AutoUtility currently tracks 372 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Ford Expedition. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 145 complaints (39% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 11 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 372 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (145 reports • 39% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Engine & Cooling (111), Electrical System (33)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 8 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 11 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Ford Expedition
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #26V402000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
- Campaign #18V213000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
- Campaign #18V214000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
Engine & Cooling
Electrical System
Suspension
Exterior Lighting
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford Expedition
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford Expedition
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford Expedition. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently shifted into park. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the transmission brake error message was displayed. The vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was..."
"Transmission that's was replaced approx 3 yrs ago is hard shifting from park to drive and park to reverse on flat level surface."
"Subject: Safety Complaint – 2018 Ford Expedition Brake Master Cylinder Recall 25S37 / NHTSA 25V236 I am filing this complaint regarding my 2018 Ford Expedition, which is subject to an open Ford brake master-cylinder recall, Recall 25S37 / NHTSA Recall 25V236. I am currently experiencing brake fluid..."
"THERE IS A SEAT BELT RECALL AND 3 OTHER RECALLS THAT FORD CORP OFFICE AND THE DEALERSHIP IN HENDERSON NC TOLD ME THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL 2027 AND I AM EXPECTED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE PLEASE HELP ME"
"There is a recall on the catalytic converters of my year Expedition, but my check engine light came on at 86,000 miles, outside the 80,000 limit Ford put on the recall for the part. I think Ford should stand behind their product and the parts they are using, since the catalytic converters have..."
Complaint History for Ford Expedition
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Ford Expedition | 164 | 8 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Ford Expedition | 214 | 8 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Ford Expedition | 356 | 21 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Ford Expedition Current Page | 372 | 8 | 14 | Current |
| 2019 Ford Expedition | 480 | 7 | 11 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford Expedition | 387 | 5 | 18 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford Expedition | 228 | 3 | 12 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Ford Expedition | 111 | 4 | 12 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Ford Expedition | 64 | 5 | 8 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Ford Expedition | 71 | 6 | 7 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Ford Expedition | 30 | 4 | 5 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Ford Expedition | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Ford Expedition
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 65 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 106 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 22 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Seat Belt Retractor Pretensioner Inadvertent Deployment
On November 22, 2023, the Oï¬ce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) PE23021 to investigate complaints of front seat belt retractor pretensioner inadvertent deployment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Expedition vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. Some complaints alleged hearing a loud, explosion-like sound immediately followed by the seat belt tightening around the occupantâs torso area. The complaints did no...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.