The 2001 Ford Expedition is a solid SUV that delights... Mostly. The body is large enough to accommodate a large family, such as I have, and the vehicle handles and runs well, even over 200,000 miles. Most of the components are well-designed for minimal required repairs. It handles towing moderate loads with ease, and can easily handle a moving trailer fully loaded. While internal cargo space is low when loaded with a full complement of passengers, the third row does remove and the center row folds flat to accommodate larger loads. Unfortunately, it has an Achilles heel in the 5.4L V8 engine. It delivers power and then some for a vehicle of its size, but at random times, a spark plug will depart the engine head, strip the few threads, and dispatch it at speed through the coil pack and into the underside of the hood. Poor design is at fault, as they only tapped it for a very few threads, not enough to fully capture all of the available threads the spark plug provides. Three of the spark plug holes have required the specialty repair this requires. The engine compartment is very cramped, with all the engine and extra hoses, plus the fact that the rear of the engine is well under the bulkhead. This makes home repairs challenging at times.

I drive a Ford Expedition that is old and big and has lots of miles on it. Everything in the vehicle works except the factory television/DVD player and the back glass does not open on the back gate. I'm impressed since the vehicle has over 250,000 miles on it! I like that it has stood the test of time and kids and is still going!