Possible Expedition Owner

If you don't need to tow or do any offroading. Get an Odyssey. I had two before I got an Expedition and both were mostly great and made it over 200,000 miles. If you are absolutely set on having an Expedition, get an extended warranty. I've had a few repairs on mine and they were expensive ones.

I worked at Ford for many years. There was an ebb and flow - when top mgmt decided we needed to get our warranty down, sent the message and provided the resources, we could see Ford climbing to the top of the list in all of the surveys. When it was all about cost, we sank to the bottom (never mind that cutting cost tends to create warranty cost). As others have said, all mfr's have their problems, none are perfect, but the Japanese in general seem to be better at staying with a long term quality focused strategy. Ford, in my opinion, is struggling a bit now. My F150, Explorer, Expedition (16, 17, 02) all had some pretty significant development / production problems that I don't think would have been acceptable in years past during some of the more quality prioritized years. And most mfr's struggle with perfecting software, and deploying new technologies that kinda work, but not 100%. Dealers aren't computer programmers, so it the company hasn't released a software fix, they just start guessing, often replacing parts that don't need to be replaced.

Fastcar said:

Mass produced with a 36K warranty for north of 80K, yet you dare to expect reliability? Seriously on most of these forums folks are usually looking for help repairing their truck. I have only had minor issues with mine and have 5K worth of initial warranty left. I did purchase an extended service plan warranty as insurance though. Things these days are so damn complex you almost need the manufacturer's help if it fails imo.

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I got the extended on my 24 also

But I thought “Quality is job 1”??!! Oh wait, that was a few years ago….
We bought a 2018 Limited because of towing capability. Plus all of the wonderful features, and we had a 2003 that had 218,000 miles that was a great vehicle, and we loved it. The 2018 is SO much better! But against my nature I bought a Ford 8 year 100k extended warranty. So glad I did. The biggest thing is the cam phaser Repair that from what I hear is 3-$4000. We haven’t needed that yet, but there is a high probability that we will. Plus, the peace of mind is worth a lot. Overall quality has been pretty good, but there are the silly little things, like the lug nuts I had to replace. But we have been really happy, except for towing gas mileage. We get 8 to 9 miles per gallon. But it tows like a beast. Not towing we get over 20 on a trip. 22 to 24 miles per gallon is not uncommon.
We would not hesitate to buy one again, with the extended warranty.

I'm right at 27K on my 2023 XLT without any issues and love it! I keep the oil changed and change filters as needed and I plan on keeping it for a long time. We're getting ready to take in on an 8,000 mile trip out west with no concerns. Go for the Expedition!
Samantha

Curious, has anybody with a 2020 or newer had cam phaser issues?

I have a 2018 Expedition and a 2015 Honda Odyssey. And I'll repeat what everyone else here has said: if you're not towing or going off pavement, get an Odyssey. But if you are (or might be) towing, get the Expedition. Yes, I have the first year of the re-design and I do a lot of towing, so I came into my Expedition anticipating some issues and got an extended warranty. Outside of normal scheduled maintenance, I had the dreaded cam phaser issue and the sunroof rails needed to be replaced and I just had to have a front axle seal replaced. But everything about the Honda is cheaper: fuel, tires, oil changes, etc. The kids much prefer the Honda. And don't even get me started on small children and the benefits of power sliding doors.

Now if you are towing, I strongly recommend the Expedition over its competitors...

Do note that the Honda's "scheduled" maintenance is really expensive what with the timing belt replacement thing. So the Ford+unscheduled maintenance is not likely to be that much more maintenance wise than the Honda with the expensive scheduled maintenance.

If I had to do it over again, I'd lease the Ford/GMC/Chevy SUVs. The lease rate seems reasonable for the way these depreciate post-pandemic.

If you prefer buying, Sequioa seems to have less problems. I might pick one up in a couple years.

possibleexpowner said:

Hi everyone. Looking to purchase the 2024 Expedition Max Limited for a growing family. I am coming from a 2014 Honda CRV which has been extremely reliable. In 10 years, outside of regular maintenance, I think I have spent $300 on 2 small issues. The only thing holding me back from the Expedition is my fear of losing that reliability. I am really nervous to spend so much money on a car that may have expensive issues. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Are my fears misguided? Thanks!

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Expect issues, these vehicles are poorly built and the ride quality is rough. If you’re simply willing to give up reliability for more space for your family, this could be the vehicle for you.

Make sure you check for the following:

Major hood gap on driver or passenger side. Major gap on instrument cluster. Warped front/center speaker cover, misaligned doors, black plastic pillar columns that scratch after a couple car washes, poor suspension (you’ll be disappointed with ride quality coming from a Honda CRV), and much more.

I have major regrets with my new 2023 Ford Expedition. I’m obviously under warranty but having to drop my car at the dealership 5 times for extended days in my first 1.5 years of ownership has been awful. I have to drop my car off again because the overhead grab handle on the passenger side is rattling now. The car creates so much vibration that I feel the interior is starting to fall apart. I’m also not alone in these issues, search the forum for vibration, ride quality, and any other known issues with this vehicle. I’d resell this thing in a heartbeat but the economy is tough and my trade in value is well below what I can afford to lose, so I’m stuck with this thing.

For reference I bought a 2023 Ford Expedition Limited.