2020 Ford Expedition Reliability Report

Belts lock, cinch tight, or fire their pretensioner with a loud bang, whether the vehicle is parked or moving. Some owners notice a burning smell and the air bag light afterward. These events account for all three injury reports, which include chest pain and a cut. Other belts will not retract or release until the engine is turned off, and dealers diagnosed failed retractors at around 65,000 to 66,000 miles. Most of the remaining filings say a seat belt repair cannot be done yet because the parts are back-ordered.

Many of these filings actually describe the transmission: slipping, hard shifts at speed, jerking when pulling away, and slipping into neutral for a moment while passing. The true engine faults are split coolant hoses, a rattle at start-up traced to cam phasers, a stretched chain that needs new tensioners and phasers, and failed front cover seals. The seal failures led to low oil pressure and metal shavings in the cylinder. A few owners also report the engine shutting off while driving.

Panoramic sunroof glass bursts while driving and sprays glass into the cabin. All five injury reports come from this. Center console chrome trim peels into sharp edges that cut fingers. In freezing weather, door latches stop working and will not open from inside, which owners tie to a Ford service bulletin. Other reports describe roof rack parts flying off on the highway, a power liftgate that will not close with the engine off, an air conditioning leak that soaks the carpet, and early exhaust rust.

Panoramic moonroof glass shatters or explodes with no impact, usually while driving. The bang is loud enough that some drivers mistake it for a tire blowout, and glass can fall into the cabin. The rear window also shatters on its own while the vehicle is parked, in two reports at about 17,143 and 18,000 miles. One owner describes a leaking moonroof that needed the whole system replaced at 40k miles. Another is waiting on a repair part that is not yet available.

In two crash reports the bags do not deploy, one of them a head-on collision. The opposite failure also appears: a front bag goes off unexpectedly while driving and causes head or neck injuries, in one case along with a driver seat belt that tightened and came loose. The warning light also comes on with a message that the passenger bag may not work. One dealer traced this to a seat belt buckle tension sensor at about 62,935 miles.

The passenger-side daytime running light dims, fails, or turns purple. Owners say the only fix is replacing the whole headlight assembly, with quotes from $1500 to nearly $2000 per light. Other reports describe faulty headlight projectors that leave the lights very dim at about 60,000 miles, and beams that seemed misaligned soon after purchase. None of these complaints involve a crash or injury.

Braking can be lost suddenly. Reports describe a pedal that sinks to the floor with the brake fluid gone, and a front brake line worn through where it rubs the steering column. In one crash, the pedal only pulsed and automatic emergency braking did not stop the vehicle before a rear-end collision. Another report describes violent jerking, a brake warning light, and a burning smell at about 104,550 miles. With only 4 complaints, no clear mileage pattern appears.