2003 Ford Expedition Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 127 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Ford Expedition, 21% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 90,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “spark plug” (63% of reports).
- 127engine and engine cooling complaints
- 90,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,400typical repair cost reported by owners
- 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.
- Spark plug: mentioned in 80 of 127 complaints (63%)
- Cylinder head: mentioned in 14 of 127 complaints (11%)
- Loud pop: mentioned in 14 of 127 complaints (11%)
- Blew engine: mentioned in 7 of 127 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 2003 Ford Expedition at $3,400, and half of them between $1,850 and $5,400.
Based on 25 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2011), 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 engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 109 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 127 complaints, 7 a fire.
Ford Expedition engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Expedition | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Expedition | 3 | 1% | 14,500 |
| 2020 Expedition | 4 | 1% | 87,017 |
| 2019 Expedition | 31 | 6% | 79,714 |
| 2018 Expedition | 25 | 7% | 85,354 |
| 2017 Expedition | 5 | 1% | 107,500 |
| 2016 Expedition | 3 | 1% | 122,500 |
| 2015 Expedition | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2013 Expedition | 1 | 1% | 95,833 |
| 2011 Expedition | 2 | 3% | 33,500 |
| 2010 Expedition | 3 | 5% | 41,000 |
| 2008 Expedition | 3 | 2% | 31,000 |
| 2007 Expedition | 9 | 4% | 45,000 |
| 2006 Expedition | 75 | 25% | 70,100 |
| 2005 Expedition | 47 | 15% | 72,000 |
| 2004 Expedition | 26 | 9% | 75,000 |
| 2003 Expedition | 127 | 21% | 90,000 |
| 2002 Expedition | 95 | 28% | 95,800 |
| 2001 Expedition | 122 | 21% | 100,000 |
| 2000 Expedition | 116 | 13% | 102,000 |
| 1999 Expedition | 248 | 26% | 98,539 |
| 1998 Expedition | 127 | 15% | 110,000 |
| 1997 Expedition | 89 | 10% | 131,629 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling 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.
I was on interstate 95 southbound when i heard a loud boom followed by a flapping sound i pulled onto the shoulder to see what happend when i noticed gas coming from the area where the spark plug was at i shut the car off and called for a tow. *tr
Recently purchased this 2003 expedition with the 5.4l engine. Purchased on 12/20/2011. Since owning said vehicle i have had two spark plug failures. On cyl 8 and cyl 3. The first incident happened at a speed of about 25 mph. The second and recent happened driving highway speed, cruise set to 65…
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and shut off when he noticed flames erupting from under the hood on the driver's side. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The failure and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Ford Expeditions have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 127 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Ford Expedition (21% 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 engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 90,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Ford Expedition?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,400 (half paid between $1,850 and $5,400), from 25 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Ford Expedition?
The most frequent phrase is “spark plug”, in 80 of 127 complaints, followed by “cylinder head” (14).
Other 2003 Ford Expedition problems
See all 2003 Ford Expedition problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Expedition years.