2021 Ford Expedition

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message "Transmission Shifter Failure" was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle independently accelerated. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a recall for the failure would be available in April 2027. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

On several occasions the vehicle will act like it misses a gear when put under load. Example is when you go to pass a vehicle and accelerate the vehicle will just rev up and not speed up. You then have to let the vehicle slow down and sort of get itself back into the right gear and you can go. Another example is taking off from a stop it will also do the same thing causing you to be pulling out into traffic and loosing power. Both of these scenarios are life threating as in both scenarios you could be faced with either on coming traffic or traffic coming at a high rate of speed behind you.

The dashboard/instrument panel on my 2021 Ford Expedition is bubbling, warping, and peeling away directly above and around the front passenger airbag location. The dashboard has visibly separated from the underlying structure and continues to worsen. The defective component is available for inspection upon request. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this condition presents a potential safety hazard. The dashboard material is located directly over the passenger-side Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbag. I am concerned that the warped and delaminated dashboard could interfere with proper airbag deployment during a crash or cause pieces of the dashboard to break apart and become projectiles when the airbag deploys, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger. There have been no airbag warning lights or messages displayed, and I have not been involved in a crash. The defect developed gradually, beginning with bubbling of the dashboard surface and progressing to peeling and separation. The condition continues to worsen over time. The issue has not yet been confirmed by a Ford dealer or independent repair facility, and the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. My concern is that a dashboard should not deteriorate in the area surrounding a critical safety system on a relatively new vehicle, and I believe this issue should be investigated to determine whether it could affect passenger airbag performance or occupant safety.

1) 2021 EXPEDITION TOWING A TRAILER, 30 MPH ON UPHILL ON RAMP HATHAWAY BRIDGE PANAMA CITY, FL. I FLOOR THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO DOWNSHIFT TO TRY TO ACCELERATE. I HEAR A LOUD CLUNK FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR GOES INTO NEUTRAL-NOTHING, NO ACCELERATION. I QUICKLY LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND QUICKLY REAPPLY FORCE TO THE PEDAL IN A SMOOTH MANNER AND TRANSMISSION RE-ENGAGES AND I PULL AWAY. NO ACCIDENT THIS TIME. OCCURRED APRIL 2026. 2) WHEN STOPPED CAR WILL SOMETIMES LURCH FORWARD 2-3 FEET WHEN 1ST SHIFTING TRANSMISSION FROM PARK INTO DRIVE EVEN THOUGH FOOT IS ON BRAKE FIRMLY. OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY.

I am filing this complaint because I truly believe this transmission issue is a safety problem. I was driving my 2021 Ford Expedition and was merging onto a busy highway when I pressed the gas to get up to traffic speed. Instead of accelerating, the engine revved but the transmission would not shift. It felt like the vehicle was stuck between gears or in neutral. My SUV would not accelerate when I needed it to, and I remember thinking, “This is how someone gets hit.” As a mom, it was terrifying. I depend on my vehicle to safely get my family where we need to go. When you press the gas while merging into fast-moving traffic, you expect your vehicle to respond. Mine didn’t. I was left trying to merge while traffic was approaching and my SUV would barely move. Before this happened, I had noticed increasingly harsh shifting and delayed gear changes. The vehicle had been properly maintained, and the transmission had recently been serviced. After the incident, an authorized Ford dealership diagnosed the transmission with a failed CDF drum in the 10-speed transmission. The transmission had to be completely rebuilt. After researching this problem, I found many other Ford owners reporting the exact same failure and the same scary symptoms. This doesn’t seem like normal wear and tear. Losing the ability to accelerate without warning is a serious safety concern, especially when merging onto a highway or crossing an intersection. I hope NHTSA investigates this issue before someone isn’t as lucky as I was. I was fortunate to avoid an accident, but I can’t help thinking another family may not be.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the gear shifter unexpectedly shifted to park(P). No warning light was illuminated. The failure was a recurring failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train). The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the issue was escalated. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The vehicle first experienced severe, violent jerking and slipping when shifting between the 4th & 5th gears. The vehicle was held by a Ford dealership for 21 days for this issue, but the repair failed. Two months after being out of the shop the transmission has rapidly degraded and is now actively experiencing the same severe, violent jerking and failing to engage in every single gear except 10th. The vehicle completely loses acceleration power while driving, creating an immediate crash hazard. Dealerships in my area are refusing to accept the vehicle for 2 to 3 weeks due to scheduling backlogs, leaving me with an active, dangerous powertrain failure under warranty.

I have a 2021 Ford Expedition Max that we purchased new. From the time we first purchased it, it has had an intermittent issue. During these times if I accelerate hard or try to give gas to go up a hill, it will occasionally act like it is losing power- like it drops into neutral and stops accelerating. If I do not let off of the gas immediately, it is followed by a loud metallic rattling/ grinding noise. If I release the accelerator, it recovers quickly and seems to “reset” and I’m able drive like normal. On a few occasions a brief warning has popped onto my dash but it goes away so quickly that I never know exactly what it said. It MAY have said something related to parking but I can’t recall what I’ve seen before it goes away. I’ve learned to adjust my driving, making as few hard accelerations as possible to avoid this. Sometimes they can’t be avoided. It becones scary when I’m trying to merge or have to make a quick turn to get into a break in traffic because when it happens at those times I’m not able to accelerate to avoid the oncoming traffic. It doesn’t do it every time but seems to do it more the more I’ve driven like longer trips and I believe it’s gotten more frequent over time despite my adjustments in driving. Last year a Ford dealership looked at it and we thought the recall they fixed might fix it but it did not. Now they’ve reproduced the issue and diagnosed DTC P07E6 referencing TSB 23-2249 and saying the transmission needs replaced. I am aware of NHTSA Recall 26V402 (Ford 26S48) involving similar vehicles with transmission/park system concerns. Although my VIN is not currently included, the similarities prompted me to submit this complaint in case my vehicle represents the same or a related safety issue. I don’t have the official diagnostic report yet as the dealership still has my vehicle but I’ll include a photo of my conversation with the dealership,