air suspension failure - To everybody out there that has air suspension in their particular model (not all models of Expeditions utilize air suspension) there are conversion kits to convert the air suspension to regular suspension using shocks and springs. Strutmasters, along with other manufacturers offer "conversion kits" that allow you to rid yourself of the chronic air suspension ailment of the notorious Expeditions. No need to worry about the air suspension ever again since it will be converted and "deactivated". There is a method of turning off the air suspension warning light which would be necessary after the conversion kit is installed if you don't want to look at the useless warning light. It will no longer be needed after conversion. Everyone that continues to use the air suspension must always remember to turn it off (switch located at the side wall at the front passenger seat) when lifting the vehicle to change a tire for safety sake since it can come on spontaneously and knock the vehicle off the jack possibly causing serious injury to whoever is changing the tire. We have had recurring problems with ours as well and if people were informed from the beginning they would probably convert it right away or at the first sign of a problem instead of putting any more money into fixing the ridiculous air suspension. It appears to be a worthless brainstorm of an idea for "luxury" vehicles to attain a smooth ride. I recently had a mechanic offer (for $200 parts and labor) to just add springs on the rear so that it would support the vehicle and keep the air from bleeding off overnight causing it to sag. It would no longer use the air suspension and it would be "deactivated" since there is no air suspension in the front to worry about, unless your particular model had air susp. on front and back . There are already regular shocks inside the air suspension on the rear and the springs would support the vehicle without the air. With my vehicle being 10 yrs old I feel that adding new shocks at the same time would probably be my wisest choice. There is not a need to invest any more money into the air suspension... EVER! I suggest you convert or just add springs if your vehicle is relatively new and send your complaints to Ford. There are a lot of reasons for the air susp to fail, including the compressor, dryer, air line leaks, o ring leaks, and air boot failure to age and cracking. Why invest more into something that is "unnecessary"? I have invested a lot of time researching this exact problem and am happy to share the answer to all of you fellow sufferers. I wish I had known this before ever investing anything into repairs on the air suspension. Google "converting air suspension Ford Expedition" and see what you find :)
I am a single mother of 3, since I have had the Expedition, one thing after another has been happening, first automatic windows had stopped working, the automatic locks stopped or still will not engage to unlock or lock, the A/C is constantly wanting to stop then statr again and NOW about a month ago, my suspension on the rear would go completely down when the car was parked, when it would start back on, the would be a loud noise and the car wold raise back up. NOW as of 9/1/2008 the back is totally down and will not go back up. It is my only transportation I have to work and the kids to school. It is so uncomfortable to drive, makes you nauseated from being so bumpy and jars your head so much you get headaches. All of these problems are not worth it, I am on a tight budget. I know car maintenance has to be done, but enough is enough, I have replaced brakes at least 3 times, the front has something wrong with it, that I can't even get an alignment done right now until I get that fixed. Ford has really yet the people down.
We were off mountain biking. We returned, loaded our bikes, and began to drive off. Just then I heard a load swoosh like air rushing out of a canister. The back end of the vehicle dropped but seemed drivable. However, when drive the vehicle would bounce severely and almost uncontrollable. We took back streets all the way home at about 20mph for about 15 miles. I took it into the dealership where they appeared to have repaired it under my extended warranty. The vehicle seemed to drive OK but was always sat much lower than other expeditions with similar 4 wheel drive. In addition, the rear end sat low than the front end. I believed that the air pump was the major issue since I used to hear it running often about a year before the actual failure. Guess what? About 6 months ago I noticed that I was hearing the air pump running often again, almost like it couldn't pump the suspension up all the way. Now the vehicle is sitting lower again and my front end is bottoming out like I have no shocks left. What a pain in the butt!!! I have always been a long time Ford fan but I've now had it and will never buy another. Isn't is just great how the new Ford adds are touting that their quality has now match that of Toyota? What they don't tell you is that Ford didn't get any better; Toyota simply got worse. You'd think that if you had a failure under warranty they would warrant that work for at least the original 36 months or 36k miles; but no, you get 12 months only and almost nothing fails in the first 12 months. Don't you just love the auto industry and their slippery ways?
well about a month and a half ago me and my husband had just got done hanging out with a friend when we came outside to find our trucks back end almost touching the ground... we had never seen anything like this so had no idea what to do me and my husband are expecting a child and we dont have alot of extra money so we have yet to fix the problem but im a little upset to find that many other people have had this exact same problem i think if it a factory problem the ford company should be required to fix the problem we dont just have 1,500 laying around i think if you have experienced this problem you should definitely speak out!!
Wife pulled out of garage and car started hissing. Drove down the road and it became VERY bumpy. Came back home to find the rear end of the Expedition bottomed out. I suspected the shocks went out.. will bring to garage tommorow.
I saw my car come down the street, bobbing up and down and riding low. the warranty expired and we have no information whatsoever on it. Apparently, out of thousands sold, the complaints on this page were all that I found. any ideas?
On our way home from picking up our 4 young daughters, our ride became very bumpy to the point that we had to pull over. As soon as my husband starts veering into the slow lane and slowing down, we had a blow out--- which ripped off part of my bumper. When we finally made it off the highway--- our expedition was LITERALLY sitting on the back tires and there was no give. This happened last night. The towing company technician said he had never seen anything like this in his life! I've spoken to both my dad and my father in law who are both mechanics and they have both agreed that this is definately a FACTORY issue and should be fixed by Ford company. I've also spoken to a lawyer who says the same thing.
Luckily we have one other car in my family--- but it's not big enough to fit all 6 of us. I've called the local Ford dealership to no avail. It's not a recall, so they can't help. We are a middle income family-- and coming up with the extra money to completely REPLACE the rear suspension, the bumper, part of the back right quarter panel and a new tire is outrageous! Any ideas on where to go from here?
The rear air suspension has gone out four times... three times in the last three months. Twice while out of state conducting business. The dealership has no real answers as to why this continues to occur. I've talked to Ford Customer Relations as well as a regional customer service representative but they've offered nothing but a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Now that my extended warranty has ended I fear that this problem will happen again and I'll be stuck paying for it this time. In spite of the additional repair warranty which only covers the specific parts replaced (12 months, 12,000 miles) I worry that this air suspension will continue to malfunction. I'm now at a crossroad with a decision to make: I either keep the car and hope it doesn't happen again, or I trade in the car a take a huge financial loss... either way I lose. I feel like Ford Motor Company should take partial responsibility for this problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I am a single mother of 3, since I have had the Expedition, one thing after another has been happening, first automatic windows had stopped working, the automatic locks stopped or still will not engage to unlock or lock, the A/C is constantly wanting to stop then statr again and NOW about a month ago, my suspension on the rear would go completely down when the car was parked, when it would start back on, the would be a loud noise and the car wold raise back up. NOW as of 9/1/2008 the back is totally down and will not go back up. It is my only transportation I have to work and the kids to school. It is so uncomfortable to drive, makes you nauseated from being so bumpy and jars your head so much you get headaches. All of these problems are not worth it, I am on a tight budget. I know car maintenance has to be done, but enough is enough, I have replaced brakes at least 3 times, the front has something wrong with it, that I can't even get an alignment done right now until I get that fixed. Ford has really yet the people down.
- clarktx, Rockport, TX, US