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2016 Ford Expedition EL problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2016 Ford Expedition EL has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated November 2, 2026.
- 0safety recalls
- 181owner complaints
- 7crash reports
- 7fire reports
- 5injuries reported
181 complaints, against an average of 192 for the other 8 Ford Expedition EL model years.
Every Ford Expedition EL model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
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What goes wrong with the 2016 Ford Expedition EL?
The components named most often in the 181 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2016 Ford Expedition EL owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 181 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
- Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL stall, lose power or shut off while driving?30 owners · 16.6%
- Why do the brakes feel soft, fail or make noise on my 2016 Ford Expedition EL?18 owners · 9.9%
- Why is the check engine light on in my 2016 Ford Expedition EL?13 owners · 7.2%
- Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL idle rough, misfire or hesitate?6 owners · 3.3%
- Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL smell of burning or smoke?6 owners · 3.3%
Fault codes 2016 Ford Expedition EL owners mention
Diagnostic trouble codes owners wrote in their complaints. Open a code to see what it meant on other cars and whether a recall names it.
Has the 2016 Ford Expedition EL been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL as of November 2, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.
What do 2016 Ford Expedition EL owners report?
12 of the 181 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
The vehicle stops accelerating randomly it’s been in the shop (Ford dealer) a few times and they are unable to pinpoint the issue. The warning lamps would come on after the vehicle fails to accelerate. It would lose power at any interval and coast until it’s fully stopped.
The front AC stopped blowing and it got excessively warm in the cab. I thought it may be the blower motor and wanted to start with fuses. Under the hood was so hot that when I tried to pull our a fuse my nails melted. Since then, sometimes it blows sometimes it doesn't but it does seem to be emanating excess heat. I'm unsure of true date of occurrence as I just purchased the vehicle on
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 2 MPH, the accelerator was depressed, and there was a grinding sound coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with rear differential failure. On a separate occasion, a year later the rear differential failure recured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the rear end was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine made a knocking sound. No warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to the cam phasers; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
while driving on the highway my vehicle shut down and service lamp came on and while drifting tried to put transmission in neutral and restart but had to come to complete stop to restart engine in park. I was in third lane and had no warning before shut down and could not get to the shoulder. (almost got hit trying). I reported to the dealer and they said there was no fault codes stored. I was driving to work on a 4 lane street a week later and again it shut down without previous warning again and had to crash up onto the curb to get off street to again restart in park. dealer said again no…
While driving on [XXX] at approximately 35 mph the vehicle displayed a wrench warning lamp and at same time vehicle went into limp mode. No power I had to coast to the side of road, engine running but no power. Turned engine off restarted vehicle and drove short distance home. Holiday Ford in Gordon, Texas was contacted they advised bring vehicle in for diagnostic test. Vehicle was driven to Holiday Ford dealership in Gordon, Texas for an appointment 4 days after the occurrence but on the way to dealership it occurred again turned engine off restarted an drove to dealership. Picked vehicle up…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the blower fan stopped functioning. The contact stated that failure was intermittent at first but became a recurring failure while driving at various speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The contact had recently checked the wiring harness on the blower fan and…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall for a connector that was left hanging down. The contact stated the connectors that were left hanging occasionally sparked and caused a burning odor. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 165,335.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, a burning odor was detected. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 22V648000 (Visibility, Electrical System). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front blower motor connector and resistor needed to be replaced; however, the parts were not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the front blower motor connector was previously replaced; however, the failure…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact activated the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with brake master cylinder and brake booster failure. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with hydraulic control unit failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
Multiple times while driving the vehicle I had trouble getting the brakes to work while driving and needing to slow down or coming to a complete stop. This almost resulted in an accident 2 times. We thought it was the current related to recall 22S11 which we had fixed already in July 2022. However, it is an issue that is not a reported recall at the moment. It is for the Hydrolic Control Unit. Ford will not replace this part at their cost and is forcing me to pay even though it is a major safety issue.
Wife driving 2016 Ford Exped with 61000 miles. Was driving on a remote road when the vehicle suddenly lost power and power train fault indicator came on. No cell service and no other traffic so no way to get help. Finally managed to restart which cleared the problem for now. Took the car to a Ford dealer immediately but code reader could find no fault. Dealer, however, said it is a throttle body malfunction and is not uncommon and will happen again. Now concerned about problem occurring on a freeway or other congested roadway. The sudden loss of power and resulting necessity to get off a busy…
2016 Ford Expedition EL: questions owners ask
Is the 2016 Ford Expedition EL reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 181 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Expedition EL; the most common categories were service brakes (47, 26%), engine (36, 19.9%), power train (33, 18.2%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 7 complaints mention a crash, 7 mention a fire, 5 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Ford Expedition EL?
Across 181 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are service brakes (26% of complaints), engine (19.9% of complaints), power train (18.2% of complaints), electrical system (12.7% of complaints), vehicle speed control (11% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2016 Ford Expedition EL have any recalls?
As of November 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
30 of the 181 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL (16.6%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "While driving around 30 miles an hour, the vehicle lost power and all accelerator input did not work.. The tool light came on but the vehicle was unresponsive to any accelerator input. The vehicle came to a stop in the middle of an intersection." (NHTSA complaint 11481922, August 2022). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why do the brakes feel soft, fail or make noise on my 2016 Ford Expedition EL?
18 of the 181 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL (9.9%) describe brakes feeling soft, failing, grinding or squealing. One owner wrote: "While driving, brake pedal suddenly went straight to the floor with no resistance and no braking. Took to Ford and found that brake master cylinder had failed catastrophically, just like F-series trucks which have been recalled." (NHTSA complaint 11449600, January 2022). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why is the check engine light on in my 2016 Ford Expedition EL?
13 of the 181 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL (7.2%) describe the check engine light coming on. One owner wrote: "while operating vehicle on busy interstate bridge going uphill, engine seemed to lose power, check engine light came on along with another warning to read my owners' manual. Throttle response quit working. I was able to get to shoulder and shut off vehicle." (NHTSA complaint 11488692, October 2022). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL idle rough, misfire or hesitate?
6 of the 181 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL (3.3%) describe rough idling, misfires or hesitation when accelerating. One owner wrote: "Driving at speeds of 45-55 the suv losses power sputters and crawls at a speed of 5 miles see owner manuel with wrench pops up very dangerous while driving with children in the vehicle....shop says they cant find anything had the suv for 1 year bought used…" (NHTSA complaint 11338912, July 2020). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2016 Ford Expedition EL smell of burning or smoke?
6 of the 181 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Expedition EL (3.3%) describe a burning smell or smoke. One owner wrote: "We detected a burnt rubber smell while driving on a surface street (with a/c on). the a/c suddenly quit. we pulled over to turn suv off and back on again hoping a/c would return. a/c did not return, smoke began billowing out of a/c vents." (NHTSA complaint 11353351, September 2020). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Expedition EL
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved November 2, 2026. Model year 2016 only. How these reports are made.