Verdict
2018 Ford Expedition: Complaints, Recalls & Known Issues
What the public record actually says about the 2018 Ford Expedition — every figure below is a NHTSA or EPA number, not an opinion.
The read
More reported complaints than most SUV.
Owners filed 357 NHTSA complaints — more complaints than 76% of 2018 SUVs. Power Train leads the reports (37%). 14 safety recall campaigns on record — check the VIN and remedy terms with a dealer.
Based on NHTSA complaint volume against 2018 SUVs, not adjusted for how many were sold. It describes the model year, not the individual car you are looking at.
Complaints filed
357
Reports to NHTSA, 2018
Safety recalls
14
NHTSA campaigns on record
NHTSA crash test
Overall NCAP rating
Combined MPG
19
EPA estimate
Complaint volume vs. segment peers
More complaints than 76% of 2018 SUVs
The bar is this car's percentile among 2018 SUVs by complaint volume — a full bar means the fewest complaints in its class. Not adjusted for sales.
Known issues
Power Train issues lead owner complaints (37% of 357 reports), followed by engine (16%).
+ 12 more component categories with fewer reports.
Share of all 357 NHTSA complaints for this model year, grouped by the component owners named. Bars are scaled to the largest category. Examples: ODI 11205021, ODI 11144483, ODI 11676952, ODI 11675392, ODI 11675193.
Recalls(14)
Open a recall to read what NHTSA says is wrong, what can happen, and how it gets fixed. Check the VIN and remedy eligibility with a dealer; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though a manufacturer may offer more coverage.
StructureSep 2026 · 26V368000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Vehicle occupants may contact the center console's sharp edges, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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 once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S38. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 10, 2026.
Service BrakesNov 2025 · 25V236000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: A brake fluid leak can cause reduced brake function and extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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 mailed September 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S37. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 22V-150.
Seat BeltsSep 2024 · 24V099000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend may fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: 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 notification letters were mailed on July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S06.
EquipmentAug 2024 · 24V852000Details +Close −
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."
Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: 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 recall is 24C39.
EquipmentSep 2023 · 23V420000Details +Close −
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."
Risk: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: 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 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C20.
Fuel SystemDec 2018 · 18V392000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: 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 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S17.
Power TrainApr 2018 · 18V213000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: 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 contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
Power TrainApr 2018 · 18V214000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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 customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.
SeatsJan 2017 · 17V775000Details +Close −
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."
Risk: If the seat back is not adequately secured, and/or the seat occupant is improperly positioned, there can be an increased risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: 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 attaching the seat back to the seat base for the proper installation, correcting it as necessary. These repairs will be made free of charge. The recall began on January 10, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C20.
Visibility · 18V058000Details +Close −
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."
Risk: If the window does not automatically reverse when an obstruction is found, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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 February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C01.
Seats · 18V805000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat that moves may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: 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. An interim owner notification was sent on December 21, 2018. A second letter will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S37
Seat Belts · 25V197000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: 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's number for this recall is 25S31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24V-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.
Seat Belts · 26V344000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: 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 once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.
Power Train · 26V402000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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 risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 26, 2026.
A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.
Investigations
1 NHTSA investigation on record
Investigations are agency reviews, not findings that a vehicle is defective.
On November 22, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) PE23021 to investigate complaints of front seat belt retractor pretensioner inadvertent deployment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Expedition vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. Some complaints alleged hearing a loud, explosion-like sound immediately followed by the seat belt tightening around the occupant’s torso area. The complaints did not state that a crash occurred that may have resulted in the deployment of the pretensioner system, suggesting that this deployment was inadvertent or otherwise unwarranted. On February 9, 2024, Ford issued safety recall 24V-099, recalling certain MY 2018-2020 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with driver and front passenger seat belt retractor pretensioners built between October 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019. Ford described the defect as a seat belt retractor pretensioner assembly that may develop corroded squib pins, resulting in high resistance or an open circuit, which could result in an inadvertent deployment of a pretensioner and an increased risk of injury due to the loss of the pretensioner’s protection and a seat belt that remains in the locked position. This recall includes 77,574 vehicles. On November 15, 2024, ODI opened this Recall Query (RQ24015) after receiving 3 complaints involving vehicles not included in recall 23V-099 but that alleged a similar failure. As a result of this investigation, Ford issued safety recall 25V-197 on March 28, 2025, to expand the scope of 24V-099 to include MY 2018-2020 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with driver and front passenger seat belt retractor pretensioners built between October 1, 2018, and July 31, 2020. This recall includes 105,322 vehicles, some of which are also included in 24V-099. Additionally, on May 23, 2025, Ford issued 25V-197 Amendment #1, which further expands the recall population’s scope for vehicles with build dates of September 2018. This amendment added 7,627 additional vehicles to the 25V-197 population. In response to ODI’s inquiries in RQ24015, Ford indicated that it cannot conclusively determine the root cause of the relevant failure. Ford was able to determine that certain pretensioners may develop corroded squib pins potentially resulting in inadvertent deployment, but it was unable to specify the cause of corrosion. Without a specific root cause, Ford assessed field performance of pretensioners to determine the scope of the recalls. ODI is aware of three vehicles that experienced pretensioner inadvertent deployment that are not included in either 25V-197 or 24V-099. Two of these vehicles are MY 2018 Lincoln Navigator vehicles built prior to October 1, 2018, and both experienced failures after more than six years of use/exposure while the recalled vehicles experienced higher rate of failures with less exposure. The remaining incident involves a MY 2021 Ford Expedition that was built after July 31, 2020. ODI is not aware of any other relevant failures in vehicles built after July 31, 2020. As such, ODI has not currently identified a safety defect trend for this issue in vehicles outside of the recalled populations. ODI will continue to monitor allegations of pretensioner inadvertent deployment in subject vehicles that are not included in 25V-197. In view of the safety recall action being taken by Ford, ODI is closing this Recall Query (RQ24015). The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Crash-test ratings
2018 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2 NHTSA source
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
2018 Ford Expedition SUV 4x4 NHTSA source
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Fuel economy by trim
| Trim | Engine | Drivetrain | Transmission | City | Hwy | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expedition 2WD | 3.5L 6-cyl | Rear-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S10) | 17 | 24 | 20 |
| Expedition MAX 2WD | 3.5L 6-cyl | Rear-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S10) | 17 | 23 | 19 |
| Expedition 4WD | 3.5L 6-cyl | Part-time 4-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S10) | 17 | 22 | 19 |
| Expedition MAX 4WD | 3.5L 6-cyl | Part-time 4-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S10) | 16 | 21 | 18 |
EPA laboratory estimates by trim and engine. Actual mileage varies with driving, weather, load, and maintenance. EPA source.
Before you buy
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Compare model years
"Fewest reports" and "most complained" describe raw NHTSA complaint totals, not vehicle reliability. The last few model years are left unlabelled because they have had less road time.
2018 Ford Expedition: frequently asked
What does the complaint record show for the 2018 Ford Expedition?
Owners filed 357 NHTSA complaints about the 2018 Ford Expedition — more complaints than 76% of comparable 2018 SUVs, so it sits toward the weaker end of its class. That's a signal, not a guarantee about any single car.
What are the most common problems on the 2018 Ford Expedition?
The most-reported problem areas are Power Train (37% of complaints) and engine (16%).
How many recalls does the 2018 Ford Expedition have?
14 recalls have been issued that affect the 2018 Ford Expedition, covering components such as structure. Check the VIN with NHTSA and ask a dealer to confirm remedy eligibility; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though manufacturers may offer more coverage.
What gas mileage does the 2018 Ford Expedition get?
The EPA rates the 2018 Ford Expedition between 18 and 20 mpg combined, depending on trim and drivetrain.