2018 Expedition Max

[Bill Schell]

Hello Forum. This is my first post on the site. My wife and I are considering the purchase of an Expedition MAX. My brother purchased a used 2017 and really loves it. I drove it once from Scottsdale to Yuma and was very impressed with the ride and performance. We prefer lighter colored interiors but the "Dune" color offered on the pre 2018 years is to yellow in tone for our taste. We really like the "Medium Stone" color available on the 2018+ years.

One big change starting in the 2018 model year was the new "Rotary Shift Knob" in the center console. I've been hearing about some issues with these (starting with prior year/model Fords); the "return to park" feature, getting stuck in "P" position, etc. Additionally, its location in the console seems ripe for inadvertently getting moved from say "drive" position to "R" while sailing down the freeway . I presume there is a built in safeguard for such a condition?

I would like to hear from forum members who drive Expeditions having this gear selector design. What issues if any have you experienced?

Thanks!

 

[nate6966]

I've got an 18 Platinum and was not excited about the gear selector knob either.
Granted, we only have 2k miles on it so far, but we love it and haven't had a single instance of regret. No problems at all with the gear selector. It's actually surprised us a few times with the safety guards - gotta have your foot on the brake to shift from park, shifts to park for you if you open the driver's door and your seatbelt is unbuckled, etc.

 

[Bill Schell]

shifts to park for you if you open the driver's door and your seatbelt is unbuckled, etc.

Thanks for the reply. What happens if you're backing down a boat ramp with the door open and w/o your seatbelt on (I do this pretty frequently)?

 

[nate6966]

Thanks for the reply. What happens if you're backing down a boat ramp with the door open and w/o your seatbelt on (I do this pretty frequently)?

I wondered the same thing, backing up with the door open intentionally.
Be aware it will happen once, and then you shift from park into gear WHILE you have your seatbelt off and the door is open, then you'll be good to go.

 

[dlcorbett]

Dnt have a max but have a swb. Once you learn the dial, it becomes second nature and its easier to shift into gears with it and its faster. As far as the drive, it rides lighter and tighter than the 17 minus models, its faster, better gas mileage and the interior is miles better.

 

[Vicious]

During a recent trip I rented a 2019 Limited and was going about 70 on the highway when my girlfriend (who is used to playing with the iDrive controller in our BMW) turned the gear knob into reverse. I didn’t see it happen right away but noticed the vehicle completely lose power. The transmission is smart enough to only let you go into neutral. I shifted back into drive and all was ok, scared us both pretty good though.

 

[Deadman]

I love my 18, but as all new vehicles are electronic nightmares, so they babysit you and won't let you do many of the things we are used to doing.
Mine will slam into park if I pop my door open at 5-10 mph and try to shear the park pin off inside the transmission. Not cool , but a stupid safety thing.

 

[Adieu]

Freakin wheel reinventors

What was wrong with the good ol column shifter?

 

[dlcorbett]

Column shifters were never that great. They always got in the way of your dashboard. Same for the console shifter, but less so. I prefer the console shifter, n the dial has its own problems, but nuffin to deserve all this hate. The new gms are gettin buttons, only the foreigns will have traditional shifters, which will most likely change on their redesigns.

 

[Bill Schell]

Mine will slam into park if I pop my door open at 5-10 mph and try to shear the park pin off inside the transmission. Not cool , but a stupid safety thing.

This is exactly the concerns I have over these electronic shifters. Getting use to them and their location is one thing, but an unexpected action like that could be really expensive. I wonder if that is driver door only? Not uncommon for a passenger to open a door while in motion; (i.e. notices the seat belt strap is caught in door jam or that the door isn't fully shut). I would hope Ford's Engineering team would account for such scenarios - but did they? These are the "gems" I want to mine before the purchase.

 

[Bill Schell]

During a recent trip I rented a 2019 Limited and was going about 70 on the highway when my girlfriend (who is used to playing with the iDrive controller in our BMW) turned the gear knob into reverse. I didn’t see it happen right away but noticed the vehicle completely lose power. The transmission is smart enough to only let you go into neutral. I shifted back into drive and all was ok, scared us both pretty good though.

That's certainly good to hear and somewhat expected. I'm a bit more concerned about the "return to park" function under various common scenarios.

 

[Bill Schell]

Wow! A 571 page Owners Manual... boy have times changed . According to the manual, the "return to park" always goes to neutral first if the vehicle is still moving. If that is true, then the possibility of damaging the transmission from the scenarios described above cannot happen. It also states that only the driver side door and/or seatbelt activates the function.

 

[Deadman]

Wow! A 571 page Owners Manual... boy have times changed . According to the manual, the "return to park" always goes to neutral first if the vehicle is still moving. If that is true, then the possibility of damaging the transmission from the scenarios described above cannot happen. It also states that only the driver side door and/or seatbelt activates the function.

View attachment 31463

Well, I've witnessed it myself, so believe a book, or us.........

 

[Zig10]

Funny you should mention the boat ramp, because my '18 Max got stuck in park on my ramp about 2 months ago. Took 10 restarts to get it back into drive. Dealer said it was a "known issue" and did a software update on it and it has been fine since.

I can't comment on opening the door and backing down as I don't really launch that way, but I know you can drive around with the door not fully closed without the transmission shifting into park. It yells at you, but works fine.

 

[nate6966]

Well, I've witnessed it myself, so believe a book, or us.........

With all due respect, I'll still rely upon the book published by the manufacturer over a single experience by one or two owners out of thousands.
I'm not discrediting you, but simply saying it's more likely to have a couple outlying faults/ malfunctions versus the likelihood that a manufacturer would publish a lie about their product without taking on the liability for what they print.
All said, in the rare event this feature actually damages your transmission, then the manufacturer would be liable for manufacturer's defect. The print directly in their own manual defines the proper function they intend, so malfunction directly falls under defects - warranty issue/ drivetrain issue. That's not even limited by the bumper to bumper, but by powertrain.

 

[Deadman]

With all due respect, I'll still rely upon the book published by the manufacturer over a single experience by one or two owners out of thousands.
I'm not discrediting you, but simply saying it's more likely to have a couple outlying faults/ malfunctions versus the likelihood that a manufacturer would publish a lie about their product without taking on the liability for what they print.
All said, in the rare event this feature actually damages your transmission, then the manufacturer would be liable for manufacturer's defect. The print directly in their own manual defines the proper function they intend, so malfunction directly falls under defects - warranty issue/ drivetrain issue. That's not even limited by the bumper to bumper, but by powertrain.

You are drinking the Kool-aid they want you to drink. The books are full of errors, and if these safety features damage your transmission, they won't care and you foot the bill once the warranty expires. Seriously, don't put so much faith in these companies or they will hurt your feelings quickly.
I'm glad you have faith in the manufacturers, but you will soon realize they are only in it for the money.

 

[nate6966]

You are drinking the Kool-aid they want you to drink. The books are full of errors, and if these safety features damage your transmission, they won't care and you foot the bill once the warranty expires. Seriously, don't put so much faith in these companies or they will hurt your feelings quickly.
I'm glad you have faith in the manufacturers, but you will soon realize they are only in it for the money.

Don't get me wrong, it's not faith in the manufacturer's accuracy or quality of design/ technical writing/ integrity.
It's the faith in the legal and civil judiciary system. If the manufacturer publishes their own impression of proper function, and if that malfunctions or causes damage then anyone with determination can and will be justifiably protected from that liability.
Don't be so cynical or willing to roll over and "take it" when a corporation tries try to cheap out on something they should be liable for. Be more willing to fight for it and 99% of the time, you'll get what you are due.
#1 - the transmission is part of the drivetrain and falls under their longer warranty period.
#2 - when it's a design flaw or manufacturer's malfunction, you can win arguments to have the repairs covered even outside the warranty limits.

 

[Kmdcolo]

The transmission will go to park if you have your seatbelt off and you open the door. You CAN have your door open and put it in gear but you get a bunch of alerts. I also believe it auto engages the parking brake and it has to be released via the switch (can’t just press the accelerator like normal ). So yes, safety systems are preventing accidents but Ford does allow it. You just have to take an extra step (prove it’s intentional).

 

[Bill Schell]

Like new "spill-proof" gas cans that spill all over the place, I really dislike the idea of dealing with a product (a quite expensive in this case) that has me wanting to defeat or by-pass save me from myself features. Maybe we'll try and get past the "dune" color interior on a 2017.

 

[aggiegrad05]

Like new "spill-proof" gas cans that spill all over the place, I really dislike the idea of dealing with a product (a quite expensive in this case) that has me wanting to defeat or by-pass save me from myself features. Maybe we'll try and get past the "dune" color interior on a 2017.

(None if it is really a big deal at all...promise...if you’re not doing weird stuff it’s a very easy vehicle to live with...and I’ve had a lot of vehicles)