386 of the 1,762 complaints about the Ford Expedition (21.9%) concern Engine, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.0× the Engine share across all tracked vehicles.
386Complaints · Engine
21.9%Share of complaints
0.99×vs. all vehicles
43Last 12 months
3.1%Share involving a crash or fire
4Related recalls
Analysis
By model year, Engine complaints peak with the 2019 model (134, 28% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (1). 43 Engine complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 115 in the 12 months before — the pace is falling.
Owners most often describe: “cam”, “phasers”, “rattling”, “engine” and “hotline”. 12 of these reports (3.1%) describe a crash or fire, with 11 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
4 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V628000 (2025-09-19, model years 2020).
Incident happened 06/26/2026. My wife was driving with our 4 kids down the highway to family event. My wife smelled a funny odor coming from the vents and was going to drive to the next exit and then noticed smoke.
Engine · 2026-06-29 · ODI 11747128 · Fire
On May 16, 2026, my 2023 Ford Expedition with 6,197 miles caught fire while I was driving home from work. I smelled smoke inside the cabin, and within moments smoke began coming through the air vents. I pulled over and exited the vehicle.
Engine · 2026-05-26 · ODI 11740156 · Fire
The vehicle disengages and loses power, feels like it shifts to park and won’t go.
Engine · 2026-08-28 · ODI 11760293
The engine stalled out while trying to pass someone. The car wouldn't go faster when hitting the gas and felt like I couldnt safely slow down to get back over. It felt like something slipped and lost traction, but roads were dry and not rocky or sandy.
Engine · 2026-07-29 · ODI 11753596
I noticed a loud rattle when starting my 2018 Ford Expedition, at first occasionally and then on every cold start. The Ford Dealer's service department diagnosed a cam phaser issue.
Engine · 2026-07-16 · ODI 11750763
When turning on the truck there is an excessive rattle in the engine and it keeps on prolonging more and more.
Engine · 2026-07-10 · ODI 11749552
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
ENGINE Campaign 25V628000 · 2025-09-19 · Model years: 2020
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. A short circuit within the battery junction box can cause an engine fire while driving or parked.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 3, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's numbers for this recall are 22S36 and 22S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 23, 2025.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION Campaign 25V198000 · 2025-03-28 · Model years: 2024, 2025
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Expedition, and 2024 Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. The engine may have a misaligned engine cup plug, which can result in a rapid oil leak.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine cup plug alignment, and replace the plug if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S30.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION Campaign 24V851000 · 2024-12-20 · Model years: 2024
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, 2024 Expedition and 2024 Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine. The engines may have a misaligned engine cup plug, which can result in a rapid oil leak.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine cup plug alignment, and replace the plug if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 23, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S70.
ENGINE Campaign 22V346000 · 2022-05-17 · Model years: 2021
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. An engine compartment fire may occur while driving or parked, even with the ignition in the "Off" position.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 25, 2022. Owners will receive a second letter once the remedy is available. Currently the remedy is available for vehicles equipped with heavy-duty radiator fan motors, and those letters were mailed July 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S36.
Why modern engines burn oil, and what owner complaints revealThe design choices that make many recent engines consume oil, the warning signs owners describe, what counts as normal, and which tracked models draw the most engine complaints right now.
Frequently asked questions
How common are Engine problems on the Ford Expedition?
386 of the 1,762 complaints about the Ford Expedition (21.9%) concern Engine, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.0× the Engine share across all tracked vehicles.
Which Ford Expedition model years have the most Engine complaints?
By model year, Engine complaints peak with the 2019 model (134, 28% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (1).
Is there a recall for Ford Expedition Engine problems?
4 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 25V628000 (2025-09-19, model years 2020).