2021 Ford Expedition

Family: Expedition · filed with NHTSA as EXPEDITION

Summary

Of the 219 complaints that name a component, 52% concern Powertrain (113).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
12 recalls filed for this model year, 1 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning.
1 federal defect investigation covers this model year.

In the news

NHTSA audits a rental company over cars rented with open recalls OCT 19, 2026

At a glance

Owner complaints: 241
Recalls: 12
Investigations: 1
NCAP overall: 5 of 5 stars
Combined MPG: 18–19
Annual fuel cost: $3,300–$3,450
Median mileage at complaint: 43,000 mi (n = 41)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 4 / 4 / 6 / 0

What owners report

Powertrain

113 complaints · 52% of complaints that name a component · median 65,000 mi (n = 19)

Owner report While driving at highway speeds, specifically during sudden acceleration and lane-change maneuvers, the vehicle experiences a severe dynamic mechanical binding event. The transmission briefly forces a sudden "halt" or engine-braking downshift, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly slow down in active traffic before enter…

Owner report My 2021 Ford Expedition MAX XLT with the 10R80 automatic transmission has experienced repeated momentary “neutral-out” events while driving. The transmission/park-system components are available for inspection upon request. The most serious incident occurred in September 2026 while I was driving at highway speed near C…

Engine

60 complaints · 27% of complaints that name a component · median 53,000 mi (n = 9)

Owner report When my transmission is shifting, it almost stalls about 3-4 times everytime you start off. It is a hard shift that makes it fee like the car suddenly stops then goes back. I have had it happen 3 times that I thought my car died after stopping, making weird noises, then took off like normal. I am waiting for my car to …

Owner report My Ford expeditions transmission is causing unsafe driving with rough sound and thunking noise. There is a C,D,F issue and valve separator parts that are the initial issue that can cause major issues for me and many others. A Ford technician advised me that TSBs exist and made me aware that my cost could be $199 (diagn…

Electrical System

24 complaints · 11% of complaints that name a component · median 23,000 mi (n = 4)

Owner report 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 …

Owner report This recall was issued in January 2025, we are rolling in to month 4 here, this vehicle is used for business and cant drive it while it has an open recall per insurance, we have lost out on almost 4 months of income on this vehicle along with loan payment of 4 months, I feel like Ford has not taken this serious and is …

9% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2018–2024)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2018	383	53
2019	523	27	not compared
2020	426	42	not compared
2021	241	85
2022	116	49	not compared
2023	65	48	not compared
2024	79	79	not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

26V402000 · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Filed 2026-06-24 · 741,195 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.

Risk: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 26, 2026.

26V368000 · STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:CENTER CONSOLE

Filed 2026-06-09 · 548,463 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Expedition vehicles. The chrome plating on the center console may bubble and peel, resulting in sharp edges.

Risk: Vehicle occupants may contact the center console's sharp edges, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the center consoles as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 16, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S38. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 10, 2026.

26V344000 · SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

Filed 2026-05-27 · 419,967 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.

26V204000 · VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

Filed 2026-03-31 · 422,613 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2022-2023 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, and F-600 SD vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the wipers to fail.

Risk: Windshield wiper failure can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the wiper arms, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 5, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S24.Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 1, 2026.

25V729000 · VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Filed 2025-10-24 · 174,853 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, 2021-2023 F-150, 2022 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, and F-450 SD vehicles. The moonroof wind deflector clips may be inadequately attached to the moonroof frame, which can result in the wind deflector detaching from the vehicle.

Risk: A detached wind deflector can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the moonroof wind deflector as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB7. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 30, 2025.

25V442000 · BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Filed 2025-06-27 · 200,237 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

25V048000 · BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Filed 2025-01-31 · 91,580 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition, 2021-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, F-600, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The rearview camera may display a blank or distorted image.

Risk: Rearview camera failure can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 18, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S05.

24V852000 · EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Filed 2024-11-08 · 27,678 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

23V420000 · EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Filed 2023-06-09 · 691,133 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, "Head Restraints."

Risk: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C20.

22V346000 · ENGINE

Filed 2022-05-17 · 66,221 vehicles Park outside

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. An engine compartment fire may occur while driving or parked, even with the ignition in the "Off" position.

Risk: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 25, 2022. Owners will receive a second letter once the remedy is available. Currently the remedy is available for vehicles equipped with heavy-duty radiator fan motors, and those letters were mailed July 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S36.

22V250000 · VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

Filed 2022-04-14 · 652,996 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.

Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.

21V805000 · AIR BAGS:SENSOR:SIDE IMPACT | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

Filed 2021-10-15 · 777 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, 2021 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front-door side impact pressure sensor modules may have been damaged during supplier assembly, which can cause the side impact air bags to not deploy properly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Risk: An air bag that does not deploy properly during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger front door side impact sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 3, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C26.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
AQ26001	NONE	2026-06-09	open

AQ26001: NU Car rental of vehicles with open recalls

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Expedition 2WD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S10)	Rear-Wheel Drive	17	23	19	$3300
Expedition 4WD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S10)	Part-time 4-Wheel Drive	17	22	19	$3300
Expedition MAX 2WD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S10)	Rear-Wheel Drive	17	23	19	$3300
Expedition MAX 4WD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S10)	Part-time 4-Wheel Drive	16	21	18	$3450

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2021 Ford Expedition SUV 4WD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆
2021 Ford Expedition SUV 2WD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★☆☆
2021 Ford Expedition EL SUV 4WD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆
2021 Ford Expedition EL SUV 2WD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★☆☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 141 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about power train.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-08-22	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	For Various Ford and Lincoln vehicles, if diagnostics lead to the replacement of the front seat cushion cover J-clips, lower-level service parts are now available. Use service part W709919-S901 if the J-clip is completely detached from the …
2026-07-21	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an "Updating SYNC" message on the vehicle center display screen after an over the air (OTA) update. The message can be cleared from the center display screen and SYNC can be used normally…
2026-07-09	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 26E04 Certain 2021-2025 Model Year F-150, Maverick, Mustang, Ranger, Expedition, Bronco Sport, Explorer, Bronco, Navigator, and Aviator Vehicles Powertrain Control Module Software Update
2026-04-02	POWER TRAIN	For 20212026 vehicles equipped with the 10R80 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). This test utilizes the pressure and vacuum transducer (PVT) when …
2026-04-02	LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION	Various 2020-2026 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (BLIS) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "Blind Spot System Fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (IPC). Thi…
2026-03-25	BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING	Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
2026-03-19	POWER TRAIN	For 2021-2026 vehicles equipped with the 10R80 transmission, a new Transmission Clutch Circuit Leak Test has been introduced in the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). This test utilizes the pressure and vacuum transducer (PVT) when…
2026-02-17	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC3 may experience various connectivity concerns with The Ford App Lincoln App including but not limited to: missing activation prompt pop-upon the vehicle's center display screen wh…
2025-12-02	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Special Field Action 25L02 Certain 2017-2024 Model Year California Emissions-Certified Vehicles Transmission Control Assembly Reimbursement
2025-11-20	POWER TRAIN	Some 2021-2025 F-150/Expedition/Navigator vehicles equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0299 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) and may also exhibit a rattle noise from the turbocharger.…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Expedition, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Expedition model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.