Whats up guys, I just wanted to ask everyone if they have ever been stranded by their Expedition. Just curious about that type of reliability, seeing that I have been stranded lots of times by vehicles breaking down. And by stranded I mean having to call a tow truck!

 

Nope...never!

Of course if it happens tomorrow I'm coming over and kickin' your butt for asking the question.

 

No, never has left me stranded. Been a damn good truck. Currently is getting a wheel bearing replaced and a converter clutch done. Only other major thing that went on it was alternator and that went while I was pulling into my father inlaws driveway who just so happens to own a starter and alternator shop. Lucky me! Future fix will be heater core that my husband refuses to do.
Now according to the government I should turn it in, cash for clunkers, but my "clunker" is like an old friend. I just don't have the heart to do it. So with 242,000 miles on it and rust starting to appear I will continue to drive it.

 

About 3 weeks ago it did. Transmission went out on my way home from a business trip. Luckily I was withing 20 minutes of my house when it did. Had a tow truck take me to a trans shop and $2400 later I am good to go.

 

Never let me down! 1998 Expy 4.6L with 114,000miles

 

Other than the starter going out while I was at a friends place, nope. My 98 (5.4L w/131,000 miles)has done an excellent job for me over the past 3+ years.

 

Twice.

Once was when it had 45k on it or something like that and it popped a plug. We were in North Platte, Nebraska and were on our way back home to the Twin Cities.

The second time I was heading up to Fargo/Moorhead to finish moving my stuff and the alternator took a dump on me in Osakis, MN. Luckily they had a Napa and they had an alternator in stock. I changed it in the parking lot the next morning.

 

Never stranded me or let me down. It's been a very solid & dependable vehicle to own - probably the best I've ever owned! All the other vehicles I have owned have left me stranded at one point or another.

 

I have a bad case of O.C.D. when it comes to preventive maintenance. Take care of your truck and it will take care of you.

I've only been stranded once in my life, and that was by a '64 Ranchero with over 200,000 miles on it. I blame myself for that one, I knew the generator was acting up and I should've done something about it.

 

Do you want to tell us what that means, or should we start making up our own definition?

 

O.C.D. = Overly Compulsive Disorder

I tend to be the same way, Dogfather. I used to get upset if I went 500 miles over a scheduled oil change, but don't anymore. Oil I'm using has gone 1000 miles over with excellent numbers back from Blackstone Labs. You're correct, though, in if you take care of your vehicle, it will return the favor and take care of you!

 

Preventative maintenance is a great thing. All the PM in the world can't predict when an alternator suddenly quits charging on a road trip or other freak problems.

 

TWICE

The first time was a bad Alternator that ate a battery, not too big a deal really.

Second time was a doozy, I was towing my camper from Ohio, to Yellowstone in WY. On TOP, yes TOP of the Big Horn Mountains the tranny blew. Had to have Expy and Camper towed 97 miles to Cody, WY to have a new tranny put in, that was at the beginning of the vacation. Had to spend $3k on a tranny and $250 on a rental car.

 

In my case, I knew the generator was dying. But you're right, these days alternators don't give you any warning. They either work or they don't, and the electrical systems are a lot more sophisticated than they were in 1964.

Also in my case, O.C.D. is OBSESSIVE Compulsive Disorder. Maybe I just love motor vehicles of all kinds so much that I dedicate myself to their preservation and care. I just enjoy it. I still have a bunch of my Matchbox cars from the 60's, so I've been this way my entire life.

I used to have a thing about certain manufacturers being unreliable--Ford was one of them. Found On Road Dead. Fix Or Repair Daily. I've never liked any Dodge product, and I have a real problem with Chevy although I trusted GM on the whole. I thought Oldsmobile was superior in quality to anything else GM made.



Eventually I learned that any vehicle will turn to crap if you don't take care of it. The first vehicle I could afFORD was a Ranchero and it only let me down that one time. I've also had two Mustangs, a Cougar, a Bronco II, and now this Expy. All have been good to me and all I've done is keep things on a tight schedule and try to be proactive when I know something might be getting ready to happen. That's why I visit this site, to read what problems other people are dealing with so I can be ready if it happens to me.

 

No.
2003 Expedition 5.4L
117,000+