general problems of the 2018 Ford Expedition - part 1

Vehicle experienced catastrophic timing system failure causing engine to jump time and stall at idle, creating a safety hazard due to risk of sudden loss of power. This is a repeat issue originally documented under warranty (2020) and again during recall/service program 21n03 (2021), where repair was declined as “not severe enough. ” recall 24e13 (software update intended to prevent timing chain failure) was completed in 2025, but failed to prevent this exact condition. Vehicle is now inoperable and unsafe. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of the recall remedy and prior service handling. We've also submitted a case to Ford: cxh07545978w9w1d2.

I am writing to express concern regarding a significant engine issue with my 2018 Ford Expedition. At approximately 122,000 miles, the vehicle developed a cylinder 4 misfire accompanied by low compression, indicating an internal engine failure. This type of issue seems premature for a well-maintained vehicle and has resulted in major repair considerations, including potential engine replacement. Given Ford’s reputation for durability and reliability, I find this failure both unexpected and concerning. I have kept up with regular maintenance and did not anticipate facing a major engine issue at this mileage. I am requesting that Ford review this situation and consider a recall. I have seen and heard of a lot of folks having this same issue at such an early mileage.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with camshaft phaser and timing chain failures. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,540.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, unofficially the failure was diagnosed as a failed cam phaser. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. Additionally, the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 82,708.

With only 53500 miles the gears stopped working. The gear shift pulls and hesitates when changing gears. The engine pulls when excelerating even at low speeds while struggling to shift. The cam is also causing issues with loud start up sounds.

There was a recall for cam phasers etc under 21n03. My car was fixed in 2021 but the parts they put it in were not the updated parts. I was told it was the same recalled parts that they used to replace. Now I am having the same issue again . I am not currently driving my vehicle until it can be remedied. I contacted the dealership and they are not willing to cooperate or work with me. I will attach the report that was done back in 2021 below.

My car started having cam phaser issues and caused a decrease in my ability to increase speed when on the interstate. This could have resulted in injury.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal cranking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n03 (cam phaser replacement); however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under the program. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the vehicle with smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the heater hose and cam phaser had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.  .

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.

See attached document for complaint.

Cam phasers are making a loud rattling noise.

Cam phaser and timing chain assembly is beginning to fail. Ford has a csb out on this problem but is unwilling to repair or replace components. Transmission has had to be replaced be cause of failure at 100000 miles. I’ve had to replace the water pump twice on my Expedition. Driver side seat belt no longer retracts.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and 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 130,000.

My cam phasers failed. I had a 6 year, 72k mile warranty. All maintenance was done at the dealership at the correct time. The parts failed at 7 years, 75,600 miles. Had to replace the engine. Dealer wanted to charge me $19000. Found a local shop to do it with new Ford engine for $14000. The cam phasers are a known issue. There are hundreds of vehicles out there that have had the same problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle on several occasions, there was a fast-banging metallic sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate intermittently while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n03 (cam phaser replacement); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

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.

After taking my car in for a service bulletin and being told that the noise that was happening in my car was just a noise, I found out that my cam phasers needed to be replaced out of warranty. Driving down the road my car had a decrease in power and could have resulted in a wreck as I was not able to speed up correctly on the interstate.

The problem is with the cam phasers on the Ford eco boost 3. 5 v6 engine. Every morning when the vehicle has been sitting overnight and the engine is cool; the truck makes a loud rattle noise when starting. The rattle goes away within 2 seconds. There are tons of information online pertaining the cam phasers. Ford motor company is very much aware of this problem on all 3. 5 eco boost engines from 2017 through 2020. There have been occasions that if the cam phasers are not replaced there could be major damage to the engine. Knowing it took Ford 4 years for Ford to get it right, this issue should be a recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormally loud ticking sound on cold starts, while idling, and while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the sound was associated to a cam phaser failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford campaign number: 21b10. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to verify whether the vehicle was covered. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Cam phaser issue. Chatter noise on cold start up. Guess this is a very common issue with this engine and vehicle.

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, an abnormal, knocking noise began to emit from the engine without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic was performed; the diagnostic showed that the engine's timing chain was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

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 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 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.

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.

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 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.