2018 Expedition platinum Max A/C problem

[KJ-Idaho]

I ordered my 2018 on Dec 5, 2017. It came in on Feb 15 and that is when I took delivery of it.
On March 12 we turned on the A/C and it just blew warm air. I took it to my dealer that afternoon and it has been there since. They have been unable to determine why it is not working and have gone to Ford
for help. What I have been told is that the A/C installed between early Dec and late Jan (I'm not real sure of the exact timeframe) have problems and the engineers are working to find a fix for the problem.
Needless to say, we are NOT HAPPY! To purchase an $80,000 vehicle, have just 600 miles on it and find out there is apparently an A/C problem that they did not know about (really?) or have a fix for is very hard to understand or accept. This is my first time to put something on the forum, but I think it is something that anyone that has purchased or is considering purchasing would want to know about. I do not have any problem with my dealer... they have been very understanding about my concern. I do have a problem with Ford! I don't want to believe they were aware of this problem, but shipped the vehicles anyway and put
the burden on the dealer to deal with the unhappy customer while the engineers try to find a fix to the problem. Like I just said... I don't want to believe it, but...?

Don

Ok new on this thread. Was driving from San Jose, ca, via winnemucca, to Boise, Idaho. AC has worked flawlessly for 22,000 miles. Suddenly no cold, just ambient air temp of 78 degrees. Almost like it was an electronic/computer issue. Anyone experience anything like this?

 

[Charlie K]

Ok new on this thread. Was driving from San Jose, ca, via winnemucca, to Boise, Idaho. AC has worked flawlessly for 22,000 miles. Suddenly no cold, just ambient air temp of 78 degrees. Almost like it was an electronic/computer issue. Anyone experience anything like this?

I just experienced the same shortly after hitting 44k. Found that Ford put out Special Service Message (SSM) 47299 with regard to the 2018 Expedition air conditioning system. It points to an issue that will throw no diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) but will cause the vehicle to lack AC cooling and applies to vehicles built from January 2, 2018 through February 6, 2019 in KY. Our Expedition's build date was in 11/2017, so not applicable to me, but maybe you? Would you share what was determined to be problem with your Expedition's A/C?

 

[Janky]

old thread, but I just discovered our 2018 AC doesn't work! I never even tested it since we purchased it in the fall. Took to my local dealer and waiting to hear what they say...

 

[Janky]

hmm, fishy. They did not mention the Technical bulletin mentioned in this thread. They said it was very empty, recharged and could not find a leak. They indicated the freon has dye in it so I will likely need to bring it back when it empties out and they can trace the leak based on the dye?
I looked at my receipts from the other crappy dealer that took three times to find the water leak and it says they recharged the AC back in Jan (only 3 mos ago). More to come...

 

[Johnb21]

I don't have time to post right now about my history with AC,but I have a story. Lot's of $ spent by Ford to figure out. Ended up being a rear condenser.
2018 304A
Ripped the dash apart 1st, as they had supplier issues with front condenser.

 

[Jeremy Stefanek]

2018 Expedition Max 66K miles encountered same issue. Front A/C blows cold for a bit but quickly reduces cold output, while rear A/C blows warm air (ambient) continuously. Out of Warranty repair. Dealer first mentioned the freon dye then called back and said I need to replace Rear Evaporator Housing and some hoses. Mentioned a service bulletin was found but not a recall. Parts $1000, Labor 8 hours. Just posting here to add my Expedition to the list affected by this issue.

 

[mcollins188]

Just picked up an ‘18 limited Max with 85k miles and experiencing same AC problem where system isn’t getting cold enough. Especially in the rear. Before I start dropping hundreds of dollars on it, I’m curious if others have solved the problem long term?

 

[coyote-dogfish]

2018 Max platinum with only 45k miles - A/C quit and is blowing warm/ambient air. My issue maybe seems different in that my clutch doesn't engage at all? Some indicated their system still blows *some* cold air, which would mean the compressor is at least running and the clutch is engaging. If it's related to contamination - not sure why the clutch wouldn't engage? Unless it's inhibited by a pressure switch and it's empty somehow due to the contamination issue? Went into the dealer this morning. Stay tuned for update lol this should be wonderful. This car has been a rolling problem-factory for us. The dealer replaced the 10 speed transmission with a new one last fall.

 

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

My BIGGEST complaint with this truck is, and has always been, poor AC. I know I live in AZ with 100 degree heat and it's a huge green house, but with tinted windows it has to be set to 70 or less and on recirculate to get "cool". My wife's RAV4, without tint, can be set at 74 or 75 and is cool in minutes and almost cold in 15 minutes. Someone on here has an F150 and said his is ice cold. Dealer has checked it multiple times and it's "fine, nothing wrong".

 

[coyote-dogfish]

My BIGGEST complaint with this truck is, and has always been, poor AC. I know I live in AZ with 100 degree heat and it's a huge green house, but with tinted windows it has to be set to 70 or less and on recirculate to get "cool". My wife's RAV4, without tint, can be set at 74 or 75 and is cool in minutes and almost cold in 15 minutes. Someone on here has an F150 and said his is ice cold. Dealer has checked it multiple times and it's "fine, nothing wrong".

That's interesting - mine seems like it cools VERY well compared to my 2016. And my 2016's fan was abnormally wildly loud. I even replaced it thinking there had to be something wrong with it, but nope it was crazy loud still. You couldn't even have a conversation in drive through it was so loud. The 2018 is whisper quiet comparatively.

My 2018 has completely blacked out windows ... but granted I'm in Pittsburgh not AZ. We did have it on vacation last year with 7 people in 95 degree heat though, and it kept it really cool - and seemed to cool it fast too. IDK!?? Mine WAS ice cold before quitting! lol