Ford Expedition Stalling Problems

jdstoepfel

I have 2001 Expedition that the enigne will occasionally surge while coming to a stop. It seems as if you were stepping on the accelerator when you actually aren't.

It also has an intermitten vibration at medium speeds. The vibration feels as though you are driving over groves in the road.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jeff

bbrebner

My 03 Exp. has suddenly started shutting down while I'm driving! There's no warning, and it starts right back up again, but I loose all power, and have to coast off the road to restart it. I took it to the dealership, and they found nothing. Told me to just keep driving till I break down!!! (Seriously????) I've seen several posts on different sites about the same problem, but no real answers. Any ideas???Thanks!!

bbrebner

So, just to answer my own question... The car crapped out again yesterday. Made it into the delership (barely!) and it had finally tripped the computer. They were able to trace it to a bad wire harness. Apparently they've been having problems with them on Expeditions. (Would have been nice if the word had gotten out to some of the dealerships!!) Anyway, they have my car now, and hopefully replacing this will solve my problem!

tidester

Glad to hear that! Post a follow up after the service to let us know how it turns out.

tidester, host

bbrebner

OK, so here's the follow up! My car runs great now. The dealership took great care of me, and Ford covered all but $100 of the repair cost, because I had such low mileage (under 50,000). So, I'm good to go!
Thanks!

lashusta

where is the fuel pump pressure gage located?

stine

WE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OUR 2003 FORD EXPEDITION. THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED WHILE DRIVING TWICE. THE FIRST TIME WE TOOK IT IN, AND FORD SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THE SECOUND TIME, IT HAS BEEN AT FORD FOR OVER 1 WEEK, WITH THEM DRIVING OUR EXPEDITION AND PUTTING ON 200 MILES OR SO, ON IT. WE GOT A CALL BACK, SAYING THAT THEY STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG, AND THEY ARE DONE LOOKING FOR THE PROBLEM, AND TO COME PICK UP YOUR VEHICLE. SO WE ARE NOW DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE, AND THEY DO NOT CARE. WE ONLY HAVE 40,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WE TOLD FORD ABOUT THE WIRE HARNESS PROBLEM, THAT WAS REPORTED, BUT THEY DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT. PLEASE HELP. WE NEED TO FIND THE DEALERSHIP, WHO FIXED THE OTHER 2003 EXPEDITION. PLEASE HELP SOON, WE ARE DRIVNG A TICKING TIME BOMB, WITH 4 KIDS.

stine

HELP. MY WIFE, AND 4 KIDS ARE DRIVING IN A TICKING TIME BOMB. THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED TWICE WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AN BOTH TIMES, CLOSE TO SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. FORD SAYS THEY DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE TIME FINDING THE PROBLEM, AND WE ARE FORCED TO DRIVE IT. HWLP IN APPLE VALEY

guest

It took some time to figure out what was causing my Expedition to stall, because it never triggered the computer. I brought it in, and they couldn't figure it out. I was told to just keep driving it, until it really started acting up, and hopefully triggering the computer. I hated it, but had no choice. I kept driving, and sure enough, it kept stalling. Finally, it stalled 3 times in one morning, while driving. The last one, right in front of the dealership, triggered the computer. They were able to diagnose a "bad wire harness", which Ford apparently has a warning out on, and they replaced it. They even paid for all but $100, because I had low mileage on the vehicle. I took it to Pacific Coast Ford in Federal Way, Wa. 800-644-1021. Good luck. I know how scary it is to drive your family around in an unsafe car!!

stine

THANKS I WILL CALL THEM TOMMOROW. THAT IS PRICELESS INFO. I WILL ALSO CALL OUR DEALERSHIP IN VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA. THANKS. I WILL UPDATE ANY INFO I GET.

stine

THANKS FOR THE INFO ON THE DEALERSHIP, ETC. I CALLED AND GOT ALL THE INFO. THE FORD DEALERSHIPSUNLAND FORD IN VICTORVLLE CALIFORNIA, DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ANY INFO THAT I GAVE THEM FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I GAVE THEM THE CODE THAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR WIRE HARNESS. I GAVE THEM ALL THE INFO. THEY DO NOT CARE. THEY SAID TO KEEP DRIVING IT. I SO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, AND HOPE THAT WE DO NOT GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE FORD DEALSERSHIP IS NOT INTERESTED IN FIXING THE PROBLEM. IF THEY DO NOT GET A CADE THEMSELVES, THEY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT WE WILL NO LONGER BUY ANYTHING TO DUE WITH FORD AGAIN, CARS, ETC. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT WORTH IT. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFO. I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

lvbear

I changed the transmission fluid and now it won't drive. It won't change into reverse or drive. Any ideas? Transmission fluid too low?

tripletmom1

I am having the same problem of stalling with my 2003 Expedition I see where you say it is a bad wire harness. What does this mean? Where is it? We were told it sounded like a dirty air mass flow sensor.

I was driving 65mph the other night and it just shut off. I coasted to the side of the road. Put car in park, turned key off and it started right up.

bbrebner

I'm not exactly sure where the wire harness is, but Ford know's that there is a problem with it. They've not had enough reports to call a recall on it, but enough that they replaced mine for free. I would go to your local dealership and have them do a search on the faulty wire harness, and they certainly should be able to pull up some data on it. The situation you described sounds exactly what was happening to me. It started out sporatically, and then started to happen more frequently. On the day that it finally tripped the computer to come up with a diangostic code, it stalled 3 times in a 30 minute period, on being right in front of the dealership. I took it to the Ford Dealership in Federal Way Wa. (Pacific Coast Ford 800-644-1021) You could call there and see what information they could give you. They were very helpful.
Good luck!

pr_4lyfe

I've been having the same problems for several months. I've taken the Expedition to Ford several times and all they tell me is to rotate and balance my tires and do an alignment. Well I've done all the above and still feel the vibrations. I also took it to Good-Year to see if they could figure it and they said the vehicle was fine. Mine vibrates at the 40-50 speed.

jdstoepfel

Thanks for the response. That is about the same speed at which it happens for me as well. I've heard from a couple people that it may be the transmission fluid needs changed. I have done that but it still vibrates. I guess I will just try the process of elimination.

lorenceh

We had that same feeling on ours, just give it supreme unleaded for 3 or 4 tank refils

pr_4lyfe

Well, the engine light came on last week. I took it to Advanced Auto Parts and the machine said that the error code was a misfire on cylinder 6. I took it to Ford and they gave me an outrageous quote so I took it to Goodyear. Apparently, the coils needed replacement. I've been driving the Expedition for 5 days and there hasn't been vibrations or shuttering.

jdstoepfel

I'll look into that. Am I able to go to Advanced or Goodyear and have them run a check on that? But first I have to put a new starter on tonight. I almost got stranded at Walmart last night.

pr_4lyfe

Well, if you go to Advanced or Goodyear, they will only be able to pull up the current Check Engine Light... not previous codes that are stored. I heard there might be an overlooked issue. The radiator hose above the coils/spark plugs might crack and slowly leak onto the coils causing them to go bad... if your coils are bad and you get them fixed... try looking for a crack in the hoses... you might have one.

orlando32817

Can you tell me what the diagnostic P code was. I seem to be having a similar problem with mine and had replaced the fuel filter and plugs. It works better now because the filter was partially clogged and the plugs were worn. After I did that the truck would still hesitate but does it less often. I did try to force the issue by hard acceleration and found it seems to happen more often when I try to do a U turn. In that case it actually stalled. I then was able to restart right away and keep driving. In my case I am wondering if the problem is the harness where the left U turn shifts/stretches the harness to make it intermittant or there is still dirt in the fuel tank clogging up the inlet screen sometimes on turns. I pulled the new fuel filter off the truck again and blew thru it and found that was clear still with a full tank of gas.

bbrebner

I don't know what the diagnostic code was. You can call the dealership that I used, (number in previous posts from me)and they might be able to tell you. I also replaced the fuel filter, etc. but it did not fix the problem. And, like you, my car seemed to stall more after making a turn. It sounds pretty similar to the same problem I was having.'
It had to get pretty bad before it finally triggered the computer though. When it finally did, it had stalled 3 times in a one hour period. That was the worst it had ever been, and that's when it finally came up with a code they could read.
Best of luck~
Becka

masinils

Orlando32817,
Were you able to find the diagnostic code. Mine did the same thing today when turning onto a ramp off of a highway, but no light came on. I lost all power and had to coast to the side. Put vehicle into park and turned it off. Then turned it back on and it started right up. No lights or error codes came on... please help !

bbrebner

If your cars are suffering from the same thing mine was, then the code won't trigger until it gets really bad. I would take it to the dealership and have them do a search on bad wire harnesses. There is documentation with Ford, because my dealership found it.

Good luck

kevarn

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY EXP. STALLS & LOSES POWER LIKE ITS RUNNING ON HALF THE CYLINDERS. STALLS WHEN I'M DRIVING, SO I POP IT IN TO NUETRAL TURN THE KEY OFF & BACK ON QUICK TO START IT BACK UP & IT RUNS FINE FOR THE TIME BEING. THANK GOD THIS HASN'T HAPPENED TO MY WIFE YET! I LIVE ON LONG ISLAND & HAVENT CALLED A DEALER YET, BUT AFTER READING EVERYBODIES POSTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I WILL BE TO LET THEM KNOW. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND FORD NEEDS TO BE INFORMED MORE AND ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS IMMEDIATELY. I DID HAVE CODES P0354,P0355,P0356,P0358 PULLED UP BY AUTOZONE. DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THESE CODES MEAN?

bbrebner

I sure don't know what the codes mean, but Ford would know. I would just put some heat on your local dealership to do a search on the information that I've posted already. The problem exists, and they know about it. Why they haven't just posted a recall, I have no idea. I was in several unsafe situations with my car when it would just shut off on me. I tow a 3 horse trailer, and it quit on me once while doing that!! I think at first they just thought I was a neurotic woman, but soon realized that it was the car that was crazy, not me!!
Best of luck~

orlando32817

Ok i found the problem from a guy at another site.

http://www.expeditionforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=3c9cc7cad3bdb8c3c9c1493b7- 346ea76&postid=11808#post11808

here what daves1955 said

I got a call from dealer two this afternoon. Apparently there is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) that covers this problem. According to the TSB there is an electrical lead that runs around the power steering pump and oil pressure sending unit. The electrical lead may rub the power steering unit and cause a short to ground.

According to the service adviser they put some heat shrink on the electrical lead and ran the vehicle over the past two days. They did not experience the cutting out at idle.

Also according to the service advisor the problem with the electrical lead can cause any of the following.

Hard starting condition.
No starting condition.
Rough idle.
Cut out at idle.
Cut out when cornering.

The total repair bill is 79.00 for one hour of labor.

Since I am out of town this week and next, my wife will pick the vehicle up this weekend and take it for a ride to deterrmine the outcome. Hopefully the problem is solved.

he later said that fixed it. I am going to try to find what TSB that is and get more details. But i think i can find where the short is now based on that info above.

gillenj

2002 Expedition - Cruise was in use when I applied the brake to come to a stop. The vehicle engine surged and lunged forward while my foot was still on the brake. This problem has occured periodically. This model has the adjustable pedals.

montana55

Did you ever find out what was wrong. I also have a 2001 expedition with the surge problem. Just waiting at a light (with my foot on the brake) sometimes the tach or the speedometer will jump and the car will surge forward. Happens about every other month.

jdstoepfel

No, sorry we never found out the cause of the surge. We eventually traded the Expedition in on a 07 Nissan Pathfinder before I had to put any more time and money into it.

orlando32817

Ok guys I finally figured out what was the hesitation cause for my 2003 expedition 4.6L. In my case it turned out to be bad coils. Since it didnt throw a code which one was bad I replaced them all. That fixed it. It would be to expensive to have the dealer troubleshoot which ones are bad (lot of time) or replace them all (at over $60 each dealer price) so I elected to get an aftermarket set of 8 units from ebay for $110 (130 with shipping). After I put them in the problem finally went away. I will however let you all know what I did before that to troubleshoot the problem.
0)checked the check engine light code (was P0430 bad converter?) Yea right!!! dealer repair $1800. I didnt do that yet.
1)Changed fuel filter (was slightly plugged anyway after 90,000)
2)Changed spark plugs (looked good but fairly worn)
3)cleaned idle control valve (idled smooth before and after)
4)removed butterfly air plenum and EGR valve and cleaned EGR VALVE and AIR passageways (slightly clogged passages)
5) I added a fuel pressure monitor gage to verify the fuel pressure stayed constant during the hesitation. (it avererages 30-40 psi with vacuum hose connected to fuel regulator and nearly 60 psi when removed)
6)I tried "capping" the vacuum tubes to the fuel regulator,egr,evaporaative control valves to verify that none of them add or cause the hesistation. (they did not)
7)Checked throttle control sensor restance was smooth and constant. (no dead spots)
8)even dropped the gas tank to check for dirt on pump pickup filter screen( no dirt was clean)
9)replaced PCV vlave and rebuilt pcv hose assembly with plastic elbows since origianal rubber ones were collapsing (no improvement on hesistation)
10) did the TSB where the oil sending unit cable is covered with plastic tube and had the PCM reflashed with later firmware (no improvment but was supposed to help with hesistation due to alterantor/pcm interaction)
11) Replaced all coil on plug coils with aftermarket substitutes. (problem solved!!!!!!) check ebay.

So besides doing the easy stuff (PCV and hose, gas filter,plugs,firware,etc) I would go put the coils with the plugs since I now find that they fail in a very soft way where they tend to fool you with that intermittancy when they cut out sometimes once in 50 miles or more. I measured the restance of my old coils and new ones and they all meaure about 5500 to 6500 ohms on the secondary and old ones looked perfectly fine go figure.

fkocka

I have a 2007 expedition xlt with 3000 miles. I have never owned a Ford truck, Dodges till now. I notice that just prior to shifting on accelerating there is a vibration I can feel through the gas pedel. Is this normal ?? It happens either on hard or regular acceleration and some times at highway speeds. The only thing I have done to it is 20 in wheels and 285 tires but I noticed the same thing before the wheel/tire change.

buzzz1

Call the Ford directly and talk to them. Also, try a different deal. Search the TSB's for that year and look for a note about the wire harness.

buzzz1

Does anyone feel a slight vibration in the gas pedal and steering wheel when the truck is upshifting? It seems to be worse going up hill. 2500-3100 RPM's is the point when I feel the vibration mostly.

buzzz1

fkocka,

Any resolution to this? I am feeling the same thing. It happens at 2500-3000rpms while accelerating. Like a buzzing in the gas pedal.

jdstoepfel

I was never able to resolve the problem. After having to replace the fuel pump, which if anyone knows that means dropping the fuel tank, I got tired of working on it. We decided to trade our Expedition in on a Nissan Pathfinder.

mschmal

There is probably a new flash for this trans. Ask your dealer.

Mark

wedo43

I have an 03 5.7 with similar problems. Having intake manifols removed Monday to look for cracks & leaks, replace plugs & boots. I'd like to go ahead and do the coil packs as well. Do you have ebay dealer info where you got yours. The only thing I found was quite a bit more and the rest were for F150's, which may be a correct part but I don't know how to determine that.

Anyone know the correct part # for an 03 5.7 Expedition coil pack?

Thanks!
Wedo43">

tommygunn23

06 Expedition will occasionally stall when cornering (getting on/off hwy ramps) or will lose power (no stall-but no power) when trying hard acceleration. trying to determine root cause/fix before giving my life and life savings to dealer. Any ideas???

wedo43

"06 Expedition will occasionally stall when cornering (getting on/off hwy ramps) or will lose power (no stall-but no power) when trying hard acceleration. trying to determine root cause/fix before giving my life and life savings to dealer. Any ideas???"

Is it a stutter, like it lost all spark momentarily?
Does it happen more often when turning or making u turns?
wedo43

tommygunn23

it happen twice while cornering, once while getting off hwy and the other time when making a right turn. the other times have been on straight-a-ways.

tommygunn23

I having the same problem with my 06 Expedition. I'm new to the site....can you detail the diagnosis and the fix for me PLEASE?????

wedo43

Hi guys,
I just put my 03 in the shop Monday and had the manifold, plugs and plug boots replaced. Ran great for the 1st time in a long time. Did all this to get it in shape before a 12 hr family trip. It rained hard last wed's night and we began our drive early Thurs morning. Within the 1st 5 miles it was starting to stutter again and within the hour it was running so bad it was missing on at least 1 cylinder.

I did alot of research on this and other forums. Common causes for this problem include
1- A wire that runs along the outside of the power steering pump rubs its jacket off causing an intermittent short, most notably when turning. This can be found under the truck on the drivers side of the car. I traced mine out and. while I could see where it would happen, the was no rub through.
2- A cracked manifold, leaking coolant ports and or leaking manifold gaskets. Can cause an air leak and additional moisture that can get inside the plug boots and into the coils. Mine did have all the above.
3- Due to additional hoses on the passenger side there is greater condensation that quite often seeps into the plug boots and coils. This (condensation in the boots and coils) is the most common problem and now that I think back on it, I had been experiencing episodes like this after big rainstorms for about a year.

Now that a couple of dry days have passed, it's starting to dry out and run better. I went on ebay and ordered a new set of coils complete with new boots for $75.00 and freight. I'm going to remove the existing set and dry them out thoroughly before the drive home then install the new ones when I get home. I'll keep you informed on results but after reading all the postings, I'm pretty confident this will completely fix the problem.

My suggestion would be to search ebay for Ford Coil Packs, order a set and have a local mechanic you trust put them on . In the Dallas area I would expect to pay less than $200.00 for this task at the local Kwik Kar.

It's a cheap fix that more than likely will solve your problem. If not, it was a heck of alot cheaper than taking to the dealer. He'd replace the manifold the plugs, coils and boots to the tune of $2-3K.
Hope this helps,
wedo43

orlando32817

sorry not to answer sooner but i dont check this email often. Go to ebay and search
NEW IGNITION COILS 97-05 FORD EXPEDITION V8 DG508 (8)
they are sold by global-automotive. $95 for eight units. I wouldnt have done the intake manifold though if your idle was perfect like mine. The packs are the same for 5.4/4.6L.

orlando32817

if you otherwise can accelerate most of the time normally but occasionally lose it during turns or some straitaways. then its the coils. go to ebay change them all.
NEW IGNITION COILS 97-05 FORD EXPEDITION V8 DG508 (8). It could also be the pcm needs relflash or the oil sender unit wire running near the power steering pump is chaffing and short to ground but I doubt it. By they way I figured out why the coils confuse the pcm. first if the missfire is occasoinal intermittant then the pcm wont give a code. Also if you get a bad enough misfire for the moment the pcm turns off that fuel injector to that cylinder and makes the truck run like crap even at idle. Then I found if you turn the truck off and restart the problem will go away and run ok (idle /accelerate) till the occasional misfire occurs again to confuse the computer. If any of you see that problem then change the coils.

orlando32817

its the coils in your case i am sure now see my other posts in this thread.

orlando32817

I Have a new problem now where my 2003 doenst hesitate like before after 9 months but cant accelerate over 3000 RPM even when the foot to floor. I changed the coils/plugs again but didnt help. I believe now the fuel pump is the problem since I get 60 psi at idle and about 45 psi under hard acceleration. Note this happens all the time i accerate hard not just occasionally like before. I did the other checks from my earlier post first and missed doing the pressure test. The pressure shouldnt change that much i think and it shouldnt be the reverse of what i measured before (40psi idle and 60 hard accel or low vacuum conditions). Will diagnose the fuel pump current / flow based on what I found at other sites when I get a chance.

mschmal

Are you still under warranty?

Mark

faisal56

nah

wedo43

Just to follow up, got the new coils w/plug boots. Decided to install them myself, a bit tight in a few places but nothing that couldn't be done with the help of coiled spring extension. Runs great, finally. I wish I had done this along time ago.
Wedo43

PS-faisal56, you didn't give us alot to work with. What kind of sound?

rryder3

Wedo43 - I hope your still out there. I have an 03 Expedition and I am experiencing the "stutter". I felt relieved when I saw your post because I've taken the truck to two different mechanics and they can't figure it out. The odd thing is that my Check Engine light has never come on.

What I am going to do is replace the coils to see if it works. Did you notice that the vibration/slow acceleration/stuttering was worse when A/C is running?

BTW, did replacing the coils work for you? Thanks.