Over the past year, our 2018 Expedition has been acting up more and more. We’ve had hard shifting, jerky driving, and sometimes it just loses acceleration while on the road. Of course, the dealership couldn’t figure it out because it didn’t happen while it was there—big surprise.
Here’s what’s been done so far:
January 2023: Replaced a bad water pump, timing cover gasket, and cam phasers.
But Saturday night, while driving, the car just went crazy:
Really hard shifting
Turbo gauge on the dash bouncing like mad
Thick white smoke pouring out the exhaust
Horrible acceleration, took 4-5 seconds just to get moving from a stop
A loud clanking noise under the hood, which I could feel vibrating under my feet
Thinner gray smoke coming from under the hood on the driver’s side
Strong gas smell inside the car, especially at stops
Does anyone know what could’ve happened? Has anyone else had issues like this? I feel like this car is cursed.
I used to work as a Ford mechanic. If I had to guess, you’ve got two different issues going on here. I’m assuming you’ve got the 3.5L engine with the 10R80 transmission, which was standard for these models.
About the smoke, turbo issues, and gas smell: It sounds like one of your turbochargers might’ve failed. If the oil or coolant lines are leaking into the turbo, it can cause the white smoke you mentioned. The erratic turbo gauge could also point to this. If coolant gets into the intake, it burns and creates that thick white smoke. There could also be issues with the high-pressure fuel pump leaking, causing the raw gas smell. Since you’ve had the timing cover removed for repairs earlier this year, I’d wonder if it wasn’t sealed up correctly during reassembly, leading to leaks.
For the jerky shifting: The 10R80 transmission has had tons of problems. Ford even issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2250) about harsh or delayed shifting. It’s likely an issue with the valve body or clutch packs inside the transmission. I’ve seen enough of these to know it’s a common failure for this model.
If your car isn’t under warranty anymore, I’d suggest getting it fixed as much as you can afford and maybe think about trading it in. Sorry to say, but this car sounds like it’s going to be a headache.
@Jordan
We’ve already spent over $10k on repairs this year. It’s been one problem after another, and the warranty expired just before all these issues started happening. Thanks for explaining—what you’re saying makes sense. I had a feeling this was more than just one issue. Honestly, I think this will be my last Ford.
@Cade
I get it, but don’t give up on Ford just yet. A lot of newer cars (from any brand) have had way more issues compared to older models. In my shop, I see more cars from 2017 and up breaking down than anything older. Manufacturers have been trying new designs on things that used to work just fine, and it’s been a disaster.
I drive a 2006 Ford Fusion with nearly 300k miles, and it’s still running strong. Most of my family drives Fords too, and they’ve had good experiences. But I’ll admit, the 2017–2021 models were pretty bad across the board. Things seem to have improved starting with the 2022 and 2023 models, though.
It sucks this one left a bad impression, but if you ever want to give them another shot, maybe try something newer. At the end of the day, go with whatever works best for you.
@Jordan
The dealer says it’s a faulty fuel injector and that it needs to be replaced before they can do more tests. Do you think it’s possible that’s the only issue, or is it likely just the first step?
@Cade
It’s possible, but it depends. If someone removed the fuel rails during your earlier repairs and didn’t replace the Teflon seals on the fuel injector tips properly, it could cause a leak. That might explain the fuel smell and some of the other issues.
I’d say go ahead and replace the injector. At this point, trying the cheaper fix first makes sense, and it might even solve part of the problem.
