1997 Ford Expedition Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 95 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1997 Ford Expedition, 11% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 105,160 miles. The words owners use most often: “caught fire” (14% of reports).
- 95electrical system complaints
- 105,160median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Caught fire: mentioned in 13 of 95 complaints (14%)
- Fuse box: mentioned in 9 of 95 complaints (9%)
- Gem module: mentioned in 5 of 95 complaints (5%)
- Leaking windshield: mentioned in 5 of 95 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 47 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 95 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 33 a fire, 1 an injury.
Ford Expedition electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Expedition | 1 | 10% | — |
| 2025 Expedition | 6 | 16% | — |
| 2024 Expedition | 15 | 19% | 17,304 |
| 2023 Expedition | 17 | 26% | 34,040 |
| 2022 Expedition | 20 | 17% | 23,745 |
| 2021 Expedition | 23 | 10% | 13,050 |
| 2020 Expedition | 35 | 8% | 49,500 |
| 2019 Expedition | 17 | 3% | 58,750 |
| 2018 Expedition | 34 | 9% | 19,250 |
| 2017 Expedition | 92 | 26% | 88,000 |
| 2016 Expedition | 33 | 15% | 126,500 |
| 2015 Expedition | 45 | 27% | 109,000 |
| 2014 Expedition | 13 | 18% | 85,000 |
| 2013 Expedition | 10 | 11% | 37,500 |
| 2012 Expedition | 20 | 17% | 92,168 |
| 2011 Expedition | 7 | 10% | 55,000 |
| 2010 Expedition | 10 | 17% | 75,750 |
| 2009 Expedition | 5 | 18% | 62,750 |
| 2008 Expedition | 9 | 6% | 94,000 |
| 2007 Expedition | 18 | 8% | 47,000 |
| 2006 Expedition | 32 | 11% | 83,000 |
| 2005 Expedition | 76 | 24% | 73,000 |
| 2004 Expedition | 36 | 12% | 102,500 |
| 2003 Expedition | 104 | 17% | 96,453 |
| 2002 Expedition | 46 | 14% | 84,500 |
| 2001 Expedition | 118 | 20% | 85,000 |
| 2000 Expedition | 214 | 24% | 97,750 |
| 1999 Expedition | 117 | 12% | 104,321 |
| 1998 Expedition | 115 | 14% | 100,000 |
| 1997 Expedition | 95 | 11% | 105,160 |
| 1996 Expedition | 1 | 33% | 100,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1997 Ford Expedition. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Vehicle will speed up or slow down in certain times for certain speeds without notice smell of smok and looked hurt wiring
When examining my vehicle which supposedly had a recall on the cruise control sensor on brake master cylinder, found that ford only added a fusable link to prevent fire as the sensor may not have been leaking at the time. It has since leaked and the added bit of wire with the blue tag has blown…
Miscellaneous electrical problems caused by water leaking from driver's side windshield into the fuse box causing, windshield wipers to quit. Door lock won't work, radio quit. Problem is never the same, depends on where the water leak occurs. Very scary and dangerous when driving at night in the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Ford Expeditions have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 95 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1997 Ford Expedition (11% of the 853 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford Expedition electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 105,160 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1997 Ford Expedition?
The most frequent phrase is “caught fire”, in 13 of 95 complaints, followed by “fuse box” (9).
Other 1997 Ford Expedition problems
See all 1997 Ford Expedition problems or electrical system problems across all Expedition years.