11 complaints reported

2018 Ford Expedition POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
11
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving over 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled on two occasions. The contact stated that while driving a roundabout, the vehicle lost motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle jerked and was sluggish, and there was no area to pull over to. Upon parking the vehicle, the power train warning light was illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic who was unable to service the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was jerking due to the CS drum and transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted regarding the latest symptoms that the vehicle had displayed. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
Sep 2025

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2024
Aug 2025

Cam phaser failure, yes, available for inspection. This disrupts the engine's timing and can lead to oil pressure issues as well as engine stalling or engine damage. Yes, confirmed by ford dealer. No, not been inspected by manufacturer or others. No warning lamps yet but the noise was the first indicator and it began about 6 weeks ago. My 2018 Ford Expedition is experiencing cam phaser failure. I had an extended warranty that i have not reached the mileage for yet but the date causes me not to be able to have it fixed under warranty. This is a very expensive repair and I am finding out more and more of these vehicles in this age range are having the same problems. I would ask that Ford be required to pay for this repair. I have reported this to Ford and received a case number of [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2025
May 2025

2018 Ford Expedition Max 4wd; For the last 4 years I have consistently (1-2x a year) brought this car into a ford dealership for the transmission failing to go into gear at random times while driving under normal conditions. Even though multiple TSB's had been sent out, they "couldn't replicate" or "no codes found" or "the transmission tech is 4–6 weeks out"... nothing was done. Twice while merging into on coming traffic the transmission has been stuck in a gear, will not accelerate or go, and the entire dash illuminates with all the flashing symbols. I'm just glad my children were not in the car with me. It was terrifying. Now, the week of May 18, 2025, I'm back for my annual transmission issue as it stalled on 4/26/2025, and I almost was hit by an 18 wheeler, the ford dealership said "you need a transmission overhaul, TCM reprogram, and there is internal failure, the CDF drum comes apart and Ford is aware they have a faulty seal." The total to fix is $8,214.25 and guess what, NONE of it is covered. I have kept my vehical serviced and always taken care of it. But I will have to pay the price to fix it, or worse if there is a car accident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2025
Feb 2025

The truck suddenly loses power while driving. Then goes back to normal. Most recently but not only time I lost power on interstate, the dash blinks see manual. I was almost hit by vehicle behind me as i was unable to continue accelerating. Similar recalls for my year and make of vehicle include powertrain control module reprogram for cam phaser rattle and automatic engine idle shutdown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Aug 2024

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2024
Jun 2024

I brought my vehicle in for inspection and there is an issue with the cam phasers and timing. The cam phaser issue is a known Ford Expedition issue that they addressed and extended warranty coverage. I have been bringing my vehicle for routine maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations etc to both Koerner Ford of Syracuse, NY and more recently Dave Pirro Ford in Skaneateles, NY. I had an extended warranty that I purchased that recently expired. During many visits to the dealerships the cam phaser issue was never addressed even though it would have previously been covered under warranty and now is not. I would like to know my options as this issue is now going to cost over $6,000 to fix.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2024
Sep 2023

The auto stop/start feature fails to work properly and causes the vehicle engine to stop running while on the road. The warning message "AUTO START/STOP, SHIFT TO P THEN RESTART ENGINE" comes up and you have to put the vehicle in park then restart the engine. This has been confirmed by the dealer (wife was driving it with the tech) and we have to pay $550 plus a diagnosis fee of $150 to get them to resolve this safety issue. Our extended vehicle warranty coverage won't cover it because it's a valve and reprogramming issue, not a part replacement. There are several mentions of this on a google search for the problem, yet Ford isn't covering any of the repair for a known issue. The rep at the Ford dealer said there is even a techincal service bulletin about the issue. Complete failure of the company to resolve this safety issue and charge the consumer for this.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2023
Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. Upon attempting to drive the vehicle, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03, but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2022

If I have to decelerate and then quickly accelerate the car will lose power and restart. This typically happens when I’m driving on the highway in heavy traffic. I originally thought there was problem with the transmission because it would downshift to 5th gear and clunk (feels like the tranny fell off). It would then try and put itself into park and then power down and restart. The only error code ever given is a parking paw error. This makes sense because transmissions aren’t supposed to go into park at 70mph. Lately the vehicle is sluggish and doesn’t respond as I try to accelerate which leads to the shut down restart while moving. I recently read about the class action lawsuit and recall regarding ford throttle bodies in F-150s. The incidents in those reports mirror what I’ve experienced.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Dec 2020

MY 2018 FORD EXPEDITION MAX 4X4 WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE ISSUE DESCRIBED IN TCB-20-2315 IN AUG 2019. THE REPAIR WAS DONE PER THE TCB AND COMPLETED IN OCT 2019. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP FOR 10 WEEKS AND I HAD TO RETURN IT 4 TIMES FOR ADDITIONAL REPAIRS UNTIL THE ISSUE WAS TEMPORARILY RESOLVED. THE PROBLEM REOCCURED IN JUL 2020 AND IT TOOK OVER 5 VISITS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND INTERVENTION FROM FORD CUST SERVICE TO GET THE VEHICLE REPAIRED IN DEC 2020. I HAVE ALREADY RETURNED THE VEHICLE AGAIN THIS TIME BECAUSE THE ISSUE WAS NOT RESOLVED AND NOW WILL NEED TO RETURN THE VEHICLE A THIRD TIME. THIS WILL MAKE 7 TOTAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE VEHICLE FIXED FOR THE SAME ISSUE. FORD REFUSES TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE AND DENIED MY BUYBACK REQUEST. THIS VEHICLE IS A LEMON PLAIN AND SIMPLE. I FOLLOWED THE PROCEDURES PER STATE LAW IN NOTIFYING FORD AND ALLOWING THEM TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. CLEARLY, THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AND THE REPAIR JUST COMPLETED IS JUST A REPEAT OF THE FIRST. THIS TIME, I WAS ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA IN THE DEAD OF WINTER WITH WINDCHILLS OF MINUS 15 DEGREES. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND POWER TRAIN LIGHTS CAME ON, THE TURBO SHUT DOWN, AND WHITE SMOKE STARTED BILLOWING OUT OF THE TAILPIPE. WE COULD BARELY MAINTAIN SPEED ON INCLINES AND HAD TO STOP FOR LOW OIL PRESSURE MULTIPLE TIMES. WE COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH NO CELL RECEPTION. A PROBLEM I ANTICIPATED AND EXPRESSED TO FORD WHEN I RETURNED THE VEHICLE FOR THE SIXTH ATTEMPT. I WANT THE VEHICLE REPLACED WITH THE SAME VEHICLE THAT IS NOT DEFECTIVE. THAT IS ALL. WHY IS THIS SUCH A CHALLENGE FOR FORD TO SOLVE? I HAVE LITERALLY INVESTED HUNDREDS OF HOURS ATTEMPTING TO NAVIGATE THIS NIGHTMARE. ATTACHED IS THE LETTER I SENT FORD IN SEP 2020. THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE OPERATED SAFELY AND IS STUCK IN MY DRIVEWAY. I AM NOW WITHOUT A CAR.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD EXPEDITION, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2019

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2018 Ford Expedition has 11 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.