2003 Ford Expedition Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2003 Ford Expedition, 10% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 84,385 miles. The words owners use most often: “side air” (20% of reports).
- 59air bags complaints
- 84,385median miles at failure
- 27mention a crash
- 24mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 38%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.
- Side air: mentioned in 12 of 59 complaints (20%)
- Bags deployed: mentioned in 11 of 59 complaints (19%)
- Insurance company: mentioned in 6 of 59 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 44 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 59 complaints, 27 mention a crash, 24 an injury.
Ford Expedition air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Expedition | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2024 Expedition | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Expedition | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2022 Expedition | 2 | 2% | 79,500 |
| 2021 Expedition | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Expedition | 9 | 2% | 57,968 |
| 2019 Expedition | 25 | 5% | 85,000 |
| 2018 Expedition | 5 | 1% | 42,279 |
| 2017 Expedition | 11 | 3% | 45,000 |
| 2016 Expedition | 5 | 2% | 86,000 |
| 2015 Expedition | 5 | 3% | 50,000 |
| 2014 Expedition | 7 | 10% | 40,000 |
| 2013 Expedition | 3 | 3% | 132,500 |
| 2012 Expedition | 3 | 3% | 9,311 |
| 2011 Expedition | 1 | 1% | 9,500 |
| 2010 Expedition | 3 | 5% | 118,998 |
| 2009 Expedition | 1 | 4% | 59,644 |
| 2008 Expedition | 4 | 3% | 99,983 |
| 2007 Expedition | 5 | 2% | 83,250 |
| 2006 Expedition | 16 | 5% | 95,266 |
| 2005 Expedition | 9 | 3% | 68,000 |
| 2004 Expedition | 46 | 15% | 87,000 |
| 2003 Expedition | 59 | 10% | 84,385 |
| 2002 Expedition | 16 | 5% | 41,000 |
| 2001 Expedition | 19 | 3% | 92,000 |
| 2000 Expedition | 35 | 4% | 83,000 |
| 1999 Expedition | 19 | 2% | 125,418 |
| 1998 Expedition | 20 | 2% | 85,815 |
| 1997 Expedition | 26 | 3% | 122,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 2003 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.
bought truck 3/2/22 from Gold cAuto In troy NY. 3/7/22 went to take kids to school 2.5 inches of water set in my weather guard mats. seats soaked console everything in front cab reversed to pull out spot and water starting pouring on my and my kids from sides in pass sides front and the front…
Air bag light is on in car just got this truck from someone used
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. While driving 35 mph, the two side air bags deployed without warning or impact. There were no injuries. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was 144,943.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Ford Expeditions have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 59 owner complaints about air bags for the 2003 Ford Expedition (10% of the 615 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 2003 Ford Expedition air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 84,385 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2003 Ford Expedition?
The most frequent phrase is “side air”, in 12 of 59 complaints, followed by “bags deployed” (11).
Other 2003 Ford Expedition problems
See all 2003 Ford Expedition problems or air bags problems across all Expedition years.