There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2003 Ford Excursionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE 6.8 AND 5.4 ENGINES HAVE BEEN FAILING DUE TO DEFECTIVE VALVE TRAIN CAM FOLLOWERS. I AM HAVING THE 3RD ENGINE INSTALLED IN MY EXCURSION. THE CAM FOLLOWERS ARE FAILING AND SPITTING THEM OUT CAUSING CATSTROPIC ENGINE FAILURE. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ANTHONY BARIANA WHO WORKS FOR HOLMAN DISTRIBUTION IN NEW JERSEY @ 1-800-521-1223 EXT 305 AND HE CONFIRMED THAT THE 6.8 AND 5.4 ENGINES HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS MY TRUCK AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. MT TRUCK IS CURRENTLY AT MATTHEWS PAOLI FORD 610-644-4700 AND THE GENERAL MANAGER BRYAN LIPPINCOTT TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED 6 STATE FARM TRUCK ENGINES IN 2.00 MONTHS 6.8 LITER SAME AS MINE IDENTICAL PROBLEM. FORD HAS DONE NOTHING FROM WHAT I SEE DOING SOME RESEARCH BUT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND FORD HAS DONE NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND MADE NO ATTEMPT TO FIND THE ROOT CAUSE AND HAVE A FIX SO THIS WILL STOP COSTING CONSUMERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I WAS DRIVING ON MY STREET AND WITHOUT WARNING THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE SO I SHUT IT OFF AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER MATTHEWS FORD LOCATED IN PAOLI PA.
THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT COME ON AND OFF AND MY TRUCK LOSES POWER AND IF YOU AT A STOP LIGHT THE TRUCK WILL CUT OFF. WHEN I TAKE TO THE SHOP THEY THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING BAD BUT IT MAY BE ABLE TO BE ON A RECALL.
THE REAR DRIVE SHAFT FELL OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. *MR THE DAMAGE ALSO CAUSED THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TRANSFER CASE TO SHEAR OFF FROM THE TRANSMISSION. *TS *SCC *JB
TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026