Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Ford Excursion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
At top of a hill I stopped completely and shifted to low gear, the wires in gear shift knob sparked loudly and began burning. Stopped car immediately, opened hood and disconnected battery. Overdrive indicator light harness is a shoddy design. Wire insulation wears through while rubbing with gear shifter selection. There is no armoring or other covering for the thin flimsy harness wires.
Tamara recall while driving or stopped the cars power does 100% shut off. No codes or warning lights. In dec/2016 driving on a on a east on charleston blvd in nv, after pulling out of cit bank parking lot going about 45 MPH the light turned red and when I went to break the pedal was hard and that's when I saw no power. By then it was too late and we were going to crash. I had no power steering or ABS and I hit the car. It caused 12000 of damage to the car in front of me. No airbags deployed. Only bumper and fog light damage to my truck thankfully. After that the problem didn't re accur until 2/2017 and left me stranded over night on the road and now last night 5/13/2017 the car was off no keys in the ignition and I saw smoke that came from where the battery sits not sure what that was but odd it was. …
While driving on hwy 210 my ABS light came on then my interior lights went dim my head lights started to flicker then the dash board was like christmas everything started to blink fuel like miles to empty seatbelt ect.. Then loss all power steering wheel locked I had my four children in the car when we flipped in to a ditch after hitting some mail boxes.. Wth I see some of the same reports why hasn't Ford fixed this problem!!!
Driver used cruise control on tollway, got off tollway fire started 1/4 mile from exit. Ford Excursion v 10 gas engine, cruise control deactivation switch failure got hot causing engine fire. The diesel engines were recalled for the same reason. This vehicle is a limousine/qvm. NHTSA campaign # 07V078000 manufacture campaign # 05s28.
Engine fire associated with electrical short in engine compartment while 2003 Ford Excursion 6.0 liter diesel was parked in the garage. The vehicle had not been driven for at least ten days. The resulting fire destroyed the vehicle, garage, contents and damaged the exterior of the home.
While trying to start vehicle consumer was unsuccessful twice. A few minutes after the second try consumer came outside and found vehicle on fire. Electrical wires melted. Fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries.
We own a 2003, diesel Ford Excursion. Late on 6/10 as we were going down a steep curve the engine stalled. We lost all power. It took all my husband's strength to keep the truck on the road, without power steering. The braking system was diminished. This could have been a potential disaster for our family, we had 2 children in the vehicle as well. He managed to get us somewhat off to the side of the road. The vehicle would not start. This is a very dangerous, potentially life-threatening malfunction of the Ford Excursion. We had the vehicle towed to the local Ford for investigation and found out that the wire harness is defective and needs to be replaced. We investigated this problem and found other reports with similar description have been reported. Ford needs to do something about this defect, it is a potential accident waiting to happen without warning. …
I have a 2003 Ford Excursion v-10. This vehicle is equipped with adjustable foot pedals which routinely stop working, sometimes in the fully retracted position. When this happens the drivers seat also does not work, making the vehicle un-driveable for my wife whose reach is considerably shorter than mine. Fords solution to this problem is to replace the seat at an out-of-pocket cost starting at about $800.00, instead of tracing the bad wire or faulty control module. Internet research has shown me that this problem is apparently prevalent in the larger Ford SUV's manufactured from 2003-2006. I feel this defect should be corrected in a factory recall and not at the expense of vehicle owners when the problem is clearly faulty exuipment / design. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Related recalls
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 investigations
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.
Electrical complaints in other Excursion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Ford Excursion?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Ford Excursion, 25% of the model year's 106 complaints. The component named most often is alternator/generator/regulator (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Excursion electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-327 (12v/24v/48v battery, Jul 7, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford Excursion electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 7 fires and 4 injuries to electrical system 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.