2009 Ford Expedition: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2009 Ford Expedition
On the 2009 Ford Expedition, the failure owners report most often is liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure, with 5 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 65,000 miles. Overall it scores 72 out of 100, high risk for a 2009.
High risk for a 2009 — 99th riskiest of the 295 2009 vehicles we can rate. 42 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 20 named failure modes on the 2009 Ford Expedition, and the three most-reported carry 33% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure leads with 5 reports and about 7.4 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other visibility problem follows with 5 reports, median 65,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 4 reports, median 65,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into body (9), glass (5) and electrical (4).
When these failures get reported
32 of the reports on the 2009 Ford Expedition came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 65,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 25% by 50,000 miles, 72% by 100,000 miles and 88% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 1 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 60,000 and 70,000 miles, which alone holds 28% of the dated reports.
19% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 20. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 1 report came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 5 mention a crash, 5 an injury and 2 a fatality. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.45, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure at $250–$1,500, other visibility problem at $150–$1,400, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and seat belt or retractor failure at $200–$900. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
14% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 5 | 4 | — | 110k | — | 7.4 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 5 | 3 | — | 63k | — | 7.4 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 4 | 4 | — | 63k | — | 5.9 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 3 | 3 | — | 60k | — | 4.4 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 3 | 3 | — | 62k | — | 4.4 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 2 | 2 | — | 118k | — | 3.0 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 1 | — | 110k | — | 3.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 2 | 2 | — | 33k | — | 3.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 2 | 1 | — | 112k | — | 3.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 55k | — | 3.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 49k | — | 1.5 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.5 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 258k | — | 1.5 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 169k | — | 1.5 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Rust or structural corrosion | body | 1 | 1 | — | 45k | — | 1.5 | $500–$6,000 | High |
| Seat, track or recliner failure | body | 1 | 1 | — | 58k | — | 1.5 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.5 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other seat belt problem | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.5 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 1 | — | 9k | — | 1.5 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.5 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 1 | — | 81k | — | 3.0 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2009 Ford Expedition draws about 62 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 97th percentile of complaint rates among 2009 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 678 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2009 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure
Back lift gate window exploded after shutting the drivers side door. Vehicle was in garage with the garage door open. This is the second time this has happened in two months time. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford expedition. The contact stated that the hood and the rear liftgate on the vehicle began to corrode. The contact stated that the aluminum corroded and the paint started to fall off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 152,000.
Other visibility problem
On january 9, 2010 at approximately 2:00pm, while driving down a street near our home, the third row rear passenger side window just exploded and crumbled on our 2009 ford expedition. Nothing impacted the window from inside or out. We have only had this new vehicle for 4 months. We can only ascertain that the glass had a defect. This happened yesterday (a saturday) and we will be taking it to the dealer first thing tomorrow (monday) morning, but anticipate they will not take responsibility after speaking to the service department. *tr
Back lift gate window exploded after shutting the drivers side door. Vehicle was in garage with the garage door open. This is the second time this has happened in two months time. *tr
Other electrical problem
While driving down the road the 2005 ford expedition limited vehicle will shut off and check electronic throttle control light will come on , brakes and power steering got out, happens at least twice a month. I have heard of numerous complaints of this from other owners. *tr
2009 ford expedition fog lights - both fog light lens crack after driving on a paved highway in sub zero freezing weather. Both have identical failure mode and ford refuses to cover under warranty. The materials, design, and engineering is sub-standard and does not meet DOT specifications. *tr
Recalls on the 2009 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2009 Ford Expedition, affecting an estimated 678 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover exterior lighting:brake lights:switch. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
1,357 vehicles 2009-06-24- Defect
- Ford is recalling 1,357 my 2009 expedition and navigator vehicles for failing to comply with the federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the brake stop lamp switch may be improperly adjusted. This may result in a delay in brake stoplamp illumination when the brake pedal is depressed. In situations of very mild brake application, the brake stoplamps may not illuminate.
- Consequence
- Delay or loss of brake stoplamp function may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will adjust the brake stoplamp switch free of charge. The recall began on july 6, 2009. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332 or www.ownerconnection.com.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2009 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2009 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2009 — 99th riskiest of the 295 2009 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 30 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2026 comes out best at 58 and 2003 worst at 78, with 2009 itself at 72.
If the model year is negotiable, 2026, 2014, 2013, 2000, 2002, 2001, 1999, 2010, 2025, 2011, 1998, 1997, 2007 and 2008 score lower than 2009 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2009–2011 generation specifically, 2010 is the strongest year at 66 and 2009 the weakest at 72.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2009-2011 generation, 2010 Ford Expedition scores best at 66 and 2009 Ford Expedition worst at 72.
What this page cannot tell you
42 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 42 reports, 32 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 76% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Ford Expedition?
The most-reported failures are liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure (5 reports, median 110,000 miles), other visibility problem (5 reports, median 65,000 miles) and other electrical problem (4 reports, median 65,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2009 Ford Expedition reliable?
It scores 72 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 99th riskiest of the 295 2009 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2009 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Ford Expedition is best?
Within the 2009–2011 generation, 2010 scores best at 66 out of 100 and 2009 worst at 72. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed