Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Ford Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle was driving sluggishly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the ignition coil, the throttle body sensor (TBS) sensor, and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired at the dealer. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact stated on another occasion the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not drivable. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
the service engine light continues to turn on. the timing belt continues to fail and has already been replaced once. the camshaft on both sides have been replaced. the solenoids have also been replaced and the diagnostics codes still pop up (p0022) (p0021) are just some that i can remember. the engine does not have enough power on the driver side and throws the timing belt off which causes the loud rattle coming from the engine. when reaching the speed of 40-45 mph the truck begins to shake. recently in november 2023, when fueling up with gas , the truck began to shake and not respond. when accelerating, the truck takes off very slowly and the gears dont kick in on time. when the gas light comes on , the truck begins to function well. but as soon as i put gas again. it feels like the truck is going to fall apart. the driver door gets stuck when trying to open from the inside. …
First occurrence exhibited flickering dashboard lights before the electrical system went completely dead and the engine quit while accelerating at approximately 20 MPH. Put vehicle in neutral and was able to restart engine normally before coming to a stop. Have experienced several short instances of dash flickering over the past couple of weeks with no apparent engine problems. During that same period there have been approximately 4 instances of the electrical system being completely dead upon the initial attempt to start the engine. When this happens, the only light that is illuminated on the dash (or anywhere else for that matter) is what I think is the airbag light; however, normal electrical power has, thus far, re-appeared within 5 minutes and the engine then starts and runs normally. …
Ford had a recall for broken spark plugs & a class action lawsuit on this vehicle. Ford has failed to fully compensate us & told me hardly no one would receive compensation. We replaced the plugs with Ford approved revised plugs at Ford with @ 149K miles on 11/2015. The engine codes or problems would come up now and again & we had it into various vendors.. 2/ 2017, driving back to wyoming I came up an I was under load (hauling a trailer) and the auto almost did not make it home or up a grade. We took it in to replace the coils. The vendor, midway motors replaced the coil & noticed the new revised Ford approved spark plug 5 was broken, and plug 6 also showed a code, (mileage 172627 miles). The engine was damaged so we traded the Ford in for a Dodge. My point Ford has not fixed the issue & is deceiving the public. And 2nd lawsuit claim form is [redacted] . …
My vehicle has completely shut down in the middle of driving on several occasions. I have had diagnostic reports run and they do not find any problems. The first time I was going 45 MPH and was able to coast into a sonic. I waited about 15 minutes and the car started back up. The second time was at a gas station and my car would not start. I had a diagnostic run and was told it was my battery. I replaced the battery and my vehicle died again the next day, but started back up one I let it sit for a few minutes. This morning I was pulling into a parking lot at work and it died. After about 10 minutes it started back up and I was able to pull into a parking spot. I went to leave for lunch and now my vehicle will not start at all. This could have been much worse if I were driving down the interstate and the car shut off on me like it has done other times. …
My 2006 Ford Expedition's "engine failsafe mode" initiated and alerted me while I was operating the vehicle, which resulted in the vehicle shutting down completely and losing all power. My main issue/concern with this is that I lost steering and a significant amount of braking power. Fortunately, I was on a side road and was able to safely pull over out of harm's way. The vehicle was able to start a couple of tries later, and I was able to get the vehicle into a service shop safely, which was over an hour away. I cannot help but be grateful for getting home safely, but am very concerned about these vehicles experiencing such issues as they traverse major thoroughfares, especially on a highway traveling around 70mph. This potentially posed very impactful consequences and puts myself, friends/family traveling with me, and other motorists.
We were experiencing stalls and overall sluggishness and took it to a mechanic who told us we needed a tune up. My husband usually does minor upkeep, thanked the man and was about to take our truck home when the mechanic informed us that the plugs were a bear to change since we would need a special tool and chances are, the plugs would break off. We were skeptical but trusted him to do the job. It cost so much and took so long, we bought a beater car in the interim so we could get to work! And it cost over $1000...for a tune up!!! It looks like Ford knows full well about this built in money maker since I see we are in good company with many owners complaining about the exact same issue. Shame on Ford.
I was driving about 25-30mph and making a left turn. The vehicle suddenly shut off. I had no power steering or anything. It was totally off and stopped in the middle of the road. If a car had been coming it would have hit us. I was able to turn off the key, put it in park and start it up and pull off the road. I decided to carefully try to get home. On the way home I was stopped at a red light and it shut off again, no warning. I was blocking traffic. I was again able to turn off the key, put it in park, and start it up. I made it home a short distance. This is very dangerous and someone could get killed on a highway by a car randomly shutting off and becoming unsteerable.
SUV entered safe mode ... Engine shuddered, low power in low RPM bands.. Would not accelerate. Had spark plugs replaced in 2014 at 88000 miles. In 2015, 115,000 miles engine does again while driving interstate putting me at risk on road of collision due to power loss. Did not enter safe mode second time... Just could not get power - had to push hard on gas to get it into lower gear/higher rpms. Took to repair shop thinking coils (cop) needed replaced. Told engine is no good and needs full replacement. A wreck could occur when engine fails like this. Engines should not be dead at 115,000 miles. I maintained according to mfg suggested maintenance schedule.
I was driving on a two lane highway, fm 185. I was driving northeast while the other driver was somewhat stopped heading west, trying to turn south onto cattle drive. The other driver was stopped at an intersection awaiting to turn left. The other driver turned left in front of me as I was headed straight. The initial impact was driver's front side and then down the drivers side door. We hit, and then my vehicle did a 180 degree turn which turned my vehicle around facing my initial path of direction. My airbags did not deploy. I had curtain side airbags, driver, and passenger air bags as well. The airbags of the car causing the accident did deploy.
Engine complaints in other Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 162 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Ford Expedition, 54% of the model year's 299 complaints. The component named most often is engine (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Ford Expedition engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2006 Ford Expedition, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Ford Expedition engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 88,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 5 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.