2013 Ford Expedition Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Was never notified of the recall pertaining to my vehicle. Upon research I contacted the dealership to have the recall fixed. First issue was they offere complimentary pickup and delivery which I scheduled and they did not show up, aswell as the call that was supposed to happen, and they tell me the recall is out of its extended warranty. I contacted Ford service department and they said the same as its out of extended warranty. This is a safety concern as Ford is aware of the failing component and will not let me get the recall fixed. At the moment the vehicle is in limp mode still runs just fine but due to the recall it is not and cannot get any help from the dealership nor Ford. I was never notified that the vehicle had any recalls as we where dealing with the known harmonic balancer issue which caused the dealership to replace the engine with a new and still had to replace that balancer 3 times until it was right. Besides that distraction there was no issues occuring from the Molded Lead Frame. This is a safety concern. The vehicle mileage is about 160k engine mileage maybe 20-30k. Original recalled component still remains. I am able to repair this myself but need to know if this was something they should be fixing.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also noticed that the instrument panel became inoperable and would not function properly when the contact attempted to shift gear. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the output speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
This has been a great vehicle. We were going down a road around 60 mph and with no warning or symptom the car downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. This caused the rear end to lock up causing the tires to squeal and spin the car around sideways in the road. Luckily nothing was coming. This could have easily been a deadly accident if something was coming. The dealer has said the lead frame was bad a needed to be replaced. They have quoted $1,200. The vehicle only has 117,000 miles on it and it still under the mileage for the extended coverage but not the years. There are tons of vehicles with this transmission and lead frame on the road, this is a major safety issue that should be addressed. A check engine light or no other warnings have ever come on. Having these lead frames out there are just an accident waiting to happen. Luckily, ther was no one coming when mine decided to fail.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the RMPS were fluctuating, and the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to second or to third gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, and then the contact resumed driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the transmission molded lead frame several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, where the transmission molded lead frame was replaced. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. Several unknown dealers were notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission molded leadframe. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N01, but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 135,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated to 0 MPH. The check engine warning light and the wrench symbol was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty main control valve body in the transmission. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,080
Transmission, is available for inspection upon request, trans will downshift to 1st gear causing rear wheels to lock up, speedometer to read zero mph, wrench to be displayed, and dashes across digital display on mph. called dealer and was told out of recall/warranty parameters, as well as ford corporate customer service. No inspection, only verbal verification from dealer. No advance warning before malfunction.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The powertrain warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.
Transmission fluid cooler line ruptured causing loss of propulsion. There is a known and common problem with the cooler lines breaking at the fitting where the Transmission lines meet the cooler. There is a meeting of dis-similar metals (Aluminum and Steel) in this fitting that is thought to increase the risk of fracture. There are multiple reports of the fitting fracturing in the same place in Ford Forums and Youtube videos. This affects the Ford F150s, Expeditions and similar Lincoln models.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the transmission suddenly downshifted into first gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with brake sensor and transmission failure. The dealer replaced an unknown transmission part; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 82,702.
My vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear causing it to slow down abruptly. If someone were behind me there would be a high probability that they would hit me from behind since the slowdown was caused by a down shift and there would be no brake lights. This same thing happened to me two years ago and I brought it to the Ford dealer for service. They did not try to reproduce the problem because there is a TSB 19B05. They reprogrammed the Powertrain module. I did not experience this problem again until 8/30/2021 (I think, it could have been 8/23). At which point I started looking into this. Apparently Ford knows this is a problem and has extended the warranty on the affected part (see Customer Satisfaction Program 19N01). But, they will not perform the needed repair unless I have the Wrench light on my dashboard. There is every indication that my vehicle has a problem with OSS sensor because three times (in the past few weeks) my vehicle has either downshifted or failed to shift out of first gear and all three times the speedometer read 0 (not operational) even though I was going 25 - 30 mph. I think there should be a recall on this part because if I was going at a high rate of speed in heavy traffic this would be a disaster. In the mean time I am driving on side roads hoping that the light comes on so that I can get this fixed. I looked into having the repair done and the estimate is $1100.
Personal experience matches exactly the symptoms identified and described in Ford TSB 13-6-8. The downshift and immediate power train reduction in speed has thrown the passengers forward and prompted immediate control issues. To date the tires have not locked up on this VIN but there are numerous reports of that situation.
While I was driving my vehicle on the highway it just downshifted from 5th gear to a much lower gear causing my vehicle to come to an almost complete stop in traffic. Also my speedometer quit working and my vehicle transmission was stuck in the lower gear. I had to pull off on the shoulder during traffic and avoid being hit by another car. I was able to turn the vehicle and then restart it to get the transmission to shift into another gear. I was fortunate enough to be able to get home but that did not correct the issue Ford created to my and my family's safety. Ford knows this is an issue and had a recall out there for the issue but because my vehicle is out of the mileage for the warranty they will not repair the issue at their cost. The dealership confirmed the issue is the same as the recall-- replacement of transmission molded leadframe is necessary. Ford will not cover the repair cost because it is out of the mileage and also the extended date 11/30/2019.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT STEPPING ON GAS PEDAL TO GO TO 65MPH AND THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED TO THE FIRST GEAR AND WENT LIMP ON THE HIGHWAY. I ATTEMPTED TO GO TO DESIRE HIGHWAY SPEED AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE AND I WAS LUCKY TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND NOT GET KILLED. NO LIGHT TURNED ON EXCEPT THE FUEL GAUGE MOVED LIKE CRAZY. ON A DIFFERENT OCCASION MY HUSBAND DROVE IT ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN AND IT DID IT AGAIN, DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST HEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY WHEN HE WAS GOING AT 65 MPH. IT WAS VERY SCARY BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND HE NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT. TOOK TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DID NOT FIND ANY CODES OR ANYTHING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. AFTER DISCUSSING WITH MY BROTHER'S MECHANIC, HE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE TRANSMISSION AND A SENSOR THAT IS KNOWN TO BE FAULTY IN FORD EXPEDITION. *TR
I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE AND WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION AND ALSO THE RECALL, THE GENTLEMAN SAID THAT IT WAS MERELY AN EXTENSION OF COVERAGE FOR A POSSIBLE PROBLEM AND THAT WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED THEN THEY WOULD ADDRESS IT. SO THIS LIMITS ME FROM THE USE OF MY VEHICLE. I?M PLANNING A TRIP ACROSS 1/2 THE COUNTRY WITH MY 4 GRANDKIDS AND AM HELD HOSTAGE TO USE MY CAR FOR THIS TRIP. I CANNOT BE GOING 60-70 MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR DOWNSHIFT TO 1ST GEAR CAUSING A TREMENDOUS VIBRATION AND LOSING CONTROL THAT CAN CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE CAR, AS WELL AS, PEOPLE IN THE VEHICLE. I AM UTTERLY AMAZED THAT FORD WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING CRITICALLY HAS TO HAPPEN. I GUESS FORD SEES CLIENTS AS INESSENTIAL AS LONG AS THEY MAKE SALES. *TR
WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE ISSUES IN FORD'S TSB 13-6-8 THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY HAVE THE SPEEDOMETER DROP TO 0, FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY, WRENCH OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, AND THE RPMS GO EXTREMELY HIGH. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS AND ALSO WHEN STARTING UP FROM A STOP LIGHT. FORD IS ONLY PAYING FOR THE PARTS IF IT'S 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. THE VEHICLE IS 7 YEARS OLD BUT HAS 155,000 MILES. THE REPAIR IS $1,100.
MY 2013 FORD EXPEDITION TRANSMISSION UNEXPECTEDLY DOWNSHIFTS TO A LOWER GEAR WITHOUT INPUT FROM THE DRIVER CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING, OR THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT UP TO A HIGHER GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING. THE SUDDEN DOWNSHIFT HAS OCCURRED AT SPEEDS OVER 50 MPH AND CAUSED THE REAR TIRES TO LOCK UP AND SKID. THESE TRANSMISSION ISSUES ARE SPORADICALLY ACCOMPANIED BY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND/OR WRENCH ICON ON THE DISPLAY. MY TRUCK IS CURRENTLY WITH THE FORD DEALER IN FOLEY, AL FOR REPAIR. THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT COST FOR REPAIR OF THIS ISSUE IS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLS AND STAYS IN FIRST GEAR BEFORE LAUNCHING FORWARD. IT ALSO WILL AFFECT THE DASHBOARD GAGES. THEY WILL RANDOMLY SHUT OFF AND/OR FLASH DIFFERENT SENSORS. I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I SEE THAT IT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND WANT TO LET YOU KNOW IT'S HAPPENED TO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR A FAMILY CAR.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY DOWNSHIFTS AND STALLS WHILE DRIVING SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T READ. THE LOSS OF POWER IS A DRIVING SAFETY CONCERN FOR A MOTHER OF 3 TO STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WIRH NO WARNING. PLEASE SEE RECALL 12C23 IN EHICH IT STATES 2011 THRU 2013 BUT UNDER DOCUMENTATION IT LIST ONLY 2011 THRU 2012. HELP THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT WARRANTS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPEDITION. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO LOSE POWER WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. IN ADDITION, THE ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE SYSTEM RESET. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHIFTED HARD AND THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PARTS STORE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TURBINE SPEED SENSOR FAILED. THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE PART AND A MECHANIC INFORMED HER THAT THERE WAS NO SUCH PART FOR HER VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER PARTS PLACE WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPUTER BOARD (MOLD LEAD FRAME) FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE AND TRANSFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE VEHICLE RECENTLY EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.
AN ILLUMINATED MALFUNCTION LIGHT (WRENCH LIGHT) CAME ON AS THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED DOWNSHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR ENTERING THE HIGHWAY. WE ALSO NOTED THAT OUR SPEEDOMETER FELL TO 0 WHILE STILL DRIVING. WE WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY PULL OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE ENGINE, WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP HOME. WE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN (UNINTENDED DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST GEAR WHILE DRIVING) THE NEXT DAY PROMPTING US TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE TOOK THE EXPEDITION TO THE DEALER AND WERE INFORMED THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE MOLDED LEADFRAME. UPON RESEARCH FOUND THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WAS RECALLED ON 2011-2012 VERSIONS. GIVEN OUR VEHICLE IS A 2013, WE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF OUR VEHICLE IS AFFECTED WITH THE SAME CONCERN THAT CAUSED A RECALL IN 2011-2012 VERSIONS, THOSE DRIVING 2013 AND POTENTIALLY OTHER YEARS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR ISSUE. WE WERE LUCKY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AT FULL SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD SUDDENLY COME ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY DOWNSHIFT. THE MOST NOTABLE INSTANCE WAS DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY NOBODY WAS EVER HURT AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. AFTER THAT I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND A TSB FOR MY CAR'S TRANSMISSION AND A RECALL FOR THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. TSB 13-6-8. SINCE THE REPAIRS THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE.
THE TRUCK SLOWS DOWN AND THE WRENCH COMES ON THE DASHBOARD AND AFTER THAT 3 DASHES COME UP ALONG WITH THE STATEMENT "MILES TO E FUEL LEVEL LOW" AND THE FUEL IS NOT LOW AT ALL. IN THE BOOK IT STATES POWER TRAIN. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS NOW.
WHEN DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS AND MAKES THE RPMS REF HIGH. THEN THE WRENCH ICON WILL SHOW ON THE DASH AND THE CAR SAYS ' MILES TILL EMPTY AND THE MPH GAUGE GOES TO 0 EVEN THOUGH IT'S STILL DRIVING. IT WILL ALSO MENTION THE SPEED WHEEL SENSOR HAS MALFUNCTIONED. I CORRECT THIS BY PULLING OVER AND RESTARTING THE CAR SOMETIMES A FEW TIMES WITHIN 5 MINUTES HAVING TO PULL OVER EACH TIME.
WHILE DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY OF 3 KIDS ON A 4-LANE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED INTO WHAT I BELIEVE WAS 1ST GEAR. THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD, LOCKED UP OR SKIDDED THE REAR TIRES AND SLOWED WAY DOWN. AFTER LETTING OFF THE GAS PEDAL, THE VEHICLE DROVE AT 20 MPH FOR A BIT AND THEN WENT BACK TO ACTING NORMAL.
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Quick Summary
The 2013 Ford Expedition has 31 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.