2023 Ford Expedition Driver assistance Problems

The vehicle experienced a failure of multiple driver assistance and safety systems, with warning messages displayed in the instrument panel cluster. The affected systems include Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance, Parking Collision Warning, and Rear Cross Traffic Warning. All of these features are currently inoperative. During normal vehicle operation, messages indicated that driver assistance features were unavailable or malfunctioning. Diagnostic trouble codes related to invalid data and lost communication were stored in multiple modules. The failures appear to be caused by the Image Processing Module A (IPMA) intermittently not communicating on the vehicle network. This condition created a significant safety risk because multiple federally advertised and manufacturer-promoted crash-avoidance and collision-mitigation features were unexpectedly disabled during normal driving. The sudden loss of these systems reduces situational awareness and increases the risk of a collision, particularly during highway driving, lane changes, and parking maneuvers. The issue has been acknowledged by the manufacturer in Special Service Message (SSM 53419), which identifies IPMA software as the likely cause. Temporary recovery procedures have been attempted, but the problem continues to recur. A permanent repair has not been provided, despite this condition being known for over one year. The issue has been confirmed by dealer diagnostics. Warning messages appeared prior to and during the loss of functionality. The affected components remain installed and are available for inspection. The underlying software defect has not been permanently corrected as of this report.

NHTSA ID

11707318

Incident

Nov 28, 2024

The contact owned a 2023 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while his wife was occupying the vehicle at the residence and attempting to park in the drive postion, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into the garage wall, causing damage to the garage wall, refrigerator, and storage cabinet. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle was in full throttle and failed to stop. No warning light was illuminated. During the failure, the contact's wife was the only occupant inside the vehicle. In addition, the display screen went blank. The contact's wife had not sustained an injury, and no medical attention was needed. No police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

NHTSA ID

11705302

Incident

Dec 9, 2025

Mileage

38,000 mi

While pulling out of a parking lot onto a 4 lane undivided city street, the vehicle flashed a warning light on the dash saying “Trailer Brakes Engaged” and the vehicle came to an abrupt stop in the lanes of active traffic narrowly avoiding a collision. As if the parking brake had set uncommanded. The vehicle was not and has never pulled a trailer since we’ve owned it the last 9 months. The engine was stalled but accessory was still on. After an off/on cycle the vehicle started and went into gear functioning normally. Immediately taken to a ford/Lincoln dealer. They inspected and told us they found no codes and no discernible issues with the vehicle and it was released. Will be dropped off at another ford shop in the morning to continue diagnosis.

NHTSA ID

11704788

Incident

Dec 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the Adaptative Cruise Control activated, the vehicle failed to decelerate automatically upon approaching another vehicle, requiring the contact to depress the brake pedal. The Pre-collision warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle made an abnormal beeping sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that a software update would become available in Spring of 2025 to correct the failure. The vehicle was later taken to Sarasota Ford (707 S Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236), where the contact was informed that the software update was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a software update would become available to correct the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

NHTSA ID

11680963

Incident

Nov 15, 2024

Mileage

9,000 mi

Service engine light illuminated indicating different occurrences. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealership for repair since it's under factory warranty. The service representative, after taking control of the vehicle, he wrote the following in the repair work order: "When Brandon went to park the vehicle, vehicle did not want to go, barely pressed the throttle pedal and it took off like it was floored, foot was off the pedal and it was accelerating in the lot, put vehicle in neutral and applied brakes - see line 2" Line two (2) in the work order states the following: "Customer states the service engine light is still on it shows two different occurrences and reasons in oasis - customer stated wrench light on and no power verified concern checked for dtcs found p2ABA in pcm checked for tsb ssm fsa found tsb 23-2353 reprogrammed pcm oer tsb road tested all okay at this time" Clearly a vehicle with an unexplained acceleration issue poses a real safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11628143

Incident

Nov 25, 2024

On three separate occasions, the car started accelerating by itself while speed control was engaged. Once I noticed, I stepped on the brakes and the speed control was disengaged before any accidents happened.

NHTSA ID

11617614

Incident

Sep 30, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the dashboard was reflecting the sun onto the windshield. The contact was unable to drive and utilize the flat panel display. The large flat panel display angle was in an awkward position to use. The screen contrast and readability were poor. The contact was concerned about the random software updates. Additionally, the touch screen display was difficult to maneuver due to the lack of buttons or knobs. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11585239

Incident

Sep 12, 2023

At approximately 13:12 CST on [XXX], I exited the car wash at a gas station in Rochester, MN. I drove around to the front of the gas station to park so I could go inside to replenish the car wash card. At approximately 13:13 CST, as I was turning right, pulling into the parking space near the entrance, the truck accelerated unexpectedly and collided with a cement parking pilon (sp?). I am unsure how this occurred. I believe the vehicle may have accelerated on its own. Holding my foot hard on the brake, I shifted into reverse, then backed the truck up about 2 feet from the pilon, turned off the vehicle and went outside to assess the damage. There was front end passenger side damage to the vehicle and the pilon casing was ripped and the top was pushed halfway off. Thank God that pilon was there to stop the vehicle and avoid hitting the building or pedestrians. At the time I was parking I am sure I was driving less than 5 mph, but I am unsure how fast the vehicle got to in that 15-20 foot acceleration. When the vehicle hit the pilon it was very jarring. The impact threw my glasses off my face, flung my backpack from the passenger seat to the front passenger floor, and caused my cases of soda pop and bags of groceries in the trunk area to shift forward and to rip the paper grocery bags. My right thumb and the right side of my neck were sore that evening and I had a minor headache as well. This Ford Expedition Max has approximately 35K miles on it. It is a well maintained company fleet vehicle. There were no warning lights prior. I wonder if water from the carwash got into something electrical or if there is some other defect that caused a sudden acceleration? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11571218

Incident

Feb 9, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. As a result, the vehicle proceeded over the side curves then stalled. All the air bags deployed. No warning lights was illuminated. The contact sustained injury to his left arm that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

NHTSA ID

11552691

Incident

Oct 3, 2023

Mileage

4,000 mi

I rented the vehicle in question from Hertz. The vehicle's cruise control and vehicle acceleration system repeatedly malfunctioned over the course of several days. I would have cruise control set for 35 mph and the vehicle would automatically re-set cruise control to 55 or 65 mph. Likewise, I could have the cruise control set for 55 mph or 75 mph and it would automatically on its own re-set the cruise control to 85 mph and even, in a couple cases, 100 mph.

NHTSA ID

11521406

Incident

May 9, 2023