1998 Ford Expedition Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 115 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1998 Ford Expedition, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 100,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “spark plug” (21% of reports).
- 115electrical system complaints
- 100,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 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.
- Spark plug: mentioned in 24 of 115 complaints (21%)
- Caught fire: mentioned in 13 of 115 complaints (11%)
- Cylinder head: mentioned in 6 of 115 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 1998 Ford Expedition at $1,500, and half of them between $830 and $2,700.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2001–2010), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 61 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 115 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 31 a fire, 3 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 1998 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.
Parking on the street in is gone
Takata recall: the spark plugs have blown out of the engine block. They have been repaired 3 times. Each time, it smells of an electrical line is burning, the instrument cluster goes erratic and they zeros out and doesn't move. This has happened while driving on city and highways.
Takata recall my truck has a burning spell and was some smoke it was park i was about to pull off on my street where i live
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Ford Expeditions have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 115 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1998 Ford Expedition (14% of the 836 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 1998 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 100,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,500 (half paid between $830 and $2,700), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1998 Ford Expedition?
The most frequent phrase is “spark plug”, in 24 of 115 complaints, followed by “caught fire” (13).
Other 1998 Ford Expedition problems
See all 1998 Ford Expedition problems or electrical system problems across all Expedition years.