2016 Ford Expedition Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Ford Expedition most often describe brake problems — a pedal that sinks to the floor with a low brake fluid warning — along with rear camera failures when reversing and intermittent loss of throttle or power while driving. Complaints also cover transmission harshness and an inoperative front blower motor, many of which owners connected to recalls affecting this year. Reported mileages range from near-new to well past 100,000, with brake reports clustering around 40,000-130,000 miles and camera complaints spread broadly.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes to the floor (master cylinder fluid loss)

   • 50 complaints (23%)
   • median 60,509 mi at 4.0 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2024

   Owners describe the brake pedal suddenly losing resistance and dropping to the floor, usually with a low brake fluid warning light or message. On inspection the fluid reservoir is empty or nearly so, and sometimes no external leak is visible because fluid has moved into the brake booster. Complaints say dealers diagnosed a failed master cylinder and replaced it and the booster; some owners note this mirrors a recall on a related truck that shares brake components. Reported from roughly 30,000 to 130,000 miles, with most under about 90,000 miles, often during ordinary low-speed braking.

   Recall 22V1500001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the brake fluid level and look for fluid seeping between the master cylinder and booster, and ask whether recall 22V150000 was performed. A soft or sinking pedal on a test drive warrants a professional inspection.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Going home when vehicle was moving, I noticed brakes were progressively getting worse. Each braking event required 25% more travel then previous brake application. Made it home safely within 3 miles. No brake fluid once I parked vehicle. Drove slow and used the brake very little during the trip. Thankfully, I was not going fast and realized something was not right and was able to mostly cost home. Later that day, the vehicle was towed to Ford dealer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11326552, filed 2020-05, 34,300 miles

   “While driving on a city street, my brake pedal lost resistance and went to the floor. I discovered that the brake fluid reservoir was empty. I was able to get the vehicle to a local dealership because the back brakes were functioning. I discovered that this was a common occurrence for the 2016 Ford f150 (that has been recalled because of the master brake cylinder) and was becoming a common occurrence the 2016 Ford Expedition. It seems that both model share the same part. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11363465, filed 2020-10, 112,850 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Sudden loss of power or throttle response while driving

   • 71 complaints (33%)
   • median 63,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (47 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $576 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle suddenly dropping to a crawl or losing all throttle response at speed, sometimes with a wrench or check engine light. Several owners say restarting the engine restored normal operation, and some had a throttle body replaced; others report warnings going away and the problem recurring. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 110,000 miles, at both highway and city speeds and with no advance warning.

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body has been replaced and whether any stored codes were found; have a scan tool read pending powertrain codes before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “P2112 error keeps coming up causing sudden lose of power in the vehicle. This has happened while driving on the freeway, causing a panic moment to get to the shoulder, and on city and rural roads. We have to pull over shut the vehicle down and then restart it so that we can continue driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330390, filed 2020-06, 64,000 miles

   “While driving down the very busy interstate at 75-80 MPH the vehicle jerked and then lost all throttle power. The wrench indicator light came on. With no throttle I had to ease myself into the narrow shoulder while semi after semi flew by. This was terrifying! I turned the vehicle off & back on and it worked fine to head home. It happened 2 more times on the way home but thankfully on small country roads.”

   NHTSA complaint #11341284, filed 2020-07, 103,744 miles
3. 3
   Back-over prevention (rear camera)

   Rearview camera blank, distorted or unavailable

   • 27 complaints (12%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 9.8 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report that when shifting into reverse the screen goes blank, blue, or shows a distorted or foggy image, sometimes with a message that the camera is not available. Some had the camera module or lens replaced and the problem returned; several say they were told recall parts were not yet available at their dealer. Spread widely across mileage, from very low mileage up to about 200,000, with many reports between 50,000 and 150,000 miles.

   Recall 25V5720001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test the camera in reverse with the screen fully booted, and ask the dealer whether recall 25V572000 has been completed and whether any camera module replacement has already been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear camera intermittently displayed a blank image or a blue screen. The message Camera Not Available was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11670784, filed 2025-07, 100,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11607465, filed 2024-08, 53,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Front blower motor fails or overheats

   • 22 complaints (10%)
   • median 120,000 mi at 7.3 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report the heater and air conditioning blower quitting, sometimes intermittently and sometimes permanently, leaving the windshield defroster inoperative. Some describe a burning smell or smoke from behind the glove box and found the blower motor, connector or resistor melted; dealers replaced the blower motor, with some owners paying extra for related wiring parts. Mostly reported between about 100,000 and 165,000 miles, often noticed when using heat or defrost.

   Recall 22V648000

   What to check: Run the blower on high with heat and defrost and check for a burning smell, and ask whether recall 22V648000 was completed and if the connector or resistor was replaced along with the motor.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Started the car to get heater going and warmed up and started buckling my kids up in their car seats. That's when I started to smell an electrical burning smell coming through the vents. I turned the heater off and the smell got stronger. I turned the heater back on and smelled it even worse. I immediately switched it to AC instead of heat and then I started to notice smoke coming through the air vents. I immediately turned the car off. The smoke continued to bello out of the air vents. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11377415, filed 2020-12, 82,000 miles

   “The contact owned a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at 20 MPH and the air conditioner stopped functioning. The contact heard a popping sound coming from the vehicle, the contact pulled over on the side of the road and noticed smoke was coming from under the glove department of the front passenger side. The contact proceed to check under the hood and did not see any smoking coming from under the hood. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11488986, filed 2022-10, 120,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Harsh or unintended transmission downshift, shifter stuck

   • 20 complaints (9%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe abrupt downshifts at speed that make the wheels lock or skid, hard jolts during shifts, and the transmission failing to go above third gear. Some complaints say the vehicle would not stay in park and rolled away; dealers diagnosed an internal transmission lead frame or valve body in several cases. Reported from roughly 38,000 to 126,000 miles, with several reports in the 70,000-100,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and feel for jerky downshifts, confirm the shifter engages park firmly on a slope, and ask whether the lead frame or valve body has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Transmission downshift from 6th gear down to 2nd gear while traveling at 50mph which caused the wheels to lock and skid. Sometimes you will just feel a sudden jolt during the downshift. Has been happening more often. My truck has only 75k miles on it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330659, filed 2020-06, 75,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission inadvertently downshifted into a lower gear, causing the rear wheels to lock up. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the leadframe, valve body, and output shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11565046, filed 2024-01, 126,000 miles

Buying note. A 2016 Expedition can be a reasonable used buy, but verify that recalls 22V150000, 22V648000 and 25V572000 were completed, check the brake fluid level and pedal feel, and test the rear camera and blower before purchasing.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.