Home · 2016 Ford Expedition · Complaints

What 210 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Expedition

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (210)Crash / fire / injury (15)Brakes (48)Engine (37)Transmission & drivetrain (35)Electrical system (32)Speed control (20)Backup camera & sensors (17)Fuel system (17)Visibility & wipers (10)Airbags (5)Equipment (5)

Newest first · 210 complaints · page 2 of 9

Jul 2, 2025Backup camera & sensors

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear camera intermittently displayed a blank image or a blue screen. The message "Camera Not Available" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11670784

Jun 21, 2025Electrical system

The front AC stopped blowing and it got excessively warm in the cab. I thought it may be the blower motor and wanted to start with fuses. Under the hood was so hot that when I tried to pull our a fuse my nails melted. Since then, sometimes it blows sometimes it doesn't but it does seem to be emanating excess heat. I'm unsure of true date of occurrence as I just purchased the vehicle on

NHTSA ODI 11668270

Jun 5, 2025Lane DepartureBackup camera & sensors

Rear view camera went out. Mechanic traced it to a broken camera. 90,000 miles on vehicle when it went out.

NHTSA ODI 11665006

Jun 3, 2025Backup camera & sensors

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted blue image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, preventing the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The message "Camera not Available" was displayed. However, while driving on the roadway, the camera operated as intended. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11664673

May 1, 2025Electrical system

The Backup camera. It Shows that blue or in and out quickly causing it not to work most of the time. The 2015 has a recall for this exact thing but not 2016.

NHTSA ODI 11658312

Apr 9, 2025Trailer Hitches

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and hauling a trailer attached to the tow hitch, the trailer suddenly detached from the vehicle. The trailer hitch had fractured due to extensive rust. The dealer was contacted and informed about the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653600

Apr 4, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 2 MPH, the accelerator was depressed, and there was a grinding sound coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with rear differential failure. On a separate occasion, a year later the rear differential failure recured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the rear end was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,913.

NHTSA ODI 11652797

Mar 26, 2025Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine made a knocking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to the cam phasers; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650809

Mar 25, 2025Engine

I experienced the same problem you are investigating in F-150’s: I was traveling on the highway at 75 miles per hour on cruise control - there was a really loud thunk and the Expedition unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear, I hadn’t touched anything and there was no warning. It was really scary and has made me doubt the safety of this Expedition.

NHTSA ODI 11650371

Mar 21, 2025Backup camera & sensors

When backing up the camera goes out and I cannot see what is behind me. This keeps happening intermittently.

NHTSA ODI 11649708

Mar 14, 2025Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

I was fastening my nephew in his carseat to get ready to leave and as I was buckling the croch part the one side was fastened and went to buckle otherwise and was pulling the buckle up to the clips to fasten and the fastened one came out. Does not stay latched while fastening otherwise with just a little pull on otherwise it unhooks. This happened while in home and buckling up to leave.

NHTSA ODI 11648408

Mar 11, 2025Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving in the mountains and the vehicle was stuck in the middle of the road. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times; however, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11647586

Dec 18, 2024Fuel system

while driving on the highway my vehicle shut down and service lamp came on and while drifting tried to put transmission in neutral and restart but had to come to complete stop to restart engine in park. I was in third lane and had no warning before shut down and could not get to the shoulder. (almost got hit trying). I reported to the dealer and they said there was no fault codes stored. I was driving to work on a 4 lane street a week later and again it shut down without previous warning again and had to crash up onto the curb to get off street to again restart in park. dealer said again no codes and could not get it to duplicate problem after driving. It happened two more times so i looked into it myself and i read online that the Throttle body is the likely issue. i returned and paid to have the throttle body replaced. they said would not guarantee the issue would be resolved. it has been months and have had no issues since i had it replaced. They charged me $563.31 not including tax. I can not believe that you have to put a vehicle in park when it stalls to begin with but i also can not believe this issue was never recalled since it is a major safety issue and see lots of people and complained of the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11631393

Nov 19, 2024Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop and while coming to a stop. The contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough idling. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to P&B Auto Repair Shop, where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626187

Oct 31, 2024Fuel system

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The contact replaced the throttle body; however, while driving, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the throttle body hose clamp had detached. The contact reconnected the hose clamp, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 85,605.

NHTSA ODI 11622946

Oct 28, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions, while in reverse(R), the contact observed a warning chime and a "Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed, and the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that on other occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11622242

Aug 20, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

While driving on [XXX] at approximately 35 mph the vehicle displayed a wrench warning lamp and at same time vehicle went into limp mode. No power I had to coast to the side of road, engine running but no power. Turned engine off restarted vehicle and drove short distance home. Holiday Ford in Gordon, Texas was contacted they advised bring vehicle in for diagnostic test. Vehicle was driven to Holiday Ford dealership in Gordon, Texas for an appointment 4 days after the occurrence but on the way to dealership it occurred again turned engine off restarted an drove to dealership. Picked vehicle up same day but it occurred again . Took back to dealership, they kept vehicle for 4 days and advised they couldn’t find anything wrong. The vehicle has gone to limp mode 3 times. I was lucky very little traffic it would be very much safety hazard in moderate to heavy traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11609765

Aug 9, 2024Backup camera & sensors

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11607465

Jul 8, 2024Electrical systemVisibility & wipers

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the blower fan stopped functioning. The contact stated that failure was intermittent at first but became a recurring failure while driving at various speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The contact had recently checked the wiring harness on the blower fan and became aware that there were burn marks on the wiring harness connector possibly caused by a short circuit. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

NHTSA ODI 11600208

Jun 29, 2024Steering

Steering wheel is loose and wobbly as if it will fall off. I noticed that Ford issued a recall in March 2018 for this problem (see below) however it does not include my 2016 Ford Expedition that is having the exact same issue. DEARBORN, Mich., March 14, 2018 – Ford Motor Company is issuing two safety recalls in North America. Details are as follows: Select 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for loose steering wheel bolts that could lead to a steering wheel detaching from steering column Ford is issuing a safety recall in North America for approximately 1.3 million 2014-18 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for potentially loose steering wheel bolts that could result in a steering wheel detaching from the steering column. In affected vehicles, the steering wheel bolt may not maintain torque, allowing the bolt to loosen over time, and if not serviced, a steering wheel could potentially detach and lead to a loss of steering control and increased risk of a crash. Ford is aware of two accidents with one injury allegedly related to this condition. Affected vehicles include: 2014-17 Ford Fusion vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Aug. 6, 2013 to Feb. 29, 2016 2014-18 Ford Fusion vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 25, 2013 to March 5, 2018 2014-18 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 25, 2013 to March 5, 2018 The recall involves approximately 1,378,637 vehicles in North America with 1,301,986 in the United States and federalized territories, 62,479 in Canada and 14,172 in Mexico. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S08. Dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt on the vehicle with a longer bolt with more robust thread engagement and larger nylon patch placed properly for proper torque retention— at no cost to customers.

NHTSA ODI 11597707

May 22, 2024Electrical system

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall for a connector that was left hanging down. The contact stated the connectors that were left hanging occasionally sparked and caused a burning odor. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 165,335.

NHTSA ODI 11590093

May 6, 2024Electrical system

The blower motor harness melted for the second time. The blower motor was replaced with the recall part and it has melted again. This is causing the blower motor to cut off at any given moment. I must then reach under the dash and push the wires in order for the blower motor to work again. I have read that this is a known problem in expeditions. Why isn’t this part under recall? Does the blower motor cause the harness to melt? I believe it is the cause.

NHTSA ODI 11587331

May 6, 2024Electrical system

The dash air vent and rear vent motors are clicking when they are turned on. I have read numerous reports that this is an existing issue with 2016 Expeditions. Why are these vent motors not under recall?

NHTSA ODI 11587332

Apr 12, 2024Electrical system

The rear actuator has gone out 4 years in a row and breaks within less than a year from getting repaired by ford dealers only. The rear camera is always blacking out too. This also has to be replaced each year and a half for the past 5 years.

NHTSA ODI 11582583

Mar 19, 2024Airbags

Airbag light came on and has since went off. The left buttons on the steering wheel intermittingly work both leading to a clockspring issue. There is a recall for 2016 F250 clockspring due to airbag issue and the 2016 Expedition uses the same part number clockspring. I think this recall should add other Ford models that use the exact same defective part in question.

NHTSA ODI 11578211

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Working with the data? Download all 210 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Ford Expedition verdict →