Gen 3.5 owners.... any regrets

larry1971 said:

Yes, I have regrets, in 18’ bought a 17’ with 59,000 miles, bought an extended warranty until 119,000, at 121,000 in Colorado the first check engine light came on, an underboost code, cleared and didn’t think to much about it due to the elevation, light came back on before we left, cleared once I got home, fast forward 5 months later it just quit on my wife, loaded it up and took it to ford, before I got home they called and said it needed a new engine, told them ok give a price, they called the next day $12,000 dollars.I got a call the first of the following week from an older service rep. Stating he wanted to dig into it, they found the turbo was bad on one side, suggested both turbos and new converters, gave the ok, $6600 later, up and running, this was in 19’, now after 30,000 trouble free miles hooked it to a small boat, once again same code popped up, cleared the code, now while back to Colorado the same code again, I am not spending anymore money on this thing, once I get back it is getting traded in on a GM product (I think the expeditions are better looking, but I am done with the“ecojoke”) if ford would offer the coyote I would gladly stay, but I can’t wait for them to dislodge head from you know what.
2009 f250
2008 expedition (another rant)
2003 mustang
1998 towncar

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Steve Tanner said:

Had an 07' XLT 2WD for ~10 years. Had to replace the entire AC system, fan clutch twice, leaked coolant into the plug wells and ruined 2 COPs (passenger side). It cracked a plug (driver's side) driving from AZ to CO at ~65k miles so I had to pay the dealership in Boulder $900 to replace 8 spark plugs (Ford later refunded about half of that in a class-action lawsuit). Got T-boned in late 2018, and even though insurance totaled it (frame slightly bent, cost more to fix than it was worth) I could still drive it to the body shop. It kept my family safe, which is priority #1. It drove like a truck, handled like a truck, though it felt a little underpowered towing more than 3,000 lbs. If it sat for a few days the timing chains would rattle, so I knew that was going to need to be fixed eventually. Also, the AC blend doors were all broken/stuck and that's an 8+ hour shop job (you can DIY in about 2 using a youtube video, but repair shops go by their book rate which says 8 for complete dash removal).

Got a 2017 EL XLT 2WD to replace it. It was a rental vehicle, only 16 months old with 49k on it. Got an extended warranty at purchase. I DIY changed the throttle body at 59k (warranty dealer had a 3-week backlog; $130 and 45-min fix was worth not waiting). Fixed the front AC blower connector (known issue - the connector melts). Had the water pump changed under warranty at 61k due to a leak. I don't have the tow package, but I added the brake controller and 7-pin plug myself. Smaller trailers at 3-4,000 lbs, I forget they're back there because it almost drives like it's not. I just pulled a ~7,000 lb (loaded weight) toy hauler up from Phoenix to the mountains, and without the trans cooler it struggled a lot. I had to sit behind semis going up hills because anything over 25-30mph would cause the coolant temperature to get very high and transmission temps approaching 250F. I realize 7k is at the edge of capacity for the non-HD towing version, and if I ever do that again I'll add the cooler.

As for regrets, after almost 4 years I have none. Overall the 2017 drives like a completely different vehicle than the 2007. The 2017 handles like a big powerful car, in no way like the truck it is based on. It has more power off the line (too much, honestly - I wish I could easily put a boost-limit on it for my teenagers and lead-foot wife) and I can turn the wheel with one finger. Backup camera and rear-park assist are amazing additions you don't think you need until you have them. Nothing creeks or squeaks even at 5 years old and with ~70k. The ride is smoother and quieter, and it gets ~4-6 MPG better than the 2007 did. It sat almost completely unused during Covid - I think we put maybe 500 miles on it in 2020. Even now we only drive it when we need to take more than 5 people or transport large items, but it starts reliably every time.

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psfsvt said:

Had a 2014 EL Limited from about 50k to 135k. Solid truck. Steering rack leaked and had to be replaced, and a seal on the front diff did as well. Otherwise, just normal maintenance. Replaced with a 2017 EL Limited; started at 38k and currently have 85k miles. The 2017 is a nicer truck in just about every way. But it has had a lot of little issues. I maintain my vehicles by the book and then some, and they are also exposed to offroad stuff more than most Expeditions.

The 2017 had a water pump go out at 59,920 miles, which means it was still under warranty thankfully. The 4x4 vacuum system has never worked quite right (would get light grinding sounds from time to time), so I did Ford's 'fix' and the front hubs are now always engaged whether it's in 4x4 or not (this is such a normal thing that they make TSB parts to do it; somehow that's not impressive though it does fix the grinding). Front pinion seal was leaking, replaced at 71k. RF wheel bearing bad, replaced at 75k. When test driving after replacing the wheel bearing, I was quite pleased at how the bearing noise was now gone. Then suddenly less pleased when I got onto the highway and the truck shut down with the orange wrench of death on the screen. Fortunately this is such a well known issue, that a quick search told me to replace the throttle body. And everyone has them in stock. So nursed it home, took my car to get parts, and replaced that. At least it's a very easy fix. Now at 85k the ABS goes crazy and lights up the dash with all manner of warning lights sometimes; got it scanned today and it apparently is just a rear wheel speed sensor. I hope that's all it is. Oh, and I'm getting major hesitation at high rpm under boost. Which is very likely just spark plugs. Plugs and boots came in last week, just need to get them changed.

All that to say, like so many Ford vehicles, the 2017 is a very nice truck. Great features, comfortable, great cruiser, etc. But they do not have quality entirely figured out. I know these trucks can go 200k miles, and I'd hoped to go 150k in this one, but I drive a ton for work and can't afford to have something that's iffy from a reliability standpoint. Not quite ready to throw in the towel, but I've found myself looking at used Sequoias quite a bit lately. Also, I've had two S197 Mustangs that were flawless, and then an S550 that was more like a 2017 Expedition in terms of quality, so there may be something to older Fords being a bit less fussy than the newer stuff.

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