2016 Ford Expedition Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 60,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

When merging on the highway in the rain the vehicle locked up on me and almost killed me. I could have been seriously injured I could not stop the car and it slid along the highway at high speeds . Luckily was able to get to the shoulderOwner complaint, filed 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact activated the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 110,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 60,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine made a knocking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to the cam phasers; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 148,000 miles

I experienced the same problem you are investigating in F-150’s: I was traveling on the highway at 75 miles per hour on cruise control - there was a really loud thunk and the Expedition unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear, I hadn’t touched anything and there was no warning. It was really scary and has made me doubt the safety of…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 74,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

My 2016 Expedition has the same 6R80 transmission as the Ford F150, for which there is a recall for the Lead Frame. My wife was driving the vehicle on the highway and the check engine light came on and the vehicle went into "limp mode" causing the vehicle to decelerate to approximately 35 mph. Needless to say, she almost caused several…Owner complaint, filed 2026

My expedition started stuttering and the speedometer, started fluctuating speeds which would also cause my cruise control to turn off. Then the speedometer quit working altogether and so did the odometer. If I turned the truck off and restarted it, it would reset everything for a few miles then it would start all over again. I went to…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 126,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

On Apil 6 about 6:15 am I was on my way to work. And I start smelling what appears to be a gas smell and I wasn’t quite sure what was coming from so I cracked the window a little bit and said that I would try to check it when I got to work seeing that I was only roughly about 10 minutes away from work and out the corner of my right eye I…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Rear-view camera is intermittently failing and often completely inoperative. Vehicle is under an active Ford safety recall for the rear-view camera, but there is currently no remedy available. The failure occurs while reversing and eliminates rear visibility, creating a clear safety risk of collision or injury to pedestrians or property.…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 100,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera would occasionally display a blank screen, while at other times a "Camera Not Available" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to multiple dealers…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 160,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank screen. The message “Camera Unavailable” was displayed. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 70,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 54,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was driving on a small highway (2 times) and a neighborhood street (1 time) going 25 MPH (45 MPH on the highway) or more when all of the sudden I was unable to accelerate. My car seemed to shift into a different drive with the way it felt and some shaking. I would push the pedal to the floor and nothing would happen. I had to coast…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 103,000 miles

While driving down the very busy interstate at 75-80 MPH the vehicle jerked and then lost all throttle power. The wrench indicator light came on. With no throttle I had to ease myself into the narrow shoulder while semi after semi flew by. This was terrifying! I turned the vehicle off & back on and it worked fine to head home. It…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 103,744 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 60,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

while driving on the highway my vehicle shut down and service lamp came on and while drifting tried to put transmission in neutral and restart but had to come to complete stop to restart engine in park. I was in third lane and had no warning before shut down and could not get to the shoulder. (almost got hit trying). I reported to the…Owner complaint, filed 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 85,605 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 119,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

2 separate ford dealerships have failed to solve my rear camera failure wasting about 12 hours of my time. The rear camera does fail to work quite often, but when in the dealer’s possession, they claim it’s working fine without showing any codes.Owner complaint, filed 2026

I receive a recall 22S56 for the climate control blower motor it was replaced under warranty on 12/17/2024 about a year latter I noticed blower stopped working on 12/13/2025 coming from San Francisco because visibility was affected when defroster stopped working, then I called dealer on 12/23 /25 and they gave me an appointment for them…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions, while in reverse(R), the contact observed a warning chime and a "Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed, and the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that on other occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 150,000 miles

Steering wheel is loose and wobbly as if it will fall off. I noticed that Ford issued a recall in March 2018 for this problem (see below) however it does not include my 2016 Ford Expedition that is having the exact same issue. DEARBORN, Mich., March 14, 2018, Ford Motor Company is issuing two safety recalls in North America. Details are…Owner complaint, filed 2024

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

Airbag light came on and has since went off. The left buttons on the steering wheel intermittingly work both leading to a clockspring issue. There is a recall for 2016 F250 clockspring due to airbag issue and the 2016 Expedition uses the same part number clockspring. I think this recall should add other Ford models that use the exact…Owner complaint, filed 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, he became aware that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the clockspring needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired.…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 127,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and hauling a trailer attached to the tow hitch, the trailer suddenly detached from the vehicle. The trailer hitch had fractured due to extensive rust. The dealer was contacted and informed about the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 129,000 miles

Bought the 2016 vehicle January 2017. Shortly after purchase I noticed slight bubbling in the paint on the edges of the hood and especially the bottom of the lift gate. It has progressed over the years and now the paint is coming off- a large piece off the front hood and all along the bottom of the lift gate. Ford has no recalls on it…Owner complaint, filed 2023

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

One of the anchor points for car seats in the 3rd row fell off when we tried to attach a car seat to the anchor point. We have owned the vehicle since 2022 and have not tried to use that anchor until now. There was no damage to the vehicle to cause this.Owner complaint, filed 2025

When using the power folding third row option appropriately, the seat got stuck on something and snapped off two of the rear seat female seatbelt connectors. This is a huge safety concern, knowing that these connectors can snap off, when we use them to secure our children.Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

The lug nuts are 'swollen', difficult to remove and are 'separating' according to America's Tire personnel who rotate and balance my tires.Owner complaint, filed 2022

During normal dealer service interval, I was advised by car dealer that lug nuts were in need of replacement. As vehicle is less than 5 years old and has under 60k miles, I said that seemed abnormal. Service agent advised they “see it all the time.” As this seems like a safety issue, I inquired if there was a recall or service bulletin.…Owner complaint, filed 2021

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

The car is less than 6 year old and was driven less than 20,000 miles, no accidents and never off road. Left rear shock was leaking and so was the left rear axle seal, I could not tell how much differential oil was leaked out, but there is quite a lot. I feel that there could be a serious safety concern.Owner complaint, filed 2022