2018 Ford Expedition Engine
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
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.
Cam Phasers failing Rough running and poor acceleration Problem has been confirmed by a dealer Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacture, police or insurance No warning light on, but grinding when cold start. This is the second time it’s occurred! We had it fixed prior about 20,000 miles ago. I called Ford Customer service and they directed me to the NHTSA.
Defective Cam phaser's in 3.5l Ecoboost engine
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.
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.
Engine knock (cam phasers) when starting vehicle. Happens whenever the vehicle has been sitting a few hours. The vehicle has been brought to the manufacturer dealership regarding the noise and when brought to their attention that it may be the cam phasers they remarked they hope it isn’t. Problem not fixed.
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.
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 when the vehicle was first started during a cold morning, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that once the vehicle had idled for several minutes, the abnormal sound stopped. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 21N03 Cam Phaser Replacement (Engine), but the contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clunking sound while starting the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving a undisclosed speeds, the engine overheated. The contact stated that there was an extremely loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was related to the cam phasers. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed there were no associated recalls. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
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 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 contact stated owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a rattling sound emitting from the engine compartment and the VIN was included in a Warranty related coverage for the cam phasers to be replaced. Approximately 4 years after the cam phasers were replaced, the rattling sound returned. The contact stated that the sound mostly occurred during cold starts, and intermittently after the vehicle had warmed up. The check engine warning light illuminated signaling a catalytic convertor failure. The contact researched and learned of Customer Satisfaction Program with the NHTSA ID Number: 10201090 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed again and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in Customer Satisfaction Program with NHTSA ID Number: 10201090 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program or under warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 51,084.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, and occasionally while driving at various speeds, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the front-end of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated there was coolant leaking from the vehicle and the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the wrench symbol was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the cam phaser and timing chain had failed, and that coolant was leaking near the radiator. The contact was informed that the cam phaser and timing chain needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to TSB: 21N03-S4 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
Ford Motor Company David J. Johnson Service Engineering Operations He sent Customer Satisfaction Program [XXX] on November 19, 2021, to all U.S. Ford and Lincoln Dealers. This program extended the warranty coverage of the engine cam phasers. I purchased my vehicle on 11/22/21. It is my belief that this repair should have been covered by Ford/Lincoln before this vehicle was sold to me. We purchased an extended warranty protection plan (from MPP) when we purchased the vehicle. When the issue was reported to MPP they refused to cover the repair as well. It was reported to them a second time and we were told that the mileage had exceeded our plan limit and we were denied a second time. We believe that this vehicle should have been repaired before it was sold to us (Ford TSB proves that they knew this was a problem). It has not been repaired and we are faced with paying a bill of $4500-$5500 on our own. We are looking for guidance on the next steps that we should take in regard to this repair. 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 during cold starts, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on start-up there was a rattling sound coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing chain and VCT actuator and solenoid 02 sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was also diagnosed, and it was determined that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 107,762.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal sound and knocking coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the variable cam timing phaser was the failure and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the morning, he detected an abnormal fluttering sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that when he started the vehicle in the morning, the engine made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
2018 Ford Expedition 3.5 - Engine makes a metal noise upon start up. Brought the vehicle to a licensed mechanic and was advised that the cam phasers have failed. This has caused engine trouble to include coolant leak and intermittent A/C. Dealership advised that there is no warranty and will not cover any cost of repairs.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle when started. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 Ford Expedition has 72 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.