Hi guys, I am new here. I am looking at a 2000 Excursion Limited, it has 60k miles on it. Appears to be in excellent condition, both appearance and mechanical. It has a Cervinis hood, exhaust, K&N, and some other little toys. Is there anything I should look for that may be " problem " areas ? I really like this truck ! I tow a travel trailer, a car trailer and snowmobile trailer and this truck seems like it makes a great tow vehicel !! I don't care about gas mileage. Thanks for the help.

 

I too bought a 2000 Excursion with about 60K miles on it (Diesel though). The previous owner had towed a lot with it and apparently used a hitch pin that was too small in diameter so that it wore a groove into the receiver's hitch pin hole. You might to give the hitch a quick check as I have recently learned that the box receiver appears to be only available from Ford and that it is put on with two 'breakoff' bolts which cranks up the labor to replace it.

 

also might want to check the front hubs to make sure they are going from auto to manual

 

At first I loved my 2000 X. Then as Ford worked up thousands of dollars on waranty work I liked my X. Now that it's coming out of my pocket, I'd swap it for a used Suburban in a second.

Why? Here's why…
0 - 60,000 km waranty work.
- 3 exhaust systems as each one has cracked at the section between the muffler and catalytic converter.
- Wiper motor recall
- Replaced battery and alternator.
- Leaking roof rack rails.
- Rear main seal on engine.
- Replaced front leaf spring due to distorted bushing.
- New shocks at 48,000 kms. 2 OEM shocks leaking.
- Front anti sway bars linkages bent, broken 4 times. Welded on as tightening could not keep them from creaking and slipping.
- Broken steering dampener.
- Idle air control module replaced.
- Autohubs still not working after re and re.
- Contaminated OE brake fluid replaced.
- Warped rotors.

After warranty to 72,000 kms
- 2nd alternator replacement.
- Upper/lower ball joints replaced
- Full brake pad replacement. 2 new front rotors.
- Fuel pump at 72,000 kms. No "porthole" in the body to replace it. The gas tank has to be dropped.

Want some more rants about the design of the X? Well even if you don't, try these…

- the big console is about an inch too short to hold file folders.
- the location of front dome lights cast shadow on what your writing if your right handed.
- The rear seat is like a cast off from a mid 80's Areostar. What's with no head rests or highback to separate cargo from people?!
- Cup holders that only hold buckets but not normal sized cups.
- Access to rear seat that requires huge effort to slide second seat forward. Also, everyone reaches for the big seat handle not the little one to move the seat forward.
- Sheetmetal so thin, pinecones dropping from trees can dent the hood.
- What would it have cost Ford to put heating elements in the convex mirror section? A buck or two per unit? And no dimming of the outside mirrors like a Chevy!
- Chucks of plywood covered in fabric held by velcro for the rear floor on folding the second seat…cheap and cheesy!
- Tap the dashboard above the speedo cluster. The entire dash is poorly supported and rattles like a bucket of fitting on rough roads. There is no support to mount anything heavy like 2 way radio equipment.
- A roof rack that has little carrying capacity. The mounting bolts are not in any structural member, only pressed into the sheet metal.
- Structural underbody members and bumpers built to collect tons of mud and salt.
- Fuel filters and other lines that require special tools to remove.
- A parking brake that is so under capacity it will not hold on a steep grade (as verified but a Ford mechanic).
- Oil filler tube so short you need a funnel to reach it. Again what would 6 inches more tube have cost Ford?!
- Wiring harnesses and wrappings made in Mexico of cheap electrical tape that over time loses its stick and starts to unravel.
- Panic braking power second only to a Flintstone car. Try to lock 'em up on bare pavement…go ahead…try! You can barely kick in the antilocks. Then try it with the advertised 10,000 pounds of trailer behind. I'll send flowers.
- Headlights akin to candles.

Maybe the rants above seem a bit over the top. I apologies to all you X fans that have a sterling record with yours. But I'm pissed off, sitting here with a business on hold because my truck is in the shop…again….as usual. I should not be getting customer satisfaction followup phone calls every few weeks! I don't want Christmas cards from Ford mechanics!

I've always bought used cars, usually 2 -4 years old so that the bugs could be worked out. I've NEVER had a used vehicle towed. My new X has been on the hook twice in the past 3 weeks for separate critical breakdowns (2nd alternator and fuel pump).

So, in my humble, cry-in-the-wilderness opinion, if you really want a 2000 X, don't rely on it for work, revenue or as an only vehicle. If you want it as a family station wagon, then face the wrath of the tree huggers and bicycle fanatics. If you need that size of vehicle to tow something big, try out the brakes without a load. I've towed a 3,500 lb boat/trailer (no brakes) and had to hit the binders when a car ran a stop sign. It was an adventure. I've also had 8 adults on board and had to think about every stop in advance. Separate Ford mechanics have checked the brakes a number of times and said that's just the way they are.

I want to love my X again. But every time I look at a Toyota Sequoia, a used Range Rover, even…yes…dare I say a 3/4 ton Suburban. I call my banker but hang up before he answers. If this beast ends up on the hook again, I'll let the call go through.

Cheers,
GeoQwest.

 

Wow, the second bad review I have read today. Where have you guys been?

I purchased a 2000 V10 4x4 in August with 36000 miles. I might be getting close to 37000 miles. I purchased from CarMax and have their extended warranty... I kind of wish somehing would go wrong so I could see if their warranty is worth keeping.

 

Umm - GeoQwuest - what do you do with your vehicles. I have a 2000 X. Nothing - I mean nothing has been a problem. 42,000 miles. Do you have employees driving these trucks? What gives.

The rotor thing is outside of discussion - this is endemic to all disc brake heavy weights. You must equalize stud tension to avoid warpage. Your responsibility - not Ford.

 

The above rant was posted a couple of hours after I paid off the tow truck driver to haul my X to the shop again.

In the light of dawn, I'll tone down some of my comments here.

I use the X as a safari vehicle on off pavement travel throughout British Columbia Canada. I know this implies visions of hard pounding harsh use. But in reality, most of the miles off pavement are slow, watching for wildlife with frequent stops at viewpoints, lakes and other scenic locations. We do nothing extreme. Mostly we simply need the ground clearance, carying capacity and uphill 4x4 traction of the vehicle.

Most of the problems I've had do not relate to off pavement use. The auxiliarry lighting is seldom used to tax the alternator, the exhaust cracking is a total mystery, valve fuel pump etc. are not subject to off road abuse.

The chassis is a 3/4 ton Super Duty pickup. This chassis and V10 have proven for years as being reliable. I know contractors working in the bush as loggers, road builders, foresters and the like who load and overload thier Super Dutys routinely and have not had major problems. The ball joints, IAC, autohubs and leaf spring problems however were predicted by a mechanic friend. He's 4 for 4 on my X.

So in fairnes to all the Excursions running around out there with great track records, I envy you. Maybe I got the built-on-a-Monday-with-a-hangover by a work opportunity drug rehab guy.

But it's unnerving to think that 2 days ago I was at 4500 feet, 30 miles from pavement breaking tracks in 1 foot of snow with 6 clients from England on board and thinking that if the fuel pump or alternator quite, it's $1100/hour helicopter to get them out. I hate the thought of not being able to rely on my vehicle.

Now that it's off waranty, it's time to start swapping out the weak parts with aftermarket stuff as a lot of folks on this site have done. I just wish it was an option and not a necesity.

Cheers,
GeoQwest

 

Geo...
sounds like you may need a specialty vehicle...

I have diesel Ex's, but have never had this many issues... and going in I knew that the center console was not for my office folders...

It does what I want and more...

but like with all 'boys' I would like it to do MORE (HP and Fueal mileage), but it's fine as it is for what it is...

Maybe time to trade, or get a backup vehicle... the tax laws have this huge SUV loophole all the enviroidiots are screaming about !
Use it to get a new one !