2016 Ford Expedition Powertrain (other) Problems

My expedition started stuttering and the speedometer, started fluctuating speeds which would also cause my cruise control to turn off. Then the speedometer quit working altogether and so did the odometer. If I turned the truck off and restarted it, it would reset everything for a few miles then it would start all over again. I went to the Ford dealership and got it fixed. It cost $2500. Later doing research, I discovered this is a problem with this transmission and can be very dangerous as the truck can downshift dramatically which our did once. If I’ve been on ice or pulling my trailer, it could’ve been catastrophic. I feel like this should be a recall. I also feel like Ford should have to pay for this.

NHTSA ID

11729539

Incident

Mar 17, 2026

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 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 driving 2 MPH, the accelerator was depressed, and there was a grinding sound coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with rear differential failure. On a separate occasion, a year later the rear differential failure recured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the rear end was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,913.

NHTSA ID

11652797

Incident

Jan 26, 2022

Mileage

85,913 mi

While driving on [XXX] at approximately 35 mph the vehicle displayed a wrench warning lamp and at same time vehicle went into limp mode. No power I had to coast to the side of road, engine running but no power. Turned engine off restarted vehicle and drove short distance home. Holiday Ford in Gordon, Texas was contacted they advised bring vehicle in for diagnostic test. Vehicle was driven to Holiday Ford dealership in Gordon, Texas for an appointment 4 days after the occurrence but on the way to dealership it occurred again turned engine off restarted an drove to dealership. Picked vehicle up same day but it occurred again . Took back to dealership, they kept vehicle for 4 days and advised they couldn’t find anything wrong. The vehicle has gone to limp mode 3 times. I was lucky very little traffic it would be very much safety hazard in moderate to heavy traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11609765

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and stalled while driving uphill. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded upon depressing the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle stalled while driving. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a transmission specialist, where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded lead frame had failed. The mechanic contacted the dealer to order the part; however, the dealer informed the contact that the part #AL3Z-7G276 had been discontinued. The contact later purchased the part from an aftermarket dealer and the part was installed on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact contacted the dealer who advised him to purchase the valve body because the transmission molded lead frame had been discontinued. The transmission specialist then replaced the valve body and flushed the transmission fluid. The dealer reprogrammed the computer. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11570345

Incident

Feb 6, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission inadvertently downshifted into a lower gear, causing the rear wheels to lock up. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the leadframe, valve body, and output shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000.

NHTSA ID

11565046

Incident

Dec 12, 2023

Mileage

126,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and the vehicle was restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA ID

11557404

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

Mileage

109,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine and transmission warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 38,484. The contact stated that the lead frame was replaced, and a sensor was added to the vehicle. However, that did not help the issue and the recall repair has yet to be performed.

NHTSA ID

11525796

Incident

May 29, 2023

Mileage

38,484 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, she entered the trunk, and the vehicle rolled down her driveway into traffic and crashed into a fence while her 7-month-old daughter was still inside the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that it sounded like the shifter was stuck between the gears of park and reverse. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not yet taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic tests or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11503379

Incident

Jan 17, 2022

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. While parked in her friend's driveway with her child in her car seat, the contact heard an abnormal, popping sound as she was outside of the vehicle. The vehicle began to roll back without warning with her child inside the vehicle; she attempted to hit the emergency brake but was unsuccessful. The vehicle continued to roll backward into a neighbor's fence before the vehicle came to a halt. The contact's daughter was safe inside the car seat and did not sustain any injuries; however, the contact sustained mental trauma as a result of the failure. A police report was filed due to the neighbor's damaged fence. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number; she was then referred to NHTSA for additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,200.

NHTSA ID

11502338

Incident

Jan 17, 2023

Mileage

100,200 mi

The vehicle is regularly surging then shifting gears with a loud "Thunk" from the transmission. It has made few scary decelerations that shook all of us in the vehicle. The speedometer will jump then drop and bounce back and forth then go to zero. The information on the left panel that shows MPG goes blank. There seems to be an existing issue that is similar with F-150s but the Ford dealer says it is the same thing from a transmission harness/sensor but not a real issue with the expedition. The airbag light comes on and the check engine light comes on. The check engine light goes away after about 24 hours. It happened 4 times yesterday and 3 times this morning. I can pull over and turn it off and then turn it on again to reboot and it will function until the next failure. I believe this has negatively impacted my transmission. It seems to be worse when it is raining, foggy, or high humidity.

NHTSA ID

11485976

Incident

Sep 23, 2022

3 times now, My 2016 ford expedition has randomly down shifted at high speed. first time truck down shifted to first gear and was stuck in first until I used the manual gear shift button. The second time truck downshifted from 6th gear to 4th gear on a freeway, and it was stuck in 4th gear. The engine was over revving, I had to use the manual shift button to get truck out of 4th gear. and off the freeway. Third time I was on a freeway driving at freeway speeds and it downshifted/lost power, I was nearly hit by a motor home coming up behind me and I luckily pulled off on the shoulder before being hit. Thankfully I did not have any of my 4 children in the vehicle. Once again, no warning lights or codes, just random downshift, The truck has also slammed into gear when it downshifts when I am on surface roads. That too, is random and intermitent The truck has become unsafe to drive. It has been inspected twice by AAMCO they have not found anything, no codes and could not replicate. I asked them to check the lead frame on the transmission. The truck is now at the ford Dealer, to see if they are able to find anything and replicate the issue. It has been completely random when it happens but extremely dangerous. The day I dropped off the truck at the dealer, there was a guy behind me who had the exact same issues on his ford truck. this could easily become a deadly issue if Ford does not remedy the problem. If the Dealer does not provide a solution I will sell the truck, it is not worth risking my family's life and safety.

NHTSA ID

11479437

Incident

Aug 4, 2022

The car is less than 6 year old and was driven less than 20,000 miles, no accidents and never off road. Left rear shock was leaking and so was the left rear axle seal, I could not tell how much differential oil was leaked out, but there is quite a lot. I feel that there could be a serious safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11474963

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

The vehicle was on park with engine on and all of the sudden started going in reverse. Driver was able to stop the vehicle and then it did it again.

NHTSA ID

11468953

Incident

Jun 12, 2022

Wife driving 2016 Ford Exped with 61000 miles. Was driving on a remote road when the vehicle suddenly lost power and power train fault indicator came on. No cell service and no other traffic so no way to get help. Finally managed to restart which cleared the problem for now. Took the car to a Ford dealer immediately but code reader could find no fault. Dealer, however, said it is a throttle body malfunction and is not uncommon and will happen again. Now concerned about problem occurring on a freeway or other congested roadway. The sudden loss of power and resulting necessity to get off a busy roadway/highway creates a real safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11425086

Incident

Jul 16, 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 THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY JERKED WITHOUT WARNING, WITH SEVERAL INSTRUMENT PANEL FUNCTIONS BECOMING INOPERABLE. ONCE THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT ABOVE THIRD GEAR. THE CONTACT HAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE TO RESUME NORMAL DRIVING. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO COURTESY FORD (6393 HIGHWAY 98 WEST, HATTIESBURG, MS 39402) WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE WITH A DEFECTIVE LEAD FRAME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA FOR ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

NHTSA ID

11404318

Incident

Dec 1, 2020

Mileage

95,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND A "WRENCH" INDICATOR APPEARED. WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WRENCH LIGHT INDICATES A POWER TRAIN ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF WHILE CONTACTING HELP. TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON AND WRENCH INDICATOR GONE. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON SEARCHING THE PROBLEM APPARENTLY THIS HAS OCCURRED TO NUMEROUS FORD EXPEDITION OWNERS. VERY DANGEROUS AS THERE IS NO WARNING AND CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME.

NHTSA ID

11362657

Incident

Oct 4, 2020

Mileage

77,950 mi

DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 45-55 THE SUV LOSSES POWER SPUTTERS AND CRAWLS AT A SPEED OF 5 MILES SEE OWNER MANUEL WITH WRENCH POPS UP VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING WITH CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE....SHOP SAYS THEY CANT FIND ANYTHING HAD THE SUV FOR 1 YEAR BOUGHT USED BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES

NHTSA ID

11338912

Incident

Jul 11, 2020

Mileage

60,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH THE ENGINE STARTED SHUDDERING AND HAD LOSS OF POWER. PUSHING ACCELERATOR PRODUCED NOTHING. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND POWERTRAIN FAILURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID TURN IT OFF AND IT WOULD CLEAR ITSELF AS THIS WAS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. IT CLEARED ITSELF. THEY SAID THIS PROBLEM WOULD REPEAT ITSELF BUT NO TELLING WHEN. THIS PROBLEM CAUSED MY WIFE TO BE PLACED IN A VERY HAZARDOUS TRAFFIC SITUATION.THIS KNOWN THROTTLE BODY DEFECT SHOULD BE RECALLED. AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND NUMEROUS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS.

NHTSA ID

11331920

Incident

Jul 1, 2020

Mileage

77,000 mi

TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFT FROM 6TH GEAR DOWN TO 2ND GEAR WHILE TRAVELING AT 50MPH WHICH CAUSED THE WHEELS TO LOCK AND SKID. SOMETIMES YOU WILL JUST FEEL A SUDDEN JOLT DURING THE DOWNSHIFT. HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE OFTEN. MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 75K MILES ON IT. *TR

NHTSA ID

11330659

Incident

Jun 23, 2020

Mileage

75,000 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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD EXPEDITION. THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY WHILE ENGAGED IN PARK POSSIBLE POWER TRAIN CONSEQUENCE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HAD TO BE REPLACED AT OWNERS EXPENSE THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ENGAGED IN PARK AND THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, STARTED TO WALK INSIDE A BUILDING, NOTICED THE VEHICLE ROLLING BACKWARDS ON A FLAT SURFACE STREET. THE CONTACT OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE DOOR HIT THE SIDE OF A BUILDING. HE WAS ABLE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONE OTHER TIME AROUND THE 20 OF FEBRUARY 2020, BUT HE WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. NO POLICE INCIDENT REPORT WAS FILED. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11315544

Incident

Feb 29, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

2016 MODEL, PURCHASED IN 2018. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON 7/26/19, DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, GOING 60 MPH THE "WRENCH" WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY DECELERATED TO 40 MPH, STARTING SPUTTERING AND SHAKING. I WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. I WAITED A FEW MINUETS AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. INITIALLY IT SEEM TO RUN AS NORMAL WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS. I CONTINUED ON THE HIGHWAY FOR MAYBE 3/4 A MILE AND THE WRENCH LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BOTH CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. I WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER TO A NARROW SIDE OF THE BUSY HIGHWAY. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, PRAYING NO ONE WOULD HIT ME. I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND HEADED FOR THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT REMAINED ON WAS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. ONCE AT THE DEALER THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS THE THROTTLE BODY WAS " OUT OF RANGE". THE SOLUTION WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY WHICH WOULD COST ME $900. DESPITE THE CHARGES NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR, MY CONCERN IS SAFETY OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN WHICH THE VEHICLE WILL RAPIDLY DECELERATE ON A HIGHWAY OR INTERSTATE. OTHER DRIVERS MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR VEHICLE IS SLOWING DOWN AS YOU ARE NOT PRESSING THE BRAKE AND YOU ARE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE TO A SAFE AREA! I HAVE CALLED FORD AND ONLY BEEN TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY FOR ANY REPAIRS TO BE MADE BY FORD, AND THERE ARE NOT ANY RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. I HAVE SEEN OTHER LAWSUITS AND RECALLS FOR VEHICLES USING THIS THROTTLE BODY, THIS ISSUES NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND RECALLS SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

NHTSA ID

11235134

Incident

Jul 26, 2019

Mileage

87,000 mi