and they said no tampering was done. the battery finally died and i had to buy a new battery. my expedition is currently at mullinex ford in apopka, fl. they are still trying to figure out what happened. i found many complaints about the same occurrence, problems with electrical due to a leaky windshield. i feel that this is a defect and ford should help me with the cost of this repair. i don't mind paying for repairs if they are within normal limits, but due to all the other complaints and service bulletins i do not believe that this is a normal car repair. recall date: may 13, 1998 component: wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts potential units affected: 1520000 summary: vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. the lug nuts on these vehicles may not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface. consequence: this can result in the loosening of lug nuts, stud fatigue failure, and the potential for a wheel separation from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. remedy: owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. the first notification, which began in may 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available. this interim procedure can be completed by owners or their dealers. it specifies that the lug nut torque must be verified to be 100 lbs. then the lug nuts need to be tightened an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn more. there will be a second owner notification, which is expected to begin july 20, 1998, under which dealers will inspect the wheel studs and replace the wheel lug nuts. notes: ford motor company. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford expedition. occasionally in cold, snowy, or rainy conditions, the vehicle would experience electrical failure. the windshield wipers would not work, the radio would turn on and off randomly, and the headlights flashed on and off. the contact needed to disconnect the battery in order to shut off the headlights. the dealer could not duplicate the failures. the failure mileage was approximately 45,000 and current mileage was 60,000.

Chronic windshield leak, drivers side. complained to dealer (3/14/05 & 4/4/05) - seal supposedly repaired? still continued to leak. severe rusting under dash area. started having electrical problems (fan blower and courtesy lights would come on by themselves while the vehicle was off and parked at night). dealer claimed fuse block and gem module were damaged due to the water leak (a defect). the same leak we had been continually complaining about. the windshield, windshield seal, fuse block and gem were all replaced. the interior rusting was not and cannot easily be fixed. all this because of a ford defect. the total repair was over $1,000. *jb

Ford expedition was sitting in carport. just returned from the doctors office about 5:15 pm. about 6:00 my son hayden was going out to feed the animals and noticed that black smoke was comming from the car. he screemed and at that point i ran to the kitchen to find out what the problem was. he pointed out the smoke and i ran to the bedroom to get the keys to the car and had my sonn call 911. i then ran out the door and was going to try and move the car away from the house. by the time i could get close to the car flames started to appear on drivers to middle of the car between the hood and windshield. the black smoke began to thicked and i could see the paint bubbles in the hood. i attempted to open the drivers side door, but it was too hot and my son and the 911 operator were telling me to get away from it. at that point i could do nothing but watch as my car was burning and then it started to catch the house on fire as well. as we waited for the fire department to arrive all we could do is watch car explode several times and cause sevre damage to our house. ford motor will be at the house monday aug. 22, 2005 to review this case. experts in the area are telling us that this was caused by a faulty curise control switch and ford, ti and dupont all know about this problem and are doing nothing about it. i will however not stand by and watch since we were lucky and no lives were lost,

I first noticed a problem with my windshield wipers, they would not come on or just stop running then they started not turning off i had to pull the fuse to turn the wipers on and off. i made an appointment with ford to have the problem looked at and was advised that the control switch was bad and would have to be replaced also during the same time period and same appointment i had to have a brake sensor replaced. i started noticing electrical problems like the radio would turn off when the vehicle was taken out of park and some times it would turn off when you were driving down the road and turn back on by its self. there have been times when i would be leaving work and try to use the remote to unlock the doors and it would not work and when i use the key to open the door the radio would be on and the ac would be blowing air. i have since discovered that the windshield is leaking and after a rain was when the problem would occur mostly. i made another appointment and advised ford what was happening and i was advised that this is a common problem in the ford expedition and ford f150. i was advised that the seal on the windshield over time separates from the frame and causes the leak. i said then this is a defect and was advised no its not its just something that happens. my expedition is only 5 years old its a 2000 in great condition and had been garage kept for the past 4 years. now i am out $1043.69 just to have the windshield replaced and the gm module and fuse box replaced as well. *jb

Dt: consumer said that in june dealer replaced the instrument cluster. consumer tried to start vehicle this morning and vehicle would not crank. currently, dealer had vehicle and they were replacing gm module. consumer was concerned because all of the problems were electrical. the consumer paid for repairs but the dealer hasn't informed the consumer as to why vehicle is having electrical problems. consumer always took vehicle to dealer for repairs and service. consumer was aware of an article in the consumer affairs magazine dealing with electrical problems with the make, model, and year of his vehicle. *ak *tt

Last month, my 2000 ford expedition caught on fire in my driveway after sitting for about 3 hours. the engine compartment burst into flames and melted every plastic and rubber component inside, including the driver-side front tire. with the help of the round rock fire dept., the fire was put out before it consumed the entire vehicle. a fire investigation report was taken and concluded it started in the fuse box area due to an electrical short.

Dt: a week ago the alternator light and abs light began to flash while the vehicle was being driven. it then died, this happed on thursday. the alternator was draining the battery. the battery has been replaced twice since thursday. the vehicle caught on fire two weeks ago while being driven. the fire was put out by the owner. the vehicle was repaired by the dealer under recall for the cruise control. the vehicle is now in the dealership service department. dealer is now trying to determine the root of the battery and alternator problem. the owner feels this may be linked to the original cruise control recall.*ak

Dt: the contact owns a 2000 ford expedition. the vehicle burned up while it was sitting outside of the consumer's house. the fire started around the engine and it engulfed the rest of the vehicle in flames.*ak *sb *nm

4 x 4 warning light on dash board began flashing. all wheel drive failed. the ford dealer replaced the gem module and 4 x 4 sensor. i called other ford dealer's to double check the findings of the dealer i was working with. one serviceman commented that the only way the gem module can go out is to get it wet. this is difficult to do since it is inside the dash board. i now see there are complaints about leaky windshields in expeditions. i am concerned about what safety issues may result when the gem module fails, and what else might fail if there is a leaky windshield. in my case, the all wheel drive failed. the old part has been discarded.

Water (rain) running into electrical system and shorting out components. i have had to replace all coil packs and still counting. contacted ford too many times.

Beginning april 2005, our 2000 ford expedition has had electrical problems that occur almost any time it rains. the water leaks under the hood and shorts out the truck. we had to replace the gem module and fuse box at our expense since the truck was out of warranty. our mechanic cannot replicate the leak after many attempts and he even went to a ford dealership for their assistance. they also could not solve the problem. our truck has been towed numerous times to our mechanic dead on arrival. the truck is completely unreliable if it rains. this is a known problem. we have seen discussions about it on various websites. we wrote to ford after the first occurrence but ford said they would not take responsibility for it. our mechanic has been extremely helpful and understanding about this, but at some point, if i were him, i would close my shop if i saw our truck coming on the back of a tow truck one more time. *jb

2000 expedition, which i've owned since new and never been damaged in an accident, ~53,000 miles is having electrical issues that at times are safety issues as well. started with front wipers running constantly, now sometimes they work sometimes they dont. radio does not work at times. all gauges go to their extreme limit, including speedometer. dealer has identified a computer module behind the dash that has been damaged by water. according to the dealer this is a known issue with expeditions and is caused by water leaking through the front window and down onto the module. once the module is replaced a new window and sealant is recommended. this vehicle has never been in an accident and the front window is original. this could lead to serious safety issues when the vehicle is driven during inclement weather and the driver is unable to use the wipers. could this electrical problem be linked to the current recall for 2000 expeditions where the cruise control is shorting?

Vehicle parked approx 15-20 mins, steam coming from hood, then thick smoke, flames under hood drivers side by windshield

While parked in the driveway vehicle caught on fire. the fire department stated it seemed to have been an electrical malfunction. as a result, the vehicle was a total loss. *ak

After having the vehicle parked for thirty minutes it caught on fire. the fire department extinguished the fire. the cause had not been determined at this time. *ak

Fire to a 2000 ford expedition. owner states that the vehicle had been parked in the carport for about 20 minutes when he noticed fire dripping down under the engine compartment near the left front tire. the vehicle was destroyed by fire and the fire spread to the house rendering it a total loss. owner also reports only issue with vehicle was that the cruise control stopped working serveral days prior to the fire. *jb

Parked vehicle at about 8:30 am about half hour later the vehicle caught on fire. the fire was coming from engine compartment on driver's side near the front wheel. vehicle had the cruise control deactivation switch disconnected per ford instruction. no problems with the vehicle prior to the fire. cruise control worked prior to being disconnected. engine had been replaced at a ford dealer about 14 months ago. the new motor has about 33,000 miles on it. pictures will be e-mailed to bruce york. no after market equipment. vehicle was insured by a affordable insurance, michael, 800-877-0226, extension 2179, policy #txb75747800. *ak

On several occasions my lights and/or radio and or wipers would give out during a rain storm. on the last occasion my car's electrical system failed and my car turned off. i could not re-start until next day. i took it to the dealer and they told me that water had seeped in between the windshield and into the electrical control box. they would have to remove the windshield, re-caulk it, replace the gem and fuse boxes and that would take care of the problem. this was not under warranty because the caulking had deteriorated with time as it normally would. i've had cars for 10 to 15 years and the caulking on the windshield has never deteriorated like this. the suv is only 4 yrs old anyway. my problem was compounded by the fact that they broke the windshield during this process and i was stuck for that cost also. total of $1,223.67. *jb

While parked for approximately five hours vehicle caught on fire. the cause of this was undetermined.*ak

While parked in the driveway vehicle caught on fire. as a result, part of the owners house and another parked vehicle were damaged by the flames. no injuries reported. vehicle was considered a total loss.*ak

While car was parked in driveway, a fire started spontaneously. i was awoken by a passerby by doorbell at 0555 in the morning. when i opened my front door my 2000 ford expedition was on fire. the hood was on fire and their were multiple explosions sparks flying everywhere as well as glass. the tires in front were also on fire. their is extensive damage to the front of the vehicle as well as the interior. however, the back of the vehicle does not look bad on the outside but is completely torched on the inside. the fire was so intense that it ruined my garage door and has altered the look of the brick on the front of my house. the driveway is also damage as well as the lawn from the extensive heat. glass was blown all over the lawn. i attempted to call ford today with no success. luckily because of the passerby my children were not injured and my house is still intact. i seriously believe that had the fire dept been 5 minutes later my whole house would have been engulfed in flames. my gas water heaters are located directly above the garage. seeing that the sealant on the garage doors was completely melted as well as the metal door, it wouldn't of taken much more to ignite the gas water heaters. i want to do something to help other citizens know of this danger before their car or house is destroyed. what can i do to help? *jb

The consumer parked the vehicle at 11:00am, at around 11:30am the consumer saw a fire in the vehicle. the fire was coming from the engine compartment. prior to the fire there were no problems. the vehicle had cruise control, but the consumer never used it. *jb

(1) air bag light stays on after vehicle started. (2) dealer stated air bag would not deploy in accident unless sensor replaced. (3) sensor has been replaced once and wiring harness has been replaced once. (1) instrument cluster odometer flickered then failed. (3) instrument cluster replaced. (1) engine knock (2) 5.4 engine failed at 32,000 miles. (3) engine replaced under warranty. (1) transmission slipping at 55,000 miles. (2) transmission slipping. (3) transmission replaced. (1) transmission began slipping again at 76,000 miles. (2) high rpm before shifting into next gear. (3) body assembly replaced under extended warranty. *jb

I am the owner of a 2000 ford expedition....eddie bauer, fully loaded, 5.4 triton v8.....i purchased it brand new in feb. of 2000.....yesterday(1/26/05) i stopped at my mothers house and was inside for about an hour or so. i walked outside to leave and my mother and i stood in the driveway and talked for about 15 minutes or so. at one point my mother noticed smoke started pouring from my hood. the truck had been parked in the driveway for an hour or so and was not running at the time. i popped the hood and smoke was pouring from my master brake cylinder. and with in a minute flames started to come from that area. i immediately hooked the water hose up and put out the flames. i had it towed and spoke with insurance, and they agreed to cover the damages. this morning, i noticed on the yahoo headlines that ford is recalling 800,000 vehicles. i read the article and it siad it only affected the 2000 model expeditions and f150's and navigators. it stated that the defect was caused from the cruise control shortingt out and cause fires under the hood. i also read the 3 fires had been reported. i guess i am #37. my crusie control stopped working over a year ago, but it was long out of warranty and i never felt the need to get it fixed, it wasnt a big deal to me. but had i not been outside when the fire started it would have burnt the truck to the ground, probably the brand new nissan titan parked next to it and possibly even the house could have recieved damage. my main concern is that had this happend when i was at home, my house and all my possesions would be gone today. i park my expedition in the garage at all times. had it happened there, my house would have been destroyed. this announcement seems a little late for my concerns. just thought i should report this incident. my contacts are [email protected] phone # (903) 245-7080 im sure nothing will come of this, even though i feel my life was endangered greatly. *ak

While parked a loud bang was heard, and the owner noticed that the vehicle caught on fire. *ak recall campaign; nhtsa campaign id number : 05v017000 recall date : jan 27, 2005 component: vehicle speed control:cruise control *tc

I have a 2000 ford expedition. there are many electrical issues with this car. i understand that it is due to water and moisture getting into the gem. the biggest issue from this is the child safety door locks do not engage sometimes. i have two small children that ride in the back and this is a huge safety issue that i feel should be recalled before a serious (or even fatal) accident occurs. the gem can be replaced but this continues to happen as long as the moisture can drain into it. we have been battling this problem for years with no results. *tr

My 2000 ford expedition after not being driven for over 6 hours caught on fire. the fire started in the engine compartment and in a time span of 15 minutes was a total loss. the fire burned the front of my house melting the siding and the garage door. *jb

Vehicle was parked while all of a sudden consumer heard a loud noise. the engine caught fire, eventually burning down the vehicle. the cause was undetermined. *ak

Rolling up driver window-clicking noise/ticking in front end during slow turns-slowing down/engine vibration and roaring on acceleration/accelerator sticking while using cruise control/electrical problems(i.e-windows rolling up and down w/out prompting, door locks inoperable, running board lights flashing on and off or non-functioning, illuminated temp. and compass flashing or non-functioning, fan in a/c running for no reason w/vehicle off and keys out of ignition, indicator lights in dash flashing on and off, wipers operating w/out prompting, rear window wiper non-functioning, stereo only working in park and reverse or not at all, electrical clicking noise under the dash, left blinker faster than the right)/black foam substance coming from a/c vents/thumping noise right wiper when in use. the problems have been reported to ford dealer and they stated it was a bad gem module and told us that it was getting wet. they stated to disconnect the battery when the vehicle is parked. these problems are worse when it rains. they also stated that this will happen if it is humid. we live in florida, i don't think that we should have to disconnect the battery everytime we park the vehicle. but if we don't, we have all of this going on when the vehicle is off and then the battery goes dead. i was driving on the highway and all of these things started happening at one time, it was raining. i almost lost control of the vehicle trying to get the wipers to function and get the vehicle off the road until all of this stopped. i bought the truck used from a local dealer back in november of last year. the problems began almost immediately. as the problems have gotten worse, i looked this up on the internet and found that ford knew about the problem with the gem module, just as they knew about the cruise control problem and they are doing nothing to fix it. as i stated above, their answer to the problem which they knew existed, is to disconnect my battery everytime i park the vehicle. *nm

2000 expedition parked in store parking lot, key removed. store employee extinguished fire by using extinguisher under wheel well. fire was confined to master cylinder and adjoining harnesses and plastic. cruise control failed two months prior.waiting for call back from dealer to see about repair.*ak

Parked the expedition in a parking garage, approx. 2.5 hours later was called and told that the vehicle had caught fire. a concerned citizen put the fire out with an extinguisher. the fire department arrived and opened the hood to find that the fire had started on the left side nearest brake caliber. the fire department ruled it to be an electrical malfunction. after much thought after the fire, we remembered that the cruise control had stopped working. mark was contacted on 12/13/04 by bruce york to talk about where the fire had started. the owner, markpiatt, said that he had made a mistake and there was fire was at the brake master cylinder near the fuse panel not the caliper. mark said he would send pictures.

When the vehicle was parked for 12 hours a fire started under the hood. the fire was put out. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak same as odi #10104367

Vehicle was parked approximately 5 hours before the fire started. consumer smelled smoke, walked out of house, and saw black smoke coming from under driver's side wheel well, and from along the hood. consumer popped the hood, and saw flames right at the master cylinder. she grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. consumer stated that cruise control stopped working one month before the fire, and that the rear door wiper motor also stopped working. consumer noticed that brake fluid keaked before the fire.*ak

While parked for two days vehicle caught on fire. vehicle was totaled. *ak

The vehicle was in park when the consumer heard a loud boom noise, and then another. the vehicle was engulfed in flames. it started on the drivers side where the black box was. there was no warning it just exploded. the consumer stated the cruise control had been acting up. at times when the consumer set the cruise control at 90 miles it would take off and then some times it would not work. please provide any further information. *jb

I drove my 2000 ford expedition to work parked it and 1 1/2 hours later i was told it was on fire in the parking lot. the fire was put out quickly and no one was hurt. the origin of the fire is in the electrical system in the left side of the engine compartment near the dash. it was towed to a dealership and my insurance company has been contacted. *ak

While being parked vehicle inadvertently caught on fire. the cause of this was undetermined.*ak

Vehicle was parked inside the garage. four hours later the vehicle caught on fire. vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company.*ak consumer states that ford motor company would over night claim of loss form but it has not been received.*sb *nm