Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. While driving 25 MPH, the front driver side tire disengaged without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the curb. The mechanic stated that the lugs were stripped and could have caused the failure. There is a recall for the wheels: lugs/nuts/bolts (NHTSA campaign id # 98V095000) however, the dealer stated that her VIN was not included. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, she heard a clinking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the rear axle track bar bracket separated from the frame. There is a recall for the suspension: rear (NHTSA campaign # 96V252000) however, the dealer stated that her VIN was not included. In addition, while driving 55 MPH, the spare tire disengaged without warning. …
The spare tire of my 1997 Ford Expedition (truck) is normally threaded with a wire rope and winched up into place beneath the back of the Expedition. It works well and is easier to use than the traditional bolt/plate. However, in January 2005,my wife was driving on grant road a major street in tucson arizona and the wire rope broke and the tire flew off from beneath our Expedition and bounced wildly down the road. Fortunately nothing and no one hit the tire; but there was potential for a very serious accident if it had been hit by one or more cars. Traffic stopped and my wife went back and retrieved the errant tire from the middle of three lanes. I do not know if the cable was corroded; but living in a dry climate of the arizona desert I do not believe this was the case. There was no rust of any kind I could see. …
June 4, 2010 [redacted] wmc tv 5 memphis, tn 38104 dear mr. Wise and consumer investigators: walmart is selling recalled tires outlawed by the national highway traffic safety administration and department of transportation. This series was once sold by Firestone. This tire is responsible for over 26,000 deaths and $1m in damages etc. Goodyear bought the trademarked series mentioned in the subject line and is selling them only at walmart. This is the same product but different company. The tires specifics are p25570r16. I am preparing to take this step further to get this series removed from the shelves. It is the tires tread, depth, size, height, etc. That did not conform to the federal government's regulations an specificities. Contact me to further discuss this issue via email at [redacted] updated ivoq 10/22/10
While driving down the highway a normal speed the spare tire on my Expedition fell off when the cable holding the tire up seemed to have broke. My vehicle ran over the tire and I could see the spare bouncing wildly down the road. Fortunately, no other cars hit the tire but it was extremely close since a car just passed from the other direction and there would have been no way they could have missed the bouncing tire in the oncoming lane. Ford does not know how close they came to killing innocent people. The road was smooth without bumps, the tire just fell off. To my knowledge, we have never used the spare tire on this vehicle.
While driving about 60 MPH driver heard a loud noise coming from the rear end of vehicle. Right afterwards the left rear wheel came off due to lugs:nuts: bolts shearing off. The problem was corrected by dealership. On April 24th, while driving right rear wheel came off, sending vehicle into a guardrail and ditch. The lugs: nuts and bolts sheared off. There was a recall, 98V095, however consumer's failures happened prior to this recall, on the second incident there were 2 injured people, dealer paid for the first incident's repairs.
While driving at 55 MPH, the consumer felt the vehicle wobble and thump to the ground. The consumer lost control of the vehicle which did a three hundred sixty degree turn on the highway. When the vehicle stopped spinning the consumer found that the right rear wheel had separated from the vehicle. The lug nuts had simply sheared off of the wheel. This problem has occurred twice on this vehicle. The only difference is on the second time one lug nut was saved from being sheared off.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. While coming to a stop sign at 3 MPH, the contact suddenly heard a noise. Upon stopping, the contact noticed that the spare tire had fallen off because of a broken cable. The contact called an authorized dealership and the dealer stated that they would not be able to inspect or repair the vehicle. The current mileage was 78,525. The failure mileage was 78,215.
Dt: on June 27, 2005 while driving about 65 MPH the consumer heard a noise. And upon stopping, the consumer noticed the spare tire fell off. No damage to the vehicle was reported. The cable broke completely off, and the tire was gone. Owner called Ford, and they were not concerned. The brake line ruptured.
The spare tire retention cable failed, causing the spare tire to fall out of the bottom of my 1997 Ford Expedition. This happened under normal highway driving conditions on a busy section of road. There fortunately were no vehicles following at the time or there most assuredly would have been an accident.
They have not fix my truck and I'm having a lot of problems contact them I'm in the military and due to transfer to jax, fl and my truck still is not fix, they want me to have a expert look at the tire and I don't have the money for and expert so they told me I have 45 days before the drop my file. Help.
Related recalls
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The lug nuts on these vehicles May not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface.
Remedy: Owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. The first notification, which began in May 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1997 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 77 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1997 Ford Expedition, 9% of the model year's 853 complaints. The component named most often is lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (31 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-095 (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs, May 13, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 130,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to wheels & tires 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.