Ford Expedition
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Ford Expedition, model year by model year — ranked from 838 federal NHTSA complaints across 2015–2021.
Transmission behavior is the through-line in seven years of Ford Expedition complaints. It leads or co-leads the file every year from 2018 on: 27 occurrences of shifting issues on the 2018, 51 on the 2019, 81 of hard shifting on the 2020 — plus 60 safety-severity reports there of stalling and unexpected downshifts — and 24 of jerky shifting with power loss on the 2021. Alongside it runs a second mechanical theme, engine cam phaser failure, reported 13 times on the 2018 and 41 times on the 2019, with rattling-and-knocking descriptions in the same files.
The heaviest single year is the 2019 at 250 total occurrences, and its top entry isn't the transmission: 77 safety-severity reports of seat belt deployment issues, plus 31 more citing seat belt pretensioner malfunction. The 2020 follows at 205 occurrences with four safety-severity problems, the most of any year here. The earlier trucks complain differently — blower motor failure with a burning smell leads the 2015 (22 occurrences), rearview camera failure the 2016 (20), and the 2017 spreads its 159 occurrences thinly across 42 distinct problems, with transmission downshift issues, camera malfunctions, and low-brake-fluid warnings at the top.
Recall coverage varies sharply by year. The 2015 shows none in this data, the 2016 and 2017 carry 22V150 (the 2017 adding 25V236), and the 2018 through 2021 stack up campaigns including 18V213, 18V214, 19V773, 20V197, 20V262, 20V263, 22V346, 23V420, 24V852, 25V346, 25V628, 25V886, and 26V402 — with 23V420, 24V852, and 26V402 recurring across multiple years. A VIN recall check is quick and, on the later trucks especially, clearly warranted.
No year here is an outlier disaster — totals run from 102 to 250 — but none is spotless either. Treat the numbers as owner-filed NHTSA complaints rather than measured failure rates, remember that newer years have had less time to accumulate reports, and let a transmission-focused test drive, a seat belt function check on a 2019, and full service records carry more weight than the badge year.
Ford Expedition problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 70 | 14 | 0/7 | Blower Motor Failure Causing Burning Smell Electrical · 22 complaints |
| 2016 | 90 | 27 | 2/11 | Rearview Camera Failure Electrical · 20 complaints |
| 2017worst | 134 | 42 | 1/18 | Transmission Downshift Issues Transmission · 11 complaints |
| 2018 | 116 | 25 | 0/8 | Transmission Shifting Issues Transmission · 27 complaints |
| 2019worst | 205 | 15 | 2/8 | Seat Belt Deployment Issues Other · 77 complaints |
| 2020worst | 141 | 14 | 4/4 | Transmission shifting issues and hard shifts Transmission · 81 complaints |
| 2021 | 82 | 18 | 0/8 | Transmission Jerky Shifting and Loss of Power Transmission · 24 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2015–2021. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.