FORD Expedition EL Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used FORD Expedition EL options? We analyzed 1 model years (2017–2017) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns — they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the FORD Expedition EL has 272 owner complaints and 0 safety recalls across model years 2017–2017. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
- Make
- FORD
- Model
- Expedition EL
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2017 (1 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 272
- Safety recall campaigns
- 0
- Crash-related complaints
- 20
- Fire-related complaints
- 7
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (272 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe FORD EXPEDITION EL has 272 NHTSA complaints and 0 recalls on record. 20 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 272 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 0 federal recall campaigns
- 20 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
0 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
No NHTSA recalls were found in our database for this model. Always verify open recalls using your specific VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2017. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 272 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
272 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that a warning light indicating that the brake fluid reservoir was empty had illuminated within 10 minutes of adding brake fluid to the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the contact noticed that the brake pedal pressure was reduced, and the vehicle failed to respond as intended, causing the braking distanced to be extended. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a vehicle safety complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the braking distance had extended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's husband, who is a mechanic, inspected the brakes and informed the contact that the rotors and pads looked normal. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Rear blower motor caught on fire, causing smoke to cover the inside of the vehicle. Part had to then be removed from the car. Melted plastic around the inside of the fan and motor. Also we have replaced the blower motive in the front of the vehicle that was under recall and it has continued to let's burn wires underneath the dash whete it plugs in so i dont believe the blower motor in front was the issue!
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000(Visibility, Electrical System), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair was completed; however, the defroster failed to function as intended after the recall repair. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with blower motor failure, but the dealer declined to repair the vehicle free of charge. The contact stated that the vehicle had not experienced a blower motor failure prior to the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 136,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal felt loose. A message regard the brake fluid level was displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, upon further notice, an abnormal oil consumption was noticed, and white smoke was coming from the exhaust when the vehicle was started. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the blower motor assembly was abnormally loud. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact stated that the fan was already replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (VISIBILITY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Read 14 more owner reports
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle hesitated upon start. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, a deer crossed the road. The brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard; the brake pedal felt soft. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The vehicle came to a stop after a short distance. The driver’s and passenger’s side air bags did not deploy. The contact was not injured. No police report was filed. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The insurance company was notified. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal smoky odor coming from the vehicle. The contact previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was diagnosed and determined that the front blower motor assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the front blower overheated and burned one of the passengers' legs. The contact stated that medical attention was not needed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 91,500.
BACK UP COMPUTER SCREEN NOT WORKING EVERY TIME VEHICLE IS PUT IN REVERSE. TALKED WITH SERVICE MANAGER -ABOUT 6MONTHS AGO TOLD IF UNIT DOES NOT MALFUNCTION WHEN BEING TESTED CANNOT CHECK PROBLEM.BUT IF I WOULD LEAVE CAR FOR A DAY THEY WOULD TRY AT VERIOUS TIMES TO SEE IT NOT WORKING.NO WARNING ONLY SCREEN TELLING US BACK UP SCREEN NOT WORKING OR SCREEN GOES TO BLUE SCREEN WITH NOTHING ON IT.
TSB 23-2143, citing cold-start cam phaser rattle as a manufacturing defect that impacts reliability and safety (loss of power, premature wear, noise).
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal extended to the floorboard, with the message “Low Brake Fluid” displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 130,700.VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the brake pedal would extend to the floor while depressed, and the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the brake master cylinder and brake booster were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was making an extremely loud roaring sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the engine failed to crank over the following day due to the battery being drained. The vehicle was jumpstarted and taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the blower motor had caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the repairs would be at the owner’s expense and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
brakes were functional at time of parking suv. upon reentering and starting vehicle, the add brake fluid light and alert came on. the brake peddle was non existent with feel. the brake reservoir was empty but no visual leaks from any of the brake calipers or lines were evident. after refilling the brake master cylinder to the full line. the fluid again drained to an unknown location with no visual leaks.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (VISIBILITY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact felt heat coming from the bottom of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the blower motor. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the blower motor, and the contact was informed that a faulty blower motor had been installed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Jones Ford Casa Grande (2425 E Florence Boulevard Suite A, Casa Grande AZ 85194). The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the blower motor wiring harness was burned and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the damaged part was not included in the recall repair and refused to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance and referred the contact to other Ford dealers. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine blower seized. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact was required to pay a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the engine blower was replaced under an unknown recall repair several months ago. In addition, the contact stated the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer three months later and the engine blower repair was performed under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds during the snow, the vehicle slid on the icy road. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. Due to the failure, the vehicle crashed into the guardrail and came to a stop. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact was unsure if there was a warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact suffered injuries to her back and neck. However, medical attention was not received. A Police report was not filed. The contact also stated that the failure had occurred three years ago. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) in 2025. The contact stated that on another occasion, the climate control front blower failed to function as intended. The contact stated the A/C was inoperable. The dealer picked up the vehicle, and the repairs were pending. The contact stated that recently, water had leaked into the front cabin of the vehicle from an unknown location and damaged the wires for the blower. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (VISIBILITY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
AC BLOWER STOPPED FUNCTIONING
Showing 20 of 272 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact FORD Expedition EL
These pages show model-year patterns across 1 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used FORD Expedition EL, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The FORD Expedition EL has 272 complaints on record across 1 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The FORD Expedition EL has 0 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 20 of the FORD Expedition EL's 272 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all FORD Expedition EL vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two FORD Expedition EL vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The FORD Expedition EL has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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FORD Expedition EL reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the FORD Expedition EL reliable?
Poor. The FORD Expedition EL has 272 NHTSA owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which FORD Expedition EL years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (272 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common FORD Expedition EL problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (70 complaints); SERVICE BRAKES (68 complaints); POWER TRAIN (38 complaints).
Does the FORD Expedition EL have recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are currently on record for the FORD Expedition EL. Always verify with a VIN check as recalls can be added at any time.