2004 Ford Expedition Problems, Recalls & Reliability
381 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Ford Expedition, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 33/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 110,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2004 sits among all Expedition years
What owners report
“Without warning and while driving, engine just quits, loss of power steering, brakes and traffic, very dangerous. Second time....problem not found.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
“I was in a car accident i hit a concrete wall at 50 miles per hour head on and my airbags never deployed i was on a high way”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
“We were involved in an accident. Our 2004 ford expedition seamed to fail to respond to slamming on the brakes to avoid collision. We rear ended a car, no one hurt. No air bag deployment at all. #0-35 mph speed. Hit car in front of us after he stopped in road for no reason. Major damage to our…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
“The contact owns a 2004 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the turn signals, the hazard lights, and the cigarette lighter had become inoperable. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
“My daughter annie camargo was traveling to san antonio texas,when she hear a noise on the back of the vehicle,she stop and saw the tire was badly and damage the fender ;”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
“Can not drive car power train and engine blew out dont drive drive far only in my city and up to maintence and all of sudden girls stop shifting one day while on road very scary had to pull over in middlke of intersection after tht\at day bought another transmission and same thing happened didnt…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Expedition
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 281 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 82,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,060 and 124,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108,…
Fix: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS,…
Fix: ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and electrical — are on file for the 2004 Ford Expedition. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Expedition TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Ford Expedition reliable?
The 2004 Ford Expedition drew 381 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 33/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2004 Ford Expedition problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Ford Expedition are engine (55 complaints), airbags (49), and brakes & stability (43).
At what mileage do 2004 Ford Expedition problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Ford Expedition problems around 82,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,060 and 124,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Ford Expedition have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Ford Expedition. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.