Reliability and user satisfaction

[Right Person]

Dear forum contributors.
I never own any truck or large size SUV. Currently I am driving Nissan Pathfinder.
I want to upgrade to large size SUV. I test drove Suburban, Yukon, Cadillac Escalade, Mercedes, Audi, Acura, AND Lincoln Navigator & Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer by going to different dealerships.
I liked Ford Expedition the most, specifically handling of the car despite it is being a huge size truck.

I want to close my eyes and buy Expedition but only thing I am skeptical about long term reliability and user experience. I joined this forum to get real user experience although many car review websites put Expedition in the top of the list.

I have read many threads in this forum and by reading some of them I got really scared.

Can few of you who have been driving Expedition for long time can comment about long term reliability, and user satisfaction? By "driving for long time" I mean to say you have been buying Expedition only (upgrading from older model to newer model since you love the car).
I need to get confidence (in other words piece of mind) on this SUV before investing lot of money.

Thank you all so much! Looking for your kind reply.

 

[RaginCajun87]

You will get scared to buy any vehicle by looking through the forums related to that vehicle. That's where a very small percentage of owners go to voice their issues and solve problems. For every negative post there are a ton more happy customers with 0 issues like myself.

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[Right Person]

Thanks RaginCajun87 for your quick reply. May I ask how long you have been driving Expedition? Many thanks in advance

 

[dlcorbett]

Ive been an expy fan since the first gen and as such been ridden/driven all gens of the expy. I owned personally a third gen nav and now currently a 4th gen expy. I was skeptical about the nav, i wanted the 2nd gen but didnt want the air suspension as its an expensive and costly feature, but wife and i loved the third gen nav so bought a used one. I knew i wanted a 4th gen and waited 6 yrs for it (the current gen was supposed to be released alongside the 15 f150 with the refreshed third gen comin out in 12, but they scrapped that plan and was gonna kill the expy pd, customer demand saved it but pushed the redo back). Outside of the driver window goin out, nav was bulletproof and we loved it to pieces. Current expy was a first run, built the first week of ok to buy. As such, it has most of the issues of a first run for a new gen, but not all. We love this one as well. Test driven many a vehicles and theres not many thats better and none are the same class.

My biggest issue with it is mainly a ford problem. Lately, ford pumps out their products without polish or quality, and i can feel this in my truck. I had a paint bubble on one of my interior stack buttons the same week i bought, the paint looks like trash, sync and electronics can be problematic, it shimmies over bumps, condensation in lights which caused one of them to go out and the suspension has a mind of its own. Im using my nav as a benchmark and though the suspension had a mind of its own in that as well, i figured that was the air springs, but no paint or electronic issues to speak of. To me, these arent the trucks issues, as it excels at what i use it for. To me, Its fords lack of quality control and sending it for consumer consumption before it was 100% done.

As a car, its phenomenal, once i get back to the states, i fully intend on getting the refreshed model. I am interested in the wagoneer as well though. I am happy with my purchase however and i still think with all the quirks, its the most rounded vehicle in terms of usability, comfort, efficiency, and value this side of a minivan. Looks fantastic to boot!

 

[RaginCajun87]

Thanks RaginCajun87 for your quick reply. May I ask how long you have been driving Expedition? Many thanks in advance

Only 3k miles on mine but my brother in law has an 18 with 50k miles and no major problems.

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[Fozzy]

My Expy is only a year old. It has been flawless. But the forums are way more gloom and doom than reality. But I would also consider the dealership as important as the vehicle itself. No matter what you drive they will have problems, recalls and just weird crap happen to them. If you have a good dealer it makes the problems if you have any a lot better.


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[Right Person]

thanks dlcorbett for detailed response.

 

[Right Person]

My Expy is only a year old. It has been flawless. But the forums are way more gloom and doom than reality. But I would also consider the dealership as important as the vehicle itself. No matter what you drive they will have problems, recalls and just weird crap happen to them. If you have a good dealer it makes the problems if you have any a lot better.


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Thanks for the reply

 

[aggiegrad05]

Welcome! This is my first Expi, but I have had two F150s prior to this. I will agree with @dlcorbett a bit in that most problems you are going to run into are Ford problems, not specific Expi problems. I sold my first F150 because when I hit 120,000 miles it blew an exhaust manifold...then it blew the replacement 5000 miles later. My second F150 lost two cylinders at 50,000 miles and got a whole new short block (under warranty). But here I am with another Ford. At the end of the day, Ford is a domestic, non-luxury automaker. It's not asian so it's not going to last for 1,000,000 miles and it's not european so we're not all leasing a new one every three years (well, most of us).

You also have to remember that a lot of the issues brought up on this forum are one of two things:
1) teething issues related to the fact that this was a brand new vehicle 2 years ago and a lot of us bought the first model year...so we are here complaining about and looking for solutions to those teething issues
2) personal preference issues (I dont like this new feature, I dont like that they don't offer this anymore, etc.)
If you look at ownership as a whole, and ignore teething issues and personal preferences, I think you will find most of us are really happy with the vehicle. I know I am. I've got 25k miles and almost 2 years in mine and I love it.

 

[Right Person]

Welcome! This is my first Expi, but I have had two F150s prior to this. I will agree with @dlcorbett a bit in that most problems you are going to run into are Ford problems, not specific Expi problems. I sold my first F150 because when I hit 120,000 miles it blew an exhaust manifold...then it blew the replacement 5000 miles later. My second F150 lost two cylinders at 50,000 miles and got a whole new short block (under warranty). But here I am with another Ford. At the end of the day, Ford is a domestic, non-luxury automaker. It's not asian so it's not going to last for 1,000,000 miles and it's not european so we're not all leasing a new one every three years (well, most of us).

You also have to remember that a lot of the issues brought up on this forum are one of two things:
1) teething issues related to the fact that this was a brand new vehicle 2 years ago and a lot of us bought the first model year...so we are here complaining about and looking for solutions to those teething issues
2) personal preference issues (I dont like this new feature, I dont like that they don't offer this anymore, etc.)
If you look at ownership as a whole, and ignore teething issues and personal preferences, I think you will find most of us are really happy with the vehicle. I know I am. I've got 25k miles and almost 2 years in mine and I love it.

thanks a lot for your reply aggiegrad05

 

[nate6966]

I have always been a GM customer (traded in my Escalade for 2019 Expedition Platinum, STS, Silverado, and Tahoe). This '19 Expedition is my first Ford outside of my old hunting truck.
I picked up the Expedition in May 2019 and have driven nearly 7500 miles so far. Zero complaints or issues so far. I love this vehicle and my wife says the Cadillac emblem is the only thing she misses about the Escalade.
This vehicle has more responsiveness and better towing capabilities, which we haven't towed much over 6k lbs so far (handled that load without issue).
The ride quality is leaps and bounds better than our Escalade. I was assuming the age of my old Escalade was the problem, but even test driving brand new Escalades rode poorly comparatively.
The other item I'd like to mention is how quiet this SUV is at any speed. While there isn't any impressive V8 growl, it is whisper quiet and very comfortable for road trips and conversations. The cabin noise levels approach being as quiet as our Cadillac sedan.
I think it's very important to understand just how many Expeditions (or Navigators) have been sold versus how many members are in this forum. Let alone how many of our forum members have had any significant issues.

 

[Artie]

I would also consider the dealership as important as the vehicle itself. No matter what you drive they will have problems, recalls and just weird crap happen to them. If you have a good dealer it makes the problems if you have any a lot better.

This can’t be stated enough! Most of the complaints I’ve read on here are dealership related, it compounds the issue with the vehicle.

 

[Right Person]

I have always been a GM customer (traded in my Escalade for 2019 Expedition Platinum, STS, Silverado, and Tahoe). This '19 Expedition is my first Ford outside of my old hunting truck.
I picked up the Expedition in May 2019 and have driven nearly 7500 miles so far. Zero complaints or issues so far. I love this vehicle and my wife says the Cadillac emblem is the only thing she misses about the Escalade.
This vehicle has more responsiveness and better towing capabilities, which we haven't towed much over 6k lbs so far (handled that load without issue).
The ride quality is leaps and bounds better than our Escalade. I was assuming the age of my old Escalade was the problem, but even test driving brand new Escalades rode poorly comparatively.
The other item I'd like to mention is how quiet this SUV is at any speed. While there isn't any impressive V8 growl, it is whisper quiet and very comfortable for road trips and conversations. The cabin noise levels approach being as quiet as our Cadillac sedan.
I think it's very important to understand just how many Expeditions (or Navigators) have been sold versus how many members are in this forum. Let alone how many of our forum members have had any significant issues.

Many thanks nate6966

 

[JExpedition07]

Unfortunately we can never decide reliability until years down the road, so there is no ‘long term’ 2018+ known data points. “I haven’t had an issue” is pretty expected on a max 2 year old truck....lol. I’ve been in Fords since I was in diapers, dlcorbet pretty much hit it, most are general Ford problems you’ll have. I was reading on the F-150 forum and some great points were brought up on what GM does do better. Engines for the long term namely. GM arguably has a more solid engine in these vehicles. The LS has one central short chain driven VCT , we have mile long timing chains with extra cams and VCTs on the Fords whether V8 or V6 doesn’t matter, add turbos to it and the water is even more murky. Our engines have more cams and camphasers and more parts to oil in the heads....naturally we have more VCT related issues on the Fords and our engines are much bigger than the compact LS V8. GM has their own issues but I think a lot less in this department....would I be scared of the Ford? No, any forum will scare you. GM may do one thing better like engine but their in vehicle electronic systems are much more troublesome. I’ve owned two OHC Ford V8 engines and they’ve been great so take care of anything and it’ll take care of you, just keeping an open mind. It’s pro and con, only you can decide.

 

[Plati]

Owned a 1999. Currently own a 2003 & 2014. My 2014 with 100K I absolutely Love and it's never had any service issues other than normal wear or scheduled maintenance. Just rented one new with 500 miles on it. Loved that. I'm tall so I have not found another vehicle with this comfort and useable interior space.

Can't wait to buy a new Bronco to add to the fleet when they become available.

 

[Right Person]

Unfortunately we can never decide reliability until years down the road, so there is no ‘long term’ 2018+ known data points. “I haven’t had an issue” is pretty expected on a max 2 year old truck....lol. I’ve been in Fords since I was in diapers, dlcorbet pretty much hit it, most are general Ford problems you’ll have. I was reading on the F-150 forum and some great points were brought up on what GM does do better. Engines for the long term namely. GM arguably has a more solid engine in these vehicles. The LS has one central short chain driven VCT , we have mile long timing chains with extra cams and VCTs on the Fords whether V8 or V6 doesn’t matter, add turbos to it and the water is even more murky. Our engines have more cams and camphasers and more parts to oil in the heads....naturally we have more VCT related issues on the Fords and our engines are much bigger than the compact LS V8. GM has their own issues but I think a lot less in this department....would I be scared of the Ford? No, any forum will scare you. GM may do one thing better like engine but their in vehicle electronic systems are much more troublesome. I’ve owned two OHC Ford V8 engines and they’ve been great so take care of anything and it’ll take care of you, just keeping an open mind. It’s pro and con, only you can decide.

thanks for the reply JExpedition07

 

[dlcorbett]

Owned a 1999. Currently own a 2003 & 2014. My 2014 with 100K I absolutely Love and it's never had any service issues other than normal wear or scheduled maintenance. Just rented one new with 500 miles on it. Loved that. I'm tall so I have not found another vehicle with this comfort and useable interior space.

Can't wait to buy a new Bronco to add to the fleet when they become available.

Hey, you came around then lol.

 

[Soliyou]

Most issues seem to be minor and easily addressed by the dealer.

My biggest real concern Is the engine work related to the cam phasers since it is a major surgery and I think something will get damaged during the process.

that said, Ford already addressed the cam problem late 2019. So my advice is to wait and get early 2020 production with the fix implemented.

to be honest, the ecoboost is such a sweet engine!

 

[Artie]

Can't wait to buy a new Bronco to add to the fleet when they become available.

We are excited about this as well.

 

[Right Person]

Most issues seem to be minor and easily addressed by the dealer.

My biggest real concern Is the engine work related to the cam phasers since it is a major surgery and I think something will get damaged during the process.

that said, Ford already addressed the cam problem late 2019. So my advice is to wait and get early 2020 production with the fix implemented.

to be honest, the ecoboost is such a sweet engine!

Many thanks for the reply Soliyou