NHTSA Complaint #10147757 — 1997 FORD EXPEDITION

I HAVE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH MY 97 FORD EXPEDITION NOT STARTING AFTER SITTING FOR LONGER THAN TWO DAYS FOR OVER A YEAR NOW. I HAVE HAD THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP ATTEMPT TO FIND THE DRAW KEEPING THE VEHICLE FOR OVER A MONTH TOTAL. WHEN IT RAINED THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE WORSE. EVENTUALLY I WAS LEFT WITH HAVING TO HAVE A BATTERY BOOSTER IN THE BACK AND JUMP THE CAR AS IT NEEDED WITH NO SOLUTION FROM THE DEALER. TODAY I WENT OUT TO THE CAR ALMOST A YEAR LATER OF DEALING WITH THIS AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START AFTER LESS THAN 24 HOURS OF NOT DRIVING IT. THE CAR WAS NOT COMPLETELY DEAD AS THERE WAS CLICKING NOISES UPON TURNING THE IGNITION BUT DID NOT TURN OVER. REMOVED THE KEYS FROM IGNITION AND GOT OUT OF CAR TO GET BATTERY BOOSTER FROM THE BACK AND HEARD POPPING AND STATIC NOISE FROM PASSENGER FRONT SPEAKER VERY LOUD. AGAIN, KEYS WERE NOT EVEN IN THE IGNITION. NOISE CONTINUED TO COME FROM THE SPEAKER FOR OVER 30 MIN UNTIL I JUMPED THE CAR. WHEN STARTED THE CLOCK AND RADIO WOULD NOT WORK AND NOISE CONTINUED TO COME FROM THE SPEAKER, ALSO NOTICED WATER LEAKING DOWN PASSENGER SIDE HANDLE LOCATED BY THE WINDSHIELD. DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO GARAGE SPECIALIZING IN ELECTRICAL AND WAS TOLD OF WATER LEAKING FROM WINDSHIELD SEAL FAILURE VERY COMMON IN THIS VEHICLE AND POSITION OF FUSE AND GEM MODULE ALLOWING WATER TO LEAK IN AND POOL ACTING AS A CONDUCTOR RESULTING IN COMPONENTS COMING ON AND MALFUNCTIONING WITHOUT VEHICLE ON IS VERY COMMON. RESOLUTION, REPLACE WINDSHIELD AS SEAL NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED (APPROX. $280.00) AND REPLACE FUSE AND GEM MODULE (APPROX. $600.00). I LEFT THE GARAGE AND CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE SAME AND SERVICE MANAGER SAID WITH OUR RECENT RAIN OF 25 DAYS RUNNING HERE IN WA THEY WERE SEEING A LOT OF THIS AND IS COMMON BUT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE THIS EVENING I AM SHOCKED HOW MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS I HAVE FOUND FOR THIS AND A COUPLE OF OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE NOTICED. *JB