How many owners out there with no major issues?

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rob4092xx

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2018 XLT with 36k miles:

Cup holder failure at 25k miles.
Drivers door panel cracked and replaced 26k miles.
Battery at 30k miles.
Water Pump at 30k miles.
Tire pressure sensor at 34k miles.
Tire pressure sensor at 36k miles.

All of these were outside the 36 month warranty point so I had to pay for repairs.
 

19FX4Max

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I know this is the "who hasn't had major issues" thread but I figured I'd add my problems for forum records.

The first 20k-25k miles were just fine, other than all 4 shocks replace due to being blown or leaking, that was around 8k miles.

Our 2019 Expedition Max is now at just over 31k miles and in the past year the following warranty repairs have been made:

1. Cam Phasers done somewhere around 20-25k miles. Shortly after there was an oil leak that developed from the Cam Phaser install.

2. Sluggish acceleration lead to the valve body being rebuilt in the transmission. This was done around 29-30k miles. Drove great for a few days.

3. After dropping kids off for a camp we started getting errors for a faulty charging system so we tried to get home and swap the expedition out for my trusty 2014 Ram. We got a couple miles down the road and 5 miles from home when the system started shutting down forcing the transmission into park on a city street. I immediately called Ford to get a tow truck on the way and the engine ran for another 5 minutes or so before shutting down completely. I was trying to keep the sleeping 3 year old cool on a 105 degree day as long as possible. You all probably didn't need the whole story but the issue was a bad alternator. After picking up the expedition a check engine light came on indicating evap control issues which I figured was due to something being knocked loose during the alternator replacement. There was a loose line that was tightened and we were good to go.

4. The expedition was back on the road for a week or two and then we started having transmission issues again where the vehicle would stall out when letting off the gas pedal between shifts and hard shifts between 3rd and 5th. Back to the dealer it went. A week later we had it back with a mostly rebuilt transmission, including a new valve body and CFD drum.

5. I drove the expedition to work the next morning to get a feel for how it was driving but just a few miles from home the check engine light came back on, this time the message was for an issue detected with the catalytic converter. I was hoping that since the transmission had just been R&R'd that hopefully something was lose, but the diagnosis is that the catalytic convert is bad. Cats are on national back order so at this time I don't know when we will have the expedition back. I don't know if the cat was damaged in some way during the transmission removal, or maybe fuel mapping caused it to get clogged, or coincidence.

The above repairs have been completed at 3 different dealers, cam phasers at a dealer near my house, transmission work, and current location, at the dealer where we purchased, and the alternator was done at the closest dealer for towing when we were left stranded. Each visit to the dealer has resulted in being without a vehicle for 1-4 weeks. I feel like everything was going well until the cam phasers were replaced, other than a rattling start. I can't help but wonder if programming after the cam phaser replacement began causing other systems to fail. I have read these 10spd transmission could be experiencing failures due to Ford's programming, speculation maybe. Sluggish acceleration was noticed very soon after the cam phasers were done. The first time I called the dealer where we purchased to talk about dropping off for cam phaser replacement I was told they weren't replacing phasers but were performing a computer flash, which they also were only doing on Raptors at the time because the flash was killing transmissions. I decided to call another dealer because I knew cam phaser replacement was a common occurrence. Now each time the transmission has been been worked on some other system has failed. Maybe I should have discussed options with the first dealer before having the phasers done and this could have been avoided, I don't know.

I have remained optimistic, and have reassured my wife it will be fine after a couple issues are taken care of, but I'm becoming a bit skeptical now since we haven't been able to keep it on the road longer than a tank of gas or two in the past couple thousand miles.

Is there any hope that the transmission will be good to go and programming won't cause more system failures?
 

Knut

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Really, I think Ford is missing an opportunity. There is a very real (and growing ) market for a large 3 row SUV built on a 3/4 ton truck platform. If they made an SUV version of their F-250, I would sign up today. Modern tech, meets old school chassis and diesel drivetrain. Rugged, but modern and comfortable for cross-country towing.
100%.
Beyond me why Ford doesn’t do this or GM Brings back the Suburban 2500!‍♂️
 

Gumbyalso

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I have a 2000 EB 4WD 5.4 with 346,000 miles that I've had since new. The only major failure was a cracked intake manifold at about 210,000 miles. The ABS module failed at about 200,000, but I took that off and had it rebuilt for about $120. It's been working fine ever since. Everything else has been wear items - ball joints, control rod ends, etc. It has required the least maintenance of any vehicle I've ever owned. Other than the intake manifold, plugs (every 100K), coils (at 300K), belts, PCV & EGR valves, and hoses the engine is virtually untouched. Even the fuel injectors are original. Change the oil every 5000, clean the K&N filter every 25,000 and clean the throttle valve every 50,000. Change the coolant every five years. The transmission is untouched other than changing the fluid and filter every 30,000. Fuel filter changed every 30,000. Gumout All-In-One FI cleaner used at every oil change. Transfer case and differential oil changed every 150,000. And it doesn't leak anything - no coolant, no oil, no transmission fluid, no differential oil, no transfer case fluid, no brake fluid, no power steering fluid and no windshield washer fluid. I use Lucas Engine Oil Stop Leak and Penz Platinum 5w30 HiMi at every oil change. This 2000 is a beast. I will drive it until it dies. My wife has a 2011 XLT+ 4WD 5.4 with 236,000 that we've also had since new. Much the same story as the 2000 except zero major work. Pretty much everything that I've replaced, which is really not much, has been a wear item. It had some seat heater issues but a new grounded pigtail and a new fan solved those. Same maintenance routine as the 2000, but only change the transmission fluid every 75,000 and never change the fuel filter since it's submerged in the tank. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a check engine light on either Expedition. I know doing regular maintenance doesn't prevent failures for everyone but it's worked for me. It also helps that I do my own maintenance for the most part. Just resolved a 3 year-old ABS issue on the 2011 by pulling the ABS valve and pump fuses, driving, then reinstalling the fuses. ABS issue fixed.
 
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Fasttimes

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Sticking my toes back into the market for a lightly used Gen 4 Expy after sitting on the sidelines during the pandemic and watching the prices rise in used and new markets.

As I read these posts about the cam phasers, transmissions, etc it definitely gives me pause. Hard to validate a $60k used vehicle purchase if it's going to be problematic and you know this going into it. My plan is if I pull the trigger to be something like a 2019 or 2020 very lightly used Platinum with hd tow and to purchase the best Ford ESP I can afford and for at least to 100k miles or more.

We know there are issues, some get it worse than others. What's the feed back on those that own 19's and 20's? Is the truck worth the headache? Will an ESP cover the major issues on down the line?
 

Leadfoot17

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2019 with 57K miles. Only major issue was Cam Phaser rattle--replaced them all under warranty and updated SW, been flawless since.

Couple of nuisances/notes--

- All external door "touch locks" stopped working except driver's door--also, passenger mirror searching/clicking on start up--both fixed by changing battery (of note, battery checked good on bench at Advantage, still started like a champ and had no other issues--used this forum to research this issue, and sure enough, that was the prob.
- Horn died--suddenly started sounding like a Prius--replaced horn myself for $20 and 1.5 hrs labor
- Rt front strut started leaking at 10K miles--changed both under warranty
- Sunroof guide rails failed (common issue in hot climates, same happened on my 2018 F150)--changed under warranty

In the end, think Ford has some quality issues lately they are addressing--just fired their Quality VP--so not as tight as it should be for the $...
 

dwmarks

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2018 XLT. Rode it out to 72K miles before replacing with a 2022 XLT. Cam phasers under warranty at 59K (although the noise really didn't bother me much - only did it because it was still 'free'). Drivers front wheel bearing at 65K. Pretty trouble free life. I was happy enough to order another one. Owned Expys since 1998. Maybe I've had good luck.
 
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