At neighborhood speeds the transmission shifts roughly around 4th gear, making clunking noises and lurching the vehicle. This happens on a daily basis. At interstate speeds, the transmission has popped out of gear when attempting to pass another vehicle, leaving the vehicle decelerating dangerously in a situation where acceleration is needed. This has happened twice in the last year and requires navigating out of traffic to allow the transmission to figure out what is going on and re-engage the proper gear. I have been lucky not to have been in a serious accident. It has not been inspected by a dealer but, when mentioned to a dealer, was told that is just what you get with that 10-speed transmission. In both instances there was some type of warning displayed on the console but I was too busy trying to survive to notice what the message said.
Ford Expedition jerking problems
248 of the 9,410 owner complaints about the Ford Expedition describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2020 model year.
- owner complaints
- 248
- worst model year
- 2020
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,000
- typical mileage
- 75,000
By model year
Often reported together
Harsh shifting 41Transmission failure 29Loss of power 26Stalling 25Slipping 25Check engine light 24Hesitation 21Grinding brakes 12
Trouble codes mentioned
P0742 1P0720 1P0270 1
What owners say
When accelerating hard, the vehicle attempted to downshift the transmission, but failed and all power was suddenly lost. Vehicle transmission was loud and grinding. Warning lamps stating Shift failure was displayed but disappeared quickly. After removing acceleration, transmission seemed to slip into gear and normal acceleration was restored. About 30 seconds later when holding constant speed, vehicle suddenly jerked and downshifted unexpectedly, again grinding could be heard and RPM's shot extremely high. Again foot was removed from acceleration and normal driving was restored.
Since early in purchasing our 2019 Ford Expedition, we were getting powertrain warnings (pictures attached from August 2019). We took the vehicle in to have it diagnosed but the dealer said there were no codes and nothing they could do to troubleshoot. Fast forward to after the warranty expires the car starts behaving erratically when it's changing gears, especially when downshifting. On more than one occasion when towing our boat, I would press on the gas to pass a semi truck and there would be a loud CLUNK that you could feel and then the motor would simply rev indefinitely as if the transmission had switched to neutral. It's very dangerous losing power on a freeway with traffic including semi trucks and towing a boat. It got to the point where it would be very jerky just driving, particularly (it seemed to me) when the car had been sitting. This has happened several times. I did some research and found there were 4 TSB's for this issue and is an issue for all of the Ford 10 speed transmissions for Expedition, F150 and even the Mustang. I reached out to the dealer with these TSB's and they diagnosed that our car did have this troubled transmission and we did have the faulty parts. The dealer has charged us $7,575.35 to 'Repair" this. I think this warrants a recall due to the faulty parts in the transmission. It's very dangerous losing power and torque in a vehicle particularly when towing. Please review the attached pictures (notice the milage from our initial indications there was trouble with the powertrain). This got progressively worse just prior to us taking the car to the dealer. I would say it was at it's worst from December 2024 through our repair at the delaer in June 2026, but there were other random occurences prior to that and of course the very begining as seen in the attached photos.
I was traveling on the interstate and went to accelerate to pass a vehicle. My car displayed system fault codes and made a clicking noise and dropped to neutral while my RPMs stayed high. I lost acceleration and had to swerve to avoid a collision. The engine then had a loud clank and jerked into gear. Once I had pulled off enough I turned the car off and on again and resumed driving. This has happened multiple times. Each time when I have contacted Ford they say it’s a known issue with the make of the Clutch drum and realized the issue after the 2022 year and changed the way it was made. However they stated it would cost me over $6500 to repair mine. They do not accept fault only state it is a known issue. When my car goes from 65 to 39 in a span of a few seconds it is a huge safety issue.
The car has started uneven acceleration and lurching when driving. A local Ford dealer service department has recognized this as a known problem requiring the replacement of the transmission CD drum. Uneven driving creates a risk when driving.
In 2025, our 2020 Ford Expedition had harsh, erratic shifting, then would lurch during shifts or lose power. Ford service replaced the valve body plate and reset the transmission software. This did not fix the harsh shifting; it only cleared the warning lights when the harsh shifting occurred. Now in 2026, shifting and gear sticking have continued to get worse, and now Ford says we need a new transmission, but it is now conveniently out of warranty. This is an issue the dealership was not transparent with us about; it is a safety issue when driving, and now the costs are intended to be completely out of pocket for us.
Vehicle has 84,000 miles at it. It started to jerk when putting it into a gear. I thought it was due to the colder mornings no. I was taking the kids to school and It was skipping gears. I was very leary of driving but had no choice. It would not get up to speed the rpms was suffering. I stopped at a parts store to run the code after the warning popped up. When leaving because I was 30 mins from home it jerked when I placed into gear, I was scared to pull onto the 4 lane due to not being able to get up to speed and being in a high traffice area. Very unsafe. Now the vehicle is at the dealership needing a $7,000 transmission and ford will not assist. I am still financing it through a dealer and there is no Goodwill from Ford. This is known issue that they documented.
Vehicle regularly shifts harshly, and on multiple occasions has completely lost power/forward movement as if the transmission completely disconnected from the vehicle. The vehicle would then reengage with a harsh lurch. Almost rear-ended a few times with children in car. Ford dealer states transmission needs replacement, but ford motor company refuses to financially assist with repair despite this seeming to be a manufacturer or engineering defect. Although I answered “no” to the question if there was a crash below, it was close.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 26V344000 (Seat Belts), 26V368000 (Structure), and 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the parts to be available. The contact stated that after pulling into the driveway and shifting into park(P), the parking brake engaged independently, causing the vehicle to jerk into park. The failure was intermittent. The following morning, the gear shifter shifted hard into reverse(R) while attempting to reverse out of the driveway. While driving at lower speeds under 50 MPH and coasting forward, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The contact attempted to continue driving but the vehicle slightly jolted forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there were metal shavings inside the transmission. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
On 8/6/2026, the transmission/powertrain of my 2019 Ford Expedition malfunctioned, causing a complete loss of propulsion. While traveling on a busy mountainous highway with my three children, I stopped in a center turn lane to merge into fast-moving traffic. When I attempted to accelerate, the vehicle would not move. The transmission display showed 4th gear even though the vehicle was stopped. We were stranded in the center turn lane with traffic approaching from both directions, creating a serious collision risk. No accident occurred. This vehicle has a documented history of recurring transmission problems since 2024, including harsh/delayed shifting, bucking, hesitation and jerking, repeatedly involving 4th gear, and even loss of propulsion with the initial 2024 issue. In Jan. 2025, the dealer documented a delayed upshift and harsh bump/buck into 4th gear. In July 2025, the dealer documented hesitation/jerking that was worse going into 4th. The transmission has been removed/disassembled multiple times and has undergone major repairs including CDF drum/internal transmission work, main control/valve body repairs, and most recently torque converter and additional valve body replacement in early 2026. Previous transmission symptoms have been reproduced and verified by the dealer. After the 8/6/2026 incident, the vehicle was taken to the Lincoln dealer. The current repair record documents "complete loss of propulsion with gear stuck in 4th" and delayed shifting surrounding 4th gear. The dealer attempted to reproduce the failure and obtain diagnostic codes but has not been able to duplicate it and reports no codes at this time. I do not recall any warning lights or messages immediately before the failure. The vehicle is available for inspection. Ford has previously been contacted regarding these recurring transmission failures and provided partial assistance with a prior repair.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.
- Risk
- Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on June 26, 2026.
Recall number 26V402000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front axle pinion may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to fracture.
- Risk
- A fractured pinion can result in a loss of 4-wheel drive and may cause the front wheels to lock up, increasng the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front axle pinion gear set. If there is a broken front axle pinion, the entire axle assembly will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S07.
Recall number 23V128000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
- Risk
- If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.
Recall number 20V197000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.
- Risk
- If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.
Recall number 18V214000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.
- Risk
- Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
Recall number 18V213000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
- Risk
- An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.
Recall number 16V248000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. If the automatic transmission shift cable assembly was not fully attached to the steering column bracket, the shift cable assembly can come out of the bracket. The vehicle operator would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate "park."
- Risk
- The condition would not allow a disengagement of the transmission from the park position or affect proper neutral start switch operation. Unintended vehicle movement could occur if the parking brake was not set.
- Remedy
- Dealers will make the proper attachment of the transmission shift control cable to the steering column bracket and add a tie strap to that connection.
Recall number 97V171000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Expedition jerking
Which Ford Expedition years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2020 (61 complaints), 2019 (38 complaints) and 2018 (29 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix jerking or lurching on the Ford Expedition?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,000 (median of 11 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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