2020 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

Badly cut two fingers on my left hand opening the door handle because the chrome tip has peeled/separated which resulted in exposed, sharp edges. I received a notice for "Customer Satisfaction Program 22N17" related to the window switch chrome tips, but not the door handle chrome tips. The window switch chrome tips peeled off first, within the first six months of owning the vehicle, but they did not expose sharp edges and cut my fingers like the door handle chrome tips did.

I have 2 safety recalls for my 2020 Ford Explorer, but when I try to schedule for the recall repair they tell me they are having trouble getting the parts, and I had one dealership tell me they only had 1 tech that can do that work so they are backed up 4-5 months. Yet the recall states the parts are available.

When the car starts all warning lights come on. Hill start assistance, pre collision assistance, all assistance. There is no cruise, no safety collision assistance at all. First appeared on May 19 2023. Ford Dealer is currently trying to fix the problem. They are unsure why it’s doing it. It puts all occupants life at risks as the car doesn’t have any safety assistance.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear seat headrests failed to remain in the upright position. The contact stated that while attempting to adjust the headrest, the headrest failed to lock into the selected position. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Weather seal on moon roof fails, allowing wind and water to enter the passenger compartment and on electrical components. Apparently this is a common issue that is only warrantied under the initial 3/36 warranty. The seal is not available separately from the glass, and the glass is “not covered” by fords ESP warranty. The glass is also not available to purchase, and the dealer service department wants $2400 to replace said glass.

The transmission will hold on to a gear longer than it needs to. The transmission stays in a lower gear longer than it should and causes some serious noise to come from the engine as a result. When this happens, the car will not accelerate. This has been especially concerning when crossing streets, merging into traffic.

There seems to be a recurring issue with Explorer ST vehicles burning excessive oil upon start-up. In my situation, I have seem my oil levels drop after 5,000 miles. In some reported cases the constant consumption of oil has caused catastrophic engine failure while driving. A similar issue has also been reported on Ford F-150 trucks with the 2.7l turbo. There appears to be a fix for this that requires a oil feed line from the block to the turbo unit to be replaced (newly designed oil feed line) but Ford has not issued any recalls or repair notices for the 2020 Explorer ST's that experience a similar problem.

Ford issued safety recall 23S02 (NHTSA 23V022). in February 2023. We returned our vehicle to the dealer to have them repair and fix according to the recall. The backup camera was not working and the screen was blue. After having our vehicle for 3 days, they told us that the software was updated and we were good to go. Unfortunately, this problem still exists. In fact, on our vehicle the screen works sometimes, and sometimes is does not. We still get the blue screen when backing up. We also get a blank screen while driving. The radio always turns on to a different selection (am,fm, satellite etc). I don't think FORD has repaired this vehicle correctly and needs another recall. Our dealer says Ford is working on a fix, but that it has not been mandated from the NHTSA.

engine does not respond when trying to pass slower traffic, press the gas pedal several times with no response, car started to slow down with fast traffic behind/sides on the freeway, took more than 20 seconds to respond to gas pedal input almost causing an accident

I have had the previous recall for my rear camera/display screen repaired in 08/2022. However, recently I have had my display screen start to glitch and turn off intermittently. Sometimes this happens while I am driving. Other times is happens while I am in reverse and the reverse camera does not work. When the reverse camera is not functioning there is concern for unseen dangers. I have videos of this but I cannot upload them into the form.

How does a canadian vehicles imported april 24th allowed to be titled april 28th when it was bond released in Sept ???

on several occasions when applying reverse the rear vision camera gives an image on the blue screen making vision impossible

My vehicle has had 3 software updates to try correct blue screen issues. Recently under a blue screen i was backing up in a parking garage and hit the wall as i could not see with the screen being blue. Fortunately I was going slow but it did scrape my bumper from hitting the concrete wall. Mostly It scared my kids and had an abrupt stop. I had read a pin on the connector was left uncapped leading to corrosion resulting in faulting screen. Why is ford trying to fix with software update? They should of been replacing connector pins or cameras. I have been experiencing this for over 2 years.

360 degree camera is failing. The screen goes blue in reverse and i hit a garage wall unable to see it thru camera. Now the camera is failing in the front as well . Also is now occuring on a daily basis nor random anymore. Ford has not addressed the issue only thue software updates which i have has 2 occasions and yet camera still fails.

I had an oil change at the Feldman Ford Dealership on or around 3/7/2023. On 4/14/2023 at or at round 5-6 pm; I was traveling southbound on I-75 when my 2020 Explorer suddenly slowed down from 70 miles per hour to around 40 miles per hour while I’m in the farthest lane and it wouldn’t go pass 45 miles per hour almost causing the vehicle behind to rear end me. The dash displayed a reading stating the oil pressure is low and to get engine serviced. I put on my hazards and safely made it to exit off of the freeway. I stopped at a gas station because the engine was making a loud screaming noise. I called my salesman from Feldman Ford and explained what was happening and what the dash was saying so he asked me to shut off the engine and to check the oil. So when I opened the hood I saw oil everywhere and the engine was so hot that the heat was burning my face. The dipstick was indicating that the oil was low to empty. He stated that’s impossible you just had an oil change 4-5 weeks ago and the engine appears that it’s not cooling. So he advised me to put in 2-3 quarts and get on my knees to see if any oil is leaking underneath and there was no leak after I put in 3 quarts of oil. So he asked how far was i from home i told him no more than 15 minutes, then he asked me to start the car to see if the noise diminished and it was not as loud so he said to see if I could get the car home because I had my 1 month old grandson and my daughter with me and he will have a tow truck to come and get it. I made it a block from my home then the car shut off and wouldn’t start. So I had family to come get my daughter and grandson and I stayed with the vehicle until 930/10 pm when the tow truck arrived and my vehicle has been at the Feldman Ford service lot ever since 4/14/2023 and it has not been fixed or worked on. I was told that the oil pump failed causing 2 or 3 seals to go bad in the back and front of the motor. The Ford app displayed engine issues 2 months prior to my purchase.

On April 6, 2023, I put on brakes and my car jerked extremely hard. I then proceeded to the next red light and when I had to put on brakes again it jerked extremely hard again. I pulled in to a local tire shop because I was afraid to drive the car and they drove it and said it needed to go to the Ford dealership as they thought it was my transmission. I drove to the closest Ford dealership and they drove it but told me it would be a 3-week wait to diagnose my car. I drove my car to the dealership in my town and they started the process of diagnosing my car. From the invoice: Found a snap ring on intermediate A clutch piston had come dislodged and causing damage to clutches." I have noticed a Very Large amount of other vehicles with the same problem, the 2020 Ford Explorer & the 2020 Lincoln Aviator manufactured before 2019. There needs to be a recall. My vehicle has 62,652 miles and is EXACTLY 2,652 over the mileage warranty and this is unacceptable.

Back up Camera goes blue or blank screen, we have called the Ford Dealer, we took it into their maintenance. Can’t find issue We just received a recall in mail , we called the Ford Dealer today about our backup Camera recall. THEY told us they know nothing about it and Ford Manufacture has not confirmed this issue. ( todays date is 04/05/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle began to jerk when downshifting without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for another repair and the contact requested a transmission flush. The contact was later informed that transmission fluid had leaked into the transmission resulting in transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

I’m constantly cutting my fingers when I used the window controls to roll up or down my car windows. I believe this issue is the chrome is coming off and slicing people when they used it. This issue is unsafe and dangerous especially when driving.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact initially received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the recall was performed. Once the vehicle was returned, the contact stated that the lane assist, the forward collision assist, and several other electrical features failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to correct the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The contact was then transferred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000. The contact states that none of the accident prevention features are working. After two months, the manufacturer still has not provided a remedy and no parts are available.

On April 1, 2023 | was leaving the garage of the Marriott Residence inn in Arlington, VA, with two passengers. Up the ramp of level two to level one, slight turn and suddenly car accelerated so fast, sounded like an airplane. Like the accelerator had a mind of its own. Brakes and steering wheel did not respond. We traveled about 20 feet in about 10 seconds at rapid speed head on into a wall. My car was totaled, airbags deployed, a parked car next to me was totaled. EMTs and police responded immediately. We were immediately taken by 2 ambulances to Virginia County Hospital. Injuries: Driver: partial amputation of right middle finger 16 stitches, deep scrape on left Front passenger: severe bruising from seat belt, cut to finger Rear passenger: 4 fractured ribs and severe bruising from seat belt, lower back injury. All treated and released from hospital ER late afternoon, I was not cited. I believe there was some kind of mechanical malfunction.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Overwhelming amount of exhaust gases blowing in through ventilation system. One vehicle is in motion very little, but when stopped and extreme amount of exhaust gases, enter through the vent system. Creating burning, sore throat, at certain times nauseating it’s actually unbearable. Reported it to the dealership they had mentioned it was oil on the exhaust pipe from the transfer case? Transfer case was repaired. Sorry to say I know the difference between burning oil and exhaust gases.. All passengers also as witnesses will agree. On long trips it will create headaches. Even if the exhaust system has a leak, it should not come up through the ventilation system. It’s actually really bad. I noticed there were recalls on older vehicles even related in accidents in police cruisers. I was never issued a recall for the situation yet I have the same situation that have been complained about and documented.

Sudden unintended acceleration when parking; vehicle stopped with brake depressed. Vehicle suddenly accelerated and steering wheel jerked back and forth with no driver input resulting in an collision with an unoccupied parked car. No injuries. Insurance adjuster stated that Dealer found no evidence of equipment malfunction. A police report was filed (military police aboard a military base), report is pending as requires FOIA. No warning lamps or messages or other symptoms prior to failure.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the driver's side door opened while the contact was making a left turn. The contact stated that the "Door Ajar" chime sounded. The contact was wearing his seat belt and managed to shut the door but had to hold on to the door handle to keep the door closed. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N09 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Despite bringing the vehicle in for two recall repairs, I still get the blue screen on the 360 camera when reversing. This limits my ability to safely back up and view my surroundings.

The back up camera intermittently shows a blue screen when the transmission is put into reverse. Sometimes the failure will correct itself the next time I put vehicle into reverse, and other times it won't work for several driving cycles. Ford has attempted to fix the issue 4-5 times and the repair has never been successful. A recent recall was performed on the software, but that was also unsuccessful in eliminating the problem.

Drivers assist failed and caused me to cross lanes into the cable barrier on interstate 40 causing 18,000 dollars worth of damage now the parking assist no longer works

Vehicle jerking while driving and breaking

When stopped at a light the engine suddenly accelerated forcing a hard braking action to prevent an accident. after 2-3 seconds it went to idle still in gear. This has happened 3 times the third time 2 witnesses said that it was not caused by braking with their foot on the accelerator. In reviewing the three episodes I noted that the air-conditioned switch was engaged all three times when this uncommand occurred. This never occurred when the car was moving only at a stop. It seems that the air conditioner was called to turn on by the body control module which cause the engine RPM to decrease which cause the power train control module to react increasing the demand to the throttle body which either stuck high or was over commanded in not reacting in a fast enough manner to satisfy the power train control module. When this occured I thought we were going to hit the car in front of us. I think this is correctable with some changes in the power train control module programing.

Vehicle shut off at a stop light and was unable to be restarted. Vehicle had full power but would not start when pressing engine start switch. Vehicle was stuck in the middle of lanes blocking traffic and putting me in danger of being hit by other drivers. Police had to respond to block traffic until a tow truck could arrive. Dealer states the vehicle exhibited loss of communication to the PCM and there is a TSB #22-2145 for a neutral out condition. Vehicle is at dealer awaiting repair.

The transmission is extremely rough. When my vehicle shifts gears, increasing or decreasing speed, it jerks and sometimes takes a few seconds to shift at all. Very clunky and unreliable. This has happened many times- I am currently looking for a mechanic to look at my transmission as my vehicle is out of warranty. I JUST purchased this vehicle and it has acted up at least 20 times in a month and a half. I did own an explorer in the past that had 130000 miles and it was perfect. I never had issues with it!

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the camera showed a blue screen when the vehicle was shifted into reverse. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera image turned black, blue or gray while reversing. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly. The messages "Reverse Brake Assist Not Available - See Owner’s Manual” and "Park Aid Fault" were displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Transmission and transmission cooler have to be replaced on 2020 Explorer with 65,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing either the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal after coming to a complete stop. The contact stated there was no warning lights illuminated during the failure. The contact called a local dealer and was scheduled an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was distorted. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The wiring harness in the back for the air was installed upside down, making the hot cold and the cold hot The vent in the ceiling that distributes air was kinked and had to be replaced The seatbelt on the drive side second row bucket seat was installed upside down The heater core had to replaced due to heat not blowing hot, still not and car was returned a second time Found out upon calling Ford that the car had two transmissions repairs by the previous owner and another "additional repair" done in 2022, would not disclose to me. I informed them the dealership gave me clean car facts. Car has less than 28,000 miles on it. I have had it less than ONE month.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating, and the message "Power Train Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the back-over prevention camera display screen failed to display an image, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The camera was replaced on several occasions, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,000.

Rear lift gate doesn't operate or operates erratically . Rear lift gate will not open traping occupants in the vehicle. Particularly any occupant seated in the third row seats. Yes. Took it to the dealer and they failed to address the problem First began February 2023. The dash board button will work some times and not others. Same for the key FOB and rear lift gate located on the the exterior of the vehicle. I have had occupants trapped in the back of the vehicle when the lift gate will not operate at all.

Backup camera stays on the entire time driving or it will stay as a black or blue screen and not go back to original screen

Several electrical issues from day of purchase. Dealerships have looked at codes,but have been unable to repeat conditions or find an issues. Recently, on a random basis,the vehicle would become unresponsive & the accellerator pedal would not engage & for 10-20 seconds the vehicle wouldn't respond. At a point it reset itself and continued as if nothing had happened. This occurred on 6 or 7 occassions from June 2022 to Dec 2022. In Sept I took to dealership to check, they were unable to recreate condition & therefore no repair was made. In Dec the front brake pads went metal to metal. I decided to replace them myself. I put the Electronic Emergency Brake (EB) into the Maintenance Mode & changed the front pads and rotars. When I started to jack the front end up the car moved, so I immediately lowered the vehicle & verified the car was in park. At this time I discovered that the car, in park, could be moved by pushing it. I moved the car about 5 to 6 feet in either direction. I believed this was due to the EB being in the maint mode. I blocked the rear wheels & completed the repairs with no further incident. When I attempted to return the car to normal & take the EB out of maint mode, I was unsuccessful. I then bleed the brake system to ensure I hadn't inadvertently gotten air in the system. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to restore EB to normal, I contacted my local dealership for help. I was informed that even the site tech's had difficulties getting system into normal. I had AAA tow car to dealership, which then replaced the rear brakes, flushed brake fluid & renewed & restored sys to norm. When tech moved car to parking lot, they placed car in park and upon exiting car, it began rolling. When i contacted for pickup, I was informed of issue and gave permission to diagnose problem. Inspection of transmission found pin for parking mechanism broken, metal shavings in transmission. Need for extensive repairs or replacement of transmission.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 17,700.

I parked my vehicle 2/17/2023 around 9:45pm in the parking garage of my Condominium for the night. I was awakened Saturday morning 2/18/2023 by the building fire alarm and my neighbors banging on the doors to get outside because smoke was visible from the side of the building. I exited the building and crossed the street. The entire parking garage was filled with thick black smoke. The sprinkler system had activated and the Fire Dept arrived. Through the smoke I was able to see that my 2020 Ford Explorer Limited Edition was on fire. The front end was engulfed in flames which were now shooting up the side of the building and the ceiling of the parking garage.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Front camera is cloudy. We are unable to see what is in front of the vehicle when pulling in garage and parking spots. High probability to injure or kill our dog, small children, or cause damage to other vehicles when attempting to use the front camera.

The vehicles rear view camera randomly displays a blue screen on reverse backup. All sensors go failing at times. Attached are some screens over the month. I have taken this to a dealership for a most recent recall fix (02/01/23) and it seems this issue never gets fixed. I keep getting notices of recalls and they claim they will patch it with software fixes but there seems to be more serious sensor issues . When this happens in a school zone it feels dangerous. This is a leased vehicle and I haven't received much help even from the manufacturers dealerships. Didn't find anyone to even listen to these issues. If we try to manually reverse the emergency braking comes into play from nowhere and applies itself due to these malfunctioning of sensors.

Both front seats have brackets that have broken and come apart. Service says this is seen all the time. Pants and skirts get caught in it all the time.

Transmission has been fixed twice, but it is still causing issues. It shifts hard and sometimes shutters. No dealership takes it seriously anymore. It is a known manufacturer defect that isn't being corrected promptly, probably to skirt by until warranty expires. The auto-hold system sporadically stops working. It will pop up on the dash that it is not available, but it will work after restarting the car a time or two. The info screen will randomly be a black screen after startup. The backup camera sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Rarely, there will be no sound from any speaker. Radio, phone, turn signal, nothing works through the speaker like it should. The turn signal will make a strange noise through the dash that doesn't match normal sounds.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the back over prevention camera malfunctioned and intermittently displayed a blue screen. Additionally, while driving, the display screen would erroneously activate and cause the steering wheel to momentarily vibrate and shake. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed a software update which corrected the failure; however, after a second software update was performed, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 37,000.