Ford Expedition problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 9 model years (2018–2026), NHTSA has logged 1,856 owner complaints and 46 safety recalls for the Ford Expedition. That averages 34.6 complaints per year on the road — a typical number of complaints (index 0.86 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Full-size SUVs segment it ranks #2 of 2 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 33.5.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is worsening. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2023 and 2024 models run 66% above the 2018 and 2019 models (41 early complaints per model year versus 28).
The 2019 model year has the highest rate (66.0 complaints per year) and the 2023 model year the lowest (17.2). Model years 2019 and 2020 run at least 50% above this model's average of 34.6 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years. The 2023 model year runs at least 40% below this model's average of 34.6 complaints per year on the road.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (35.6% of complaints), followed by Engine (21.2%) and Airbags & seat belts (8.5%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 3.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 67 complaints (3.6%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 124 injuries and 0 deaths.
In the last 12 months owners filed 495 complaints versus 471 in the previous 12 months — up 5%. The 2019 model year generated the most recent reports (128). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 54 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 46 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2025 (16), 2 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. 5 NHTSA investigations have covered this model, 2 still open; the latest is “NU Car rental of vehicles with open recalls” (audit query, opened 2026-06-09, still open).
Every other tracked model among Full-size SUVs has fewer complaints per year, including Chevrolet Tahoe.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 378 | 43.0 | 1.07 | 57 | 14 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2019 ▲50%+ | 514 | 66.0 | 1.64 | 128 | 11 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2020 ▲50%+ | 423 | 62.3 | 1.54 | 120 | 18 ⚠ | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2021 | 237 | 40.9 | 1.01 | 65 | 12 ⚠ | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2022 | 115 | 24.0 | 0.59 | 35 | 12 | Electrical | View › |
| 2023 Fewest complaints | 65 | 17.2 | 0.43 | 22 | 8 | Electrical | View › |
| 2024 | 77 | 27.6 | 0.68 | 28 | 7 | Electrical | View › |
| 2025 Too new to rank | 37 | 20.7 | 0.51 | 30 | 6 | Electrical | View › |
| 2026 Too new to rank | 10 | 10.0 | 0.25 | 10 | 2 | Steering | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 495 · Previous 12 months: 471 Within ±30% year on year
Problem areas
Transmission / powertrain ›
661 · 35.6% · 3.05 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Engine ›
394 · 21.2% · 0.95 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Airbags & seat belts ›
158 · 8.5% · 2.24 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Unspecified or other ›
152 · 8.2% · 0.91 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Electrical ›
120 · 6.5% · 0.41 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Body & structure ›
115 · 6.2% · 0.68 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Wheels, tires & suspension ›
50 · 2.7% · 1.07 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Brakes ›
44 · 2.4% · 0.39 vs. all vehicles · Falling
Lighting ›
43 · 2.3% · 1.49 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Other
36 · 1.9% · 1.05 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Driver-assist systems
36 · 1.9% · 0.34 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Fuel system
27 · 1.5% · 0.34 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Steering
20 · 1.1% · 0.17 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 54 months
What owners report
At approximately 12:10 p.m. on October 5, 2026, we had just washed the Expedition and I was going to move it over to put it in the middle bay of the garage that is attached to the house.
While leaving a parking lot the vehicle was pulling out a parking spot in reverse, as the vehicle changed from reverse to drive, teh vehicle randomly started accelerating without cause, the gas pedal was not initiated and there was no pedal influence at all.
Driving to pick up my son from school (in a school zone under 20 mph) while my daughter was in the back seat, we hear a loud noise sounded like a gun shot, I immediately pull over somewhere safe got out and checked the outside of my car, didnt notice anything…
The 10 speed transmission has ALWAYS slipped and never shifted correclty. Taken to shop multiple times and was told thats just how the transmission changes on the newer Ford 10 speed transmissions.
When the vehicle is in motion, the transmission shifts very hard (with a loud audible "bang") between gears 4 and 5, and intermittently power is lost to the wheels (again, while the vehicle is in motion, you depress the accelerator, the engine revs up, but…
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Full-size SUVs
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 1,289 | 32.4 | 0.8 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 28 | Engine |
| 2 | Ford Expedition | 1,856 | 34.6 | 0.86 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 46 | Transmission / powertrain |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 46
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 2
- Over-the-air fix: 0
Safety recalls: 2018 (14) · 2019 (11) · 2020 (18) · 2021 (12) · 2022 (12) · 2023 (8) · 2024 (7) · 2025 (6) · 2026 (2)
Investigations
- NU Car rental of vehicles with open recalls Open
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. 49 U.S.C. § 30120(i). NHTSA is in receipt of information that indicates NU Car rented at …
- Rearview Camera FMVSS 111 Noncompliance Open
On September 23, 2020, Ford Motor Company (Ford) filed a noncompliance recall report under 49 CFR Part 573 (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-575), recalling 620,246 Model Year (MY) 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles for a noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 111, Rea…
- Seat Belt Retractor Pretensioner Inadvertent Deployment Closed
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. Some complaints alleged hearing a loud, explosion-like sound immediately followed by the seat belt tightening around th…
- Low-pressure fuel pump failure Closed
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. Some consumers reported that the failure occurred without warning while driving, resulting in a complete loss of motive power with no ability to restart the engine. Ford determined that several other vehicle models contain low-pressu…
- Seat Belt Pretensioner Inadvertent Deployment Closed
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. Some complaints allege hearing a loud, explosion-like sound immediately followed by the seatbelt tightening around the occupant’s torso area. The complaints do n…