2019 Ford Expedition · symptom sheet

Timing chain or cam phaser rattles

77owner reports
73,000median miles
$4,000median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Jun 25, 2026 · checked Sep 19, 2026

134 of the 490 complaints on this car are about the engine. 77 of those describe timing chain failure.

Tick what matches of 77 reports

a rattle on cold start that quiets down

a code for cam or crank correlation

the dealer named the cam phasers

the chain jumped or skipped

it was covered by an extended warranty

the engine failed after the noise

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the cam phasers (75 reports) and the timing chain (8 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the engine covers the 2019 model year as of Sep 19, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Expedition

DP05-005opened Sep 22, 2005

Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 1997 to 2004

Spark plug ejection from cylinder head. Closed jan 4, 2006.

NHTSA summary

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR THE DEALER REPAIRING THE VEHICLE, REPORTED THAT A SPARK PLUG DETACHED FROM THE CYLINDER AND/OR EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE.AS OF DECEMBER 8, 2005, ODI IS NOT AWARE OF ANY ALLEGATIONS WHERE THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, A CRASH, AN INJURY, OR A FATALITY IN ANY OF THE 10,319,810 SUBJECT VEHICLES.IN ADDITION, ODI IS AWARE OF ONLY TWO INCIDENTS WHERE THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT RESTART.INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ODI CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND OBTAINED FROM 72 TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WITH COMPLAINANTS SHOWED THE FOLLOWING:(1) 99% OF THE COMPLAINTS WERE ON MY 1997 TO 2002 SUBJECT VEHICLES.(2) MOST THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED HEARING A LOUD POP WHILE DRIVING OR UPON STARTING UP THE VEHICLE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD, REPETITIVE CLICKING OR POPPING SOUND.(3) MANY OF THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED THAT THE POPPING SOUND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SOME LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER; HOWEVER, IN 99% OF THE INCIDENTS REPORTED, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STALL.IN THE VERY FEW INCIDENTS WHERE THE VEHICLE DID STALL, MOST VEHICLES COULD BE RESTARTED.(4) ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE COMPLAINANTS CITED THAT THEY SMELLED GAS OR A SLIGHT BURNING SMELL WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED.(5) IN ALL BUT A VER

None of these investigations covers the 2019 model year.

What owners paid

9 of the 77 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $3,400 to $4,000.

$3,400$4,000$4,000

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 61,900 and 90,000 miles, from the 61 reports that gave a mileage.

121

622

2223

2524

1825

526

What owners wrote

“My vehicle is having cam phaser issues and ford will not repair the issue. This was identified in customer satisfaction program 21N03 but I did not receive notification of the repair.”
Filed Apr 8, 2025

“Would like to determine why vehicle was not included in recall 21B10 or 21N03 for cam phaser rattle.”
Filed Mar 31, 2025

“I am being told that the Cam Phasers need to be replaced. This is a well known issue to Ford. They did a programming adjustment in 2021, and then did replacements only if you had continued issues up until Jan 2023. I have issues now, and they are telling me I am not covered. The cam phasers have been redesigned so they know they installed poorly designed parts originally. This is an almost $4,000 repair.”
Filed Oct 16, 2024

“The vehicle has the known cam phaser issue commonly reported on 3.5L Ecoboost engines. It is a known problem, that the dealership is so aware of they were able to provide a repair quote on the spot. The engine had less than 50,000 miles when the issue was first discovered. The safety issue is the engine failing while driving could place someone in an unsafe situation depending on how and when it failed.”
Filed Oct 12, 2024 · 50,000 miles

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 77 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.