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 2001 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My wife was driving in the middle of traffic when she suddenly had no brakes. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor and failed to respond. She then began to pump them wildly and got some braking action. (this is in an new Ford Expedition with only 47,000 miles on the odometer. ) she drove in first gear to our local Ford dealer a few blocks away. A right front wheel bearing had already worn out-apparently a manufacturing defect, causing the wheel to become loose from the axle. As it came loose, the brake shoe and piston mechanism of the brake ceased to function. She was lucky that she hit no one else and that the wheel did not come off causing the vehicle to flip. She was fortunate she was not on the freeway at high speeds when this incident occurred. The service manager said she was lucky to get in before the wheel fell off the vehicle. …
This is a modified copy of a letter sent to continental tire of north America, inc. And to Ford motor company. The reason for informing the NHTSA of this is the hope that these companies will be held accountable for the products they sell the American public. I drive is a 2001 Ford Expedition, which at the time of the incident had 26,000 miles on it and came stocked with general grabber aw tires dot# adt044t4900 size 275/60/17. The reason for this letter is not only to inform you of my disgust, but also to inform you that this tire caused close to $3,000 worth of damage to my vehicle and also put my family and I in danger on that day and every other day we drove on general tires. …
As we were driving we had a tire tread separation. Luckly, we did not flip over in our 2001 Ford Expedition. To our knowledge when we got home we checked the tires number and it was a recalled general- grabber aw.fortunately, we all survived but our car has major damage. The recall on the tires ended April 1st, 2003 and we purchased the SUV the same month.now the tire manufacture doesnot want to do anything, Ford company says-they wont do anything- the dealership that we purchased the SUV from says they're not responsible how does the dealership not know about the grenade they sold me? I thought that the purpose of a recall was to save lives... I almost lost my family and my life- if we did die or one of my family members- would someone finally listen? Well, that's the impression I'm getting.when will the rules change? …
Dt: the contact owns a 2001 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that he had a tread separation on a tire. The tire was located on the passenger rear side. This occurred while driving at about 65-70 MPH. The dealership stated to submit the tires to continental tire for evaluation of the tires. The manufacture is continental. The model name is grabber aw. The tire line is 27560r17. The dot number is 27560r17. He thinks that the tire manufacture recommends that the tire pressure be 33psi. The contact does not that the psi on his tires is what ever the manufacture recommends. The tires are regularly serviced such as tire pressure checks and tire rotation. There where some vibration while driving the vehicle. He did not notice any abnormal bulging in the tire before this happened. This occurred on July 10, 2005. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford Expedition. The vehicle had continental grabber aw tires, size p275/60r17 (na) three years ago. At that time, all four tires had to be replaced because the vehicle drove roughly and the tires began to form bubbles. The tires were replaced at 30,000 miles at the contact's expense, even though there was a safety recall. The vehicle currently has general continental contitrac SUV tires, size 275/60r17 (na) and they are experiencing the same failure. The contact would like to be reimbursed for the first set of tires that he replaced and to have the current tires replaced. He referenced NHTSA campaign id number 02t012000 (tires:tread/belt). The dot number was unknown. The vehicle current mileage was 68,000 and failure mileage was 30,000. The tire failure mileage was 5,000.
Dt*: the contact stated after driving 55 MPH on normal road conditions, a missing cap was noticed in the right front wheel. The plastic prongs fractured, and remained attached to the brackets. The contact purchased a new cap at the dealership. The same incident recurred after a year on the rear driver side wheel. The contact purchased another cap from the dealership. After an inspection of the other caps, cracks were noticed in every cap's prongs though the contact applied glue to prevent the caps from detaching. The manufacturer was contacted, who asked for the caps invoices, which the contact did not keep. The manufacturer promised a return call, which never occurred.
In 07/01 the right rear tire experienced a sidewall blowout while driving. The dealer replaced the tire. The replacement tire vibrated excessively while driving. Tire dealer stated the tire could not be balanced, because the tire was coming apart on the inside. Tire info: continental general aw grabbers p275/60r17 original 1st failure-100 miles on tire 2nd failure- 29K miles on tire dot# 1st tire- adt044t5100 dot# replacement tire- adt0441701 manufacturer did not take responsibility.
The tread on the left rear tire peeled away from the sidewayy. I have other tires seperate, but this by far was the cleanes seperation that I have seen. I was on vacation and had all other tires replaced and my cost. I never heard about the recall in 2002 and I am very agitated with this, becuase I would never put my family on unsafe tires. The tread hit the back tailgate and quarter pannel and cost a total of $1,650 in damage. Now my insurace company will deal with this "company".
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Expedition equipped with continental contri trac aw tires, line size p275/60/r17. The contact was driving 60 MPH when the tread of the rear passenger tire separated. The contact installed the spare tire. He stated that he had not noticed any prior issues with the tire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The dot number was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 85,230 and the current mileage was 85,239.
Since I got the truck the electric system has been failing, also the brakes failed to operate while on the freeway and almost had us killed. The back door locks by itself and can't be opened. Air comes in from the front windshield and it also leaks when it rains. All four tires were very wasted, also I was lied about the interest rate. I was told that my interest would be 6.78% and in the contract it appears as 12.15%.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2001 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 65 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2001 Ford Expedition, 11% of the model year's 578 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2001 Ford Expedition, though it has 6 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 2001 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 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.