Repairing the Intermittent Digital Odometer in 1999 - 2003 Ford Trucks & SUVs

Are you are the owner of a 1999 - 2003 Ford full-size pickup or SUV that has a dim, erratic, or non-functional digital odometer display? Have you noticed that the odometer seems to work normally on some days, but on other days the display becomes extremely dim, fades in and out, or simply does not work at all? Does it seem to malfunction more on hot summer days than on cool days? Or for no apparent reason at all? Don't despair, because you are not alone in your frustration. Many others share your 'Part-Time Odometer' anguish.

The intermittent odometer is known to be a common problem in many Ford vehicles, especially model years 1999 - 2002 F-series pickups and SUVs with a few similar reports on 2003 models. The following vehicles have been specifically reported as having the problem, and the problem could also possibly exist in other Ford vehicles with digital odometers built during the same time.

1999 - 2002 Ford F150
1999 - 2002 Ford F250
1999 - 2002 Ford Expedition
1999 -- 2002 Ford Explorer
2003 Ford F350 Heavy Duty pickup
Others that have not yet been reported?

If you own one of these vehicles, the chances are very good that you have already witnessed this problem. Even if you haven't experienced it yet, you more than likely will see it sooner or later if you keep your vehicle for a few years.

If you own a 1999 - 2003 Ford vehicle with a digital odometer and it has the symptoms described below, there is a high probability that your vehicle has developed the problem.

When first experiencing the intermittent or fading odometer problem, most of us felt that it was only a minor inconvenience and not serious enough to spend good money having it fixed.

After all, except for this minor odometer glitch and perhaps a couple of other "small problems" that are common in these vehicles, we were for the most part, reasonably satisfied with our vehicle. Besides, we soon discovered that a little odometer persuasion (strategic 'thumping' in just the right spot on the instrument panel) usually restored the display and -- except on those very hot mid-summer days -- the odometer worked fairly normally most of the time.

But in spite of our best efforts to keep 'thumping' life back into the odometer, the problem returned more frequently and the blank odometer display lasted for longer periods. Over time, the 'dash thumping' routine was becoming more severe, but was less effective. Or it no longer worked at all.

As the problem worsened, we began to realize that not being able to read our vehicle mileage was more than simply a minor inconvenience. It was creating real problems, and some of these problems were starting to be costly. Issues related to the elapsed mileage on our vehicles were now becoming serious matters...

It quickly becomes apparent that this 'minor inconvenience' is a much more serious problem than we imagined that it could be. As a matter of fact, when you have this problem, you may face situations that have the potential to be very costly.

The following are just a few examples of the circumstances you may eventually have to deal with when you are not able to view your elapsed miles:

* you can't check your gas mileage

* you don't know when to perform oil changes & other mileage-based maintenance

* you have difficulty obtaining -- or are outright refused -- service under your mileage-based warranties such as original vehicle warranties, extended warranties, tires, brakes, major component repairs or replacements, etc.

* you can't track your mileage for proper reimbursement when you use your vehicle in your employment. If you use your vehicle in support of your employment, you need to document your mileage in order to be reimbursed for your job-related mileage.

* you can't document your business mileage if you use the vehicle in your own business. You must document your business-related mileage for many important reasons, including your tax records.

* you can't establish your vehicle's value when you decide to trade or sell it. (After all, would YOU pay top dollar for a used vehicle if you had no idea how many miles it had accumulated?)

The symptoms of the intermittent odometer problem include a wide range of erratic odometer display behaviors, ranging from being completely normal at times to completely inoperative at other times.

Common symptoms include unexplained dimming, or sudden disappearance and/or reappearance of the digital odometer display when you drive across rough pavement, or in many instances for no apparent reason at all.

Some of the odometer digits may be illuminated brightly while others are unusually dim or completely blank. Sometimes you might observe "garbage" caused by partially illuminated digits, such as the upper or lower half of the digits being visible, while the other half remains blank.

Once the intermittent odometer display problem starts to appear, it becomes progressively worse with time.

In many cases, the duration and frequency of occurrence will vary with the ambient temperature and humidity inside the vehicle. It will be less likely to show up during periods of cooler temperatures and become especially troublesome on hot summer days.

Eventually the display will remain blank most or all of the time, regardless of the environmental conditions.

During the early stages of the problem, the odometer display can often be temporarily restored by "thumping" the dash directly above the speedometer or on the clear plastic cover of the instrument panel near the odometer display.

As the underlying problems that are causing the intermittent display become more severe, it becomes increasingly difficult to restore the display in this manner, and the tendency to thump even harder increases accordingly.

Eventually, in spite of your best thumping efforts, the odometer display will probably remain blank at all times.

You are likely to eventually decide to repair the odometer. Once you make the decision to fix it, you will need to carefully weigh your repair options.

Perhaps you have a good friend who has already experienced the problem, learned how to fix it, and will help you fix your problem. If you don't have such a friend, then you will need to consider the other options for repairing your odometer.

Basically you have four options available. Failure to fully consider all of the options before deciding on the best course of action can be a very costly lesson.

You should carefully weigh the following four repair options:

The Ford dealer's standard intermittent odometer repair is to replace the entire instrument cluster with a new one.

The dealer should be your first choice if your vehicle is still under warranty, as your local dealer may repair the problem at little or no cost to you.

But be advised that some warranties may not cover the instrument cluster, so be sure yours is covered before electing to have the dealer perform the repair. Otherwise you could be facing a substantial repair bill out of your own pocket.

If your dealer repairs the problem and your vehicle is out of warranty, or if your instrument cluster is not covered by your warranty, be prepared to pay around $600 for removal of the old instrument cluster and installation and programming of the new cluster.

Bottom line: If your warranty covers replacing the instrument cluster, this is the way to go. If you have no warranty, this will be your most expensive option.

These are very popular vehicles, so used repair parts should be plentiful in most regions. Used instrument clusters are readily available from most automotive parts recyclers. Check your local phone directory for used automotive parts.

The cost for a used cluster will vary, but should always be considerably less than the cost for a new cluster from the dealer. However, unless you pay someone to do the labor (adding to the overall cost of this option), you will have to remove your old cluster and install the replacement cluster. (Do you feel you have the technical knowledge and skills to remove and reinstall the instrument cluster?)

There are other factors that you also need to consider if you choose this option:

The intermittent odometer problem usually results from a manufacturing defect in the instrument cluster circuit panel used in these models. Therefore, the potential for developing the problem is literally manufactured into millions of Ford vehicles currently on the road and vehicles sitting on the lots of used parts dealers.

Because of this common manufacturing defect, there is a very high probability that a used cluster will have the very same odometer problem as your existing cluster.

And keep this in mind also: Installing a used cluster will require that you have it programmed to the current mileage on your vehicle. Dealers normally charge approximately $85 to $100 to program the mileage. So when you add up the respective costs, a used cluster may not be such a bargain after all. Especially when the odds are high that you will end up with exactly the same problem after spending several hundred dollars and several hours of your own labor.

Bottom Line: Unless your instrument cluster has more serious problems than the intermittent odometer, you should not spend your hard-earned money to replace it with a used cluster, since you would be no better off obtaining a used cluster that has the same intermittent odometer problem than you would be if you just kept your current instrument cluster with its odometer problem.

Odometer repair shops can repair your existing odometer for only a fraction of the cost charged by dealers for a new instrument cluster.

These specialty repair shops normally charge around $150 - $200 to repair the odometer (assuming that you remove the instrument cluster and take it or ship it to the repair shop.)

While this option will save you considerable money compared with the dealer's standard cluster replacement, you will have to remove the instrument panel yourself, ship it to the repair shop, and then reinstall the repaired instrument panel after the repair is completed.

During this entire repair process, your vehicle will be out of service - most likely for several days or weeks, depending on two-way shipping times and the backlog of the repair shop.

Bottom line: Unless you have an odometer repair shop in your local area that can give you a quick turnaround time, this may be the least practical option due the long down time of your vehicle.

It may be a bit more plausible if you have a second vehicle to drive during the repair. On the other hand, it could be the perfect excuse to get more exercise if you'd like to walk everywhere for the next few weeks instead of driving your vehicle.

If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person and you can use simple hand tools and can follow simple step-by-step directions, then you have the technical skills needed to easily fix the intermittent odometer problem yourself in just a couple of hours.

A new repair manual is now available that was written specifically to guide you step-by-step in the simple repair of your own intermittent odometer problem.

The new Intermittent Ford odometer repair manual was inspired by many individuals who have shared their personal experiences in dealing with this problem over the past several years.

During this time, many individuals found the courage to repair their own odometer and to share their respective experiences. By doing so, each individual contributed immeasurably to furthering the collective knowledge of this problem and further refined the repair procedure.

The personal pride and sense of accomplishment experienced by those early pioneers who bravely corrected this problem in their own vehicles was the inspiration for the new repair manual.

The manual molds all of this information - which was collected over the course of several years - into a concise, easy to use guide that clearly explains what is wrong with your odometer and leads you by the hand as you easily repair your own odometer. And best of all... you can fix your own odometer problem for free!

You don't have to live with this annoying problem any longer. For less than the cost of an oil change you can own the only repair manual that shows you exactly how to fix your intermittent odometer problem yourself.

Visit us at http://www.odometer-repair.com for more information on the problem and how to obtain your own copy of the manual.