2018 Ford Expedition Problems, Recalls & Reliability
477 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Ford Expedition, alongside 14 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 77,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2018 sits among all Expedition years
What owners report
“Transmission will up shift when accelerating then all of a sudden go to first gear at highway speeds.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Expedition
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle on several occasions, there was a fast-banging metallic sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Expedition
“Drl is only half on seems that this is a common problem and a safety problem for it is a lighting issue”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Expedition
“Transmission is slipping and harshly stopping randomly. Won’t go into park sometimes. Very unsafe. I have heard this is a common thing with the 2018 ford expeditions.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Expedition
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 158 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 50,542 miles. Half of those reports fall between 24,214 and 90,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (14)
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.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety…
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.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the center consoles as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 16, 2026. Additional letters will be sent…
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.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent…
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.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…
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.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were…
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…
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this…
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…
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner…
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…
Fix: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the second row center seat for any missing J-channel reinforcement brackets, replacing the center seat frame assembly as necessary, free of charge.…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump and associated components, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the second row window electronic control modules, and replace them as necessary based on their build date codes, free of charge. The recall began on…
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…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the second row outboard seats for proper seat adjustment travel, replacing the seat frame assembly if necessary. Dealers will also inspect the bolts…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 25V197.
Technical service bulletins
165 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2018 Ford Expedition. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Expedition TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Ford Expedition reliable?
The 2018 Ford Expedition drew 477 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2018 Ford Expedition problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Ford Expedition are transmission & drivetrain (145 complaints), engine (122), and electrical (56).
At what mileage do 2018 Ford Expedition problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Ford Expedition problems around 50,542 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 24,214 and 90,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Ford Expedition have recalls?
14 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Ford Expedition. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.