My E350 van died a week ago. Time to step up in this century.

Narrow down the replacement to either and Expedition EL or Suburban. Suburban have their own known faults. Just wondering if the expedition have anything I should be aware befor plunking down money I don't want to spend.

The year range my budget allows puts us in the 07/08 models. We need 8 seats.

My wife needs butt warmers and adjuster pedals. The old van did not have. It did not have much.

This get past the spitting sparkplugs, but into the stuck plugs I think. Not too worried there.

The suburbans have issues with oil consumption and needed engines early due to the cylinder deactivation. That is about all that concerns me with them.

Anything major like that with the expedition?

 

No responses. Must be a good sign that there are no known big issues.

 

Well, everything in the forums is pretty much about what the isssues are. Nobody has ever started a thread with the topic "No Issues Here". Scan and browse, see what you get. One of the sneakier ones is bubbling paint on the tail gate. Normally starts around the housing that holds the license plate lights. Can also be found on the inside where the inner and out skins come together.

 

When looking at one, check that the 4 wheel drive system works, including the 2 wheel drive mode. If all of the indicators don't work and it is on a Ford Dealer lot, have them check the system to see what the problems may be.

On mine, I found out that the 4 auto, full time 4 wheel drive and 4 lo all do work (physically) but the dash indicators do not work. I also discovered that it will not disengage 4 AUTO into 2 wheel drive only. No worries for me during the winter but plan on digging into it in the spring/summer. I bought it in late summer 2014 and did not discover the 4wd issues until November as I had no need for 4wd until then and just assumed it would all work properly. That's my mistake and I know it.

Test the rear wiper. They tend to fail. But it can be a cheap fix if you are mechanically inclined. On mine, the wiper arm pivot was nearly seized inside the pivot tube that runs through the rear window. During dis-assembly, I found a split o-ring and a lot of crud inside the pivot tube. A good cleaning with WD-40 and a pick, scotch bright pad on the pivot shaft, some white lithium grease and a new o-ring and I was back in business with a working rear wiper.

Happy hunting, katoranger! i looked at the Chevy also but found the rear leg (knee) room was more cramped in the Chevy models comparable to the Expedition ELs. I'm still happy with my purchase!

 

Did the same thing buying the wife an 07 two years ago, it had 112k on the clock. I had to change the plugs (previous owner had put the Champion replacements in - they were $2 cheaper per plug than the Motorcraft; 3 of them burned the electrode off and the motor would throw a code for misfire from time to time. The Motorcraft plugs solved it.)

When it's really cold (in the 'teens) if I don't let it warm up a few minutes it will throw a trans code driving down the street.

Lastly, it would randomly open the power liftgate (never while driving, just when it was parked)- turned out there was a short in the wire going to the latch where the plastic rivets hold the inner panel on.

Oh yeah, I had to replace one of the rear wheel hub assemblies.

 

Thanks, we have not settled on a vehicle yet. The expeditions are harder to find. We live in a remote area and going car shopping takes alot of time.

4x4, rear wiper, and bubbling paint. Seems like fairly minor stuff.

 

I have an 08 Limited and have had the front actuators in the 4X4 system replaced and the rear wiper motor replaced. I also have the peeling paint on the front of the hood and around the license plate bracket on the rear hatch (think white aluminum peeking through black paint), which Ford steadfastly refuses to repair even though I have the Extended Service Plan for corrosion. Ford says no perforation in the metal so no corrosion. At a tick under 60K. Very happy with the room and comfort for passengers and the ride although not a lot of cargo space if carrying 7 passengers. Could use a bit more power and is a bit thirsty averaging 12 mpg in mostly country driving and babying the throttle when I drive (probably not babied by other drivers in the family).

 

Ours has been great.

You might expand your search to include Navigator L's as well. You give up low-range (although 1st gear is very steep, so I've never missed it) but get lots of goodies.

I think the '08s came with back-up cameras... something becoming pretty common this century!

 

I have an 08 Limited El with 90,000 miles and it's been great. The usual paint issues on the rear gate.

However, I've had problems with the power running boards for about a year. The passenger side would deploy, but randomly wouldn't retract. I was told it was the motor and about 2k to replace. Um, not going to happen. I finally got it in place and just turned the boards off. The battery died last week and the boards deployed and the passenger side wouldn't retract. Got some degreaser, cleaned up the hinges, then sprayed on a lubricant. Worked great for about a day. I finally figured out that if it wouldn't retract with the car turned off, all I had to do was start the car and they retract. Something isn't right, but they are working and I'm not complaining.

So just make sure the boards work. Parts shop wants $ 1,800 for the motor and Amazon has some for $ 900. My point being they aren't cheap to fix.

Good luck.

 

Check the roof for rust in the rain channels... mine is going to need this repaired soon.