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 2000 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start-up. The contact attempted to jump start the vehicle with assistance, but he was not successful. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 300,000.
Vehicle caught fire around 10:25 pm. Vehicle was park and cold since the last time it was used was around 1:00 pm the same day. My wife got home and was parking her car a sudenly saw the Ford Expedition caching fire and flames coming out of the enginge compartment. Vehicle is total there are no possibility of repair.
My Expedition caught on fire parked in my driveway at least 30 minutes after driving it. I was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher and a water hose, but the plastic parts were were melted on the driver side. The battery was disconnected and I was told by a mechanic that it was the cruise control relay.
The vehicle was parked in a store parking lot, not running/ignition off, and it caught fire under the hood near the brake master cylinder. The fire damaged everything in the upper portion of the engine compartment, the hood, the cowling and the grill. Probably not repairable.
My vehicle was parked in the driveway and I was alerted by my dogs barking. I opened my garage door to see the entire engine compartment on fire. The fire was so intense that everything under the hood had melted.the fire marshals said the alternator cause it
My 2000 Ford Expedition was parked at my job parking lot for 3hrs, when it caught fire underneath the hood near the master cylinder, drivers side, near the firewall. I contacted Ford motor company, bbb, and consumer affairs, which all attempts were ignored.
While car was parked in driveway, a fire started spontaneously. I was awoken by a passerby by doorbell at 0555 in the morning. When I opened my front door my 2000 Ford Expedition was on fire. The hood was on fire and their were multiple explosions sparks flying everywhere as well as glass. The tires in front were also on fire. Their is extensive damage to the front of the vehicle as well as the interior. However, the back of the vehicle does not look bad on the outside but is completely torched on the inside. The fire was so intense that it ruined my garage door and has altered the look of the brick on the front of my house. The driveway is also damage as well as the lawn from the extensive heat. Glass was blown all over the lawn. I attempted to call Ford today with no success. Luckily because of the passerby my children were not injured and my house is still intact. …
Ford Expedition was sitting in carport. Just returned from the doctors office about 5:15 pm. About 6:00 my son hayden was going out to feed the animals and noticed that black smoke was comming from the car. He screemed and at that point I ran to the kitchen to find out what the problem was. He pointed out the smoke and I ran to the bedroom to get the keys to the car and had my sonn call 911. I then ran out the door and was going to try and move the car away from the house. By the time I could get close to the car flames started to appear on drivers to middle of the car between the hood and windshield. The black smoke began to thicked and I could see the paint bubbles in the hood. I attempted to open the drivers side door, but it was too hot and my son and the 911 operator were telling me to get away from it. …
We owned a 2000 Ford Expedition, which we never experienced any problems with. The end of September (I can't remember the date right off hand) we arrived home from the playground and 10 minutes later our truck spontaneously caught fire. Majority of the damage was done to the driver's side. The fire department said it looked to be electrical. A neighbor who lives down the street informed us that there had been several expeditions that recently caught fire. We then went to automotiveforums.com and was surprised to find many other individuals that this also happened too. I sent an email to the board of directors of the Ford motor company just to let them know that there were many more people that had this happen to, and to this day never received a response. Our insurance company informed us that most claims like this usually never get reported to Ford. …
While driving this Expedition I began noticing strange intermittant electrical behavior like the windshield wipers not working, radio turning off, windshield wash light blinking, and 4x4 light blinking. Several times in the middle of the night I'd notice that the headlights would come on on their own. Also the air ride would turn on and off while the car was off, and the heater fan would also come on. This would kill the battery. Several times while driving the 4x4 would turn on in the low gear making it difficult to maneuver. On several occasions the starter would turn on while the car was already running. I replaced the gem module and had the windshield resealed several times, but after just a few months the problems would recur. The final nail in the coffin was when the starter kicked on while running and it took a minute to get the car safely stopped. …
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…
Electrical complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2000 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 214 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Ford Expedition, 24% of the model year's 890 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Expedition electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2000 Ford Expedition, though it has 7 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 2000 Ford Expedition electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 86 fires and 5 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.