2002 Ford Excursion problems & reliability
129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford Excursion, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (11 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Ford Excursion vehicles were involved in 15 fatal crashes with 6 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 31 | 24% |
| Tires | 27 | 21% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 16 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 10 | 8% |
| Engine | 6 | 5% |
| Structure | 6 | 5% |
| Steering | 5 | 4% |
| Suspension | 5 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 63,050 miles (middle 50% between 37,000 and 103,000 miles), based on 89 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“As I was driving the transfer case and drive shaft dropped out of truck. Broken bolts and no warning.”
Power Train · filed Sep 26, 2023
“Large patches of paint topcoat peeling from vehicle roof, absolutely no evidence of primer having bonded/ adhering to separated topcoat, peeled paint is identical on both sides, obviously primer intended to integrate topcoat with substrate was faulty and not acceptable.”
Structure · filed Mar 29, 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford excursion. The contact stated that each time she drove the vehicle, it stalled without warning. After the failures, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and waited a minute or more to restart the…”
Engine · filed Sep 5, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA05005 · opened Mar 22, 2005 · closed Aug 2, 2006 · led to recall 08V025000
- ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR (ETC)
Engineering Analysis EA04006 · opened Feb 23, 2004 · closed Feb 10, 2005
- ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR FAILURE (ETC)
Preliminary Evaluation PE03044 · opened Sep 26, 2003 · closed Feb 18, 2004
Technical service bulletins
124 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford Excursion. The 10 most recent:
This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the…
DOR-B8H4Z-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 2, 2018
Ford: vehicles mistakenly charged $100 powertrain warranty deductible for fuel injector repair or repairs. No model or model years provided. *pe econoline, excursion and f-series super duty vehicles, model years…
CSP-48B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2008
Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. Updated 2/23/10…
07212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
Fuel conditioner. Low power, poor fuel economy, fuel gelling in cold weather, excessive white smoke on cold start, hard start, or coking of components exposed to exhaust. *tt
19015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Vacuum pump inoperative or runs continuously - climate control defaults to defrost mode. *tt
05174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2005
Service kit available for wiper motor wiring. *tt
05188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2005
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
Intermittent rough idle - non-commanded egr (exhaust gas recirculation valve) flow. *tt
05417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 7, 2005
A cold weather reverse engagement stall. *tt
18376 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Ford Excursion has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Ford Excursion?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 63,050 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.