Problems · by component

2016 Ford Expedition power train problems

36 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Expedition cite power train, 17% of all 217 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
36
17% of all complaints
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“My 2016 Expedition has the same 6R80 transmission as the Ford F150, for which there is a recall for the Lead Frame. My wife was driving the vehicle on the highway and the check engine light came on and the vehicle went into "limp mode" causing the vehicle to decelerate to approximately 35 mph. Needless to say, she almost caused several accidents as she tried to move to the shoulder at a very reduced speed. The code was P0715 and P0717 which is the Turbine Shaft Speed Sensor which is part of the lead frame in the transmission. As stated before, there was a recall on this issue with the F150 but not to the Expedition since Ford did not sell as many Expeditions as F150's? I was able to have the lead frame replaced, at my cost, to remedy the situation, however, the fact that this is a known issue with this transmission and only some of the cars with this transmission were recalled is morally wrong. This could have caused a major accident resulting in serious injury or death since Expeditions were not part of the recall.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2026Power trainODI 11759701
“My expedition started stuttering and the speedometer, started fluctuating speeds which would also cause my cruise control to turn off. Then the speedometer quit working altogether and so did the odometer. If I turned the truck off and restarted it, it would reset everything for a few miles then it would start all over again. I went to the Ford dealership and got it fixed. It cost 2500. Later doing research, I discovered this is a problem with this transmission and can be very dangerous as the truck can downshift dramatically which our did once. If I’ve been on ice or pulling my trailer, it could’ve been catastrophic. I feel like this should be a recall. I also feel like Ford should have to pay for this.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 6, 2026Power trainODI 11729539
“The failed components are called "cam phasers." It is a known problem with the Ford 3.5 Ecoboost Engine (that even Ford is aware of). The cam phasers can fail, causing the timing chain to fail at any moment. They rattle upon startup of a cold engine. The failure of the original engineering is causing owners of this vehicle, along with the F150 and others, to have to spend anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 in order to replace these. The problem has been confirmed by the Ford dealer. In order to visually examine the cam phasers, it requires something like 10+ hours to open the engine. You do not receive a warning light to replace cam phasers. It is merely an audio diagnosis. Ford SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE for replacing these free of charge and replacing them with the newer versions of cam phasers, which apparently don't fail. Driving around with rattling cam phasers can leave you stranded!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 5, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11715780
“The vehicle stops accelerating randomly it’s been in the shop (Ford dealer) a few times and they are unable to pinpoint the issue. The warning lamps would come on after the vehicle fails to accelerate. It would lose power at any interval and coast until it’s fully stopped.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 21, 2025Power train, EngineODI 11674952
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 4, 2025Power trainODI 11652797
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 20, 2024Power trainODI 11609765

Showing 6 of 36 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2016 Expedition problem areas