Most common 2002 Ford Excursion problems
Share of the 129 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 →
2002 Ford Excursion recalls (4)
Exterior lighting › Brake lights
Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ranger trucks built from January 25, 2011, through April 25, 2011 at the twin cities assembly plant, and service parts distributed to dealers for certain 2004 through 2011 model year ranger trucks, 2002 through 2005 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250,…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the switches free of charge. The safety recall began on August 15, 2011. Owners May contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
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)
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2002 Ford Excursion:
Accelerator pedal sensor failure (etc)
The subject vehicles for this investigation include model year 2002 and 2003 excursion and f super duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines and an optional power adjustable pedal (pap) feature.the subject vehicles utilize an electronic throttle control (etc) system to control engine speed and power.the accelerator pedal position sensor of the etc system was replaced under Ford's field service action (fsa) 03b03…
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…
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…
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 2002 Ford Excursion owners say
Engine & cooling all 37 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that each time she drove the vehicle, it stalled without warning. After the failures, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and waited a minute or more to restart the vehicle. Sometimes, it took up to four attempts before the vehicle would restart. When the vehicle was restarted, it hesitated to move. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, but the technician could not find a failure code. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V553000 (engine and engine cooling). No further assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, it burst into flames without warning. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was filed. The representative stated that the failure originated from the engine. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 82,000.
Wheels & tires all 30 →
Had a b f goodrich lt315/75r16d all terrain ko, dot: bfauhx111211, front left tire explode without any warning, was driving north on highway 65, about 16 miles south of branson, mo. I was traveling around 65 MPH in the right hand lane on a clear dry day with minimal traffic. The tires were purchased on 4-23-11, sam's club #6361, vehicle had 91,461 miles. The incident happened on 5-8-18, the vehicle had 136,896 miles. (45,435 miles). When the tire exploded it severed the front left brake line resulting in the loss of control of the vehicle, causing major damage to the vehicle, resulting in the vehicle being totaled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion equipped with sunfull mont-pro ht781 tires, size: lt265/75/16. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear passenger side tire tread separated, which caused a bubble in the tire. Within less than a thousand miles later, the front driver's tire also experienced the failure. The retail facility where the tires were sold and installed was not contacted. The tire manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 166,000 and the tire failure mileage was approximately 4,999.
Brakes
After purchasing a used vehicle from internet auto sales in reno, nevada, the brakes were not working correctly. The brakes pulled the vehicle violently to the right. The dealer replaced the calipers and pads and turned the rotors and told me the problem was solved. After test driving the vehicle, the brakes had the same problem. The vehcile was sent to the local lithia dealer and they ended upreplacing the ABS sensor once. After that the vehcile did not improve. So, the vehcile went back to the dealer and the dealer took the brake system apart and could not find anything wrong with it. They returned the vehicle and soon as I drove it, the brakes failed to operate correctly. They took the vehcile back and they replaced some more brake parts, but it did not solve the proble,. In fact, the problem got worse. Now, the brakes are pulling both left and right. …
I seem to be having a braking problem with my 2002 Ford Excursion. I have had to replace brake pads and rotors on a number of instances. It seem to be caused by the brake caliper slide brackets which prevent the proper caliper travel when activated. This was a complaint I have addressed since my purchase of the vehicle. The problem gives the vehicle an uneven brake activation, which causes poor handling while braking. The dealer say that it is not a warranty issue. The dealer has replaced 2 calipers, but each time I'm expected to pay for pads and rotors. I'm an ex garage owner, and ex-nys vehicle inspection licensed mechanic. I have on 5-6 instances replaced pads and rotors due to this problem with the caliper slide system. Each of these times, after pulling the brakes apart, and cleaning all surfaces, and lubing the sliders before reinstalling, after witch all parts worked as designed. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Ford Excursion a good car?
Based on 129 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 Excursion rates average: 1.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the Excursion at the same age. 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 2002 Ford Excursion?
The engine & cooling — 37 complaints, 29% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the wheels & tires (30) and brakes (17).
How many recalls does the 2002 Ford Excursion have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2002 Ford Excursion, the most recent from July 13, 2011 (brake lights). 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 2002 Ford Excursion problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 63,000 miles; 37% 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.