2013 Ford Expedition Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated and unexpectedly downshifted to first gear before the vehicle veered over into the next lane. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and steer it back into the correct lane. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 147,300.

NHTSA ID

11749980

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

Mileage

147,300 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, causing the vehicle to shake and jerk abnormally. The speedometer was fluctuating, and the transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the parents' residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N01 (Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,500.

NHTSA ID

11749972

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

Mileage

146,500 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, there was a sudden unattended downshift of the vehicle. The speedometer went to zero. The RPM increased without acceleration. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11735744

Incident

Feb 12, 2026

Was never notified of the recall pertaining to my vehicle. Upon research I contacted the dealership to have the recall fixed. First issue was they offere complimentary pickup and delivery which I scheduled and they did not show up, aswell as the call that was supposed to happen, and they tell me the recall is out of its extended warranty. I contacted Ford service department and they said the same as its out of extended warranty. This is a safety concern as Ford is aware of the failing component and will not let me get the recall fixed. At the moment the vehicle is in limp mode still runs just fine but due to the recall it is not and cannot get any help from the dealership nor Ford. I was never notified that the vehicle had any recalls as we where dealing with the known harmonic balancer issue which caused the dealership to replace the engine with a new and still had to replace that balancer 3 times until it was right. Besides that distraction there was no issues occuring from the Molded Lead Frame. This is a safety concern. The vehicle mileage is about 160k engine mileage maybe 20-30k. Original recalled component still remains. I am able to repair this myself but need to know if this was something they should be fixing.

NHTSA ID

11710465

Incident

Jan 2, 2026

2013 Ford Expedition Limited 5.4 engine. The vehicle was purchased new with an extended warranty with all services performed by Ford dealer. On or about [XXX], with no warning or indication of problem the vehicle experienced what was determined to be a catastrophic internal engine failure, with only 93840 miles. The engine problems were known by Ford Motor Company as replacement engines had design changes and modifications. The engine failure resulted in an immediate stop, which occurred on a 4-lane state road with a fifty-five MPH limit. Fortunately, no vehicles were in close proximity at the time. Dense traffic, at speed, could have resulted in a multivehicle accident. The vehicle required flatbed towing to a service center. Ford Motor Company has not taken action (recall) to address the engine problems, nor has Ford offered reimbursement to customers for replacement engine cost. Ford Motor Company receives the defective engine back when a replacement engine is purchased. The cost was near $8K. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11682595

Incident

Sep 28, 2022

This has been a great vehicle. We were going down a road around 60 mph and with no warning or symptom the car downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. This caused the rear end to lock up causing the tires to squeal and spin the car around sideways in the road. Luckily nothing was coming. This could have easily been a deadly accident if something was coming. The dealer has said the lead frame was bad a needed to be replaced. They have quoted $1,200. The vehicle only has 117,000 miles on it and it still under the mileage for the extended coverage but not the years. There are tons of vehicles with this transmission and lead frame on the road, this is a major safety issue that should be addressed. A check engine light or no other warnings have ever come on. Having these lead frames out there are just an accident waiting to happen. Luckily, ther was no one coming when mine decided to fail.

NHTSA ID

11671030

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also noticed that the instrument panel became inoperable and would not function properly when the contact attempted to shift gear. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the output speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11647731

Incident

Mar 11, 2025

Mileage

117,000 mi

2/13/19- Ford Issued Recall on 2013 Ford Expedition for OSS failure and downshift 2/20/19- I go to the Preston Ford Mazda dealership, Maryland. I view and test drive a 2013 Ford Expedition, during the test drive the RPMs ran high on the Expedition and it felt sluggish and “off” crossing a road, and at one point it jumped, and the wrench symbol came on as we were returning. My concern was shrugged off by my salesman, as he said ‘maybe Fords are just like that’. As we returned, and had the issue with the wrench symbol, salesman advised me “ well when you came and interrupted as they were just getting this thing checked out and tested.” 2/19/19 When I returned following days to purchase, the vehicle was not ready. It turned out the battery had died and they had some other issue with a “computer code”. They put in another battery on hand, and told me I should now be “good to go”, knowing that I was in desperate need of a vehicle, and would likely be trusting if they told me it was now repaired. At this point we were within manufacturer’s warranty, and under 60k miles. -was never informed that there was a recall issued by Ford that EXACTLY applied to our vehicle, and to the issue I Reported during my test drive, under warranty, and Preston Ford Mazda never correctly repaired the issue as they stated, which was reported within all Ford and recall time and mileage requirements. [XXX]-while driving suddenly speedometer went out, the gas gauge stopped working, and then, a moment later while trying to figure that out, the vehicle jumped and shuddered/stopped and the RPMS went wild, revving. Almost hit cars, but was able to pull to the side of highway. Upon turning the vehicle off and restarting, normal operation resumed, but issue with the wrench symbol, gauges, RPMs revving and vehicle jump/stop has now happened repeatedly, leaving me with no safe transportation for my large family. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11645524

Incident

Feb 20, 2025

Ford had a customer satisfaction recall (which should be a safety recall, honestly) - 19N01 - that was good for 10 years or 150K miles. My vehicle a 2013 is just outside of that 10 years but under the mileage and I am starting to have issues with the leadframe and main control. Unfortunately for me, I bought the vehicle in spring 2023, but am being told the warranty expired in 2019. Also unfortunately for me, the previous owner did not have the issue fixed. Ford is unwilling to assist with correcting the issue (even after the dealership confirmed this is the issue).

NHTSA ID

11633602

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the RMPS were fluctuating, and the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to second or to third gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, and then the contact resumed driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the transmission molded lead frame several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, where the transmission molded lead frame was replaced. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. Several unknown dealers were notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11620462

Incident

Sep 30, 2024

Mileage

180,000 mi

When driving veh wrench light came on veh jerks and drops down to first gear rpm and speed gauges go out for second had to pull over cut veh off and cut it back on to get it home this happened several times took it to the closes shop they said it the transmission speed sensor loosing connection with the computer.

NHTSA ID

11596589

Incident

Jun 25, 2024

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the front passenger's side tire blew out, and she lost control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle crashed into an embankment, and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that the front grill and the bumpers detached due to the impact. The contact stated that the driver's side and the passenger's side roof air bags were deployed; however, the front driver's side air bag failed to deploy, causing the contact to hit her face and her head against the steering wheel. The contact sustained black eyes, bruises on the forehead, a scratch on the scalp that extended to her nose, a swollen nose, a swollen forehead, and swollen eyes. The contact had not received medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11579923

Incident

Mar 26, 2024

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in the daughter's driveway, a mist was present coming from the vents, and moments later the horn activated and flames were seem coming from under the front passenger side dashboard. Flames quickly engulfed the vehicle and the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. No injuries were reported. A fire and police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11579872

Incident

Dec 23, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

I have been having random transmission issues. Its wanting to start off in a high gear. Check engine light comes on. A wrench in the digital display. Speedometer quits working. Sometimes it wont shift, and idles way up by itself. At first turning the key off fixed it for a bit. Now its happening more and more. And now a few times it has downshifted HARD from a high gear to a low one causing us to be in danger on the highway, now fearing for our safety. Now turning off the key is not fixing the problem. It shows a code for output shaft speed sensor circuit fault.

NHTSA ID

11575008

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

Since more than 18 months, we have the known intermittent problem described in TSB [XXX], where all of a sudden the wrench appears, speedometer drops to zero and car can't change gear anymore. Sometimes going to manual gears works, sometimes car needs to be stopped, locked and completely shut down several times for the problem to go away. Before turning off, error P0720 appears (as described in TSB [XXX]). Car taken to garage in January 2023 where it was for 3 weeks. Technicians drove it for 11 miles (!) and could not reproduce the problem so could not do the required work ie changing the molded leadframe. Now, in January 2024 the problem happened again and this time the Check Engine light came on. The same error code P0720 was now permanently stored. Took the car to the garage, where they were able to diagnose the problem and ... replaced the molded leadframe. This at an out of pocket cost of $1,300. Contacted Ford and they say there is no program or financial assistance in place for this problem, despite all the information that can be found. It is clear this a general problem of all 6R80 gearboxes beyond the time periods stated in the recall. Ford is negligent by not doing a recall on all cars having this gearbox. Nobody is looking at this issue at Ford, when creating a case number they say no program exists, and state paperwork and proof can be sent to a PO BOX in Dearborn (not even an email address to send attachments in this 21st century). All ways to discourage people to react, send in documents or claim documents did not arrive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11574609

Incident

Dec 28, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission molded leadframe. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N01, but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 135,000.

NHTSA ID

11566073

Incident

Jan 10, 2024

Mileage

135,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle independently decelerated to 0 MPH. The check engine warning light and the wrench symbol was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty main control valve body in the transmission. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,080

NHTSA ID

11556074

Incident

Nov 8, 2023

Mileage

200,080 mi

Transmission, is available for inspection upon request, trans will downshift to 1st gear causing rear wheels to lock up, speedometer to read zero mph, wrench to be displayed, and dashes across digital display on mph. called dealer and was told out of recall/warranty parameters, as well as ford corporate customer service. No inspection, only verbal verification from dealer. No advance warning before malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11549131

Incident

Sep 25, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the passenger’s side of the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced twelve rocker arms from the passenger’s side of the engine, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,833.

NHTSA ID

11546634

Incident

May 15, 2023

Mileage

95,833 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The powertrain warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.

NHTSA ID

11541838

Incident

Aug 3, 2023

Mileage

191,000 mi

The airbag case/seal is ruptured and splitting in the center of the steering wheel and looks like it will self-deploy on its own. Their airbag warning light is NOT illuminated.

NHTSA ID

11538844

Incident

Aug 16, 2023

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he started to see smoke located underneath the front passenger dashboard. The contact then stated that he then noticed that flames had started to ignite. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that he immediately pulled the vehicle off the road and exit the vehicle and as the vehicle flames started to spread throughout the vehicle. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact stated that the vehicle was then towed to an undisclosed lot by the insurance company. The contact was unsure if the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11524869

Incident

May 30, 2023

Mileage

150,000 mi

The transmission is shifting dangerously. All the lights on the dash are flashing and the speedometer doesn't work. We were driving at highway speed and the transmission shifted into first gear causing an abrupt slowing of the Expedition. When we stopped at a red light the vehicle would remain in third gear and therefore we couldn't accelerate from a stopped position. This was previously addressed in TSB 13-6-8. There are many Ford vehicles on the road with this dangerous problem. I'm requesting that you encourage Ford to repair the transmission lead frame for the life of the vehicle. As second owner of this vehicle, I never received the notice of this problem and didn't discover it until after I was having problems. We drove 80 miles home Christmas day with our emergency flashers on because nothing was open. Ford service was closed on Monday December 26. On Tuesday, December 27 we took vehicle for repairs. We were notified that our extended warranty expired on Monday December 26, so they are not going to pay. This is a well documented problem that Ford has had and I've read many complaints from their customers. To make matters worse the transmission lead frame is on National backorder and Ford cannot repair my vehicle. I refuse to drive it because I'm afraid it will come to an abrupt stop while I'm driving.

NHTSA ID

11499402

Incident

Dec 25, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that when she attempted to operate the heating system, she heard a loud whistling sound and knob became stuck on high speed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the blower motor controller and connector had burned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the blower motor controller and connector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall and to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

NHTSA ID

11496423

Incident

Dec 6, 2022

Mileage

134,000 mi

Lug Nuts cannot be removed due to defective design. Impossible to properly maintain tires or to remove wheel in case of roadside emergency. Each wheel has 6 lug nuts that must ALL work properly together. All 24 of my lug nuts had to be forcibly removed/replaced in order to perform tire maintenance and to be proactive against the safety risk of malfunction while being operated on the road. Ford has never made me aware of this issue. Krause Ford in Woodstock Georgia inspected the lug nuts and recommended replacement at my expense due Ford Corporate not recognizing this as a problem with their product. Tire/wheel maintenance is an important safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11481322

Incident

Aug 24, 2022