Issue with Expect 1.21

Hello Folks! Env=SUSE 10.2 Linux, Perl 5.14.2, Expect v1.21
I really need some help - this issue has tied me up 4 days now....
I am trying to use Expect to ssh from a SuSE server to a Solaris 8 server.
The manual dialog for this login is:

>ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no user@sol8server
Could not create directory '/appl/user/.ssh'.
Failed to add the host to the list of known hosts (/appl/user/.ssh/known_hosts).
user@sol8server's password: 
Last login: Tue Mar 20 13:43:00 2012 from xxx
Could not chdir to home directory /home/user: No such file or directory
MANAGEMENT APPROVED PURPOSES ONLY
**** SYSTEM ACTIVITIES MAY BE MONITORED ****
sol8server% ls
blah blah blah           etc                  lost+found           op                   sbin                 vol
sol8server% logout
Connection to sol8server closed.
>

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My expect code spawns the ssh command all ok and it complete the login and password ok.
Then I try to send the 'ls' command and I never get anything back in response - it is like the send command never happens.
This is driving me crazy. I copied the code from pl scripts I wrote a few years ago
on Sol8 and they all worked perfectly - I just don't understand what the issue is.
Back then I was using Perl 5.8.8 on Solaris8 and Expect 1.15. - never ever had any issues.

My Code:

my $expTimeOut = 6;		# 6 secs 
my $expPty = 1;			# pty mode
my $expDebug = 3;		# Expect debug level
# Build Expect object
######################################################
$sshFW = Expect->new;		# create Expect object
$sshFW->debug($expDebug);		# debugging
$sshFW->log_file($expFWLogFile, "w");		# open Expect log with overwrite mode
$sshFW->raw_pty($expPty);
######################################################
# Spaw a ssh session
######################################################
$cmd = "ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no $usr\@$FWHost";
print "\nSpawing command [$cmd]\n\n";#debug	
if (!$sshFW->spawn($cmd)) {
	# spawn failed
	$msg = "Error,Spawn cmd [$cmd] failed for device [$FWHost].\n";
	print $msg;
	$sshFW->hard_close;		# release object
	die $msg;		#abort program!
}		# endif
$msg = "\nSuccessful spawn cmd [$cmd]\n\n";
print $msg;
######################################################
# OK, we got a good spawn! now try login sequence
######################################################
$expFWStatus = 0;
$expFWmatchString = "";
@exp_stat = $sshFW->expect($expTimeOut,
	[qr /password: $/ =>				# got password prompt
	sub {
		my $self = shift;
		$self->send("$passw\r");
		print "Sent password!\n";#debug
        exp_continue; 		# responded to password prompt, continue
    	}		# end sub
	],
	# Timeout trap
	[timeout =>
	sub {
		$expFWStatus = 1;
		$expFWmatchString = $sshFW->match;
		print "Error,Timeout while waiting $expTimeOut secs for login on [$FWHost] user[$usr]. Error:" . $sshFW->exp_error() . "\n";	
	}
	],
	# EOF trap
	[eof =>
	sub {
		$expFWStatus = 2;
		$expFWmatchString = $sshFW->match;
		print "Error,Premature EOF during login for [$FWHost] user[$usr]. Error:" . $sshFW->exp_error() . "\n";
	}
	],

	'-re', qr /% $/, 			# wait for device prompt '%' and exit expect; all logged in now
	);		# End expect for Login processing

print "\nFinished processing FW login expect expFWstatus[$expFWStatus]\n\n";		# debug	
if ($expFWStatus) {			# check results of login attempt 
	$msg = "Login failed, returning. expFWStatus[$expFWStatus]. Last string matched was [$expFWmatchString]\n";		# debug
	print $msg;
	die $msg;		# abort ptogram
}		# endif
$msg = "\nInfo,Login OK for [$FWHost] user[$usr]\n\n";
print $msg;
print Dumper(\@exp_stat);#debug

#############################################
print "\nSending ls command!\n\n";
$sshFW->send("ls\r");

@exp_stat = $sshFW->expect($expTimeOut,

	# Timeout trap
	[timeout =>
	sub {
		$expFWStatus = 1;
		$expFWmatchString = $sshFW->match;
		print "Error,Timeout while waiting $expTimeOut secs for ls command on [$FWHost] user[$usr]. Error:" . $sshFW->exp_error() . "\n";	
	}
	],
	# EOF trap
	[eof =>
	sub {
		$expFWStatus = 2;
		$expFWmatchString = $sshFW->match;
		print "Error,Premature EOF during ls command for [$FWHost] user[$usr]. Error:" . $sshFW->exp_error() . "\n";
	}
	],

	'-re', qr /% $/, 			# wait for device prompt '%' and exit expect; all logged in now
	);		# End expect 

print "\nContinuing\n\n";
print Dumper(\@exp_stat);#debug

print "\nClosing connection to FW Host [$FWHost].\n\n";
$sshFW->send("logout\r");
	if (!$sshFW->expect($expTimeOut, 'closed.')) {
	print "Warning,Did not get connection closed on [$FWHost]. Error:" . $sshFW->exp_error() . "\n";
	print "Warn: Issue with closing FW Host [$FWHost].\n";
	}		# endif
	else {
		# ok, we got the logout comfirmation....
		print "Info,Connection closed: [$FWHost].\n";
	}

$sshFW->soft_close;
print "\nConnection closed to FW Host [$FWHost].\n\n";
exit;

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######################################################

Screen shots of expect debugs:

Spawing command [ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no user@sol8server]

Spawned 'ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no user@sol8server'
        spawn id(3)
        Pid: 29798
        Tty: /dev/pts/1
 at /export/core/perl5/5.14.2/lib/site_perl/5.14.2/Expect.pm line 181
        Expect::spawn('Expect=GLOB(0x65ca28)', 'ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no user@sol8server') called at ./fwlogin.pl line 35

Successful spawn cmd [ssh -o StrictHostkeyChecking=no user@sol8server]

Starting EXPECT pattern matching...
 at /export/core/perl5/5.14.2/lib/site_perl/5.14.2/Expect.pm line 561
        Expect::expect('Expect=GLOB(0x65ca28)', 6, 'ARRAY(0x9ad490)', 'ARRAY(0x9ad9e8)', 'ARRAY(0x9bbb88)', '-re', 'Regexp=REGEXP(0x9bc050)') called at ./fwlogin.pl line 73
Could not create directory '/appl/user/.ssh'.
Failed to add the host to the list of known hosts (/appl/user/.ssh/known_hosts).
user@sol8server's password: Sent password!

Last login: Thu Mar 22 15:00:26 2012 from xxx
Could not chdir to home directory /home/user: No such file or directory
MANAGEMENT APPROVED PURPOSES ONLY
**** SYSTEM ACTIVITIES MAY BE MONITORED ****
sol8server% 
Finished processing FW login expect expFWstatus[0]


Info,Login OK for [sol8server] user[user]

$VAR1 = [
          4,
          undef,
          '% ',
          '
Last login: Thu Mar 22 15:00:26 2012 from xxx
Could not chdir to home directory /home/user: No such file or directory
MANAGEMENT APPROVED PURPOSES ONLY
**** SYSTEM ACTIVITIES MAY BE MONITORED ****
sol8server',
          '',
          bless( \*Symbol::GEN0, 'Expect' )
        ];

Sending ls command!

Starting EXPECT pattern matching...
 at /export/core/perl5/5.14.2/lib/site_perl/5.14.2/Expect.pm line 561
        Expect::expect('Expect=GLOB(0x65ca28)', 6, 'ARRAY(0x9ad6a0)', 'ARRAY(0x9bc308)', '-re', 'Regexp=REGEXP(0x9ad418)') called at ./fwlogin.pl line 109
Error,Timeout while waiting 6 secs for ls command on [sol8server] user[user]. Error:1:TIMEOUT

Continuing

$VAR1 = [
          undef,
          '1:TIMEOUT',
          undef,
          '',
          undef,
          undef
        ];

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As you can see directly above, for some reason my expect info is nulled out????
I would apprecite any help or suggestions - I'm getting desperate now. :(