2018 Ford Expedition · symptom sheet
Engine rattles or ticks
- 38owner reports
- 70,015median miles
- $5,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 11, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
118 of the 375 complaints on this car are about the engine. 38 of those describe engine rattle.
Tick what matches of 38 reports
Engine rattle on other Expedition years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Owners in this group hear something before anything breaks. Most describe a ticking or tapping at idle, a rattle that's worse on a cold start and fades as the engine warms, or a noise that comes and goes over weeks. Some report the check engine light following a while later. It's the early-warning end of the engine complaints, and the reports that end in a named part are useful to anyone hearing the same sound.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the cam phasers (30 reports) and the timing chain (7 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Expedition
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head. Closed jan 4, 2006.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
What owners paid
5 of the 38 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $4,000 to $5,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 48,000 and 100,000 miles, from the 27 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 7 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Ford Expedition that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2017-2020 F-150 and 2018-2020 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 30-Nov-2019 and equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine on initial start-up after a ...
Some 2017-2020 F-150 2018-2020 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 31-Oct-2019 and equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine on initial start-up after a ...
It may be possible that an undesirable noise may develop from the cam phasers in the 3.5L GTDI engine. This noise might occur as a rattle when starting the engine after your vehicle was turned off for an extended period of time, or as a knocking noise when ...
In some of the affected vehicles, an undesirable noise may develop from the cam phasers in the 3.5L GTDI engine. This noise might occur as a rattle when starting the engine after the vehicle was turned off for an extended period of time or as a knocking noise ...
3 more on the 2018 Ford Expedition page.
What owners wrote
“Faulty Cam phasers The cam phasers in this vehicles makes an undesirable noise, such as a rattle when starting the engine or a knocking noise when idling. Vehicle has at times experiences Poor acceleration, Rough engine running, Tapping or rattling noise when the engine is idling and hot”
Filed Dec 10, 2024
“Engine sound when car turns on. Took the car to personal mechanic and a Ford Dealership both confirmed sound of engine when started. Can hear a sound (ticking/clicking) when idling.”
Filed Nov 4, 2024
“when I start the SUV in the morning, it makes a very loud rattling noise. it appears that its a very well known issue w Dry start. My mechanic stated that Eco boost 3.5 L 2018 expeditions have many of those issues (possible to a bad Phasers). the vehicle only has 35k miles on it, and was starting without noise before.... (I will attempt to include a short video)”
Filed Jun 3, 2024 · 35,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 38 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Timing chain or cam phaser rattles 72 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 57 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 42 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 26 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 25 reports