That's good news! Must have been a bad batch of these.

 

I seem to be having a similar issue. When making a slight turn as in lane change or going around a slight curve the wheel seems twitch on its own - very rarely but happens. So it seems like a steering gear is on my to do list.

 

OK, I put some more miles on it tonight and now I think it steers better than it ever has since I bought it new off the lot. It tracks very well and takes curves much better now with much more smooth steering control.
Very little steering input effort goes a long way now.
Now it drives like the 77 Lincoln Town car I owned a long time ago.

The 07 always did seem a little stiff in the steering when new, but it went away after about 3000 miles, only to be replaced by the sticking and noise at 7600 miles. So the steering assembly very well could have been defective all along.
Guess I will see what happens in the future.

 

Queston: Did the dealer ever say what went wrong with the steering gear?

 

No, but the service department said that they had a TSB on Ford trucks and T birds with the same steering assembly problem. I would guess the F150 and the Expedition have the same steering assembly, but don't know.

They told me that this was the first time they seen the problem with Expeditions. I would guess that there was a critical adjustment problem with the unit at the factory.
I would think that they have to be in almost perfect adjustment to work right and have a long life. Too much clearance, loosey goosey. Too little clearance, binding and noise. I know the older steering boxes were like this.

May be some one here has a exploded view of the unit they could post.

7600 miles 07 EB 4x4 non EL

 

Didn't they stop making T-Birds?

 

I don't know if they make T Birds anymore or not. I had a 73 T bird That was one of the best cars I ever owned. It was a tank. Drove it for 12 years. What a machine.

 

Yeah, my pops had 65. Talk about a tank. The 390 was a beast of an engine.

 

OK, I found the paperwork. The ransmission TSB was 08-04-13. Steering gear part No. 8L1Z-3504-A.

Also, I forgot the RSC freaked out on it and they had seal arouind the defrost opening to block light from getting to the steering column tone ring. That was the main reason I took it in.

 

Wish I had found this thread earlier! I started one on "Alignment" a few days ago. My 07 EB EL is having a problem with steering effort just off center in either direction---too much effort. No noises like some of yours. The dealer says the pass side alignment is way off and needs new/another adjusters. I had not been able to find anything about the adjuster. Wish I could see a diagram of the front end and picture of the adjusters. They are a "maintenance" item so not covered, cost to me . Really bad to hear that none are on it from factory. Parts came in twice wrong, wrong range in degrees. 16K and no major tire wear, a little feathering on edges of front tires.

Now I need to look at TSB on steering box. Curious what it looks like if this thing has a rack. Guess I need to crawl around a little.

 

Benshere,
Sounds to me like the steering problem I had. (100% covered by the warranty) This problem will only get worse with time. The increased effort was followed by the noise after a few months.

The alignment may be off, but I would have the steering assembly checked. The service tech said that they have been seeing more steering assembly problems with, trucks and T birds.
Might need a need a new dealer too as with all the manufacturers problems going on now, you may be getting the runaround.

 

TX-
Seems like there is a learning curve with everything you do, and the dealer/ford dont make the best effort to help.

Still waitin on the correct adjusters then will get into the steering box issue.

 

Update on my problem with the adjusters. I think this is in line with the subject or this thread, not a "buster"

After several re-orders for the adjusters, I finally got it completed today. In the mix also, I had picked up a small nail in the LF that was past the last grove, so they wouldnt patch or plug. I got a new tire because the wife went for the premium replacement pkg they offered a "blue light" special on. Tire and balance= 0 bux! Now I have 1 tire with 16K less miles---

The adjusters are on the lower "A" arm inner. Front and rear cams. The plot thickens, and I would appreciate some insight from here.

The vehicle is aligned at assembly with the correct degree cams installed in it for caster/camber. They are not adjustable (from what they tell me). At 16K, I find out that the pass is ~8 deg off. That tells me that either it was not properly aligned from factory and they just slapped whatever cams were handy in it, or somewhere afterwards it found a pothole or a curb, no obvious indication of that. Now with all the EB and extended and premium warranties, I find out that alignment and these cams are considered a "maintenance" item. Which leads me to the question "where was the problem, at the factory or during the 16K owner miles"? Seems no one can prove either case. What a setup, everytime any adjustment is needed, you have to buy the correct cams for the "A" arm. Even my 70 Mach has an adjustable bolt with eccentric washer!

Have not gotten on the road yet to see if my problem, similar to 70 Boss's has been cured. Would like to hear some opinions---if any

 

I would say that there was a problem at the factory, as my 07 anyway goes down the road just fine from the very first day I bought it. Only the steering assembly had a problem that is now fixed by the dealer on warranty. @ 10,000 miles, still goes down the road just fine.
To give you the runaround like you are getting and being charged for parts that were not correct in the first place seems wrong to me.
My 94 Bronco had front end alignment problems that were solved using aftermarket adjustable shims to replace the factory non adjustable ones. May be a alignment shop has some of these for your 07.

As I said before, with all the current problems that the auto manufactures are having, I expect the usual runaround from some dealers and the factory seem to provide involving warranty problems to only get worse. I have found that it pays to find another dealer if you are having warranty repair problems. Some dealers get right on it, others could care less.

It is the service after the sales that make all the difference for me. This is why I buy a new one in the first place. If it was not for the new car warranty, I would just buy a clunker and work on it myself. Like I did for many years in the past. Pulled many engines, transmissions and did plenty of brake jobs while outside in the snow. I don't feel like doing that any more. I like going to the dealer now with a problem and just saying "call me when it's done".

 

I agree, thats what I used to do. Kept many a vehicle running because I kept up with things. I am finding that I will make lots of excuses to not crawl under the #$%^ things I recently did my 93 Bronco ball joints and went to the parts house to get the adjustable cams for the top joint. I hate to admit it, but I have only glanced under this thing. Even with all the warranties etc, I find that you sometimes cannot just say "fix it' . They should be careful, too much money on repairs, and I will start doing most of it myself----again. I am waiting on the opportunity to look at the steering gear thing, but need to drive it a while.