Good but not good enough

[Ivan Overton]

Hello all,

I had a 2017 Expedition XLT for about 3 years and here is what happened.

July 2018 @ 45k miles go the truck from Eastern Motors in Laurel MD

July 2019 @ 61K Miles, check engine light would come on at highway speed and the truck would downshift sending the engine RPM @ 70-80 mph above 4000 rpm. Turing the engine off for 5 min would fix the issue until next time. Resolution transmission was replaced. Paid 2k for 2yr or 2400 miles for warranty (NON FORD) when I purchased the trunk and they did cover all but 300.00 of the 5000.00+ repair. Used the truck to tow 2 campers to OC, MD for vacation in summer of 2020 with no issues. Had to replace/resurface front rotors after each tow. (Again thanks for the great write up on that issue) I could have lived with that if I didn’t have the other issues.

Jan 2021 @ 91K miles, Check charging system light in the dash, did all the test, (THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT WRITE UP ON THE ISSUE) resolution replace alternator 1300.00 at dealer, while in the shop I was advised the timing CHAIN (that’s right I said chain) and tensioner need to be replaced 3500.00.


It never left me on the side of the road, started every time (even when the alternator was going bad) and for the most part was a good truck. Now this truck is based on the F-150, the best selling pickup in the US and still has this many issues. And people pay 40k-60k new only to have major issues like this at 50k miles, WHY????


Now, I’m not here to complain, I just wanted to give my honest review of what happened to me.

 

[jeff kushner]

I bought my '17 new, in Nov '16. I now have 110,200 w/ 2500 hours of run time and while I only wash it once a year or so, the interior is spotless.

The ONLY thing that broke was a center console lid spring.


I also lived in Laurel and ran the HoJo's restaurant there in the 70's...youngest mgr HoJo ever had at 17......

I'd suggest this began to run off the rails when you bought a car from Eastern Motors. They are a well-known auction car flipper. They buy their cars at the used car auctions in Va, NC and PA....Carlyle I think. There is a good chance that you possibly bought a flood car from earlier that Spring. Typically, when you see a high quality car on a lot such as theirs, there is a reason they got it....it was cheap.

Good luck in the future!!

jeff

 

[Cyclone]

If you want a 2nd opinion, a know a good Ford Mechanic who works out of the Airpark area in Gaithersburg. Look up PT Enterprises. Paul will do the job right. 301-340-7285. I can't imagine an alternator replacement would be $1,300.

 

[00XTL]

I think its time to find a new ford dealer. There is no reason an alternator should cost $1300 parts and labor. Also the cost for the timing chains is high. I just got new head gaskets, exhaust manifolds and timing chains done and it cost me $3500. The alternator should be more in the $800 range and the timing chains should be more like $1200-$1500. Another thing to mention is i used to work in a ford dealer as a tech and unless you had an issue that had anything to do with timing we would never just recommend it.

 

[Ivan Overton]

@jeff kushner How does a flood damaged car get pass CarFax and the insurance company? I checked both ford dealerships in the area and both were within $75 of each other. I will say it wasn’t the cleanest used car I have ever brought, but I don’t think it was flood damaged.

@00XLT The problem is why did it go bad, my other cars don’t have issues like this and not before 120-130k miles. My Sentra has 90k and has only been to the shop for scheduled maintenance.

And is replacing a timing chain before 130k normal for Fords?

 

[00XTL]

The alternator is an electronic with moving parts so why it failed will be a mystery. I get some cars can last for ever with no issues. I still have my original alternator at 403k miles. My mom has a sonata with 260k miles and i couldnt even tell you what or where the check engine light is in that car. But ive also worked of a brand new f150 with 17 miles on it and it needed and ignition coil. Ive also replaced an engine with 270 miles on it. Anything built in mass production is going to have issues.

As for the timing chain i would say around 200k miles is the typical life spand. Thats what ive seen.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

@jeff kushner How does a flood damaged car get pass CarFax and the insurance company? I checked both ford dealerships in the area and both were within $75 of each other. I will say it wasn’t the cleanest used car I have ever brought, but I don’t think it was flood damaged.

Without police involvement, there's a good chance any given incident won't show up on CarFax. I hit a deer in my wife's car at 1AM in a rural township with no PD. The car was driveable so I simply went home and filed a claim the next day. That was 8 years ago and it's still not on the CarFax. When I was shopping Expeditions I found on at a dealer with a front end that had clearly been hit. The fender was out of alignment with the hood, the bumper clips were broken, etc. Clean CarFax though.

Now going back to your truck in general, it could be the dealer was hiding something or it could simply be that you got a lemon. It happens. Timing issues on these trucks are common though and yes, it does suck. Personally, my Expedition ranks as one of the less reliable vehicles I've owned, but thus far it hasn't given me enough grief to prohibit me from buying another. I consider 200K to be the minimum acceptable mileage for any given vehicle before it requires major repairs and I'm at 186K with no major repairs thus far. I have, however, replaced far more in this vehicle than I ever had to on any the vehicle I owned. On balance, I'd rate my experience thus far as "fair."

 

[Ivan Overton]

You guys are better than me. 200k for a timing chain or I could live with that, but this truck has had over 5k in repairs in 3 year and 40k miles.Best of luck.

 

[Machete]

My buddy has a 2018 F150 w 3.5 EB and 58k miles. Drives great especially compared to my 1st gen Expy.

Today he stalled out and has fuel flooding his injector on one bank. Truck is going to dealer in morning.

I’ll be pulling into that dealer in my truck that has 224,***. I just had to replace alternator, starter and battery.

Two starters and two alternators in 224,*** miles doesn’t bother me. It runs great.

 

[Aspen03]

You guys are better than me. 200k for a timing chain or I could live with that, but this truck has had over 5k in repairs in 3 year and 40k miles.Best of luck.

Compared to the cost of that truck new vs what all of our 1st and 2nd gen were its probably somewhat relative. When you have a drivetrain that complicated and with such expensive components it's no wonder repair cost would be higher. This is another reason I'm not in any hurry to get a late model expedition. Replacing turbos, cam phasers, crappy timing setups doesn't sound fun while also throwing down $700 car payments.

I would like nothing more than to bring home a 2017 King Ranch EL in that teal color whatever its called but I'm unlikely to do that unless I'm paying cash for it or have one heck of a warranty to go with.

 

[Machete]

The average US consumer car payment is $600/month.

Now you see why I drive this ole gal.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

My buddy has a 2018 F150 w 3.5 EB and 58k miles. Drives great especially compared to my 1st gen Expy.

Today he stalled out and has fuel flooding his injector on one bank. Truck is going to dealer in morning.

I’ll be pulling into that dealer in my truck that has 224,***. I just had to replace alternator, starter and battery.

Two starters and two alternators in 224,*** miles doesn’t bother me. It runs great.

Anecdotally (based on posts here/other forums and friends/family), I think the first gens were probably the most reliable Expeditions ever built.

 

[Ivan Overton]

The only way I will ever buy a Ford again is with a 5y/100k bumper2bumper warranty!!!

 

[Machete]

The only way I will ever buy a Ford again is with a 5y/100k bumper2bumper warranty!!!

Ok but what if you typically keep your vehicles longer? Say like someone who drives them for 10 years and over 200k miles like I do. WWYD?

 

[jeff kushner]

I can appreciate Ivan's situation ....most of us would not keep or at least, think highly of a vehicle with 5K or repairs in 40K! I fully understand that he hates these things....holy crap! I would too!


I have had one of each of the 1st 3 gens so I think I might have a unique perspective.

1st gen ate alternators....I replaced the 1st at 50K with a Autozone rebuild since the guy looked at me like I had 7 eyes when I asked for a Brush kit.....their lifetime warranty was fulfilled at least 4 or 5 or 6 times over the life of the truck. 1 starter was used(600 bucks).
That's it, a weep on the driver side rear head but it ran great.Even the first battery lasted nearly 7 years! Lots of power (like Mighty Mike Jeep in 4Lo), FANTASTIC in 24" of snow, rode okay.


2nd gen was an '03 EB edition with every option. Was a piece of junk to me, rode great, horrible power, FANTASTIC in 18-20" of snow....bought it used & cheap from a place in the DC suburbs similar to where Ivan bought his gem and I bought a bad truck, sh*t happens. A bit of Pour & Go every 6 months made it reliable, mostly...the obligatory 600 dollar starter was consumed before the tranny began to slip.---G-G-G-Gone!

3rd gen bought new in 11/16 and now has 112K.....best ride, best power, best reliability...period.....so far<LOL>. Haven't had snow so far deeper than 4 whole inches!

I tend to be pragmatic about these things as they are machines. I know "machines" because I build them as a hobby. A well built machine will continue to run well unless and until something fails. My hope is that mine suffers no catastrophic failures, just like all of us hope. I used to struggle to keep things running because I had to financially, did it for many years as I raised a family. When you have a few kids in school/sports/acting/college/law school and you are high-fiving your wife on w/e's, you don't have a lot of extra money to pay people to fix things that you can fix yourself, no matter how tired you are. Yeah, I did that too. Thankfully the kids are all grown I don't don't have to do it anymore because I never enjoyed working on cars/trucks.....the parts are too big/heavy<LOL>!

jeff

 

[Machete]

I can appreciate Ivan's situation ....most of us would not keep or at least, think highly of a vehicle with 5K or repairs in 40K! I fully understand that he hates these things....holy crap! I would too!


I have had one of each of the 1st 3 gens so I think I might have a unique perspective.

1st gen ate alternators....I replaced the 1st at 50K with a Autozone rebuild since the guy looked at me like I had 7 eyes when I asked for a Brush kit.....their lifetime warranty was fulfilled at least 4 or 5 or 6 times over the life of the truck. 1 starter was used(600 bucks).
That's it, a weep on the driver side rear head but it ran great.Even the first battery lasted nearly 7 years! Lots of power (like Mighty Mike Jeep in 4Lo), FANTASTIC in 24" of snow, rode okay.


2nd gen was an '03 EB edition with every option. Was a piece of junk to me, rode great, horrible power, FANTASTIC in 18-20" of snow....bought it used & cheap from a place in the DC suburbs similar to where Ivan bought his gem and I bought a bad truck, sh*t happens. A bit of Pour & Go every 6 months made it reliable, mostly...the obligatory 600 dollar starter was consumed before the tranny began to slip.---G-G-G-Gone!

3rd gen bought new in 11/16 and now has 112K.....best ride, best power, best reliability...period.....so far<LOL>. Haven't had snow so far deeper than 4 whole inches!

I tend to be pragmatic about these things as they are machines. I know "machines" because I build them as a hobby. A well built machine will continue to run well unless and until something fails. My hope is that mine suffers no catastrophic failures, just like all of us hope. I used to struggle to keep things running because I had to financially, did it for many years as I raised a family. When you have a few kids in school/sports/acting/college/law school and you are high-fiving your wife on w/e's, you don't have a lot of extra money to pay people to fix things that you can fix yourself, no matter how tired you are. Yeah, I did that too. Thankfully the kids are all grown I don't don't have to do it anymore because I never enjoyed working on cars/trucks.....the parts are too big/heavy<LOL>!

jeff

For me the challenge is finding a vehicle that can take the grind of highway speed every day at 75-85mph for 500-1000 miles a week and hold up for 200k-250k miles and not nickel and dime me.

I’d commit seppuku if I had a payment AND had to fork out cash to fix stuff.

This puts me in a price point I don’t want to be in order to have warranty coverage.

Thus why I drive my 1st gen w 226,*** now.