Ford Expedition Complaints (2021)

228 consumer complaints on file.

#11731514April 16, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The 10r80 transmission of this vehicle failed resulting in erratic shifting, slowing and stopping of the vehicle in traffic, having to pull over in the middle of traffic. Rapid acceleration and deceleration resulting in jolting the people in the vehicle and abrupt speed changes. This has been confirmed by a private mechanic and a rebuilt transmission purchased from local Ford dealership. The broken transmission will be returned to Ford as the core is required to be returned for deposit refund. There were no warning lights or indications of failure other than shifting issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731415April 15, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Transmission harsh shifting. Common problem with ford on the 10r80. Was told from ford need new transmission
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730388April 10, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Most mornings when I shift the vehicle from Park to Drive the transmission slams into gear and it feels like the vehicle just hit a wall. Also when shifting from 4th through 8th gear the transmission shudders through the shift sequence and sometimes it completely cuts out, total loss of power and have to coast to a stop on the side of the highway. This happens all the time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729922April 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
Faulty CDF Clutch Drum. The vehicle failed to shift properly while driving in mountains which could have lead to a runaway. Problem has been identified by my dealer and is a known issue with 2017-2023 Ford Expedtions. Vehicle inspected my FoMoCo mechanic and found issue with drum. No warnings or prompts before issue occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729507April 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The cdf drum in the 10R80 transmission in 2021 Ford Expedition has failed causing inability to accelerate or decrease speech reliably. For safety during interstate driving, there is a indisputable need for quick and reliable increases and decreases in speed. Being able to clear an intersection quickly is important not only for the driver's safety but the safety of others in an intersection. Dealership has confirmed the problem. Ford released a TSB that has been around since 2023 regarding how this part fails and needs to be repaired. There were no warning lights or messages about the problem. The vehicle was purchased used at only 60,000 miles and dealership made no indication that transmissions had been an issue and could be a safety issue going forward.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729294April 5, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Down to 3 gallons gas stopped and added to half a tank. Left vehicle running while filling. Pulled out of gas station and vehicle started to sputter, drove 50 more feet and vehicle died and would not restart. Confirmed unleaded and station had no reports of bad gas. Towed to repair facility where dead fuel pump was diagnosed and replaced. Ford recall 25S75 includes some 2022 expeditions but not this 2021 with only 43,000 miles and no previous issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729256April 5, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In cold weather the doors will become unlatched and open. This has happened to all 4 doors, driver side, passenger side, rear driver and rear passenger. We will be driving and the doors will randomly become unlatched and fly open. We have small children and they could have been killed due to this incident. It is extremely unsafe and problematic. We are unbelievably fortunate that our children have not been killed due to these incidents. It can happen at any moment and the doors will not close for several hours or days once they become unlatched. Typically when the weather warms up they will close again, which can take days. We have had friends/family allow us to use their garage to park the car so the car will warm up and we can re-close the doors, only to have them fly open again at some random time. This is a very dangerous defect that poses a significant health and safety, especially to children and babies. Additionally it is a liability as it can take several hours/days before the latches will close again. This requires the use of ratchet straps to hold the doors closed as the latches will not close (even if you attempt to reset the latches manually). However, having ratchet straps running from door handle to door handle to keep the doors closed poses other safety concerns. When I reached out to the ford mechanic I was told to replace the door latches as they may be defective. I had the driver side door latch replaced, but unfortunately the problem persists (about twice in the two months since it was replaced).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722526March 6, 2026
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the moonroof. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V729000 (Visibility). The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer stated that the cause of the failure was unidentifiable and that the vehicle had passed inspection. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708354January 2, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The component of the system that failed was an internal failure in the CDF drum in transmission. This resulted in failure to accelerate up to appropriate speeds and lurching of the vehicle when shifting gears. This put the safety of others and self at risk as the vehicle was unable to get up to speed on the road resulting in dangerous conditions that could lead to accidents due to the inability to reach posted speed limits. The vehicle and the components were inspected by a Ford dealership. No warning lights were observed to indicate that a problem existed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705760December 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN
During highway operation, vehicle transmission makes very loud and angry sound and then loses ability to move , almost caused us to get hit at an intersection. Vehicle often jumps violently when shifting to reverse, and often loses propulsion when going uphill and shifting. No issues have been identified by mechanics but I have found several forums on line with drivers reporting similar occurrences. This is very dangerous and if not addressed will result in loss of life. We purchased this vehicle certified by the dealer with 92000 miles on it and it began doing this less than a week after purchase. We took it in for recall work and reported it and they said nothing was wrong with it. Manufacturer failure to rectify this very common problem is going to cause may citizens to be injured or killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703222December 5, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the engine overheated. The message “Drive Mode Inoperable” was displayed. The contact pulled over for 20 minutes, and the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed that parts were on back order for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine). The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the failure was due to the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 99,130.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702802December 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Have had jerky shifts and hard down shifts while driving 2021 Ford Expedition. Told dealership and was told it was normal. Then went in for oil change told the dealership about lose of power while shifting and hard shifts they advised to have transmission fluid changed. Not even 3 weeks later while pulling out onto a busy road my vehicles engine revved very high but the transmission never engaged past 2nd gear. I was almost hit by a car coming at me on the 2 lane road. After letting off the gas and then reapplying gas the transmission engaged. I drove to the dealership. Today they informed me that the transmission has multiple failures at the shift point between 1-2 and 7-8 along with hard down shifts between 4 and 3 gears. Was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. I never got any error or warning codes that anything was wrong. I told the dealership that I felt unsafe driving the vehicle due to the transmission. The first instance happened less than a month ago. My vehicle is at the shop now waiting to have a replacement at my expense when Ford knew what the transmission is like.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702381December 1, 2025
POWER TRAIN
While attempting to pass a slower moving vehicle and changing from the right lane to left, I attempted to accelerate past the vehicle when the check manual light appeared on the vehicle display dashboard and I lost all power. I had no acceleration and no power from the gas pedal, after gliding past the slower vehicle and completely taking my foot off the gas pedal, the truck reset itself and power came back to the vehicle and was able to accelerate again, as if nothing happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701581November 25, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
In the fordpass app, we get a notification that the vehicle has turned off certain function due to inactivity in order to reserve power. However, we will have just driven the vehicle. This message should only populate when the vehicle is inactive for 14 days. It can also populate when the battery drops below 9V or due to extremely hot or cold conditions. It is 70 degrees F outside, so this reduces the reason to only one problem, and that is the battery less than 9V. We just spent over $700 at the dealership on a new battery and service charges because they said it was a battery problem. We spent over $100 the first attempt to find the problem with a sync update. Now, with a new battery and updated sync, out vehicle is still draining the battery. Low and behold, when the message populate in the app, the vehicle will not start, leaving us stranded on multiple occasions in town. The dealership at Long Lewis Ford in Muscle Shoals cannot find the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698531November 10, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle stalls out upon driving when trying to accelerate. Has popped up error which states to check fuel pump.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694481October 20, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Nn 9/15/2025 While the car was running but parked, we began to smell burnt plastic/electrical. Upon trying to shut off the vehicle several service lamps came on advising to go immediately to a service center and that there was a powertrain issue. Vehicle would also not shut off. Upon arrival at dealership they diagnosed that the battery box had corroded and would need replaced under the 1time battery Junction box replacement campaign (22N19). Upon repair they discovered that the wiring harness was badly melted and would need replace part [XXX] . The problem lies here. This part is backordered with no date for availability. Ford refuses to acknowledge this as a problem, and will not help with rental or loaner assistance, as that repair shouldn't take more then a few hours to complete. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692415October 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while stopped at a red traffic light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power. Additionally, the contact heard an abnormal thumping sound coming from the transmission, and the vehicle experienced a hard shift before returning to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, nearly causing the vehicle to be rear-ended on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where DTC: 10R80 was retrieved, and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The contact stated that the transmission was struggling to shift into the intended gear while driving recently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691773October 7, 2025
POWER TRAIN
10R80 transmission jerky shifting and failing to engage correctly leading to loss of power and unsafe driving/ jerky acceleration.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689281September 23, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Wiring has soy based bioplastic insulation which apparently attract rodent damage. This damaged battery, caused spark plug to be damaged and need to be replaced. It has also caused voltage and computer performance problems affecting engine idling and shifting. Issues were extremely unpredictable and hard to diagnose leading to 5 visits to the shop and many failed attempts to repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689027September 22, 2025
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the contact heard a loud banging sound coming from the driver’s side seat belt. An independent mechanic or a dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V099000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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