New-To-Me 2018 Expedition Platinum - Mistake?

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mn_gopher

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Hi everyone, I'm a newb on the forum but found my way here after just recently purchasing a 2018 Expedition Platinum. First off...my wife and I love(d) the vehicle...or so we thought. Originally we were looking to buy a 2022 Tahoe/Yukon but the issues getting one and the amount of time we were going to have to wait was going to delay a trip that we've had planned for a good long time....so I opted for what I thought was the next best thing...a low mileage Expedition. Ours is a CPO 2018 with 5,000 miles that was a corporate fleet vehicle at one point and must have sat during the pandemic. Either way, on the surface everything seems fine. I noticed some hesitation when doing a full throttle test and the transmission seems kinda jerky at times. Nothing that I would consider severe but did seem strange considering I've driven others that pull like a freight train and shift like butter. I honestly just chalked it up to the fact that it's been sitting for a long time not being driven.

Then I came to the forum and started reading about the timing chain rattle, shudder, transmission issues, electric gremlins (rear hatch opening on its own) and so on and so forth. While reliability ratings from CR were not good, other places had it with a reliability rating that was quite high compared to GM. So here I am...getting ready to pile our family in this vehicle for nearly 2 months of cross country tripping and I'm feeling somewhat gun shy about it. It's too late to undo the purchase, but I can't get over reading this (which I did not see until too late):


Are the rumors true about these vehicles? Am I in for nonstop headaches if I keep it? Reading about the hatch opening on its own, for example, is enough for me to trade it in right now if it's a common occurrence since I'll have my two dogs back there.

Feel free to tell me if I'm being ridiculous...but also please be honest about these 2018 problems as well. Thanks!
 

ColoradoJon

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I can feel your anxiety. I felt similarly after reading this forum. I don't know if the worry is really worth it. Certainly some legit horror stories on here but also some good ones. You can program the rear hatch in the menu to no longer be auto if you want. I find I can stop it quickly cause it is usually when we are standing there. It is startling and annoying but manageable once you can anticipate it and it stops with not a lot of pressure.
The tranny hesitation is probably it learning. Had mine reset recently due to the hard shift from park but it didn't really help that but did intro more hesitation. It is smoothing out I feel. The hard shift from park is something I just consider the ebrake more and it doesn't do it as often.

This engine power and seat capacity is unrivaled in my opinion. I have found my non CPO purchase at 45k to still be a good one. Got some things I want to do and probably will keep my ESP money and then some with the cam phaser stuff. I love driving it so I am going to stick with it. Just my 2 cents. I know some people here want to drop it quickly but I will hang on for as long as we need it.
 

99WhiteC5Coupe

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Hi everyone, I'm a newb on the forum but found my way here after just recently purchasing a 2018 Expedition Platinum. First off...my wife and I love(d) the vehicle...or so we thought. Originally we were looking to buy a 2022 Tahoe/Yukon but the issues getting one and the amount of time we were going to have to wait was going to delay a trip that we've had planned for a good long time....so I opted for what I thought was the next best thing...a low mileage Expedition. Ours is a CPO 2018 with 5,000 miles that was a corporate fleet vehicle at one point and must have sat during the pandemic. Either way, on the surface everything seems fine. I noticed some hesitation when doing a full throttle test and the transmission seems kinda jerky at times. Nothing that I would consider severe but did seem strange considering I've driven others that pull like a freight train and shift like butter. I honestly just chalked it up to the fact that it's been sitting for a long time not being driven.

Then I came to the forum and started reading about the timing chain rattle, shudder, transmission issues, electric gremlins (rear hatch opening on its own) and so on and so forth. While reliability ratings from CR were not good, other places had it with a reliability rating that was quite high compared to GM. So here I am...getting ready to pile our family in this vehicle for nearly 2 months of cross country tripping and I'm feeling somewhat gun shy about it. It's too late to undo the purchase, but I can't get over reading this (which I did not see until too late):


Are the rumors true about these vehicles? Am I in for nonstop headaches if I keep it? Reading about the hatch opening on its own, for example, is enough for me to trade it in right now if it's a common occurrence since I'll have my two dogs back there.

Feel free to tell me if I'm being ridiculous...but also please be honest about these 2018 problems as well. Thanks!


The 2018 Expedition has six safety recalls, and numerous TSB’s issued by Ford (on how to repair common defects).

You can check the safety recalls and read the TSB’s here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/FORD/EXPEDITION/SUV/4x4#recalls

I would check with a Ford dealer or on the NHTSA website to determine that all safety recalls have been done to your vehicle (using the VIN).

I would also suggest reading the various TSB’s and see if you are experiencing any of the problems listed. If so, you could have them repaired under your CPO warranty.
 

Soliyou

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Are the rumors true about these vehicles? Am I in for nonstop headaches if I keep it? Reading about the hatch opening on its own, for example, is enough for me to trade it in right now if it's a common occurrence since I'll have my two dogs back there.
People on the forums are either car enthusiasts or owners having issues. The majority of owners don’t have issues and don’t visit the forums.

As a result, you will see all possible problems reported here in the forum, but not all of them would affect all vehicles.

Based on my experience being a member of this forum, the 2018 is not less reliable than 2019-2020 (except very early builds). I see the same issues occurring for all the years. I excluded the 2021 since I think they fixed the cam phaser issue by then.

The hatch opening on its own doesn’t happen while the vehicle is in motion, so there is no safety risk. Also there is a TSB on that, so the dealer can fix it.
 
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Soliyou

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The Only issue you are having is the hesitation. For this, I would do a stress test before taking the trip to gain more confidence in the vehicle. Take it on the highway, wait until things are hot and give it couple of heavy throttle applications. If there are issues, let the dealer address them.

The only mistake you are making is spoiling the joy of owning a new car! These are very nice vehicles, especially the platinums.

In fact, it is still the best package in the market even after the release of the new Sequoia (IMHO).

For now, I would say congratulations on your new purchase! Enjoy the boost!
 

Squark

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I bought my 2018 Expedition new and have 60k miles on it now. It's a great vehicle! I've had a few issues like cam phasers and turbo rattle that were fixed by the dealership under warranty. Both were just annoying sounds; nothing that left me stranded on the road. Since yours is CPO, you have nothing to worry about. All vehicles have issues and their forums are full of reports of problems.

I've taken our Expedition thousands of miles on roadtrips with 3 kids and all their gear. I've towed our 7,800lb travel trailer through the mountains many times and driven on the beach in the Outer Banks. It's very versatile, comfortable, and gets surprising good fuel economy for its size. I would buy it again if I were in the market today.

Also, I've read a couple of MotorBiscuit articles in the past and no longer read them. I've found their articles are poorly written (grammatical mistakes, inaccurate facts about different vehicles) and come across as clickbait to me. I wouldn't take what they say as fact.
 
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TheDoug

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There at one point was an update for the transmission tune to help with jerky acceleration. Not sure if yours was done or not, but ask the dealer to check before your trip.

Also some just posted a TSB about transmission slipping to neutral under heavy acceleration, maybe your issue?

I also have an 18 platinum and I never had the Trans problem others reported. Just had my cam phasers replaced twice which is annoying. But all in all I love the vehicle and there isn't anything I would trade it for.
 

2018ExpyPlatinum

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I agree about MotorBiscuit. Their articles are either really good or scare the crap out of you. CR I have mixed feelings about too. Sometimes right on, other times I think they are full of poop. As my father used to say, doesn't matter if it's a Yugo or a Rolls, there are good ones and bad ones.

I bought my 2018 new. I have 40K on it now. I thought it was the best choice out there when I bought it. I can honestly say, I think I got a good one. Almost none of the issues out there that most talk about. Do I have turbo rattle? IDK. Do I have cam phaser issues? IDK. I will not get the two cam phaser TSB done. I do notice a valve ticking noise. I think there is something "not right" with my AC, but I have accepted that, and maybe it's me. Other than that, I'm still pretty happy. Will I keep it beyond the 6 yr 75K extended warranty? NO!

I agree with the above. Have a dealer check for all TSB's. Give it a good run. Best of luck to you.
 

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