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Joseph Mikiewicz

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Hello everyone, I wanted to say thanks for allowing me in this forum. To give you a little background, I have been a Chevy full size SUV guy for 20 plus years but recently switched over to Ford in the last year. I have been a fan of Fords pickups for years, owned a few and never had any major issue. I was happy to see the new redesign of the 2018 Expedition. As far as features and ride, Ford certainly has it over other competitors in this class....hands down.

About 4 months ago, I had developed a front end rattle that is you can hear a lower speeds when going over smaller bumps like man hole covers, smaller potholes. I had it back to my dealer about 10 times since the noise started. They changed struts a couple times, had me change out the brakes and rotors (had 28,000 miles) and still no fix. Being frustrated with the dealer, I had my local mechanic look at the vehicle. He found that the left front axle nut was cross threaded (apparently at the factory) and not tight. This seemed to be the source of the rattle. I took it back to the dealer and they replaced the one axle and said the passenger side was loose as well, so they tightened it up hoping this would fix the noise issue. Unfortunately it did not. I then asked the dealer if they had a regional service rep that I could meet and look a the vehicle. I was told Ford reps will not meet directly with the consumer and he refused to meet me personally. He did come in and drive with the service manager and tech. He acknowledged that the noise it there, but the vehicle is safe to drive and they would do nothing further. I don't understand this....is this common with Ford to say something like this? My dealer is not happy with what Ford is saying, but they said they have no where to go at this point.

I guess I am asking if this is a common issue with the Expedition or the larger SUV line? I searched the forum threads and can't seem to find any other owners with this issue. Any help or direction would be appreciated. I am at the point that if I can't get it resolved, I will just get rid of it and hear back to GM. It's very frustrating.

Joe
 

Don Hall

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Welcome....... I understand your frustration, but if the 2018 Exp is still under warranty, I don't understand why the "noise" can't be resolved.
 
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Joseph Mikiewicz

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Don, exactly...the dealer has been great, I had loaners for the 4 plus weeks its been in the shop and other than the brakes, which they wouldn't cover, all has been warranty.
 

Flexpedition

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Have not heard of this before. One side is unusual, both sides are bizarre when you consider how assembly lines work. Its largely automated. Gone are the days of hungover workers with little motivation to perform.

Are we talking about the roughly 2 inch nut in the center of the brake rotor?

Factory reps never-to-extremely-rarely meet with the public.

If you've tried the same dealership repeatedly without success, try another dealership, perhaps a Lincoln store. If you are convinced the noise makes it unsafe to drive the vehicle, then isn't it worth paying your mechanic to fix it? I'd offer the torque amount if I knew it, I'm not sure why it'd still be loose or noisy after tightening though.

Good luck to you.
 

Don Hall

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"He (Ford rep) did come in and drive with the service manager and tech. He acknowledged that the noise it there, but the vehicle is safe to drive and they would do nothing further."

If the "noise" is obvious during a test drive, has anyone tried to replicate the noise while the vehicle is on a lift?
 
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Joseph Mikiewicz

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Yes, the nut that fastens through the wheel bearing. I believe its a 20 or 22 millimeter nut. I don't believe the vehicle is unsafe to drive, but Fords stance was that it is safe to drive and I just have to deal with the noise i guess.

My mechanic was able to replicate the noise on the lift by hitting the bottom of the tire with a rubber mallet. He would then grab the axle from the back side with his hand and the noise would stop. I passed this on to the service manager as well as their lead tech but I don't know if they tried it. They also confirmed the noise on a test drive with me, so everyone says it there...


Unfortunately this Ford store is also the Lincoln dealer, so I an SOL there. I guess the next step would be to find another dealer to try and diagnose/fix the issue. I am just wondering if this is a common issue the Expedition. I had a later model F150 and had no similar issues with that vehicle.
 
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