Dust Inside Vehicle - 2020 MAX Limited

I have owned my Expedition since new, I live in a rural area drive 8 miles of gravel a day, the dust inside gets so bad that my son cant stop sneezing, literally can write your name on flat surfaces after a couple days. The dust intrusion appears to be coming from the rear hatch. I have had the rear hatch adjusted tighter, drive with the fan on High (increase cabin pressure), replaced the rear hatch gasket (suggested by Ford). Ford sent me a prepaid gift card for my troubles but no further recommendations after that. I did on my own install another (2nd) gasket with hopes of a tighter double seal, it did help, probably cutting the dust down about 30%. I have 3 other friends that have the same issue, all being '18-'21 model years. Interested if anyone that has dealt with it and found a solution, that doesn't involve moving into town.

Just be glad you don't have one that can catch on fire at any time and Ford does nothing about it...

i live in a rural area, 2 miles down a dirt (mud when raining) county road and had the same problem with my 2003 Expy that i owned since new. i just sold it when my new 2022 came in last week. Guess what.... dirt, dust, etc already in the cabin. i personally think it's where they place the gaskets in the last few decades. They used to place the gaskets on the door, not on the body. They worked much better back in the day.... just my opinion.

Somewhere in the 4th gen section is a thread about wind noise with a solution of puting something behind the molding to make it stand up for a better seal.( backing rod maybe?)

Hopefully, whoever posted that thread will comment here.

Thats made that way for water to get inside when fire department sprays to put out fires!

My only suggestion is to rent or get a smoke machine, the type for identifying leaks/gaps, use it while parked and along all seals. Where the smoke exits the vehicle is where it will enter also. Will help you pinpoint the areas to bolster/replace the seals.
Also, check for open vent box in rear quarter panel, some vehicles have one way flaps that open when you close a door then shut again. They get stuck open a lot, esp if dusty.

You may want to change your cabin air filter more frequently if you live in a severe service area (such as copious amounts of dust).

An idea to find the leaky spots. Wait until dark, leave all fans off. Drive around and have somebody go around the inside of the vehicle with a dim flashlight. They may be able to see the stream of dust coming in through a seal or vent opening. They would possibly be able to see a higher density of dust particles in the flashlight beam near the leaky spot.

No vehicle is 100% sealed. The rear ventilation flaps are designed to allow your car doors to open and closed with the windows up. As well, the rear ventilation flaps allow you to bring fresh air into you vents. Without the flaps, no air would enter the car.

Having said that, when you attempt to “pressurize” your vehicle, you MUST turn off the recycled air option or you are actually causing a slight negative pressure in the car, with the negative pressure following your vehicle at the vent flaps. This causes another problem, the fine particulate matter still in the air from the vehicles ahead of you will enter into your vehicle. The later model Expeditions have an air filter for the fresh air intake but not the previous generations. I think the 2018 and newer have the filter. Even with the filter, dirt will still get in.

Bottom line, this and any other vehicle will have dust and dirt inside if you drive that kind of distance on a dirt/gravel road.

I sold a vacation home that was on a gravel road EXACTLY for this reason. I was tired of eating dust!

Good luck. City, here you come.