1999 Ford Expedition consumer reviews

I bought my '99 Eddie Bauer in 2001 with about 33,000 miles on it. I drove it until July of 2010, when the transmission went out with 230,000 miles on it. I absolutely loved this vehicle -- looked good, road well enough (for a truck frame), tons of storage or passenger room, comfortable interior. There was just no negative to it, except maybe the 14 miles per gallon average. INTERIOR: Very comfortable, all electric seats, all controls well placed and within easy reach. Had rear AC so was always cold, and heated up on the cold days. Lots of storage. I'm an appraiser so I live in my car, and there was room for everything without looking trashed. EXTERIOR: Loved the dual opening in back -- just the window (for hauling lumber), or the whole hatch. ENGINE: I had the 5.4L V8, which always ran great in the Texas heat. Over the 9 years I had it, I replaced brakes regularly, replaced about 5 of the 8 spark plug coil packs (@$200 each), and had the front ball joints redone at about 200,000 miles. A few other minor things here and there, but I would guess I spent a grand total of about $5k on maintenance over the years, including tires, service, oil, changes, and brakes. The ball joint job was a good chunk of that, so when you figure that in, I probably spent about $400/year for oil changes, brakes, tires, and misc. maintenance. When the tranny went out I tried 4 different mechanics, practically begging them to tell me it was worth it to fix, but they all said it was time to move on. I've since taken over my wifes 2005 Nissan Murano, and while the mileage is better (19mpg), I really miss my truck! When I've run the Murano into the ground I'm going back to an Expedition.

After two days buying the vehicle we drove home, and hit black ice. We rolled the vehicle over and land in the ditch, and landed on its wheels. We put it on 4 wheel drive and drove out of there. The only thing that happen was the mirror came off but we easily put it back on the spot and the front wheels had to be realine in the shop cost only $50.00. It is the safest vehilce we ever owned!!! Now it has 200,000 miles. So far the biggest things I had to fix was the brakes at 195,000 miles and they still had life on them, the new ones costed $1500. AND we plan to keep the vehicle unitl it can no longer be driven, then I'll buy a new one...

After 6 months of research with regard to our needs and after comparing the data (Yes I am an engineer, duh), we chose the '99 Expedition XLT as the vehicle we wanted. We chose the 5.4L because it had a trailering package available, seating for 8 and a back seat the size of a sofa, rear a/c, fold down and removeable seats, and the highest ground clearance in it's class. We ordered the Exp from the factory exactly as we wanted it, loaded. White is the color chose because white will show less age aver time. This is proven to be true after nearly 11 years and 180,000 miles. The '99 Expedition was rated (by a popular magazine) as the number 1 off road vehicle for that model year. The 4th 4WD I have owned, it has proven to be the most sure-footed vehicle I have ever driven both on and off road including on the beach. The Expedition handles about the same as a large 4x4 in dry weather. Wet, snowy and icy weather is where this truck really shines. The automatic 4WD feature 4 wheel anti-lock brakes and high road position give you complete visibility and control in virtually any weather. Gas mileage is about the same as the common but smaller Japanese 4x4 SUV of this style. If high gas mileage is a requirement, an EXP or pickup truck are not what you should be looking at anyway. The vehicle is heavy and does take time to get up to speed however it is not underpowered, it's the 3.73 rear. If you want to race, look for another truck. If you want to pull a boat or heavy trailer, stick with the EXP. Reliability has been good. The 5.4 engine had a problem with the head gasket which Ford replaced n/c, at 140k I had the ball joints replaced, a new alternator at 150k, and most recently I replaced the connecting link between the stabilizer bar and lower control arm myself ($10 part, 20 mins of work). Regular maintenance, lube changes and brake changes are a snap to do by yourself due to the location of the filters, great ground clearance and the 4 wheel disc brakes (10 minutes per wheel, no kidding!) The only body rust I have is at the bottom of the doors. Seems that water must get in and pool on the inside. I keep it painted with a good quality rustproofing and it has held up. Overall the Expedition has been a great vehicle. It has changed my mind to the positive when it comes to American cars and Ford.

I have owned the Expedition since new and recently past 200,000 miles on it. The reliability has been outstanding. The only major repair it a new alternator at 160k. I love the comfort of the seats and the legroom of the 2nd row seat. The 3rd row seat is a tight fit for anybody taller than 5ft. After taking out the rear seat the 2nd row folds completely flat and is a great area for my three dogs to travel in. I choose the smaller 4.6L engine which gives me decent mileage for a vehicle this size. On a recent roadtrip I drove 532 miles on a single tank with 20.2 mpg. Normaly around town I will average 17 to 18 mpg. Unfortunately, with the smaller engine the power is not enough for this large vehicle. The transmission often downshifts on the slightest grades uphill trying to find power. I usually don't get up to freeway speeds on the on ramps. Another drawback is just the shear size of the Expedition makes it hard to maneuver around town and a parking lot. The Expedition is a great vehicle for me and I plan to keep it for another 100k miles.

This is a great car for the person who needs lots of space for lots of stuff. Seats 8! It's very functional as 2nd row seats fold and 3rd row seats remove. Goes through every type of weather.

When we looked at SUV's, we decided to buy the Expedition over the Durango and other comparable vehicles at the time. We also chose it over any smaller SUV's. We wanted the room, and it had a solid feel to it. The doors shut with that solid sound. Everything was just nicer quality than the competitive vehicles. It felt better in seating comfort and suspension while driving down the road. The price was comparable to the other SUV's, and it was just higher quality in every way. I put a 4 out of 5 for reliability because there were several recalls, they were all handled by the dealership with no problem, but I didn't want to put a 5 for that. The MPG was what they said, so no surprise. We've had it for 7 years and it has been a fine looking low maintenance family vehicle.