2004 Ford Excursion problems & reliability
95 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford Excursion, alongside 2 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.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Ford Excursion vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 7 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 | 22 | 23% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 22% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 9% |
| Engine | 7 | 7% |
| Power Train | 7 | 7% |
| Tires | 6 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 5% |
| Visibility | 5 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 4 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 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 82,400 miles (middle 50% between 24,024 and 109,620 miles), based on 78 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Was driving home from work at a light on a uphill street and all of a sudden lost all power engine shut down was extremely hard to slam vehicle into park was in very high traffic road at a very busy time of day!! Had to get towed vehicle would just crank n no start”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 12, 2021
“Total loss of engine power massive amount black soot exiting exhaust while driving recall # 05v270000 was not performed on vehicle ( I am the original owner) never received notice in mail and dealer somehow missed this "work" and ford should have followed through on this situation. Other repairs done to this vehicle…”
Electrical System · filed Mar 30, 2021
“Car was sitting, engine running, in park for 10 minutes and then suddenly with no one inside, moved forward and crashed into the window of a business. There was a witness there.”
Power Train · filed Dec 2, 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 STALLING
Engineering Analysis EA05003 · opened Feb 15, 2005 · closed Nov 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V270000
- ENGINE STALLING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04070 · opened Oct 7, 2004 · closed Feb 15, 2005
Technical service bulletins
151 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford Excursion. The 10 most recent:
When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all versions of MERCON SP and can be used going forward. Mixing MERCON LV and MERCON SP in the same transmission is…
SSM 51909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2023
This SKU is a Transmission Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the connector. The transmission line connector may have an incorrect thread size, which will prevent it from…
RFI20210210_624- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 10, 2021
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
The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a…
SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2016
Ford: when shifting between park, reverse and/or during 2-3 shift, an intermittent clunk occurs with a torqshift transmission. Model 2003-2014 f-super duty, e series, excursion, f-53 motorhome chassis, low cab forward…
ASI-44534 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2014
Ford: on some trucks, there is a no crank situation and if voltage on transmission range sensor at pin 21, is less than 5 volts, disconnect the engine cooling fan clutch, electronically, and recheck voltage. Model…
ASI-44404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
Ford: runs rough, lacks power, hard start, no start. Some vehicles and trucks equipped with 6.0l engine may exhibit a runs rough, lacks power, hard to start, no start concern with or without diagnostic trouble code…
TSB-10-12-6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 11, 2010
Ford: some vehicles equipped with the 6.0l engine may experience a p006a, p132, p0401 or p0402 diagnostic trouble code (dtc) with a lack of power condition, surge, or turbocharger flutter after performing field service…
TSB-09-15-6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 9, 2009
Ford: multiple vehicles with a torq shift transmission intermittent clunk when shifting between drive, reverse and park and/or during 2-3 upshift. Models f super duty; e series; excursion; f53 motorhome chassis and low…
SB-20937 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2009
Ford: some vehicles with diesel engines may experience no starts, hard starts or rough running when cold and may be accompanied with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0611, p1378 and/or all 8 injector circuit codes. *pe
TSB-08-26-3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2009
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 2004 Ford Excursion has 2 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 2004 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 82,400 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.