The best Expedition years to buy are 2014 and 2023. Avoid the 2017 and 2018: brake master cylinder, cam phaser and 10-speed transmission problems give them the most complaints.
Best years: 20142023 Years to avoid: 20172018
Every Expedition year compared
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold. Lower is better. The newest years have had less time to collect complaints, so they are marked too new to judge.
Known Expedition problems
Year by year
| Year | Complaints | Per 100k sold | Recalls | Top issue | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 79 | - | 7 | Other | Too new to judge |
| 2023 | 65 | - | 8 | Electrical | Good buy |
| 2022 | 117 | 189 | 12 | Electrical | Good year |
| 2021 | 242 | 295 | 12 | Transmission and drivetrain | Average |
| 2020 | 430 | 552 | 18 | Transmission and drivetrain | Average |
| 2019 | 528 | 611 | 11 | Transmission and drivetrain | Watch out |
| 2018 | 383 | 701 | 14 | Transmission and drivetrain | Skip this year |
| 2017 | 359 | 692 | 4 | Electrical | Skip this year |
| 2016 | 217 | 363 | 3 | Brakes | Average |
| 2015 | 164 | 396 | 3 | Electrical | Average |
| 2014 | 72 | 161 | 0 | Transmission and drivetrain | Good buy |
| 2013 | 92 | 240 | 0 | Transmission and drivetrain | Good year |
| 2012 | 118 | 310 | 3 | Transmission and drivetrain | Average |
About the Expedition
The Expedition is Ford's full-size SUV. The 2015-2017 cars with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost started the cam phaser and timing problems shared with the F-150, and 2017 cars had brake master cylinder failures. The 2018 redesign added the 10-speed automatic, which drew many harsh shifting complaints. Recent years are much better.
- 2007-2017: Third generation. EcoBoost from 2015; brake master cylinder on 2017.
- 2018 on: Fourth generation. 10-speed transmission and cam phaser complaints on 2018-2020.
Expedition warranty extensions and special coverage
Carmakers sometimes extend the warranty on a part that fails too often, or pay for a fix outside a recall. These notices come from the dealer bulletins Ford files with NHTSA. 589 Expedition bulletins are on file in total.
Customer Satisfaction Program 23B90 Certain 2023 Model Year Expedition Vehicles - Missing Rear Cargo Mat
Advance Notice Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
In some of the affected vehicles, an undesirable noise may develop from the cam phasers in the 3.5L GTDI engine.
Certain 2017-2020 Model Year F-150, 2018-2020 Expedition, and 2018-2020 Navigator Vehicles Equipped with a 3.5L GTDI Engine Cam Phaser Replacement; Owner letters are scheduled to mail during the week of September 27, 2021 Submi...
Customer Satisfaction Program 19B15: Certain 2019 Model Year F150, Expedition, Navigator and Transit Vehicles Equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost Engine - Cam Cover Torque
Certain 2018 Model Year Expedition and Navigator Vehicles Equipped With R-1234yf Refrigerant Special R-1234yf Refrigerant Service Information Vehicles not previously repaired with certain build dates, and that remain in program...
Customer Satisfaction Program 25N15 - Supplement #1 Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
Certain 2011 - 2013 Model Year F-150 and 2012- 2013 Model Year Expedition/Navigator Vehicles Equipped With A 6R80 Transmission - Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage
Customer Satisfaction Program 19N01: Certain 2011 - 2013 Model Year F-150 and 2012- 2013 Model Year Expedition/Navigator Vehicles Equipped With A 6R80 Transmission - Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage
This program extends the warranty coverage of the automatic transmission molded leadframe to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first.
Ask a dealer to check a specific car by VIN. Extensions usually have a time or mileage limit.
Government investigations into the Expedition
NHTSA opens an investigation when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Some end in a recall and some close without one.
Audit query AQ26001 · 2021 · opened Jun 2026
NHTSA is opening this Audit Query (AQ) to investigate NU Car Rentals (NU Car) for compliance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.The Safety Act requires that a rental company shall not rent a vehicle subject to a safety recall unless the recall remedy has been performed.
Recall query RQ24015 · 2018–2020 · opened Nov 2024, closed Jul 2025 · led to recall 25V197
On November 22, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) PE23021 to investigate complaints of front seat belt retractor pretensioner inadvertent deployment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Expedition vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company.
Preliminary evaluation PE24019 · 2022 · opened Jul 2024, closed Sep 2025 · led to recall 25V455
On July 29, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE24019 to investigate complaints of low-pressure fuel pump failures in MY 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles.
Preliminary evaluation PE23021 · 2019 · opened Nov 2023, closed Jul 2024 · led to recall 24V099
On November 22, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-021 to investigate instances of seat belt pretensioner inadvertent deployment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Expedition vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company.
Recall query RQ21002 · 2020 · opened Aug 2021 · led to recall 26V104
On September 23, 2020, Ford Motor Company (Ford) filed a noncompliance recall report under 49 CFR Part 573 (NHTSA Recall No.
Recall query RQ17010 · 2012, 2013 · opened Dec 2017, closed Oct 2019 · led to recall 19V075000
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of transmissions unexpectedly downshifting to a lower gear without input from the driver on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford F-150, Expedition and Navigator vehicles.
Expedition vs rivals
Questions
What is the best year for the Ford Expedition?
2014 and 2023. The best Expedition years to buy are 2014 and 2023. Avoid the 2017 and 2018: brake master cylinder, cam phaser and 10-speed transmission problems give them the most complaints.
Which Ford Expedition years should I avoid?
2017, 2018. These drew far more owner complaints per car sold than the Ford Expedition average.
What is cam phaser rattle on a Ford Expedition?
On the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, worn cam phasers make a loud rattle for a few seconds at cold start. Ford extended coverage on some vehicles. A repair costs about $2,000 to $3,500.
Based on 2,866 complaints filed by owners with U.S. safety regulators for model years 2012 to 2024, and U.S. sales by calendar year. How we score.