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 1999 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the horn activated independently. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the failure was due to a fire under the hood toward the driver side of the vehicle. The contact stated that smoke and flames were emitting from the vehicle. The fire department was contacted. However, the fire did not extinguish resulting in the vehicle exploding. The manufacturer was not notified. A police report was filed and there were no injuries sustained. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000.
On January 15th, 2005 my wife had returned from a short trip from the grocery store in our 1999 Ford Expedition around 9:30 pm. She had been home about 45 minutes when I noticed the smell of smoke. I looked out the door to the garage and saw flames coming out from under the hood near the windshield. I quickly took the keys and tried to crank it to get it out of the garage and away from the house. Fortunately it did crank. After I attempted to put the fire out with a fire extinquisher the local fire department put out the fire. The car was declared a total loss by my insurance company a couple days later. I have no doubt that this fire was caused by a faulty cruise-control de-selector switch. The cruise-control had stopped working about 4 or 5 months ago. After the fire I noticed a puddle of fluid on our garage floor. I now know that was brake fluid from the master cylinder. …
I have a '99 Ford Expedition and I developed a problem where I lost the brake and turn signal lights in my car. I replaced the fused and it immediately popped again. So I took it to my mechanic, and he looked at it. There was brake fluid up in the cruise control switch, all the way up in the cable harness (in the wires), and in the connector at the junction/fuse box. When he removed the cruise control switch, he discovered that the cruise control switch was the new switch and it sparked and it caught fire. Luckily the flame was contained to just the switch and the mechanic was able to cut the switch out of the car and blow it out before the fire spread. He told me the car had to go to Ford and he suggested that I not drive it, as it was a fire hazard. So it was towed. …
Events leading up to failure: (1) started with fog light switch not working. (3) took it in for service and was told the windshield was leaking and shorted the switch. Service attempted to correct leak by leaving windshield in place and providing more sealant. (1) leak in windshield discovered to persist after battery drained due to radio and various electrical functions would continue even without the key in the ignition. Most recently, the starter would repeatedly attempt to start the engine randomly after the engine was started and even while the key was out of the ignition! (2) with this uncontrolled electrical activity battery drain was causing stranding and the most recent occurrence the smell of an electrical fire was noted. …
1) noticed in mid May that the cruise control on my 1999 Ford Expedition stopped working. No other performance issues were noticed and since it was not critical it was not repaired at that time. 2) on July 27, 2005 the 1999 Ford Expedition caught on fire and burned. The fire chief on site indicated that the fire started in the area of the master cylinder, where the speed control deactivation switch is located. 3) my insurance company, usaa is in the process of investigating the cause of the fire and I am awaiting information from them. I have not contacted Ford at this time.
At the end of October fuse to the brake lights blew out. Replaced fuse, and saw smoke coming from under hood. Removed fuse, and opened hood to find source of smoke, it was the brake switch on top of the master cylinder. Took it to dealership, who reported that they replaced the switch. 3 weeks later vehicle was parked in driveway for 1 hour after driving for .5 hours and it caught on fire. Also, house caught on fire. The fire was in the engine compartment. The hole in the hood was centered on the driver's side near the middle. Insured by progressive.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition. After parking the vehicle near the contact's garage, a fire erupted under the hood. The contact was alerted to the failure due to the alarm sounding. The fire department extinguished the flames. The vehicle was not diagnosed and remained parked at the contact's residence. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 06e056000 (fuel system, gasoline) and 98V312000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.
Bought a 99 Ford Expedition 5.4 4x4 about 4 months ago. Today 1/30/18 was driving and started to hear clicking noise under dash the windshield fluid light and 4x4 light started to flash as the same time as it flashed I hard the clicking noise the radio then turned off and the passenger side window stopped working also fan blower will work with the truck is shut off. Last week I had shut my Ford expo off I went to restart it about a half hour later and would not start back up. The truck finily started about a hour later.
My 1999 Ford Expedition went up in flames last night (June 26) in my driveway. I had driven the truck home, turned it off and walked inside to go to bed. Approximately fifteen minutes later, I was awoken to my car having seven foot flames coming from the hood. The fire department was called and we began trying to fight the fire. The truck is a total loss. I bought this vehicle in May of 2008 and I understand that there was a recall on this vehicle. I was never notified of any recall.
Appears when it rains, the vehicle will not start. Took same to a local shop that specialize in electrical systems. They could not find anything wrong and advised they were aware of windshield leakage. They advised they did not see any evidence of leakage. Vehicle can be driven several months with no issues, but appears to occur when there is a heavy rain. Upon reviewing other post, it appears this is a longer existing problem with the year and make vehicle.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical system failure
Odi has received 39 reports alleging that water leaks around the windshield causing electrical failures, including but not limited to the windshield wipers and the headlamps.Ford reports that water entering the vehicle can wet the power distribution box (pdb) and the generic electronic module (gem).these components control various electrical systems in the vehicle.this investigation has been upgraded to an…
Windshield leak causes electric failures
Consumers alleged that when it rained or snowed, water leaked into the vehicle around the windshield.moisture flowing through the seal that surrounds the front windshield follows a path through the seal into the generic electronic module (gem) and fuse box, and May cause the electrical components in the vehicle to malfunction.overall, the number of reports alleging wiper failures and lighting failures is relatively…
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…
Electrical complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1999 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 117 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 Ford Expedition, 12% of the model year's 946 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford Expedition electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1999 Ford Expedition, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford Expedition electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 27 fires and 3 injuries and 2 deaths 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.