Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On three occasions starting 6/21/06, after putting the car into gear (forward twice, reverse once), the engine immediately raced and lurched, and an inordinate amount of pressure had to be applied to the brakes to try to control the car. There were three different drivers each time who will attest to this. The last occasion, my wife was backing into our driveway, stopped, put the care in 'park', and then, after a minute, into reverse again, where it immediately accelerated to a very high rate of speed, smashed into my son's van (totaling it), pushed the van another 15 feet over two trees, where she finally had control of the brake. We are very fortunate that no one was hurt, but I'm very concerned at Ford's response. …
On 9-18-04 darrell baldwin, denice baldwin and devin theisen were in 2004 Expedition sitting in driveway preparing to leave for a soccer game. Darrell put the vehicle in drive with the brake firmly applied. The car involuntarily accelerated at high rate until the brakes quit and shot us into our other vehicle parked in the driveway. We veered right trying to miss the truck but was unsuccessful. The car continued across our yard heading toward our neighbors house across the street. During this time the brakes were unable to stop the car and the gear shift wouldn't go into neutral. The path left skid marks down our driveway, across the street and finally in the driveway of our neighbor. This was an extremely unsafe situation. Usually there are children out playing and had this occurred when children were present it could have been a potentially fatal situation! …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Expedition. She smelled plastic burning in her garage; however, she observed flames coming from underneath the hood of her vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire and the vehicle is in her garage. The vehicle was destroyed and there were major damages to her residence. The dealer was not notified. Her insurance company stated that Ford will be sending out an investigator to determine what caused the fire. There is an incident report from the fire department .there is a recall on Ford vehicles for the cruise control switch but at this moment they don't know if that caused the fire to occur. The failure and current mileages were 79000.
The vehicle transmission was in the park position while waiting on a slow train. When engaging the transmission into the drive position, after the train had passed, the vehicle uncontrollably fully accelerated on it's own. To avoid a seriously collision with oncoming traffic, the driver turned the vehicle on to the railroad tracks where it came to a stop after damaging two wheels and high centering on the tracks. This is a very dangerous vehicle.
The consumer was pulling out of a parking lot in light rain, made a right turn and the vehicle surged forward and veered into the street. The consumer was standing on the brakes, but the vehicle continued to surge forward. The vehicle hit and scraped a parked vehicle, damaging the right side. The vehicle was finally brought to a stop and taken to the dealer, who examined the vehicle and could not find anything wrong with it.
On Sunday, 3/14/2004, I was driving my 2004 Ford Expedition on dry pavement when the vehicle began to shake with acceleration (15-20 MPH). I checked to be sure there were no flat tires and proceeded. Once the vehicle was up to 45-50 MPH I attempted to brake and the vehicle's brakes did not properly respond. The brake pedal began to vibrate and shake but the vehicle did not slow down. I applied the brakes harder and the vehicle came to a slow stop. Once the vehicle stopped a warning buzzer sounded and the vehicles message center stated "check advtrac". The advtrac feature disabled and I was able to drive the vehicle home safely. The next day, (today 3/15/04), I drove the vehicle to the Ford dealership without event. The dealership had no idea what the problem was but stated they would contact Ford and let me know. This event took place on a clear paved dry flat road. …
On December 5, 2004, my family and I were driving south on interstate 5 near edmonds, washington. The cruise control motor of our 2004 Ford eddie bauer Expedition engaged on its own and malfunctioned in such a way as to open up the throttle on the car. We were sent at high speeds through traffic with no way to stop. Braking the car, putting the car into neutral or lower gears, nothing worked. We narrowly avoided many collisions which could have resulted in serious injury or death to our family and others on the road that day. My husband is an excellent driver and remained calm. We made our way through traffic to the side of the road where he was able to slam on the emergency brake and turn the key off. All four brakes were billowing smoke. Our local dealer has "fixed the problem" but I am compelled to warn other drivers of our difficulties. …
While slowly braking to a stop behind traffic stopped for a red light, the engine suddenly accelerated with my right foot still on the brake pedal. I pressed harder on the brake and when I realized the engine was still revving (at over 3,000 RPM), I put the transmission into neutral and noticed the engine speed erratically bouncing up and down in roughly the 2500 to 3500 RPM range. I still had my right foot firmly pressed on the brake pedal. I finally shut the ignition off and put the transmission into park. I waited a a few seconds and restarted the engine. This entire time I never lifted my right foot off the brake pedal. The engine started and idled at a normal 600 RPM or so. I carefully put it into drive so I could get out of traffic. At each subsequent stop, I would put the transmission into neutral just in case of another incident. …
My vehicle, without any warning at any speed, including highway speeds, shuts off completely,without any warning or indication that it is about to do this. Always on a straight road with almost a full tank of gas. The cause a relay switch which is soldiered into the memory board that controls the vehicle's brain box that shorts out. After doing research on the internet, I am both shocked and disgusted that the nhsta has not investigated this faulty design by Ford and made them recall all of the 2003- 2008 expeditions. You only have to pull it up on you-tube or google to see the 1000's upon 1000s of complaints from Expedition owners concerning this constant and dangerous problem, which clearly endangers every Expedition owner and their family. …
While driving on a 3 lane highway where the speed limit is 65, I began my transition to the right lane to exit. We were traveling approximately 60mph. As I began to change lanes the vehicle noticeabley began to accelerate. At first I thought the cruise control had been activated, but when j attempted to stop, the car kept trying to accelerate. As I entered the exit ramp the car did not slow down the way it should have and the brakes did not feel sure. As I was able to come to a safe roll, I placed the car I to neutral at which time the car accelerated violently. I felt for the gas pedal which seemed to to depressed as if the cruise control was on. However, I was stopped. The engine did finally slow to within normal RPM. …
Acceleration complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2004 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2004 Ford Expedition, 7% of the model year's 297 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford Expedition acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2004 Ford Expedition. 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 2004 Ford Expedition acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.