Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Excursion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Michelin Defender LTX M/S size 265/75R16. 4 new tires installed less than 60 days and 1,800 miles by Costco before incident. Tire air pressure checked prior to a trip. On the trip, 1 tire rapidly deflated without warning on the freeway in Arizona. Barely had enough time to pull off the freeway and onto the shoulder. The tire showed no punctures, or tread separation, but the tire sidewalls were wrinkled and distorted. Took tire to Costco for warranty and the tire shop could not find any internal punctures and were unable to determine as to why the tire went flat. They said they have never seen a tire fail like this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion equipped with Firestone steeltex tires, size: 385/65-r18 (na). While driving 70 MPH, the tread on the tires separated and the contact lost control of the vehicle. As a result, a crash occurred and three occupants sustained major and minor injuries. One injury was fatal. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The VIN and dot number were not available. The vehicle failure mileage was 150,000 and the tire failure mileage was 3,000.
Bridestone dueler a/t d693 lt285/75r16 tlowlps d, article number 298581. Tires purchased 9/18/03. Failure occurred at 6 months, 10,000 miles after purchase. 2000 Ford Excursion 4wd, diesel. Catastrophic blowout on front left drivers side while driving on I-30 in grapevine, texas at 2:00 pm, good conditions, dry, speed 65 MPH. No warning, loud explosion, truck whipped left immediately and slammed into cement highway dividers. Literally on two wheels on top of dividers before coming to a stop over 100 yds away. Children in car. No injuries as were all belted. Entire left side truck damaged, left rear tire damaged. Frame damage. Truck still being repaired. Repairs exceeding 6,000.00 so far. This is the second blowout on these tires I have experienced. The first occurred at 6 or 7 months as well as it happened in July or August and tire was purchased 1/4/02. …
Left front tire blow out....my wife sharon serne was driving east on hwy 50 coming up to the eldorado hills exit when out of no ware the left front tire (Firestone rs4 lt265-75-16) of our 2000 Ford Excursion blew out, she was pulled hard into the center guardrail and did extensive damage to the entire left side of our vehicle. Sharon did a great job on avoiding any other persons or doing further damage to the vehicle as in rolling or going over the embankment that was up ahead. When we bought the vehicle I looked into the Firestone tire problems just for this kind of concern and at the time could not find any type problems so I felt OK about their tires. Until now I m very concerned about the quality of the tires that my family will have on the cars we drive. Thank you for your time I know its important, if you can help by pointing me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. …
While traveling south in the outside lane of interstate 380 at approximately 1:00 p.m. Cdt on Saturday, May 20, 2006, 1/2 mile north of mile marker 29, the left front tire of my 2000 Ford Excursion limited suffered a catastrophic failure due to tread separation. The tire was a Firestone steeltex r4s lt265/75r16d, serial number 31350 ex bm20118-4. Tire is in the custody of cerny & ivey engineering, attn: mr. Steve smith, 5650 peachtree parkway, norcross, ga 30092. Cerny & ivey analyzed the tire and have determined that the tire failed due to a manufacturing defect that had worsened over time until the tire failed. Accident report is on file with the linn county sheriff's office; report number 06-13921.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion equipped with mastercraft courser awt tires, size: lt265/75/r16 (na). While driving at approximately 65 MPH, the contact felt a vibration. The vehicle veered from left to right, the tread separated, and the rear passenger side tire blew out. The tire was replaced. The following day, while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and veered from left to right. The tread separated and the rear driver side tire blew out. The tire was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the vehicle. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 104,027. The tire failure mileage was 95,404. Updated 09/10/15
A drivers front Firestone steeltex at tire, on a 2000 Ford Excursion exploded on July 7, 2002 on I-95 in walterboro, sc. My girlfriend agnes and a good friend dave were killed, daves 11 yr old son max suffered a severly broken right femer, daves wife, cheryl had several deep cuts and scrapes I have a severly broken left femer and knee damage. There was no indication that the tire was going to fail.
In feb. 2004 I received a letter from Ford recalling the tires I had on my 2000 Ford Excursion. The tires had 44000 miles on them at that time with no failure. We had the replacements put on by capitol city Ford in indianapolis on 03/25/2004. My wife and some family went to tennessee over the memorial day weekend and on the return trip the driver side front tire blew out. It didn't leak out it blew out. The driver, larry d. Mcroberts [phone], advised he had to use extreem effort to keep the vehicle somewhat straight but it did go into the center median of I 75 just north of lexington kentucky across one lane of traffic. The tire was changed, with the new spare and they made it back to home. When presented to capitol city for replacement they advise it would only be covered by b. F goodrich @70 % of the cost. …
On sept. 27, 2002 about 40 miles before my actual blow out, I felt and heard something on the drivers' side rear tire. I thought it was a rock from my wheel well, except I was on a highway with no rocks to be found. My truck began to shake so I kept my speed at about 60 MPH. About 40 miles later, my rear driver's side tire blew out. On July 3, 2002 I had all of my tires checked because I felt unsafe in my truck. My tires did not drive smoothly anymore. The factory rep. From Firestone was there and personally checked my tires and told me that they were fine condition and I had a lot of wear left on them. He told me that they would rotate and balance my tires. I submitted a report to Firestone asking for them to pay my truck repair and the cost of my tires pro-rated. They have denied my claim and stated that I hit something that made my tire blow like it did. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Excursion. The vehicle has cooper dominator sport a/t tires, line size lt265/75/r16, dot number upw8xdj3007. The contact stated when driving at speeds of 25 MPH and over, the steering wheel would become extremely wobbly. The failure persisted and became progressively worse over time. The tires were taken to a tire specialist and the mechanic advised the tires exhibited excessive tread separation. One of the front tires exhibited visible tread separation and was replaced at the manufacturer's expense. The remaining three tires would be replaced at the contact's expense. The contact was able to locate a recall for his brand and line of tires however, the recall did not cover his specific tire size (NHTSA campaign id number: 06t016000: tires: tread/belt). The remaining four tires were not yet replaced. …
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Excursion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2000 Ford Excursion?
NHTSA has 186 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2000 Ford Excursion, 35% of the model year's 533 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (53 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Excursion wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2000 Ford Excursion, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Excursion wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 0 fires and 26 injuries and 3 deaths to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.