Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving the truck the accelerator becomes nonresponsive and soon after the truck shuts down, complete power loss. Very difficult to steer and brake. It will start back up most of the time, but on occasion it will take 20 to 30 minutes to re-start. Ford has a recall for this # 05s34. My VIN indicates that my Excursion isn't under this recall, but this is exactly what is happening. This event happens on city streets and highways, while driving or sitting at a stop sign or stop light. This event has become more frequent as my wife will no longer drive it do to the vehicles handling/breaking issues without power so I only drive it on weekends. It happens at least once a day sometimes repeatedly within seconds after restarting and sometimes never again during the weekend. It also is not time or distance related. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was able to start on the first attempt. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel and the fuel injection control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 05V270000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Excursion. While driving, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact placed the gear into neutral, while in traffic, and restarted the vehicle. Afterwards, the vehicle was able to drive normally. The vehicle was taken to future Ford Lincoln (located at 650 automall dr, roseville, ca 95661, [phone]) where a wiggle test was performed because a failure code could not be found. The injection control pressure was replaced with a used part. The contact stated that the vehicle was worse after the replacement of the used part and the steering wheel became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who stated that a wire harness was needed to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Excursion. After the vehicle had been parked for eight hours, the contact smelled something burning when it was restarted. He noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle burst into flames two minutes later. The fire burned through the air conditioner hose and erupted. The eruption also extinguished the fire. The contact is a mechanic and he inspected the vehicle. He was able to start the vehicle and drove to the dealer. The dealer stated that the failure was caused by a loose wire. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 04V327000 (electrical system:battery) for the 2003 models. The current and failure mileages were 56,880. Updated 03-04-08 the consumer believed the problem he experienced was related to the recall. Updated
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. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. In an attempt to drive the vehicle, the contact smelled burning wire. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they discovered a melted fuse box. The fuse box was replaced, but the dealer could not explain the cause of the failure. The current mileage was 92,232 and failure mileage was 92,230.
Kept having to replace fuse #45 on my 2002 Ford Excursion limited diesel 4x4. After putting into any gear, go to give it fuel it would nt do anything. Researched the internet and found that there was others with Ford truck 1999-2003 having same problem and read what they did to fix it. Apparently in the gear shift, there are 3 very short wires that were fraying due to be pinched. So since it was not under warranty we had to have the steering box cover removed and there it was, the wires were almost completely frayed. They were fixed and another fuse was installed only to find out that the truck would not do anything. Had to have it towed to a dealership and spent $600 on a new fuse box since the original one was fried due to the frayed wires. …
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system › Wiring
Certain pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans equipped with 6.0l diesel engines May experience stalling without warning while driving and May or May not restart.
Remedy: Dealers will upgrade the fuel injection control module (ficm) wire harness or replaced, and/or have a new injection control pressure (icp)) sensor connector installed free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2005.
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 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…
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Excursion years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (59), 2003 (26), 2004 (21), 2005 (20) and 2001 (13) model years. Electrical complaints make up 11% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Ford Excursion electrical problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 05V-270 (wiring, Jun 10, 2005); 04V-327 (12v/24v/48v battery, Jul 7, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Excursion electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 93,000 miles; 15% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the wiring (16 mentions), followed by the wiring › front underhood (11).
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.