Most common 2003 Ford Excursion problems
Share of the 106 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 →
2003 Ford Excursion recalls (5)
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 March 12, 2007. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05V017, 05V388, and 06V286)
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with 6.0l diesel engines, the engine ground stud that attaches the negative battery terminal eyelet to the engine block May be loose.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine ground stud and the radio suppression strap and adjacent components will be inspected for damage and replaced, if necessary. The recall began on July 23, 2004.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2003 Ford Excursion:
Engine stalling
Twenty five of the odi failure reports are duplicative of Ford complaints.twenty odi reports do not contain a VIN (and May or May not be duplicative of Ford reports).the 14 alleged crashes and 2 alleged injuries were all minor.submitted during preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-070, Ford's response to odi's information request (ir) letter contained about 5,000 consumer reports (mors) and 8,700 field reports (cqis).Ford…
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 stalling
In a June 7, 2005 letter, Ford notified odi that it would be conducting a safety recall of approximately 180,000 Ford f-super duty, excursion and e-series vehicles equipped with 6.0l diesel engines to correct two wiring related conditions that could result in engine stall (NHTSA recall no. 05v-270, Ford no.
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 2003 Ford Excursion owners say
Engine & cooling all 30 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Excursion. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently to approximately 75-80 MPH. The contact had to apply excessive force to the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle. Also, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in a recall. No further assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Faulty exhaust manifold bolts break off and cause excessive noise, exhaust enters the drivers cabin, vehicle will not pass emissions inspection and is expensive to repair. I have 4 Ford vehicles with this problem. First incident was at around 50,000 miles and 48 months after purchase. Ford refused to make repairs under any portion of the factory warranty. They claim lifetime emissions warranty doesn't cover it, nor the 100,000 powertrain warranty. I have spent over $8000.00 making repairs to these exhaust manifolds. Triton v-10 gas engine.
Electrical system all 26 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that the gear shift lever sparked a fire and the wiring of the shifter began to melt. The vehicle was engulfed in smoke shortly after the failure. The contact immediately shut off the vehicle and disconnected the battery. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician stated that the wiring insulation of the lever had worn and caused the failure. As a result, the gear shift assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000. In addition, the contact stated that the silver circuit box inside of the fuse box melted and caught on fire. When the failure occurred, all the gauges on the instrument panel and the alternator failed causing the vehicle to stall. …
At night, in fog, in driveway, I turned on high beams, defrosters, wipers and lowered driver window. A major silver electrical circuit in the fuse breaker box overheated melted and popped. Ford's incompetent electrical engineer's design causes circuit board silver circuitry in fuse box to melt, while no circuit breakers melt/work. The circuit that melted also causes vehicle to lose use of indicators and gauges in the dash gauge panel, the alternator also fails to work and vehicle dies within a day, with no warning, while driving, due to totally dead battery. Ford has at least three different versions of fuse boxes for the 2003 Excursion xlt 5.4l. Ford has no replacement fuse boxes to sell. Problem is so common on the internet, I luckily located the last used fuse box in the country, 1000 miles away from ca. …
Wheels & tires
My wife, two young daughters, and I were traveling out of town for the New Year. As we were traveling southbound on I-85 between Greensboro, North Carolina and Thomasville, North Carolina, I started to notice that the vehicle was starting to vibrate. Over the course of the next +\- 10 miles the vibration became much worse and eventually forced me to get off of the highway. I exited the highway at exit 103 on I-85 southbound (NC-109) and was able to get the vehicle to a National Tire and Battery Shop located at 2 Cloniger Dr, Thomasville, NC 27360. Upon inspection, they noticed a large bulge in the driver side rear tire and told me that they thought that I might have broken a belt inside of the tire. They were able to get it off and put on the full size spare, thus allowing us to get to our destination. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Excursion with copper replacement tires, model discovery ht 265/70r/16. While driving at 65 MPH, the casing fractured from the rear passenger side tire. The tire was replaced. One year later, the exact same failure occurred on the driver side tire where the contact was involved in a crash. The vehicle was flipped once, proceeded to crash into a tree and then landed upright. One passenger sustained minor injuries. A police report was available. The manufacturer was contacted and requested to further inspect the tires. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Ford Excursion a good car?
Based on 106 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2003 Excursion rates average: about 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 2003 Ford Excursion?
The engine & cooling — 30 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › diesel. Next are the electrical system (26) and wheels & tires (10).
How many recalls does the 2003 Ford Excursion have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2003 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 2003 Ford Excursion problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 57,000 miles; 46% 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.