2016 Ford Expedition Engine Problems

The failed components are called "cam phasers." It is a known problem with the Ford 3.5 Ecoboost Engine (that even Ford is aware of). The cam phasers can fail, causing the timing chain to fail at any moment. They rattle upon startup of a cold engine. The failure of the original engineering is causing owners of this vehicle, along with the F150 and others, to have to spend anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 in order to replace these. The problem has been confirmed by the Ford dealer. In order to visually examine the cam phasers, it requires something like 10+ hours to open the engine. You do not receive a warning light to replace cam phasers. It is merely an audio diagnosis. Ford SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE for replacing these free of charge and replacing them with the newer versions of cam phasers, which apparently don't fail. Driving around with rattling cam phasers can leave you stranded!

NHTSA ID

11715780

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera was intermittently inoperative. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine fan needed to be replaced; however, parts were not available for the repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11715121

Incident

Feb 2, 2025

The vehicle stops accelerating randomly it’s been in the shop (Ford dealer) a few times and they are unable to pinpoint the issue. The warning lamps would come on after the vehicle fails to accelerate. It would lose power at any interval and coast until it’s fully stopped.

NHTSA ID

11674952

Incident

Jul 21, 2025

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 failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ID

11650809

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

Mileage

148,000 mi

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 this Expedition.

NHTSA ID

11650371

Incident

Sep 25, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving in the mountains and the vehicle was stuck in the middle of the road. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times; however, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11647586

Incident

Mar 11, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop and while coming to a stop. The contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough idling. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to P&B Auto Repair Shop, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ID

11626187

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

Mileage

128,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that an unknown fluid was leaking from the vehicle in two locations. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and informed about a possible catalytic converter failure. The mechanic blew out the parts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was fractured, and the catalytic converter and vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were not available. The dealer used silicon to secure the valve cover gasket. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11572289

Incident

Feb 16, 2023

Mileage

125,000 mi

Sudden feel of a misfire putting truck into reverse, definitely caught my attention as vehicle has under 140k miles! Just had new Ford spark plugs and lifetime warrantied coil packs in the last 20 to 25k! it's had at least two if not three oil changes in the last 20k to 30k miles! Put vehicle into drive same felling of a misfire and doesn't take long it flashes the check engine light at me so I turn around to head back home and haven't really made it but around the corner and the car completely stalled out going by the neighbors house lost steering and brakes and noticed a very distinct smell of plastic/electrical burning! I pop the hood in total disgust and can't even see clearly enough to see the issue at the moment! A friend pulled in front my residence as I'm shaking my head and in tears! He points out a cracked and melted number one coil pack! Instantly replaced with nothing was wrong with the previous coil pack that nothing was wrong with but was unsure of the history! I now have a paperweight King Ranch Expedition! I'm not to familiar with this current what looks to fixing to be a recall anyway for what sound like the same overall issue as these 2020 and newer models that the fixing to hit! I have repaired my 02' Impala of a recall before I new it was a recall! Once I received the recall the issue of sudden loss of control of vehicle and engine shut down was already fixed by myself but out of curiosity I took the car in on a scheduled appointment to the GM Chevy dealer nearest me to fix the issue under recall that was already fixed! They placed plastic sleeves overs my keys and said done deal! I explained that that will not fix anything safely or permanently concerning these cars issues! Voiced my concern there at the dealership, with GM and this organization that I hope that no more loss of life would come from those! My current 2 recalls for my vehicle involved in my complaint today is a weeks if not months long wait to get vehicle back on one and no known

NHTSA ID

11548363

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 30 MPH, a loud explosion sound came from the engine compartment and engine oil began to leak from the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the turbo line had failed causing the turbo to strike the engine, creating a hole in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine and turbo needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11547803

Incident

Sep 13, 2023

Mileage

120,000 mi

The throttle body failed, and my car lost power as I was turning into traffic on the road outside of my subdivision. My car went from approximately 45-50 miles an hour to no acceleration. My car would only go forward at the speed at which it idles. It was very dangerous to me and to others because it was a sudden power failure. The problem was reproduced by the local Ford dealer. I don't know if the component has been inspected by anyone. The first time it happened, there was an orange wrench on my dash with "See Owner's Manual" under it. This happened at least three times before we took it to our local Ford dealer. The dealership said they couldn't find anything wrong with my car and that I should "drive it till it broke".

NHTSA ID

11545890

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Warped exhaust manifold leaking exhaust into main cabin, broken studs on engine block. Thousands of incidents of reported online.

NHTSA ID

11517101

Incident

Apr 12, 2023

I was driving at ~40 mph and the car suddenly lost power and decelerated. The wrench dash light came on. The car was forced into limp mode. The p2112 code showed on my OBD scanner. The code indicates a throttle body actuator stuck closed. The car started to run very rough, was stuck in 2nd gear and would only do 5 mph. Upon turning off and restarting vehicle the wrench light turned off and the throttle response was normal. I will have to replace the throttle body at my expense as the car is past warranty. I will keep the part for inspection. The road was relatively empty so it did not cause an accident. In heavy traffic at highway speeds this might have caused an injury wreck. The sudden deceleration without any brake lights could easily result in a rear end collision. If the deceleration happened in the middle of an intersection, a side impact or offset front collision could be the result. I have multiple scan tools and am quite proficient at using them. I also have access to the ford service manuals for my vehicle. No one has inspected the part. The vehicle had no warning lamps prior to incident. The wrench light came on at the same time the car suddenly decelerated.

NHTSA ID

11507919

Incident

Feb 17, 2023

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH and the air conditioner stopped functioning. The contact heard a popping sound coming from the vehicle, the contact pulled over on the side of the road and noticed smoke was coming from under the glove department of the front passenger side. The contact proceed to check under the hood and did not see any smoking coming from under the hood. After closing the hood, the contact noticed flames coming from under the glove department on the passenger side, the contact attempted to pull the carpet to stop the flames but it was too late the vehicle was already in flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire, the fire department determined that the fire was caused by the air condition blower on the passenger side. A police report was filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed, and it was deemed a total lost by the insurance company. The manufacturer was contacted, and they stated that they would contact the contact back. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11488986

Incident

Oct 11, 2022

Mileage

120,000 mi

2016 Ford Expedition with 55k miles. Engine blown, hole in side of block. Mechanic has said Ford is backordered 6 months for engines, with 400 in backorder in my region alone. Clearly there is an engine flaw and this engine needs to be recalled.

NHTSA ID

11485460

Incident

Sep 18, 2022

Exhaust manifold is separating from the engine, causing a chirping noise and allowing exhaust to escape without passing through the muffler.

NHTSA ID

11480441

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

Water/condensation build-up in charge air cooler collects in tubing and discharges into intake when quickly accelerating from a stopped position or “punching it” to pass a slower vehicle in traffic. This causes my vehicle to go into limp mode and lose all power which can be extremely dangerous in high traffic conditions.

NHTSA ID

11450683

Incident

Feb 6, 2022

75k Miles, 2016 Expedition Known Throttle body issue. Engaging the "Limp Mode" Happened several times before we could get it into the dealership. Each time was at different speeds and conditions.(** Who by the way told us to just keep driving it until our dealership appointment arrived approx. 2 weeks later) Not thrilled about this issue. We purchased the vehicle as a family hauler and a road tripper. Do not like the idea of having my kids in the car and the potential of this happening in a dangerous area. Ford dealer replaced the unit 10/8/21 we will see if the replacement will be a permanent fix for the vehicle. It does seem like ford is dragging their feet on this and not issuing a recall.

NHTSA ID

11436316

Incident

Sep 20, 2021

I WAS ACCELERATING, TURNING LEFT TO ENTER A FREEWAY ON RAMP. MY SPEED WAS REDUCED TO 1MPH AND I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE OR CONTROL THE CAR. WHEN I PUSHED ON THE ACCELERATOR NOTHING HAPPENED IT DID NOT REV THE ENGINE. A POP UP APPEARED WITH A WRENCH AND THE WORDS "SEE OWNERS MANUAL" I WAS ABLE TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON. THIS ALLOWED ME TO REGAIN FUNCTION. THIS HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING AT ALL. THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ENGINE CODES. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WHERE CARS WERE BOTH ENTERING AND EXITING THE FREEWAY. FORTUNATELY I AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT HAD THIS HAPPENED AFTER I GOT ON THE FREEWAY I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN SO LUCKY! UPON RETURNING HOME I CHECKED THE OWNERS MANUAL AND THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT A WRENCH LIGHT IN THERE.

NHTSA ID

11415332

Incident

May 5, 2021

Mileage

53,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD EXPEDITION. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

NHTSA ID

11365873

Incident

Oct 18, 2020

Mileage

63,000 mi

2016 FORD EXPEDITION EL LIMITED - MANUFACTURED IN DEARBORN MICHIGAN "YELLOW WRENCH" WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE FREEWAY AND CUT 100% OF POWER TO THE MOTOR, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I HAD TO TRAVERSE TRAFFIC TO GET TO A SAFE AREA. CALLED A DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS LIKELY THE THROTTLE BODY. FORD IMPLEMENTED A VOLUNTARY RECALL FOR ALL OTHER 2015 & 2016 MODELS EXCEPT THE EXPEDITION WHICH IS BUILT ON THE EXACT SAME ASSEMBLY LINE AS THE F150 AND WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART. FORD RECALL NUMBER WAS 16B32. I AM PAYING $500 OUT OF POCKET SINCE THIS ITEM IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THIS ISSUE IS DANGEROUS AND COULD SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILL SOMEONE. FORD HAS HAD A HISTORY OF BAD THROTTLE BODIES AND THE NHSTA NEEDS TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FORMALLY RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

11350019

Incident

Aug 12, 2020

Mileage

51,860 mi

P2112 ERROR KEEPS COMING UP CAUSING SUDDEN LOSE OF POWER IN THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, CAUSING A PANIC MOMENT TO GET TO THE SHOULDER, AND ON CITY AND RURAL ROADS. WE HAVE TO PULL OVER SHUT THE VEHICLE DOWN AND THEN RESTART IT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330390

Incident

Jun 17, 2020

Mileage

64,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY PARKWAY GOING AROUND 35-40MPH. MY EXPEDITION SUDDENLY STARTED SHUDDERING AND DECELERATING. THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I LOOKED UP IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL WHAT THAT MEANT. IT SAID TO CONTACT AN AUTHORIZED REPAIR CENTER. I WENT TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY RAN THE DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. THEY ALSO STATED IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE ECO-BOOST ENGINES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE THE LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL HAPPENS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED.

NHTSA ID

11321417

Incident

Apr 7, 2020

Mileage

98,000 mi

VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY STARTED ON FIRE. IT HAD BEEN TURNED OFF AT A RESTAURANT IN PARKING AREA. IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 3 MILES IN TOWN JUST BEFORE THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD LOW MILEAGE, APPROXIMATELY 50000 MILES. NO KNOW MECHANICAL OR OTHER ISSUES, SERVICED REGULARLY.

NHTSA ID

11308933

Incident

Feb 12, 2020

Mileage

50,000 mi

WHEN TRYING ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE DOES NOTHING AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO PUSH ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAS CAUSED NEAR MISSES IN TRAFFIC FROM GETTING REAR ENDED AS THE VEHICLE STALLS AND THEN RESUMES DRIVING. I HAVE TAKEN TO THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND NOTHING AS THE PROBLEM DID NOT DUPLICATE IN THEIR POSSESSION. THIS CONTINUES TO OCCUR WITHOUT ANY CODES POPULATING. I HAVE HELD UP TRAFFIC WHILE TRYING TO MOVE OVER BECAUSE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS.

NHTSA ID

11302686

Incident

Apr 1, 2018

Mileage

31,000 mi