Should it be an Ex Expedition?

[JasonH]

Wow, first time I hear of a head gasket failure on these engines! How many miles??

The last one was replaced at 118,000 21 months ago. The dealership said it's a rare failure. My coolant is low, so it's leaking into the cylinders or it's a very slow drip elsewhere in the system. I'm kind of hoping it's the head gasket because the dealership warrantied the repair for 24 months.

 

[birds]

I appreciate the feedback from everyone. I've been a Ford guy my entire life and it makes me sad to have had such a bad experience with this vehicle. I even felt obligated to call the customer service line. I know the agent can't do much about it, but I told her I at least hope that message gets passed up the chain. Unfortunately the lemon law option for me is gone as my state only offers it for the first year. I'm thinking my best option right now (particularly with interest rates climbing all the time) is to bite the bullet and get an extended warranty to at least get me through the life of the loan. I really want to love the truck. I'm just tired of the hassle of so many major repairs and recalls. I really hope that Ford can do better.

 

[2018ExpyPlatinum]

Yup, I thought about buying a Aviator last year or this year, but that's out of the picture. Quality and customer care is so bad I won't be spending my money with Ford. Not sure what I'll be buying. That's the other issue, but it won't be Ford.

 

[GlennSullivan]

With all the mismanagement going on in Dearborn these days, it is not hard to understand why Ford is now losing money. This of course, will not improve customer service as they cut back everything to get back in the black. There is also no mention of the problem being partially caused by **** poor product quality and customer service.

Ford logs $2 billion loss in 2022, says profit was left 'on the table'

Ford Motor Co. late Thursday reported mixed quarterly results, with Chief Executive Jim Farley saying that the auto maker left $2 billion in profit on the...

www.marketwatch.com

 

[Squark]

I loved my 2018 Expedition Max Limited, but traded it a couple of weeks ago. It had over $10k in warranty work done in 70,000 miles. My dealer was great about fixing everything, but recently appointments were booked a month out, usually took a week, and there were no loaners available. It got to the point where I was paying ~$800 for car rentals each time it was in the shop (I had a Ford ESP but no rental coverage). I kept thinking it would get more reliable as issues got fixed, but that wasn't the case for me. It was a great vehicle let down by poor quality. It's the most unreliable vehicle I've owned by a long shot, yet it was also my favorite. Hopefully Ford can get it together, and hopefully the newer year models will fare better.

 

[Yupster Dog]

There is also no mention of the problem being partially caused by poor product quality and customer service.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/c...-ceo-jim-farley-automaker-advice/69878509007/
Depends on where you do your research and your agenda.

 

[GlennSullivan]

https://www.freep.com/story/money/c...-ceo-jim-farley-automaker-advice/69878509007/
Depends on where you do your research and your agenda.

Thank you for that. In that interview Farley certainly talks about bad engineering and product quality. Interested to see how his planned fixes play out. I hope they don't forget to take a look at the bean counters as well in the process. My recent experiences have confirmed they have been doing their job of tightening purse strings a little too well, helping in the reduction of product quality and customer satisfaction.

 

[3rd Expyowner123]

I’m at 79k miles, just had heater hoses replaced (one was dripping slowly at a connection) and about 60k miles the water pump with a slow drip leak.
Reading this thread, makes me feel sad that these vehicles are not more reliable. I have had cam phasers done twice, above cooling issues along with thermostat replacement.
Knock on wood, no other drivetrain issues on my 4 X 4 Expy.

 

[Yupster Dog]

tightening purse strings a little too well, helping in the reduction of product quality and customer satisfaction.

I agree and Farley addressed this issuse in public.(that is huge itself) He took over at the height of pandemic and it is truly inspiring that he has kept Ford going to this point. So there may be hope yet that production leadership will be turned back to 25% more engineers and away from the accountants.

 

[JasonH]

I agree and Farley addressed this issuse in public.(that is huge itself) He took over at the height of pandemic and it is truly inspiring that he has kept Ford going to this point. So there may be hope yet that production leadership will be turned back to 25% more engineers and away from the accountants.

You may have misunderstood. One of his statements was that Ford has 25% more engineers to do the same work as competitors. He was saying that the engineering staffing is not efficient, and they either need higher productivity, or fewer people. It sounds as though you're under the impression that they're going to shift resources from accounting to engineering. I doubt this is the case, especially since EVs are less technologically complex and require fewer engineering resources. Plus, there's more overlap in product design for EVs, because the same modules and motors can be used across vehicles in different arrangements, rather than employing an entirely new powertrain. Ford has 5 powertrains (3.3 NA, 2.7T, 5.0, 3.5T, and 3.5T Hybrid) just for the F150, and variations on that same powertrain for the Bronco and Explorer (3.0T). I think the biggest push is to get more out of its existing engineering resources, which will facilate reduced headcount by improving productivity.

As for the quality. I don't know what Ford engineers have been smoking for the past several years. Many of its design decisions seem to be complete unforced errors. Camshaft timing, turbo plumbing, leaky manifolds, blowers that cause fires, shoddy camera connectors. It just seems like they really dropped the ball on durability in a variety of areas. And it's really sad, because the vehicles are great when they work properly. But lately, it's like a Land Rover, without the luxury and branding.

As an aside, my Expedition is at the stealership for low coolant, leaking turbo manifold, and a P0019 that only comes up while towing. Tech just called and said the chain is probably worn, and he can't diagnose it properly without removing the front engine cover. So now I have to decide whether to dump nearly 10K into this for timing and both manifolds, or get a new one. At 144K, I'm heavily leaning towards getting a 4th gen with an extended warranty, since the cam phaser issue appears to have been resolved and there's no guarantee that the fixes on this one will prevent something else from going wrong. There's just nothing else that can tow my camper as well.