I've read about the cam issues in the 3.5, can these mechanical issues be resolved? The carfax shows this 2018 has been in the shop a couple of times.

I have a 2018, had the cams done 3 or 4 times, cat just went out. Luckily still warrantied. I would not buy a 2018. Late 2020 build has the cam issue pretty much resolved, from what I have heard and my FORD service guy. Run from this truck....NOW!!!

Agreed with Bman. I also have a 2018 and if I told you what was done with the engine you would not believe me (over 10k worth out of warranty costs on top of whatever was done under warranty). Protip: Steer clear of 2018 Expy (IMO).

I own a 2018 and I would stay away and get a model without as many issues.

I am halfway thinking about selling mine and getting a new one.

Ford ‘claims’ 3.5EB’s built after mid 2020 are not susceptible to the cam phaser failure that is commonly occurring on earlier models.

But good luck getting them to tell you why.

The insider information alleges Ford redesigned the oil porting of the heads at the front where the mega-cap holds down both camshafts. Also changing the mega-cap from a 3-bolt, to a 4-bolt design to eliminate the oil pressure leaking by.
With these changes, they believe they have solved the oil starvation problems at the top / front of the engine —which is the root cause of cam phaser failure.

I won’t be buying a newer model to test that theory, but so far the empirical data seems favorable.

My 2018 is awaiting parts for yet another cam phaser job (still 100% under warranty). And then I will be selling it. If Ford wanted to keep me as a long-time loyal customer (I traded my F150 in for this) then they would do the right thing and replace the top end of the motor with the redesigned heads.
I have been pressing for this for months now, and they refuse to consider it.

The 2018 -2019 3.5EB is flawed right from the get-go. And Ford knows it. If you own one and haven’t yet had the cam phaser failure, you might be one of the lucky ones…

…but I’m thinking it’s probably just a matter of time.

No way would I keep one. Sell it while the market is still good.
And DEFINITELY no way would I buy a used one with documented cam phaser repairs already. That’s just throwing thousands of dollars out the window.

If I were a NEW buyer looking at Expy’s with the redesigned heads? I might take a chance on a 20 or 21 with good service history and ADD the 125,000 mile warranty!!!

In fact, any Expy buyer of any 4th gen should purchase at least 125,000 mile warranty. If I hadn’t done that I would be out close to $25,000 in “repairs”. As a longtime Ford guy, I am pretty disappointed in the vehicle—I had high expectations. But more so, I’m disappointed in Ford, and the lack of accountability.

We purposely avoided 2018 models because of the issues. We payed a little more and got a 2019, it was built in September of that year so fingers crossed they got the kinks sorted out by then.

Many of the first year kinks I’m sure we’re sorted out by 2019.

But Ford made no changes with the engine design to resolve the cam phaser failures until late 2020.
Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones, though.

NukeLife said:

Many of the first year kinks I’m sure we’re sorted out by 2019.

But Ford made no changes with the engine design to resolve the cam phaser failures until late 2020.
Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones, though.

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Now I'm nervous. I thought we had dodged that. I didn't see any recalls for it like the 2018's had. Fingers crossed we got a good one. There was something about a cam rattle in the car fax report but no replacement. It's was a one owner, lease return with 36,000 miles. My husband wanted to get another pickup but I was dreading long trips with 3 kids across the back seat and no where to put groceries. Which is what happens when we take his pickup. They all have space in the Max (kids and groceries). Here's hoping.

Mine is a Feb. 2019 build. The cam phasers were done once, and so far OK. As an owner of 3 previous Expos and a number of other Ford vehicles, Ford's lack of straight answers and info is extremely disappointing. There are other disappointments including the tailgate that wacks your head (had the dealer deactivate the under bumper sensor), the headlight control knob that is not visible from a normal driving position and often changes position because my knee hits it upon entry, lower door edges that appear to be modeled after middle aged weapons (both my wife and I have suffered lacerations), the product delete from previous Expos of the rear opening window panels, ....etc. But here is my question. Have both the Expos and F150s that were equipped with the 3.5 get identical engines? Was this an identical issue for 3.5 F150 owners? If so, it is truly unbelievable that Ford has gotten away with being so opaque about the issue, and seems to be passing off to out of warranty owners, a major repair expense that is due to an obvious design flaw. It seems like this should eventually end up as definitive recall (at Ford's expense) if that is the proper term.

michguy said:

Mine is a Feb. 2019 build. The cam phasers were done once, and so far OK. As an owner of 3 previous Expos and a number of other Ford vehicles, Ford's lack of straight answers and info is extremely disappointing. There are other disappointments including the tailgate that wacks your head (had the dealer deactivate the under bumper sensor), the headlight control knob that is not visible from a normal driving position and often changes position because my knee hits it upon entry, lower door edges that appear to be modeled after middle aged weapons (both my wife and I have suffered lacerations), the product delete from previous Expos of the rear opening window panels, ....etc. But here is my question. Have both the Expos and F150s that were equipped with the 3.5 get identical engines? Was this an identical issue for 3.5 F150 owners? If so, it is truly unbelievable that Ford has gotten away with being so opaque about the issue, and seems to be passing off to out of warranty owners, a major repair expense that is due to an obvious design flaw. It seems like this should eventually end up as definitive recall (at Ford's expense) if that is the proper term.

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Yes, same engine in the F150.

And yes, if you go to the chat forum for F150 owners you will find the same thing occurring in the trucks.

And unfortunately, there is little that can be done from a legal perspective since the design problem does not result in a safety issue, merely a performance/ longevity concern.
Recalls are typically issued for manufacturer design flaws that result in safety issues.

Ford has actually claimed that the cam phaser rattle in no way affects vehicle performance, and is only offering “repairs” as a customer satisfaction campaign.

Of course once your vehicle is out of warranty, they will stop “caring” about your satisfaction and then I guess we’ll see just how long that condition can exist before causing engine mechanical timing failure.