2020 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

THIS RECALL HAS BEEN REMEDIED AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I NEED THIS RECALL MARKED TAKEN CARE OF SO THAT I CAN CONTINUE RENTING IT. PLEASE REMOVE THIS CARE OFF THE UNREPAIRED LIST ASAP!!!!!

Front axle boot defective and leaks grease causing steering instability and possible powertrain failure. Dealer charged $475 to fix/replace the part. Upon further research on-line, it is apparent that thousands of 2020 Ford Explorers exhibit the same problem and the manufacturer should be fixing this problem free of charge.

While driving at highway speeds, my 2020 Ford Explorer ST began to hard-shift and hesitate between gears, resulting in a dangerous loss of power. The transmission would delay or fail to engage, making it difficult to accelerate or maintain speed, creating a serious safety risk for both myself and my wife while in traffic. After safely reaching home and placing the vehicle in park, the transmission completely failed. It would no longer engage Drive or Reverse and behaved as though it was in Neutral in all positions. No warning lights or error messages were displayed at any point before, during, or after the failure. The vehicle has only 85,000 miles, and the failure occurred just after the extended warranty expired. I have since learned that the 10R60 transmission in this vehicle has experienced similar issues in other Ford models, indicating a possible widespread defect. This failure could have caused a serious accident had it occurred at high speed or in heavy traffic.

This vehicle is equipped with a panoramic sun/moon roof which has a cover inside that retracts to keep the sunlight out. Something has failed in the mechanism that retracts the fabric cover and it is causing it to sag down and block the rear view mirror visibility. Ford Motor should issue a recall on this as it is a design flaw and a common failure point in these vehicles. This part can fail without warning, at any time and block the driver's view through the rear view mirror and cause a dangerous visibility issue to the rear of the vehicle.

This problem started about 2 months ago and it happened 3 different times so far. While driving, when pressing the gas, the vehicle will all of a sudden not go. You just drift as if the car is not getting gas. On 2 of the occasions, a shift error message appears on the dash but quickly disappears. This can be very dangerous while driving and cause an accident. I have not had the vehicle looked at yet because I feel it should apart of the new recall for the other Ford Explorers.

Loose trim in the exterior rear window came loose and flew towards another can the lucky avoided the metal trim

When entering a roundabout, the vehicle failed to accelerate for a few moments. The vehicle then suddenly accelerated agressviely putting the occupants at risk for a collision with the oncoming traffic amd vehciles ahead of us, already in the roundabout.

The vehicle’s transmission system has been malfunctioning exhi jerky, delayed, and unpredictable shifting behaviors, especially noticeable at speeds between approximately 27 an 30 mph and higher. At lower speeds, the jerking is less frequent, but as speed increases, the jerks become more severe and abrupt. These issues manifest during various driving conditions, including accelerating, decelerating, coming to a stop, and lane changes on highways and city roads. When the problem first occurred, the vehicle suddenly jolted in a manner that felt as if I had been rear-ended, causing a sharp, uncomfortable sensation akin to whiplash. The unexpected jerks cause the vehicle to surge or hesitate unpredictably, significantly affecting my ability to maintain smooth control. On multiple occasions, this behavior happened while I was slowing down at stop signs, red lights, or in traffic, with vehicles close behind me, increasing the risk of rear-end collisions. In one hazardous incident, while attempting to merge from the right lane to the outermost left lane in order to cross an intersection, the vehicle jerked suddenly and unexpectedly, nearly causing me to collide with multiple vehicles behind me. This loss of control was alarming and made it unsafe to continue driving in this condition. At the time of these transmission malfunctions, my children were passengers in the vehicle, which made the situation even more alarming due to the increased risk of injury to my family. To date, this transmission issue has been consistently reproducible during everyday driving but has not been formally inspected, diagnosed, or repaired by any dealership or independent mechanic. There have been no warning lights, messages, or dashboard indicators that signaled this problem prior to or during these events. The transmission system and related components are available for inspection upon request. Because of these unpredictable and unsafe transmission malfunctions, I am currently u

The tire pressure monitoring system has failed. Per the dealership, each tire needs a new battery, which run around $150/each. The first sensor went out approx 1 month ago, with the other 3 going out shortly after. While this does not pose an immediate risk for the driver, it does appear that numerous other 2020 explorers are having the same issue. If the batteries provided are faulty, a recall should be issued.

Back up camera glitches and back up lights went out cause me to back into a tree at night

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the recall was repair was performed; however, several months later while driving 50 MPH, the rear axle bolt split in half. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the rear axle bolt was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

Ford Explorer has a panoramic roof cover that has a small plastic part that breaks and and creates a fold in the material - the window retracts but the material doesn't and fold down. This is a safety risk, because with the shade sagging down it blocks your view of the rear. According to others posting on online forums, a small plastic trim piece that is breaking and the cost to repair is around $1800. Repair shops has to pull the headliner and replace the fabric and new plastic bit. Apparently there is no way to make this repair without removing the entire sunroof window. What a design flaw!

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle jolted forward while parking. The brakes were locking up. While driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel locked up. The 4-WD fault light was illuminated. The contact stated that the Pre-collision Assist, Hill Assist and Reverse messages were displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 23-2174. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the AWD actuator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,156.

Vehicle has a water leak inside the cabin. We tried pouring water down the sunroof drains and can hear a gurgling sound inside the cabin and observed water entering the cabin next to the dead pedal. Took vehicle to dealership and they replaced a different part and did not solve the issue. Musty mold smell present in vehicle causing allergic reaction and reducing driver's vision posing an accident risk. Unable to drive vehicle until leak is fixed and mold is remediated.

Put vehicle in reverse camera camera on then went black and the backup lights went out while trying to move resulting in hitting a pole.

The panoramic sunroof sunshade assembly on my 2020 Ford Explorer Limited failed when the sunshade suddenly came off the guide track during normal operation. Prior to the failure, the sunshade operated normally with no warning signs, messages, or indicators. Once detached, the sunshade hung down into the rear window area and obstructed rearward visibility while driving, creating a safety hazard during lane changes, merging, and reversing. An authorized Ford dealer inspected the vehicle, confirmed that the sunshade had come off the track, and quoted approximately $1,500 for repair. The component remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request.

Back up camera turns off out of nowhere while in use. We have to stop immediately and turn back and not always is there visibility through the rearview window. Has not been inspected, they wanted to charge me $200 just to look at it. Once it goes out after a while it states that backup camera not available and to contact the dealership on the screen.

Sunroof cover no longer fully retracts causing the fabric to hang and block rear visibility.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the transmission experienced harsh downshifting from seventh to sixth gear. During the failure, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally, and decelerated unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed and decelerated significantly while the RPMs increased. The contact stated that the incident was frightening for both the contact and her children who were also inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Power Train Malfunction - Reduced Power" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road in a construction zone. The contact stated that upon turning the gear shifter knob to park(P), the vehicle failed to shift to park(P), and the parking brake automatically engaged. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several DTC were displayed. The contact stated that the messages “Service 4WD”, “Service Advancetrac”, “Cruise Control not Available”, “Collision Alert”, and “Traction Control” were displayed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact stated that several months ago the vehicle was repaired for the same failures. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

As I was driving down the road I heard a pop and a loud grinding sound. I pulled over to check and was immediately stuck in park (in a turning lane on rt1 with a 4yr old and a 8 month old) even though the car was still in drive. The gear shifter would not come out of park no matter what you shifted to, they just flashed. I got the vehicle towed to a shop because I couldn't get ahold of anyone at the dealer. After describing to them what happened and a little research on their end, they discovered that this matched a recall that ford had already released in 2023 for the plant and year model that my car is. The recal number is 23S05. The warning light states that "park not available" even though it's stuck in park. Unsure why it didn't include my vehicle in the recall but being that im having the same problem as this recall, it should be included. Everything in the recall letter matched what had happened to my vehicle.

The Abs failed and my car break system went out while on the highway with two small kids. Very dangerous

ADAS System malfunctions, 4WD malfunctions, Vehicle will randomly shut off during driving.

Electronic brake booster has failed. Ford has issued a customer service bulletin to address however ended the program in 2022. This needs to be turned into a recall as it could easily lead to a fatality if not addressed and replaced. Speaking with ford they have done numerous replacements of these.

My 2020 Ford Explorer required a transmission replacement just after 100,000 miles. The service department that handled the repair informed me that the issue with my vehicle’s transmission matches the same issue affecting 2021 and newer Ford Explorer models — models which, I understand, have been recalled due to this known transmission defect. Despite this, my vehicle—just one model year earlier—was not included in the recall, and I was required to cover the full cost of the transmission replacement. This is frustrating and concerning, as it indicates the issue may extend beyond the currently recalled model years. To make matters worse, about a month after the replacement, I had to return to the dealership because the transmission required an update that had not been performed. As a loyal Ford customer, I’m disappointed that I’ve had to endure these issues — both with a known transmission defect and with the quality of the repair — at my own expense. Ford Motor Company cannot cover the repairs due to it not being included in the recalled vehicles, even though the issue is the same.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power after coming to a stop. The contact stated that the oil pressure message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred thirty days after an oil change. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

On May 14, 2025, at approximately 72,000 miles, the vehicle began making a loud rumbling noise when put into gear and proceeding in forward or reverse. The rumbling\shaking would happen to a lesser degree if torque was maintained in the system and all turns were made while accelerating. The vehicle was immediately taken to the Ford Dealership. The transmission tech began to back up the vehicle, at which point the rumbling\shaking occurred and the tech stated that the rear differential (RDU) had failed. The vehicle was left at the Ford Dealership awaiting complete diagnosis. The vehicle was previously taken to the dealership on October 8, 2024, October 14, 2024, October 24, 2024, November 19, 2024, and December 16, 2024 to have the rumbling\jerking\slipping issues fixed and the complete drivetrain evaluated. On May 30, 3025, the owner was advised that the diagnosis was a failed rear differential and a failed transmission. As documented in NHTSA Safety Issue ID# 11655556, both front axles were just fully replaced replaced three times on October 2, 2024 (65,221 miles), October 16, 2024 (65,301 miles), and October 28, 2024 (65,597 miles) September to address issues with severe vibrations and rumbling which occurred when making turns and driving around curves. These severe vibrations and rumblings coupled with rough shifting and a hop\slip of the transmission when approaching 0 mph caused alarm and deep concern to the passengers in the car, so much so that they expressed fear for their safety as the vehicle shook and jerked. The axle replacement on October 28, 2024 included performing TSB 23-2174 to swap axle types completely by removing the Front Axle Disconnect Assembly. The rumbling\clunking\hopping\slipping persisted off and on after the replacement of the axles and transmission (TCM\PCM) reprogramming by the Ford Dealership. There were no warning lights or messages. The passengers were scared to ride in the car and the driver was nervous. Vehicle can be inspected.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality afterwards. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission oil cooler had failed and was leaking transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and confirmed that the transmission oil cooler had failed. The vehicle was pending repair. The contact stated that recently, while the vehicle was parked, there were oil stains found on the ground. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to the Manufacturer Recall Number: 20B34. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Panoramic sunroof shade came off track causing it to sag.

The sunroof screen blocks the rear window view due to sagging. The Ford Explorer has a common issue in which the fabric retractor spring fails causing the sunroof shade to not retract. Once engaged it blocks the rear window view. Additional since it won't retract, it continues to sage due to lack of tension. This will eventually block the rear window.

The hill assist malfunction warning followed by multiple malfunction warning failures started about a two weeks ago since being inspected at the dealer. Other warnings include pre-collision malfunction warning and advance track malfunction warning occurs then a wrench appears on the top left of display screen

The transmission shifted into neutral at a stop sign and a see dealer warning light came on. Turned the vehicle off and restarted it and it was able to resume drive. It happened twice more at a speed of 70mph. Ford has had the vehicle all but 3 weeks since 5/12 to repair it. Replaced the trans and harness.

Fuel purge valve not working properly causing the vehicle to not start after filling with gas, needing to keep vehicle running while filling with gas, safety issue. Turbo faulty causing car to loose power while driving and towing. Safely concern for multiple reasons. Flex exhaust pipe broken and mesh ripped causing burning smell and dangerous debris.

Currently have my vehicle in for a recall notice and mentioned to the Ford service staff that the transmission makes a jerking motion when engaged in a low gear but no warning lights are lit up. Technician states I need an entire new transmission and my vehicle is just barely out of the powertrain warranty. Ford refuses to replace transmission on their dime because its out of warranty. However, I've researched and found multiple complaints of people experiencing the same problem that just barely out of warranty their Ford transmissions are failing and need complete replacement too. Why is this not a recall issue with Ford!? My issue could create a safety issue if it completely failed without warning while I was driving. A car transmission typically lasts between 100,000 to 200,000 miles, or approximately 7 to 10 years for most drivers, yet mine is only 5 years old and 65,000 miles when it failed.

While driving the car made a grinding noise and experienced a brief loss of power. We were in two lanes of traffic, traveling at 65 MPH on an incline with a tractor trailer behind us. Then when reaching destination the car would not engage in park, but continued to roll. We were visiting our grandchildren’s house and they come out to greet us and my husband was getting out of the car as the car was still rolling. We drove the car to our Ford dealership and the manager drove the car and also experienced the car’s inability to engage in PARK. The Ford dealership inspected the vehicle.

Back latch is getting stuck in secondary position when released. Module is intermittently not communicating.

The transmission, when slowing down from 3rd to 2nd gear is shifting really hard and jerking. I haven't noticed this when it upshifts, only downshifting. There are times when backing up it will also act like the brake isn't completely off. It will jerk and scoot until you put it in park and let it set for a minute and then start backing up again.

THE SUNSHADE IS FALLING AND I CANT SEE OUT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. DURING REVERSING THE VEHICLE AND TRYING TO CHANGE LANES WHEN LOOKING BEHIND ME I CANT SEE ANYTHING WITH IT FALLING DOWN. IT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY A DEALER THAT WASNT FORD. NO WARNING LAMPS MY KIDS TOLD ME ABOUT IT AFTER WE WENT THROUGHT THE CARWASH WHEN I HAD IT OPEN FOR THEM TO WATCH THE COLORED SOAP. I CLOSED IT AND DROVE AWAY AND THEY SAID IT WAS FALLING IN ON THEM

Powertrain malfunction/reduced power came on when I came home from work as I pulled in my driveway. The check engine light comes on and off for the past week or two prior to the powertrain malfunction.

While braking vehicle downshifted harshly with a noticeable slam into gear. While under acceleration, vehicle rpms raised sharply as transmission slipped and would not engage and accelerate. Potential risk to injury as vehicle transmission failed on interstate with loss of acceleration. Towed vehicle to Ford dealership. Ford dealership inspected to the conclusion of "Fluid full/extremely burnt. Possible A clutch failure due to faulty front support". Ford dealer recommended to remove and replace transmission. - Transmission failure, not available for inspection. - Safety risk due to transmission failure at interstate speeds with loss of acceleration. - Problem reproduced by Ford dealership - Transmission inspected by Ford dealership - Wrench light illuminated shortly after initial harsh downshift and acceleration with transmission slip.

Ford Customer Service Case: [XXX] The transmission presented multiple problems, and eventually completed failed. Hard shifting, failing to engage properly, jerking and jolting in gear. Failure to shift to Park after stopping. Failing to shift gears up or down while driving. Loss of propulsion all together after stopping at lights or stop-signs. This put our family at risk, losing power in traffic. No warning lamps presented until the failure happened. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, and transmission failure was confirmed. The dealership did supply an estimate for transmission replacement ($6300). The vehicle is currently available for inspection, and has not yet been repaired. The interesting thing is that all of these symptoms seem to be extremely common for this exact model based on research. Multiple TSBs were issued in relation to the same model and transmission, but no repairs were ever made or suggested for this particular vehicle. It appears there may have been a recall for other 2020 Explorer STs, but somehow this particular one was excluded from the list, but manifested the exact same transmission failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Transmission harsh shifting and sometimes going into limp mode where vehicle will not accelerate even on the highway and at highway speeds- according to ford dealer their is no recall for this- vehicle has 64k miles but it’s a 2024 and apparently out of warranty- sometimes it will shift down to 1st gear at 55mph. No help from ford- dealership wants $180 just to diagnose problem.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the sunroof fractured without impact. Additionally, the fractured glass fell onto the contact and all over the interior of the vehicle. The contact sustained cuts from the fractured glass. The contact had not received medical treatment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

The wiring is faulty. We have had electrical issues since buying this vehicle. The car is not old- I turned my car on put it into reverse and all these lights popped up saying there’s electrical issues and it can’t work and the brakes legitimately did not work. We almost went into traffic from a business with no ability to break. For a 4-5 year old car this should not even be a thing I feel like. And it should not be having this serious electrical issues. Everything electrical in the car is not working and the fuses are fine according to the mechanic. Si we are going down the list of issues that could be an issue. But he is saying the wiring could just be faulty. Which is scary because it almost cost me and my oldest child our lives.

I was involved in an accident. I was traveling through a green light and a car was coming towards my driver side, they failed to yield. I attempted to accelerate and my transmission slipped prior to impact. I have tried to address this concern with Ford in the past and have reported the vehicle jerks on acceleration and when slowing down. You can feel the transmission slip when it is attempting to go from gear to gear.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were 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 not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

We received a recall stating that one or more of our seat restraint fasteners may have been improperly secured which may not effectively restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury. However, there are no parts or fix available.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact's husband stated while driving 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a possible sensor failure or transmission failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.