1998 Ford Expedition problems & reliability
836 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Expedition, alongside 3 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.
32 complaints report injuries (37 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Ford Expedition vehicles were involved in 44 fatal crashes with 36 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 144 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 127 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 115 | 14% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 78 | 9% |
| Power Train | 70 | 8% |
| Visibility | 59 | 7% |
| Steering | 52 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 48 | 6% |
| Tires | 38 | 5% |
| Wheels | 37 | 4% |
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 110,000 miles (middle 50% between 84,000 and 140,000 miles), based on 309 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Bought replacement brake pads from RockAuto 07/08/2023 9:06PM order 244457897 that are supposed to be Bosch BSH BC702 ceramic. What arrived is unbranded, unnumbered tag torn off the box with no identifiers at all. All brake pads used should have numbers to identify street legal for use but these have NOTHING on them…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Jul 21, 2023
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated and surged at a high rate of speed without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed May 24, 2019
“Takata recall: the spark plugs have blown out of the engine block. They have been repaired 3 times. Each time, it smells of an electrical line is burning, the instrument cluster goes erratic and they zeros out and doesn't move. This has happened while driving on city and highways.”
Electrical System · filed May 9, 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
- FRONT STABILIZER LINK
Preliminary Evaluation PE01022 · opened Jul 2, 2001 · closed Nov 9, 2001
- FACTORY INSTALLED TOWING HITCH SEPARATIO
Preliminary Evaluation PE99060 · opened Sep 27, 1999 · closed Mar 8, 2000 · led to recall 00V073000
- TIE ROD END FAILURES
Preliminary Evaluation PE98024 · opened Apr 21, 1998 · closed Jul 21, 1998
Technical service bulletins
294 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Expedition. The 10 most recent:
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
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
Rear axle noise repair. *tt
05618 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2005
Use of stainless steel exhaust studs in service for 5.4l 2v engine. *tt
0554 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2005
Intermittent rough idle - non-commanded egr (exhaust gas recirculation valve) flow. *tt
05417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 7, 2005
Rear axle noise repair. *sc
050618 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Customer maintenance reminder - literature program 04l19 - tie rod inspection procedure. *tt
04L19 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2004
Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. To include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04.
031404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2004
Pop/thump noise at end of window movement and/or driver's window bounce back and reverse to mid-position. *tt
0457 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 22, 2004
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 1998 Ford Expedition has 3 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 1998 Ford Expedition?
- · 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 110,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.