10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,916 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Ford Expedition:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #14

Oct 012021

Expedition

  • miles
Daily the automatic transmission will erratically and forcefully downshift at highway speed. When changing Driving Modes the transmission display on the dash has numbers disappear and the transmission downshifts with great force which has lead to injuries. After sitting for more than a few hours the transmission will not go into reverse at first but will then violently shift into reverse after several minutes. These issues began not long after we purchased this vehicle new. The service manager at the dealership the vehicle was purchased from when I told him about these problems told me that I don-€™t understand how a 10 speed transmission works. Sometimes the driver-€™s seatbelt will not buckle.

- Fortson, GA, USA

problem #13

Jan 252023

Expedition

  • miles
I purchased this 2021 Ford Expedition brand new from Ford of Kirkland in WA and discover there's a hard shift or pause when downshifting especially on an uphill. Often time it made a loud metal snapping sound from under the hood when that happened. I was driving on the freeway one afternoon the vehicle jolted and paused and doesn't engage for about 2-3 seconds causing the vehicle behind me to honk. It finally re-engaged after making the loud metal snapping sound. This vehicle had been in service 3 times for the same complaints but still not fixed and discovered that other people with the same Ford vehicle had the same complaints as

- Redmond, WA, USA

problem #12

Jan 252023

Expedition

  • miles
We just purchased this vehicle and started to notice a hard down shift when slowing down from 6th gear. I drove it Saturday January 21st and when I shifted the vehicle into reverse to back into a parking space it threw the transmission into a fault and had no reverse. Still drove forward. Took the vehicle in for service on 1/25/23. They ordered parts to fix the harsh shift. No comment on the reverse issue. Picked up vehicle evening of 1/25/23. Drove from dealership to gas station close to home, about 15 miles. Shut vehicle off to fuel. When I restarted the vehicle it kept pushing forward against trans pawl and then rolling back repeatedly. After it did this 10 times or so I put the vehicle in Nuetral and it proceeded to drive forward for 20-30 feet uphill. After 20-30 feet of driving forward the wrench light turned on and the vehicle stopped driving forward and rolled backwards down the hill as it should have. After this the vehicle had forward gears but no reverse gears. Wrench light and CEL light both illuminated when driving home from gas station. Will have dealership tow back 1/26/23 due to safety issue of vehicle driving forward while not in gear.

- Newhall, IA, USA

problem #11

Jan 012023

Expedition

  • miles
Front differential failed. I was driving to the mountains and when I reached snow level it was about 38 degrees F and I slowed to less than 20 mph and switched to 4A. Within a few moments I heard and felt a grinding sound from the front. I have used 4WD several times over the year or so I've had the vehicle and have never heard this noise before. I thought it was the hubs not engaging completely and so I switched it back to 2wd and while the noise was less it continued. I switched back to 4wd and I confirmed that 4wd was working but the noise persisted. I bought this vehicle specfically for its 4wd and my family's life depends on it working when we are up in the Sierras where it snows 2-3 inches per hour. When we returned I immediately took the vehicle to the dealer who informed me that it was the front differential that failed and parts are on back order. I am still waiting two weeks later. They said this is not common but why are parts on back order if it is not so common?

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #10

Apr 262022

Expedition

  • miles
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" The transmission slams down into gear from 9th to 8th gear. It also slams in stop and go traffic from 4-5, 5-6. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The transmission jerks hard enough to move you in your seat and could cause accidental breaking or acceleration. In stop and go traffic it could cause you to rear-end someone because it lags shifting. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It has been back to the dealer 4 times for this issue. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No, there are not warning messages. It has done this since 17,000 miles.

- Arnoldsville, GA, USA

problem #9

Nov 032022

Expedition

  • miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that as his wife had attempted to park the vehicle, she placed the gear shifter into park(P) and let her foot off the brake pedal. Once she released her foot off the brake, the vehicle abruptly accelerated forward and hit a storage shed. The contact depressed the brake pedal multiple times during the failure but the brakes failed to engage. No warning lights appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The police were not called and no medical assistance was needed. The storage shed was destroyed as a result of the impact. The contact called the dealer and made an appointment for a diagnostic. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Bluff City, TN, USA

problem #8

Sep 132022

Expedition

  • 13,722 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to accelerate shortly after losing motive power. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting into the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission valve body failure and the transmission valve body was replaced. The failure recurred while the contact-€™s wife was driving with the vehicle jerking. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the dealer reset the transmission. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,722.

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #7

Sep 072022

Expedition

  • miles
I am concerned about the shifting or transmission in my new 21 expedition. Purchased new less than a year ago, currently less than 20k miles but the vehicle shifts gears hard, sometimes it seems it wants to up shift while in park or braking. The shift is shaky at times and I now put in park when stopped at a drive through because the last time I went to the bank while waiting with brake applied the car felt as if it was going to just drive off, I immediately put in park. This is scary because my kids rode with me and I dont want the gears to shift incorrectly and cause us to wreck. Dealer asked me to schedule a time when I can leave my vehicle for an unknown amount of time. In order to get a loaner the first available date to drop it off is November 17,22 which is over a month away.

- Blythewood, SC, USA

problem #6

Sep 232022

Expedition

  • miles
Transmission routinely goes out of gear making a weird grinding sound, loses power and decelerates without warning. This has occurred at speeds from 10 mph to 70 mph. Neighborhood streets, roads, highways, and interstates. Very dangerous situation. The vehicle has approximately 22000 miles and this has occurred 20 times at minimum. I have been extremely lucky that this has not caused an accident or crash. The vehicle was purchased new from the dealership. I informed the dealer after numerous occurrences. The dealer inspected the vehicle in August. They said the vehicle computer time stamped the issue but they could determine the issues"?" The same transmission problem has occurred 5 times since August.

- Birmingham , AL, USA

problem #5

Jan 012022

Expedition

  • 100 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the parking brake limited-service message was displayed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a sudden reduction of speed and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was contacted regarding the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100.

- Monroe, NY, USA

problem #4

Nov 182021

Expedition

  • 13,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) or reverse(R) there was a popping sound heard while the brake pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown part was replaced in the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the vehicle would hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure was unable to be diagnosed as no failure codes were found. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.

- La Porte, TX, USA

problem #3

Dec 152021

Expedition

  • miles
Went to accelerate on on ramp and vehicle was not able to accelerate.

- Courtland, VA, USA

problem #2

Jan 132022

Expedition 6-cyl

  • miles
The vehicle transmission has failed, potentially do to towing (the vehicle is supposed to be towable) I bought the vehicle to be able to tow behind our RV. We took a trip last July from Thousand Oaks, CA up through 5 national parks all of the way to Glacier National Park in Montana. The vehicle appeared to tow normally, i never had a problem getting the vehicle to indicate the Tow Mode was active. In January of this year (almost 6 months after the trip), my transmission made a clunking sound, and started to perform poorly. We called the dealership immediately to have it looked at. The dealer said i must have towed it incorrectly and therefore it won't be covered under warranty. I had a second opinion which did not agree with Ford's assessment. Ford had an engineer look at the transmission, and the engineer reiterated it must have been towed incorrectly. I asked how they assessed if the vehicle could have come out of tow mode through some error and the refused to answer or provide any additional details. They would only say that the transmission appears damaged from improper towing. I do not disagree with them that the vehicle could have been damaged during towing, what i disagree with is the assertion it was not properly in Tow Mode. I followed the process in the handbook, had a affirmation it was in tow mode every time before we moved the vehicle. When teh vehicle is attached to our RV there are two option. Park - when we are stationary for a period of time, or Tow Mode when moving. There are no other options. Ford said they have reported this incident already, i would like confirmation if possible to make sure. I would also like to know if other similar incidents have been reported.

- Newbury Park, CA, USA

problem #1

Aug 112021

Expedition

  • miles
While accelerating on a busy tollway, the automatic transmission got stuck in 6th gear. The car then began to slow down, and the gear display went blank. This put my safety and the safety of others at risk, as it happened in the left lane of a busy, high-speed tollway. The local dealership refused to help--even though the car is within warranty--as they did not believe the issue was replicable. However, the car had a similar problem on a lower-speed roadway just a few weeks prior. In both incidents, the transmission became stuck in one gear, the gear display on the dashboard went blank, and the car began to decelerate.

- Dallas, TX, USA