2005 Ford Excursion problems & reliability
65 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 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): 2005 Ford Excursion vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 10 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 20 | 31% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 14 | 22% |
| Engine | 9 | 14% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 6 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 8% |
| Power Train | 4 | 6% |
| Steering | 4 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 5% |
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 85,500 miles (middle 50% between 60,250 and 114,000 miles), based on 58 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Several times I’ll be driving and the steering wheel will jerk in one direction and wobble violently I will grab it to correct it and basically fight to keep it in the lane so I have to pull over and try again. I checked all steering components had it looked at by a mechanic and cannot figure out what could be the…”
Steering · filed Aug 14, 2025
“LT275/65/R18 Tire developed a massive approximately 18in x 3in bubble on the inner section of tread causing significant vibration and excessive wear in that area in less than 50 miles”
Tires · filed Feb 18, 2023
“While driving, the engine just quits and loses all power. I have to shift into neutral, turn the key all the way to off, and restart the engine. Sometimes it starts right up, other times it takes several (many) tries to get the engine to restart. It can go 200 miles without killing, and then kill 5 times in 5 miles…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 14, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
82 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 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
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: 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
Ford: some vehicles equipped with 6.0l diesel engine may exhibit any one or combination of the following concerns-lack of power, white/black smoke or a surge. *pe
TSB-08-16-13 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2009
Ford trucks: misfire, lack of power, buck/jerk, excessive smoke, crank/no start-diagnostics for fuel system. There are several potential causes for these symptoms. *pe
TSB-08-20-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 20, 2009
Ford: vehicles may exhibit fuel in the engine coolant, due to leaks in the cylinder head fuel injector area. Symptoms may include fuel in engine coolant and coolant expulsion from the degas bottle. *pe updated 3/20/09…
TSB-08-23-8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 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 2005 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 2005 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 85,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.