Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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 owned a 1999 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The police believed that the fire originated on the driver side under the hood. A police and a fire report were filed. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers and a hose before the fire department arrived. A passenger who was seated in an unknown location sustained a fractured right knee, which required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 199,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was repaired. After the repair, while the vehicle was parked, it caught fire underneath the hood. The fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. There were no injuries. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
My Expedition started acting like it was starving for fuel misfiring loss of power and there's a ticking sound coning from under the dash board the door lock unlock the lights flicker and horn beeps by its self I parked it and a couple days later it wouldnt it trying to crank but its sound I dont believe battery is dead if it was then lights wouldn't come on now and again also when I use my key ring lock to lock the door there's a clunk cluck sound I've spent a lot of money trying to find out what's wrong with lamont that's my expeditions name and nobody knows last repair shop had it 9 days total on the 7th day I called them they said they had no idea and on the 9th I went in and they said I needed a new motor costing 2600 and charging me 220 to tell me that. The shop before that cost me 350 saying the truck itself were the plugs go in was stripped and they needed a special tool. …
After picking up laundry, on my way to staples all of the sudden I heard a loud pop, then a strong smell of gas. I pulled over, turned off truck. Turned it back on then heard a loud popping sound. Got the truck home opened the hood and noticed spark plug out of engine attached to a damaged coil. I tried to put in new spark plug but it would not screw in, the threads in cylinder head were stripped. Found out it would cost a lot of money to get cylinder head rethreaded. Wrote to Ford corporate they asked me for VIN name and basic info. I found out that this is common in triton engines. It is a designer flaw in Ford. Ford knew about it for years now. Spark plug blows out for no reason. After spark plug pops out a strong smell of gas comes out. This could cause engine to explode. This happens in Ford triton engines. This is unsafe.
As I was on the highway, there was a loud blow out as I was going 60 miles per hour. This is the 4th time that I have had a problem with the coils in this truck and this time the actual spark plug blew out of the engine leaving a open hole that could ignite a fire. I have now spent over $3600 on repairs just to find out with doing some online research that Ford knew of this problem for years and has been blaming the consumer for tightening the spark plugs to tight and other bull that they come up with and not taking responsibility for the cheap aluminum plugs and plug wires in their vehicle. This effect cars and truck with this engine since 1999 and goes through vehicles of 2008. A 9 year problem and the Ford corporation did not do a recall. This will effect if I will be buying another Ford vehicle for sure.
After picking up my laundry, I headed to staples while driving 45 MPH I heard a loud boom and very strong smell of gas so I pulled over turned off truck. I started again and it was a loud popping sound. I got home checked truck engine. I noticed my coil pack out and spark plug attached to it. I tried to put spark plug but the threads were all striped. I checked the inside of cylinder head could not see tried to put in a new spark plug but I can turn and turn and the spark plug would not screw in. This is dangerous because when spark plug blows out you have all the odor of gas coming out and that one spark can cause engine to blow up. I contacted Ford all they took was my VIN number and name never heard from them again.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition. After the vehicle had been shut off for approximately 15 minutes, it caught fire. The fire department arrived and stated that the fire originated from the front driver's side of the vehicle, underneath the engine. A report was filed. The windshield and windows were all cracked and damaged due to the high flames. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact believes that the vehicle should have been recalled and she should have been notified of any defects. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were over 200,000.
A spark plug blew/popped out the head on our 1999 Ford Expedition, causing fuel vapor to leak out of the opening, and starting a small fire, which was quickly doused. This is the 2nd time in 3 years that this has occurred, resulting in over $2000 in repair costs for each occurrence. I am very frustrated as I have read thousands of complaints from other Expedition, navigator, f-150, and f-250 owners with this same dangerous situation, and nothing has been done? Peoples lives could be at risk with this issue? Recall now!
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.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford Expedition. After driving all day, the vehicle was parked for a few minutes. When it was restarted, the engine suddenly caught fire. There was smoke emitting from the hood and sparks from the engine. The fire department extinguished the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. There were no injuries. A fire report was filed. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer had been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
NHTSA investigations
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…
Engine complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1999 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 274 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1999 Ford Expedition, 29% of the model year's 946 complaints. The component named most often is engine (115 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford Expedition engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 22 fires and 3 injuries to engine & cooling 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.