What owners reported to NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Expedition, its recalls, and what to check before you buy one.

Owners filed about 1.6 times as many complaints as a typical Expedition year. The main thing to watch is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 80,000 miles. Years with fewer complaints: 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Expedition years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
Owners have filed 383 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Expedition. The most reported problem area is the transmission and drivetrain (149, 39% of complaints), followed by the engine and cooling and the electrical system. That ranks 3rd of 13 Expedition years from 2012 to 2024 for complaints. It has 14 recalls.
5 of these complaints came from Utah owners.
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Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 80,000 miles.
Transmission shifting very hard and lost forward momentum while on highway nearly causing accident. The resulting tow and repars totaled close to $5000.00Owner complaint, filed 2026
Transmission that's was replaced approx 3 yrs ago is hard shifting from park to drive and park to reverse on flat level surface.Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 108,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 80,000 miles.
Vehicle was disabled multiple times after failures of the OEM coolant / heater hoses at plastic fittings. Hoses includes the primary radiator coolant hoses, bypass hoses and engine coolant hoses for the transmission cooler. First hose failure on 10/21/2022 (51,177) miles was repaired by Ford dealer in Davenport, FL. OEM replacement hoses…Owner complaint, filed 2026
After Fords most recent recall for a PCM software update at the dealer the car immediately runs different and after full engine temperatures sounds like marbles or valve train issues including low rpm noise and transmission shutter between shifts. Dealer says there is no problem they can find and that I need new turbos. Very suspicious…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 19,000 miles.
The infotainment screen that includes the rear backup camera stopped working intermittently and then completely. The dealer's service department identified that the APIM, a module involved in operating the screen had failed. The backup camera is a significant and necessary safety feature for such a large vehicle. The dealer ordered the…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Ford performed Emission Recall 24E13 on my vehicle. The corporate software update bricked the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), rendering the vehicle completely inoperable 30 miles later. Ford corporate is refusing to repair the damage caused by their mandatory safety campaign, leaving me stranded. The vehicle was towed back to the…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 22,000 miles.
Daytime running LED lights in headlights have stopped working. Unable to replace bulb/fix due to having to replace the entire head lamp assembly.Owner complaint, filed 2026
Suspected Safety Defect, Windshield Wiper System Effected Vehicle Information Vehicle 1 - 2018 Ford Expedition MAX Vehicle 2 - 2017 Ford F-350 SuperCrew 4x4 Description of Defect Both vehicles experienced the same windshield wiper failure. The wipers gradually slowed, became sluggish, and eventually stopped working during normal use.…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 20,000 miles.
While driving on to a rough area such as a bridge crossing the vehicle exhibited excessive bouncing and caused the direction of travel toward the next lane. Repairs to the front struts were made at the dealership where the vehicle was originally purchased. The repair part was described as JL1Z 18124 E Shock Absorber Asy. The service…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Front struts faulty. Drivers side blew and all the fluid leaked out and the passenger side was leaking. Unknown safety issue but the vehicle only has 42,000 miles and has never been off road. Still has original tires, shouldn’t struts last longer than tires? The problem was confirmed by my local Ford dealer. I paid $1467.72 to have them…Owner complaint, filed 2024
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 14,000 miles.
Subject: Safety Complaint, 2018 Ford Expedition Brake Master Cylinder Recall 25S37 / NHTSA 25V236 I am filing this complaint regarding my 2018 Ford Expedition, which is subject to an open Ford brake master-cylinder recall, Recall 25S37 / NHTSA Recall 25V236. I am currently experiencing brake fluid loss around the brake master…Owner complaint, filed 2026
During a recent oil change at 14299 miles (04/28/2022), I was told that the rear brake pads were dangerously low and had to be replaced immediately. I previously had an oil change and inspection by the same dealership on 11/17/2021 (10986 miles) and 6/22/2021 at 8685 miles and the brakes were checked ok with no mention of any wear…Owner complaint, filed 2022
I am experiencing delays in transmission shifting when the vehicle is cold. This behavior has recently started at about 85k miles. I have taken to dealer and had the transmission oil changed and Ford recommended cleaning the solenoids (at my cost). The dealer also resets the controller to relearn as well. I experienced the issues while…Owner complaint, filed 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and attempting to change lanes, he depressed the accelerator to overtake the other vehicles and the accelerator became stuck. The contact stated that the cruise control had been activated while attempting to make the lane change. The contact stated that he…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 65,647 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 27,000 miles.
Manufacturer Recall Number26S34 NHTSA Recall Number26V344 Ford promised a remedy by 9/30/2026. There is still no remedy.Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, her daughter became entrapped by the rear passenger-side seat belt. The seat belt continuously clicked tighter, forcing the contact to cut the belt strap to free her daughter. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 98,650 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 29,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (9).
In below-freezing weather, the driver's side door latch of our 2018 Ford Expedition cannot be operated from the inside or outside of the vehicle, greatly limiting the occupant's ability to enter or exit the vehicle. A Ford technician advised today that the latch would need to be replaced. There were no indicators of a malfunction.…Owner complaint, filed 2023
When getting things out of the Rear Cargo area the Lift Gate has come down unexpectedly and hit Me in the head. Several times the Rear Lift gate randomly opens when exiting or entering the car. Has hit my spouse and has come close to hitting other person walking in back of the vehicle. The Lift Gate came open barely missing the vehicle…Owner complaint, filed 2022
Car doesn’t let me pump fuel at gas station and overfills even when the tank is empty. Gas leaks from the bottom of the car. Weird suction noise comes from the fuel filler neck. I was doing research and found that many people have this same problem with my car and there’s a recall for this but for the 2015-2016 models and not the 2017.…Owner complaint, filed 2022
The Fuel filler assembly on our 2018 Ford Expedition broke while filling the vehicle with fuel, causing the entire fuel filler assembly to pop out of the side of the vehicle. The parts appear to be made of weak plastic and/or may be caused by poor design execution. The concern is that this defect could cause fuel to leak out of the…Owner complaint, filed 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. While contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the low tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact's son drove the vehicle to the intended destination. The contact's son inspected the tires and determined that the front passenger’s side tire was cracked and needed to be…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 90,000 miles
The wheel nuts on my vehicle are defective. The Ford Dealership had to replace all twenty-four of them for "swelling". Evidently, the design of these wheel nuts (Ford part number ACPZ 1012 M) makes it impossible to remove without destroying them because of their defective design. According to Ford Customer Care, these parts are…Owner complaint, filed 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, another vehicle drove through a stop sign, causing the contact to T-bone the other vehicle, causing damage to the front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that no air bags did not deploy in his vehicle. The contact stated that he sustained…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 88,000 miles
The air bag warning light is on which may cause the airbags not to function properly. We have not had an accident to cause the air bag light on the dashboard turn on. We are taking it to the dealership later in the month to find out the exact cause of this malfunction. But the potential of an accident and the air bass failing to deploy…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 14,200 miles
This is a widespread problem across the Ford expedition. I've read forum after forum, facebook group after facebook group and have seen that many expeditions are affected by this. The front end of the Expedition; primarily the steering and suspension components, cause a strong vibration when approaching 70-75 miles per hour. I have…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Vehicle front driver side tire/rim/cylinder has a popping sound. It pops as if the caliber or brakes have something broke or dirt in it. I can hear this when driving slow and when in reverse backing up. Only hear sound when driving. Brought this to the attention of the dealership when I purchase the vehicle, took back to dealership twice…Owner complaint, filed 2019
Ford expedition was travelling at 50-60km/hr while passing an emergency vehicle on a highway. The expedition was struck from behind by a utility van travelling around 110km/hr. Both front seats slid forward and also reclined on impact. This caused both front passengers to sustain bruising on their calf's due to the seats sliding forward…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 30,600 miles
Compare the 2018 with other years before you choose one. Tap a year to see its problems.
Each car is rated against its own other years, since popular models always get more complaints than rare ones.
| Car | Vs. its other years | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Ford Expedition | Worse than most years | 14 |
| 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe | One of the better years | 3 |
| 2018 Toyota 4Runner | About average | 5 |
| 2018 Dodge Durango | About average | 5 |
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Expedition vehicles. The chrome plating on the center console may bubble and peel, resulting in sharp edges.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, "Head Restraints."
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Expedition vehicles. The second row center seat track assemblies may be missing one or both of the J-Channel reinforcement brackets, possibly allowing the seat to move in the event of a crash.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The second row window control modules may intermittently stop the movement of the power window. If something, such as a finger, is pinched by the window glass, the stopped window control module may prevent the window from automatically reversing. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Expedition vehicles. The second row outboard seats may have excessive forward adjustment capability and/or may have an improperly installed bolt that secures the seat back to the seat base. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 202a, "Head Restraints", number 207, "Seating Systems", and number 210, "Seat Belt Anchorage System."
The most reported problem areas on the 2018 Ford Expedition are the transmission and drivetrain (149 complaints), the engine and cooling (120 complaints) and the electrical system (34 complaints).
Worse than most Expedition years. Owners filed about 1.6 times as many complaints as a typical Expedition year. The main thing to watch is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 80,000 miles. Years with fewer complaints: 2012, 2013 and 2014. Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other Expedition years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
NHTSA lists 14 recalls for the 2018 Ford Expedition. The most recent, from Jun 2026, covers the transmission and drivetrain. Recalls cover the whole model year, so check the VIN of the car you are looking at to see which are still open.
Half of the owners who reported a problem with the transmission and drivetrain gave a mileage of about 80,000 miles or less. Half of the owners who reported a problem with the engine and cooling gave a mileage of about 80,000 miles or less. Plenty of cars have these problems later or never, so ask for service records.
The Expedition years with the most complaints compared with the rest are 2019. Years with clearly fewer complaints are 2012, 2013 and 2014. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly yet.
These problems are for the model year as a whole. Here is how to find out about the one you are looking at.
We inspect the car with a scan tool and paint gauge, read the history report and tell you whether it is worth the asking price, before you hand over any money.