2004 Expedition Fuel Gauge Issues????

[atctkd]

So I'm new here on the forum and this is my first post........ recently purchased a 2004 Expedition EB with 110K miles on it. Im having a few issues with the fuel gauge. The gauge never goes above a half tank, and the remaining miles at fill up only say around 160. When the remaining miles get down to 0, gauge still shows between 1/8 and 1/4 tank left. Vehicle ran out of gas at this point. Went to fill tank and it only took 16 gallons(should hold 28 gallons). Not sure where to go from here. Are there any common issues with the fuel pump/ sending unit?? or any way to check this without just throwing parts at it??. havnt seen any pics of the fuel pump yet but i know some other makers had a metal inlet then went to a rubber hose before going down to the sock filter, wondering if these are the same and maybe there is a crack in the rubber which is causing it to suck air with 14 gallons still left in the tank??? Any help would be Greatly Appreciated!!! Thank you