Most common 2001 Ford Excursion problems
Share of the 209 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Excursion complaints by model year
Best Excursion years: 1999, 2005, 2004. Years to avoid: 2000, 2001. Compare all years →
2001 Ford Excursion recalls (6)
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel
On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines, the camshaft position sensor located on the engine of the vehicle May function intermittently, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the sensor and replace it with an improved camshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on December 29, 2007. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 05V388)
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began August 20, 2001.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle May not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began July 25, 2001.
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. The inflator canister in the driver air bag module May have an inadequate weld near the igniter.
Remedy: Dealers will install a driver air bag module. Owner notification began March 19, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 2001 Ford Excursion:
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
Engine stalling
The cam position sensor (cps) provides a critical signal to the subject vehicle (sv) engine management system, the loss of which results in an engine stall.during pe06-011, Ford stated in their response to odi that it is continuing to investigate allegations of cps related engine stall and further advised that an update will be provided upon completion of the investigation.Ford data shows that 20% of the 716,000 svs…
Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 is closed with Ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.Ford is also including the entire population of…
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
Accelerator pedal sensor (etc)
Failure counts from odi?s analysis are stated above; see the additional problem experience discussion in the summary report.Ford data contained duplicative reports for 4 odi complaints and 1 crash.three crashes were allegedly due to intermittent operation of the electronic throttle control (etc) pedal, one crash occurred when an etc disabled vehicle was struck by another motorist, one report contained no detail.the…
Sector shaft fractures
This ea was opened based on a response received from Ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during sq00-018.Ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year f-series super duty vehicles on March 22, 1999.Ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 2001 Ford Excursion owners say
Wheels & tires all 57 →
While driving on the highway at 70 MPH rear driver side tire blew out and the front driver side tire tread separated. When the second failure occurred driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with another vehicle. Three weeks prior to the accident vehicle was taken into the dealership for a routine warranty service, and dealership never informed the consumer of the tire recall 04t003000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Excursion equipped with Firestone steeltex a/t tires, size: lt265/75r16 119/116r (na). While driving 55 MPH, the tires exploded and caused considerable damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The vehicle and tire failure mileage was 147,000.
Engine & cooling all 52 →
Blast from engine at 45 MPH while driving on snowy/icy bridge christmas night 2007. No where to pull over. Bounced off snow pile and with momentum crossed over bridge. Still in traffic and several near misses later highway patrol found me and diverted traffic. Spark had blown right out of engine but still attached to coil. Gas exiting and ignited with each spark firing. Vehicle now at Ford dealer. Greater than $4,000 repair. Service writer says spark plugs blowing out of engine and disabling engine with possible fire has been common on 2000-2005 Ford truck engines. Ford needs to be pressed for recall. Not enough threads to hold spark plugs in long term on original equipment. Common expectation of serviceability is that spark plugs and ignition fire stay inside engines. Consumer affairs web sight list hundreds of complaints on this issue.
A spark plug blew out of the engine. While I realize that there was no collateral damage this time, my truck has nine more opportunities to do it again. My daughter and 4 year old grandson were stranded on the side of the road in 32 degree temps. Her cell phone had died and she had to walk to a phone (child in tow). There is enormous proof that this is a rampant problem with Ford engines and has cost consumers thousands of dollars to repair yet you choose not to hold them liable and have even allowed them to cover up a problem. Why? Http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/05/ford_techs_spark_plugs.html
Transmission & drivetrain all 20 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it rolled away independently without the engine started. The vehicle crashed into a residential mailbox and a mobile trailer. The contact's right leg and left ankle were injured while attempting to stop the vehicle, and medical attention was received. A police report was filed. An independent mechanic stated that the rear driver side panel and roof needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Transmission failed and vehicle failed to respond to acceleration. At last incident fluid came out from underneath, causing it to ignite while vehicle was being driven. This would be the third time the gasket seal of the transmission was replaced along with main central valve.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford Excursion a good car?
Based on 209 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Excursion rates avoid: 2.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the Excursion at the same age. It is one of the Excursion years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Ford Excursion?
The wheels & tires — 57 complaints, 27% of all complaints for this model year, most often about tread/belt. Next are the engine & cooling (52) and transmission & drivetrain (20).
How many recalls does the 2001 Ford Excursion have?
There are 6 recalls for the 2001 Ford Excursion, the most recent from October 13, 2009 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Excursion?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1999, 2005 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000 and 2001. See the full Ford Excursion years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Excursion problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 82,000 miles; 25% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.