2018 Ford Expedition Complaint Log

When driving, the transmission feels like it is slipping and doesn't transfer power to the wheels. The effect is that you have a loss of power, especially when accelerating to enter the highway or to pass someone. The power train on this vehicle has a 5 year warranty, and our vehicle is 6 years old. This vehicle has the 10 speed transmission (10R80) that shows many issues online both before and after this 5 year warranty period. This isn't just a warranty issue, as the loss of power when entering a highway or executing a pass is dangerous. I will indicate an issue date, but this has been a multiple recurring issue for many months.

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Transmission will up shift when accelerating then all of a sudden go to first gear at highway speeds.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not covered. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,500.

My Expedition just hit 83,000 miles and has a clean title. We purchased it approximately a year and a half ago to drive around our 4 children. Around 73K miles, the catalytic converter went bad and had to be replaced. Fortunately, this was covered by a warranty. Not long ago we began to notice some rough shifting and a rattling when we turned the car on, though the rattling would stop once the engine warmed up. This week, we experienced a sudden aggressive lurching in the vehicle at 50mph accompanied by a sudden check engine light. In addition, it was accompanied by a loud, constant rattling. We were driving with our children when this happened and it scared us all. I drove it very slowly to the dealership first thing the next morning as it felt as though it could break down at any moment. It's currently at the Ford dealership, though still available for inspection, and they have said that we will need a new timing system and possibly a new engine. In addition, there are signs that our transmission is also going to need replaced.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated the vehicle stalled and was jerking with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the coolant hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. Additional, while driving at various highway speeds the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that all 4 VTC cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 – Supplement #4 which the vehicle had previously been repaired under; however, the cam phasers were not replaced. The contact stated that only a software update was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

On July 6th, I was driving our vehicle with my wife and 3 children when it began jerking and shifting abruptly and the dash produced a wrench and check engine light. I reduced speed and exited the highway drove under 25 mph the remaining 10 minutes back to our home. The erratic jolting/ jerking of the vehicle could have caused a serious accident had we been in any traffic or higher rates of speed. Unfortunately, I reported a similar issue on August 19, 2023 (NHTSA ID Number 11539517). At that time, the vehicle was serviced at a local Ford Dealership and we were told that the auto shop that replaced the transmission did not clear out old computer codes which caused the jerking/ jolting shifting. Ford cleared the codes and stated that the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle operated safely again until this recent incident. The vehicle was towed and is currently at the Ford Dealership.

The 10R80 transmission does not work. This is a know problem with Ford, would be nice for them to actually take action and fix the problem they know they have. They have replacement part that fixes the problem, would be nice for them to stand behind their car.

Automatic transmission is causing slipped gears, harsh shifting, jerking, and hesitation. I am almost met with accident couple of times with my family. Whie driving car suddenly shift from 10 gear to 5th gear causing erratic behaviour. While waiting in the Signal for Green light, and when we press the accelerator. Car is not moving at all from first gear.erratically shift to 6th gear.

The large sunroof is made of cheap plastic mechanics and will no longer close as a plastic piece has come off the track. Causes safety issue. The vehicle is available upon request. The window not being sealed if turned over the passenger will be injured with glass shards or distracted while driving as the window will not close. The vehicle has not yet been inspected but is at the Ford Dealership being looked at. There were no other symptoms of the problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was concerned about a fluid leak coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an engine oil leak. The local dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the body of the vehicle had shifted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger’s side front axle seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

This car is a 2018 Ford Expedition with the 3.5L eco-boost and 10 speed transmission with 95,000mi. So it started as just some rough shifting from time to time but got worse after driving through some mountains, after about a week the transmission went from rough shifting to actually feeling like going into neutral and then jerk into gear. Our two week trip went from nothing to acting like it can't find the gear to go into. I've only noticed it going from second to third to fourth and I've taken it to two shops and they can't get it to act up but it still remains after fluid change and reprogram from the dealer.

Lug nuts could not be removed using Ford's lug wrench. All lug nuts seemed to be slightly oversized preventing lug wrench from fitting. Had I been out on the highway needing to replace a tire, it would have required specialized assistance. I had to replace all lug nuts in order for lug wrench to be an option in the future. I do still have the old lug nuts.

Transmission on this vehicle is at failure, it revs to about 3 with no go. I will be driving an all of a sudden it revs and does not go, on a side street, on a highway, in the morning and at night. I am terrified to drive my vehicle, especially with my children.

when I start the SUV in the morning, it makes a very loud rattling noise. it appears that its a very well known issue w Dry start. My mechanic stated that Eco boost 3.5 L 2018 expeditions have many of those issues (possible to a bad Phasers). the vehicle only has 35k miles on it, and was starting without noise before.... (I will attempt to include a short video)

Engine sound when car turns on. Took the car to personal mechanic and a Ford Dealership both confirmed sound of engine when started. Can hear a sound (ticking/clicking) when idling.

My 2018 Ford Expedition started having transmission issues around 49600+ miles. The warranty was 5 years or 60,000 miles. I was out of the 5 years and they will not fix it. I have researched the issue and it seems Ford knew the transmission used in the 2018 models was defective but never notified me. There are class action lawsuits in California on the same issue as well as many disgruntled consumers on the internet. My truck doesn't shift properly and I have almost been in accidents because it stalls and doesn't shift into gear. I have tried everything with Ford to help cover the replacement cost which is $8,000 but they only offered me $4,000. This is a verified issue that they know about in several of their vehicles but they have not notified their customers or did anything with a recall. I am asking for a complete investigation and recall on this issue and hope that you can assist me and all the other consumers who are driving unsafe Ford vehicles.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he heard a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment that dissipated once the vehicle reached an operational temperature. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Engine Cam Phaser Replacement) Engine and Engine Cooling. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 48,000.

Vehicle has loud clacking sound at startup (cold startup). Repair shop diagnosed as Faulty Camshaft Phasers. Repair shop also noted there was a notice that covered assistance that ended 1/1/23 at some point.

Transmission is slipping and harshly stopping randomly. Won’t go into park sometimes. Very unsafe. I have heard this is a common thing with the 2018 ford expeditions.

See attached document for complaint

Transmission has failed twice on the highway with no warning, leading to abrupt slow down and could have caused an accident

1. The issue involves the transmission and camshaft components of the vehicle. Despite the fact that both the transmission and camshaft were replaced by the Ford dealership after purchase in 2018, the vehicle continues to experience problems. These components have been inspected by the dealership, and the vehicle is available for further inspection upon request. 2. The vehicle’s loss of power during highway driving and while attempting to accelerate poses a significant safety risk. On several occasions, the vehicle has lost power while making turns or driving on the highway, nearly causing accidents with other vehicles. This has been a very frightening experience for us, as the sudden loss of power could have led to a collision. 3. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by the Ford dealership, which replaced the transmission and camshaft components. However, the vehicle continues to run roughly, indicating that the issues have not been fully resolved. These repairs were not covered under warranty, and we had to pay for them out of pocket. 4. The vehicle has been inspected by the Ford dealership multiple times. Despite the repairs, the problems persist. The vehicle has been regularly maintained and garage-kept. 5. There were no warning lamps, messages, or error codes indicating the problem before the failure. However, there has been a loud ticking sound when the vehicle is started and running, which started to occur after the initial repairs. The vehicle has had no other prior indicators to suggest the underlying issue. We purchased the vehicle brand new with only 11 miles on it it currently barely has 70k miles on it. We dropped the vehicle off at the beginning of August 2024 and didn't get it back until almost the end of October, with us needing to bring it back to the dealership for more checks/repairs in December of 2024. We have to pay out of pocket and are without a vehicle because of the constant issues and safety concerns. we can provide receipts and more docs

“Shift system fault” flashes on dash and car suddenly and violently shakes and loses power at higher speeds when trying to accelerate. Also heard a metallic grinding/metallic rattle noise under the car and could not accelerate. Has happened multiple times over the last year and a half.

My 2018 expedition has been repaired by Ford dealership three times. The vehicle started with a hesitancy to shift into reverse then eventually a hard jerk into gear. following that, it began to hesitate to accelerate and rattle and shake hard enough to shake the steering wheel. The powertrain loss warning came on ford pass. Ford dealership said it was transmission and rebuilt it. Three weeks following the repair the very same shaking, rattling and crunching sound started again with power loss. It was intermittent and dealership said with no codes they couldn’t recreate the issue and so no help. The following day on the highway, it started again. I was attempting to stop at a red light and with my foot on the brake, the vehicle attempted to lurch forward and try to go despite the brake. Thankfully, the light turned green and the car in front of me moved. As I continued to drive, I was left stranded with the codes showing actuator failure and cam shaft failure. The dealership then said it was the cam shaft and all actuators that needed to be replaced this time. The SAME rattling and shaking and power loss they said was caused by the transmission they rebuilt 3 weeks earlier but now it is caused by the cam shaft. So 2 repairs later and 4 weeks, it did it again and this time it caught on fire and burned a hole in my hood. The dealership called me the day after I had it towed into the dealership smoking staying it was the heater hoses that caused the shaking, rattling and power loss. Said they could have it fixed the next day. It is a disaster. It is a major safety issue and I am still paying payments on this car that ford cannot fix. This car needs to be recalled and they need to refund for cost of vehicle. This car is going to kill someone!

On [XXX] it Looked like I had a tail of a bird in my exhaust. My husband pulled it out and said the tailpipe is packed with junk. Upon clearing it out it looked like a wig or hair extensions. After googling this disgusting matter we found some Ford mufflers are defective and they have what looks like a hairy discharge. Didn’t know if it was safe to drive. Called Montrose Ford in Fairlawn, OH and said they’ve only seen this one other time in 35 years. They are aware of the situation. I have 4 kids and I feel that Ford put my life and the lives of my family on the line with the filled up exhaust from the muffler discharge. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the power train warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred several months later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.

My transmission started slipping in and out of gear or getting stuck in a gear. I was driving down the highway and my car got stuck in 4th gear after I had to slow down for a car in front of me. I was almost rear ended due to this. Not to mention many other times when trying to speed up, it slipped and wouldn't allow me to increase speed correctly. Took it to Ford and apparently it was a known issue with the 10 Speed Transmission and had to replace the CDF drum. I'm also having issues with my Cam phasers apparently even after being told by the dealer in 2021 that the noise was nothing to worry about after they did the reset.

Defective Cam phaser's in 3.5l Ecoboost engine

This vehicle is used as my daily driver, multiple times in the past 3 or so months the 10 speed has lost connection with the car itself, meaning as I am driving the gear will not catch and I am not able to accelerate. I have been on I10 going 70 MPH and go to accelerate and the gear just slips and it does not catch for about 10 seconds. This is extremely dangerous as my car just suddenly starts to slow down and I'm not able to do anything on a major hwy. In addition to this, when I am driving the gear are shifting very hard. I can feel the vehicle jump multiped times during the course of a 15 minute drive.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormally loud rattling sound during cold starts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was taken to Worldwide Automotive, where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The mechanic replaced the cam phasers. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall or Customer Satisfaction Program. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission slipped and became stuck in gear. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was released and depressed, and the transmission shifted to the next gear very rough. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle started shaking and lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was pumped for the vehicle to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

It looks like Ford is aware of the Cam Phaser issue but is not doing about it.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made loud rattling sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Replacement); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Engine light came on so we took the company car into the Ford dealership. Just received a phone call that the Cam Phasers need to be replaced and it will cost around $4000 to fix. Seems like of the research I have done this is a common problem for this years model but cant find any recalls for this issue.

The transmission will shudder while accelerating, vehicle will shift gears up and down randomly, not allowing me to accelerate while on a road with traffic. The transmission will slam/clunk into gear while driving. When that happens, there is not power and your bot accelerating anymore and it's really unsafe in traffic. While coasting to a stop the transmission will hard shift/clunk and the gears go down whilst coming to a stop.

Transmission would fail in 1st and 4th gear and stall entire vehicle at any speed. Vehicle would lose all power on highway or coasting down roads. Nearly caused us to be rear ended many times. Entire transmission needed to be rebuilt. Parts were backordered for months. Car was in and out of the shop for months at a time. Ford did not provide a loaner vehicle. Transmission still shifts hard and stalls occasionally

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver became aware that the coolant level was low. The contact stated that the engine was making an abnormal rattling sound. The front wheel was making an abnormal sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The service engine error message was sent to the Ford pass. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump, cam phaser, hoses, solenoid, and timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who completed the repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The contact stated that the repair failed to fix the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

I am experiencing delays in transmission shifting when the vehicle is cold. This behavior has recently started at about 85k miles. I have taken to dealer and had the transmission oil changed and Ford recommended cleaning the solenoids (at my cost). The dealer also resets the controller to relearn as well. I experienced the issues while driving away after the work, but I have been asked to drive around for a week and see is the problem 'goes away'. We'll see.

While parked on an incline, the truck's wheels disengaged and it rolled down backwards. The emergency brake was set. The vehicle has a known defect but the dealership will not expedite the repair.

Faulty Cam phasers The cam phasers in this vehicles makes an undesirable noise, such as a rattle when starting the engine or a knocking noise when idling. Vehicle has at times experiences Poor acceleration, Rough engine running, Tapping or rattling noise when the engine is idling and hot

At around 55,700 miles the transmission started slipping. Within a few days (less than 100 miles), the transmission would thud and lurch as well. On 2 occasions, one while accelerating at a traffic light and one while making a left hand turn), the vehicle lost power and would not continue celebrating from 3/4 gear. During both instances, my children were also in the car. The second occurrence almost resulted in us being t-boned by oncoming traffic. We took the vehicle to ford and they acknowledged the problem and stayed there was a tech bulletin about it. However we were 2.5 months (but not miles) outside of warranty and the repair was several steps and would result in costs up to $15k! We attempted to call ford as during the time of we were outside the warranty, I had a baby (high risk pregnancy) and then had to wait several weeks for an appointment as well. Corporate ford flat out ignored us as well as the dealer who tried to advocate on our behalf as this was such a severe and dangerous issue.

I turned onto a road and when I pressed the gas to accelerate, the vehicle wouldn’t move. I put the vehicle in park, turned it off and back on and into drive and it let me accelerate. When I got to the red light, I stopped then went to accelerate when it turned green and the vehicle went in reverse and the engine light turned on. Both incidences could have resulted in an accident if there were other vehicles on the road at the time. The dial that changes gears and/or the transmission abruptly stopped working. I took it to the dealership and do not have the diagnostic results yet. They have confirmed issues with shifting gears so far.

In looking up recalls for my vehicle I see several relating to transmission issues with the 2018 Ford Expedition. I contacted Ford they said there were not any recalls for my specific vehicle, however my transmission is experiencing problems I see in other recalls. Specifically when the car is put in park and it rolls forward or back depending on the angle. The other issue is the transmission did not engage when accelerating then it made a noise like something was loose in the transmission. I backed off the accelerator and the transmission engaged again. A warning light came on briefly when it made the noise then disappeared. Ford took down my information the case # is CAS47105525

About two weeks ago my 2018 Ford Expediton Max Platinum 4x4 started exhibiting harsh shifting from 3 to 4 gear. Since then it has gotten worse. Harsh shifting, delayed shifting, harsh engagement of gear, or sometimes not engaging at all leaving me in a a very unsafe position on the road. It appears Ford is very aware of the danger and issued MULTIPLE TSB's about this issue. Vehicle has not been inspected by Ford as the service time is over 6 WEEKS LONG due to the very same issues are widespread. There were no warning lamps or messages before the failure began happening.