Ford Expedition 2017–2018 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin SSM 48168 · NHTSA communication 10165685 · issued Sep 5, 2019
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Engine and Engine Cooling
component
2017–2018
model years
4
vehicle entries
Official summary
Some 2017-2018 F-150 vehicles built on or before 10-Jul-2018 and 2018-2019 Expedition/Navigator vehicles built on or before 8-Apr-2019 equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a ticking, tapping, or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine that last 2-5 seconds on initial start-up after a cold soak. This may be due to a worn variable cam timing (VCT) unit. A TSB is expected to be published 4th quarter of 2019. In the interim, replace all 4 VCT units and update the powertrain control module (PCM) calibration. Do not replace timing chains, tensioners, guides or other
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.