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 2004 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the turn signals, the hazard lights, and the cigarette lighter had become inoperable. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
On 6/22, the right wheel bearing assembly failed while traveling ~20 MPH. As a result, a fire occurred. I put the fire out in our driveway at home with a water hose. Significant damage occurred to the right wheel assembly, bearing housing, 1/e axle, rotor, caliper, brake pads, emergency brake, etc...luckily, were close to home and were not traveling 70 MPH. No other vehicles were involved and there were no injuries as my wife and I were able to get all of our children out of the Expedition safely. Our Expedition is a 2004.
We were driving with continental tires (p265/70r17113s) on an arizona highway when our rear right tire separated. Our vehicle immediately veered to the left and went up a guardrail with a 30' drop below. Our vehicle (Ford Expedition) flipped 360 degrees, landing on its passenger side. The vehicle was well maintained. The tires had sufficient tread. The authorities on site took pictures of the tread separation and recommended reporting this as the tire appeared to be defective.
1. We were driving to go on vacation on I-95 in georgia when the car became out of control we spun and hit a guard rail before we came to a stop. The car had to be towed. There was over 6500.00 in damage to my vehicle. The insurance paid for 3 tires but not the one that caused the accident.
In May 2004 I purchased a 2004 Ford Expedition xlt 4x4 from crossroads Ford in cary nc. The vehicle odometer reading was 10 miles. The day after the purchase I returned the vehicle and three of the original continental tires were replaced due to excessive road force. N August 2004 I brought the Expedition back to x-rds Ford for service. A fourth continental tire was replaced due to excessive road force. I took the Expedition to perry bros. In smithfield nc for service at 11000 miles in November 2004. Perry bros. Told me that two of the continental tires were worn out. I took the Expedition back to x-rds Ford as soon as possible and they found that all four of the second set of continental tires showed excessive and unusual tread wear. Crossroads Ford offered me a third set of continental tires which I declined. I was charged $273 to have a set of Michelin tires put on. …
In February 2004, we purchased an expedtion from world Ford in stone mountain, georgia. The vehicle has 8100 miles to date. On June 6, 2004, at approximate 3:00 pm, my children and I were enroute to a birthday party and a tire (rear right) blew out. I was in the middle of the freeway during major traffic and had to travel less than 1/2 mile to get over and off. I called my husband who came to pick the children and me up. On Monday, June 7, we went to world Ford to talk with them about the matter and was told that the tires that came standard with the truck was not under warranty with them. We explained that when we purchased the vehicle, we were not informed of any outside warranties. They recommended that we go to national tire and battery to have them call the manufacturer. …
On 10/20/07, the sidewall of my Goodyear fortera (right rear) failed. My wife lost pressure and had to aaa change the tire. Goodyear stated (la quinta dealer) the tire was damage by a unknown object. On 10/26/07, I was driving driving when the left rear tire failed. I pulled over and changed the tire. I later had the tire inspected and the inner sidewall separated and appeared to be the same size and detail of the previous tire failure. When I took it to the Goodyear dealer (cedar city ut) they told me that I had driven on the tire too long and I caused the damage. I was lucky, I immediately pulled over and changed the tire before I lost all air pressure. There was "no damage" on the tire due to my driving. The damage tire failure was about a 4-5 inch rectangular shape hole. The second tire began the same way. …
2004 Ford Expedition; had original tires put back on vehicle after have authorized tires removed. Factory tires had approximately 300 miles on them. Severe vibration in front end of car before and after factory tires were reinstalled. Paid to have two 4-wheel alignments, balancing on both sets of tires (factory and Ford authorized upgrades) in two months. Ford could not find any issues with the front end of the vehicle". Vibration exists with less than 1000 total miles on the factory tires. Was told that they could not be balanced and that I needed to contact the manufacturer. Second incident is: the leather material on the seats has cracked and hardened. When sitting, it begins to poke and scratch and cause irritation to the skin. Ford will replace part of the leather, but refuses to replace all of it because "the damage is not bad enough".
In the afternoon of Saturday August 8, 2009 the tire warning light in my 2004 Expedition came on. Later I inspected the vehicle and noticed a tear in the front passenger side tire. The tear was about 1/2" to 3/4" long at about where the steel belt meets the tire wall. Monday August 10, 2009 as I was travel south bound on I 15 about 3 miles south of temescal canyon exit. I heard and felt the tire blow. I was able to pull over. The entire steel belt tread from wall to wall had torn off and there were two lacerations, completely through the tire, about 5" apart running from the rim to the tread. I will replace the tire.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Expedition equipped with cooper definity dakota a/t tires, size 265/70r17 (na). While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose control and veered off the road. The contact pulled over and noticed all of the tread on the driver side rear tire was missing. A spare tire was installed on the vehicle. The tire was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The failure and current mileages were 75,000.
NHTSA investigations
Steel wheel fracture
Ford special service vehicle (ssv) expeditions use a steel full face wheel design similar to that investigated in pe03009, rq04007, ea04034 (crown victoria police interceptor) and pe03026 (GM pickups and suvs).a total of 8,251 ssvs (2.2% of total production) were produced within model years 2004-2006 and sold primarily for use by state, federal, and municipal law enforcement (le) agencies.Ford stipulates that the…
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2004 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2004 Ford Expedition, 10% of the model year's 297 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford Expedition wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 9 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.