Planning to buy 2020 Expedition

[Huy Nguyen]

Hi All,
I am planning to buy a new SUV very soon. I am looking at either the new Chevy Tahoe Premier 4x4 or Expedition Limited. I am leaning toward the Expedition in term of pricing, but my wife is hesitate about getting Ford after bad experience with our current 14 Explorer XLT. I have a few questions that i would really appreciate if you guys/gals can help me out.

1.) Fit and Finish of Expedition? It's terrible on Explorer, uneven panel gaps, trims do not flush, etc...
2.) Ride Compliance, Comfort when fully loaded (6 people with tons of craps)
3.) What are the commons issues with Expedition? Does Waterpump/timing chain inside the engine like the 3.5 on Explorer?
4.) What features are the must have? Problems i should watch out for?

 

[Gumby]

1. I found the fit and finish on my 18 Expy to be quite good. One of the rear doors is a little off but overall interior is solid with very little squeaks and I have over 110,000 kms on the odo
2. I have the Platinum, so I have CCD. Ride is quite nice. I don't find it too stiff at all. WAF is high on ride comfort. We took a family trip to BC recently (12 hr drive) and we were loaded to the gills. The Expy handled the twisty uphill climbs and downhill joints no problem. I found that it performed better when you switched the drive select to SPORT, not so much for the power band, but more to stiffen up the suspension when fully loaded in the mountains.
3. I had issues with Rear main seal, cam phasers, water in taillight lense, running board motors that have failed (I just turned them off) and the cooling lines to the transmission leaking a few times.
4. This is subjective, but as mentioned I run a platinum so it literally has all options.

 

[Deftones]

I have only owned my MY20 XLT FX4 for a few weeks, so I don't have much to add since my trim level does not have a some of the limited finishes. I will say I don't find any issues with my vehicle so far. Personally, I would never buy a vehicle in 1st year after a redesign. There are always issues and I don't want to be someone else's guinea pig.

That said, the Expedition still has several issues that persist 4 years into the life cycle. Cam phasers and leaking shocks appear to be the main issues.

 

[JasonH]

Hi All,
I am planning to buy a new SUV very soon. I am looking at either the new Chevy Tahoe Premier 4x4 or Expedition Limited. I am leaning toward the Expedition in term of pricing, but my wife is hesitate about getting Ford after bad experience with our current 14 Explorer XLT. I have a few questions that i would really appreciate if you guys/gals can help me out.


3.) What are the commons issues with Expedition? Does Waterpump/timing chain inside the engine like the 3.5 on Explorer?

What oil change interval did you use on the Explorer? There's been a lot of speculation that Ford is not conservative enough on the oil change intervals, resulting in stretched timing chains and prematurely worn phasers.

 

[sanman28]

There arent any more or less problems than GM....out of fairness. My experience has been that my GM's have had more issues. Everybody has their anecdotal experiences. I like the ford fit, finish, and switchgear better.....but the new gm's are, well, new.

 

[grumpyoleman]

2018 XLT 4x4 here and I am quite happy with ours. Fit and finish is quite good, I mean its not a BMW or Mercedes but I think it is much better than average for a non luxury brand.
No CCD here and I am very pleased with the ride quality. Smooth and capable (no mountains for me, but lots of rolling hills and dirt roads.) Several road trips with 2 adults and 4 teenagers and lots of luggage have proven this to be the ultimate road trip vehicle.

 

[FormerGermanFan]

1.) Fit and finish have been great on my Expy, no issues here to report. I had one sunroof rattle/squeak but there was a TSB out for it and the dealer took care of it.

2.) Ride is really good, keeping in mind the Platinum has the CCD shocks that don't have the leaking problem/are smoother. About a dozen times or so now I've brought 5-6 people with me and loaded the trunk so full of stuff I couldn't see out the rear window. Fully loaded I swear the ride is even smoother.

3.) Common issues that I know of are the turbo rattles a little bit when you coldstart (goes away after a few min), the sunroofs can squeak (there's a TSB fix for it) and timing chains can go out (usually only for those that stretch their oil changes out).

4.) In terms of features that are a must have: electric running boards (my mother, girlfriend, basically most women love this), B&O sound system (the stock one is just terrible and hard to upgrade yourself), COOLED seats for those 100F+ days and the Max Tow package that gives you the rear locking diff/upgraded cooling/9000lb tow limit.

There will be issues with any brand. Buying a $4K comprehensive 8yr/150K warranty from Flood Ford will keep your mind at ease and let you enjoy the vehicle knowing any issues will be fixed without your wallets involvement.

 

[Huy Nguyen]

What oil change interval did you use on the Explorer? There's been a lot of speculation that Ford is not conservative enough on the oil change intervals, resulting in stretched timing chains and prematurely worn phasers.

Personally, i think regular oil change is the cheapest preventive maintenance you can do, so i change it every 5K miles with pennzoil Platinum 0-20w.

 

[Expedition Dave]

Bear in mind I have a 2020 XLT with only two option boxes checked: FX4 Package, HD Tow 11K on the odometer.
1.) Decent, however the center console is painted and some paint is chipping.
2.) Ride Compliance is great--have had it loaded with gear, towing, etc. No large amount s of people though but the rear seat is cavernous.
3.) Turbo noise on startup (wastegate issue IIRC). Transmission is a little spastic. Driver side had a light window rattle, and rear backup camera, then the sync radio volume got screwy a few times. All of these fixed themselves. Transmission "autopark" feature is... gone and not sure I miss it? Dial shifter still blows IMHO and takes too long to shift in/out of gears.
4.) See above for me, YMMV--but all the gizmos are cool too.

 

[dlcorbett]

I havent driven the new gms, but some people here have so maybe they can let you know how they feel btw the two. What pkg of limited are you looking at? I had the 301 pkg, but i also driven ccd equipped expys. The expy blows away the explorer, even the new one in terms of drivability and interior quality so thats a none issue. Not a lot issues are being reported for 2020 compared to older models, and on the gm forums, the 21s seem to be having a good amt of issues(like the expy had at launch), so reliability is neutral. What i discovered, its not the problems of the vehicle, its how far the dealer service dept is willing to go to help please you. Biggest issues are shocks and liftgate, you can bypass shocks by getting a ccd equipped truck or replacing the stock shocks on base suspension. My advice is Drive both, come to a decision on which you and wifey like, then read through all the forums pertaining that truck.

 

[Huy Nguyen]

Thank you all replying, i will take the wife test drive this weekend in a Limited with CCD, hopefully we can come to agreement.

 

[Dice Roll]

I used to work in shipping for Toyota. We looked for issues all the time and the smallest details got at least a look over. Most of what we let go we’re minor paint things the average Joe wouldn’t even notice.

on the expy all I found was a door not aligned properly, didn’t close all the way to be exact. Dealer fixed it at first oil change. i noticed several with poor door fit on lots while shopping. Must be a bad line at the Louisville plant.

get the hd tow package so you won’t be the next “how to beef this thing up for towing” poster. Read some of those if you want to see what you will face the minute you decide on a big trailer. The 3.73 gear matches the engine and trans perfectly. The other gears do not.

same with led headlights. Get them now or want them later.

look for a Special Edition package truck and it will have the tow pack, leds and ccd. I thought the regular suspension trucks rode good though.

 

[Newfordguy2020]

we got the stealth package and still love it. it basically came with everything minus massage chairs and the extra hp.

 

[Vipersinu2]

Here is why not to buy.
Its always nice to see your 100k truck pictured on googles news feed. Smh

 

[Balikas]

Here is why not to buy.
Its always nice to see your 100k truck pictured on googles news feed. Smh

View attachment 38279

View attachment 38280

Those articles are mostly just click bait, it is a good idea to read the article before quoting it.

Lincoln Navigator
The Lincoln Navigator is the brand’s full-size SUV and arguably its most popular model as it’s been in the lineup since 1998. And while it has gone through its share of changes and revisions, there have been some hiccups along the way. This isn’t too surprising considering the Navigator does have a lot of tech-savvy features that can have issues at some point.


According to Car Complaints, 2004 is the worst year for the Navigator, but the 2006 model year has the most complaints. Owners have cited bad spark plugs as the main complaint, although more serious issues like engine seizing and engine knocking have been noted as well.


The complaints about the navigator clearly are from a different model year. Now if you have problems with the current gen that you own I'm sure the thread poster would like to know, except I believe he was asking about the Expediton not the Navigator.

Same website has another article about this gen Navigator that might make you feel better.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-2020-lincoln-navigator-is-the-best-luxury-suv-made-in-america/

 

[JasonH]

Personally, i think regular oil change is the cheapest preventive maintenance you can do, so i change it every 5K miles with pennzoil Platinum 0-20w.

PP is good oil, but have you had an oil analysis done? Many 30 weight oils wind up 20 weight in these direct injection Ecoboost engines. I can't imagine that PP oil is maintaining its viscosity for the duration of the service interval. I think Ford even switched its recommended oil from 20 back to 30 for the 3.5 Ecoboost.

 

[Matthew Abrams]

I am less than 1 month in on a 2020 MAX Limited with 302A.
1.) Fit and Finish of Expedition? no complaints here as far as a domestic brand. Of course it could be better wrt the materials they use in some spots, but it certainly met my expectations
2.) Ride Compliance, Comfort when fully loaded (6 people with tons of craps). Exceeded expectations. We were coming from a 2017 Pacifica which was quite good and this thing is a night and day difference in comfort, handling, and ride.
3.) What are the commons issues with Expedition? Does Waterpump/timing chain inside the engine like the 3.5 on Explorer? In my research leading up to my purchase I was well informed of the potential issues, but in reality these are not a concern to me as I have a 7 yr bumper to bumper warranty.
4.) What features are the must have? Problems i should watch out for? for us, and why we went to this configuration, it was the 360 view camera and LED headlights. HD tow was already on this unit and I am glad it was after seeing all the other functionality that comes with it (plus better resale value)

Now seems to be a good time as we got a screaming good deal on ours. good luck!

 

[Huy Nguyen]

I am less than 1 month in on a 2020 MAX Limited with 302A.
1.) Fit and Finish of Expedition? no complaints here as far as a domestic brand. Of course it could be better wrt the materials they use in some spots, but it certainly met my expectations
2.) Ride Compliance, Comfort when fully loaded (6 people with tons of craps). Exceeded expectations. We were coming from a 2017 Pacifica which was quite good and this thing is a night and day difference in comfort, handling, and ride.
3.) What are the commons issues with Expedition? Does Waterpump/timing chain inside the engine like the 3.5 on Explorer? In my research leading up to my purchase I was well informed of the potential issues, but in reality these are not a concern to me as I have a 7 yr bumper to bumper warranty.
4.) What features are the must have? Problems i should watch out for? for us, and why we went to this configuration, it was the 360 view camera and LED headlights. HD tow was already on this unit and I am glad it was after seeing all the other functionality that comes with it (plus better resale value)

Now seems to be a good time as we got a screaming good deal on ours. good luck!

If you don't mind, please share the dealer that you bought it from. I am in the DMV area as well.
Thanks,

 

[mwl001]

Hi All,
I am planning to buy a new SUV very soon. I am looking at either the new Chevy Tahoe Premier 4x4 or Expedition Limited. I am leaning toward the Expedition in term of pricing, but my wife is hesitate about getting Ford after bad experience with our current 14 Explorer XLT. I have a few questions that i would really appreciate if you guys/gals can help me out.

1.) Fit and Finish of Expedition? It's terrible on Explorer, uneven panel gaps, trims do not flush, etc...
2.) Ride Compliance, Comfort when fully loaded (6 people with tons of craps)
3.) What are the commons issues with Expedition? Does Waterpump/timing chain inside the engine like the 3.5 on Explorer?
4.) What features are the must have? Problems i should watch out for?

As far as 3, I moved from a Ecoboost V6 Explorer into the Expedition. From what I understand they water pump is NOT inside the engine on the RWD-based trucks (Expedition/F series), there's enough room in the engine bay for an external application, so that is not an issue. I think the other expensive fix on Explorers was the PTU and again, I don't think the power train is the same there either.

 

[C_Matthews]

Hey I'm also in the market for a full-size SUV and have sort of narrowed it down to the 2020 Expedition. We have a family of 5 and need a full size SUV to travel to see family, etc. Also like OP was between Expedition and Tahoe but have settled on Expedition because in the 2020 the 3rd row of Expedition seems light years better and 2021 Tahoe is significantly more compared to current rebates on Expedition and its first model year of new Tahoe so unsure.

My questions are for those that own this vehicle:

1. I'm looking at an XLT 2WD that is well equipped (has the 202A I think package- pana roof, 20" rims, captains chairs, cooled seats, etc.). Is it worth paying an additional $5k - $6k more for a Limited. Appears only additional features are the park assist, retractable running boards and real leather vs the Synthetic leather.

2. Time to buy? I've missed 0% for 72 and now for Sept '20 they have nice rebates off MSRP but they're tied to Ford financing at higher rates. I don't really need the vehicle until March (giving my current vehicle to my 15YO then) but was planning to buy before Christmas but I'm curious what anyone thinks Ford is likely to do incentive wise between now and the end of the year. I just can't see the prices going up between now and December with 2021 models coming by then.