Ford · Ranger · 2020
2020 Ford Ranger
7
Recalls
114
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2020 Ford Ranger has 7 recalls and 114 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: power train (33 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 29, 2026
Research Context
The 2020 Ford Ranger page works best as a research starting point. Complaint totals show how much owner-reported activity exists, while recalls and investigations help show whether any of that activity turned into formal safety action.
Because this is a newer-era vehicle page, it usually helps to compare this year against nearby model years before deciding whether a complaint pattern looks isolated or persistent. On this page, the most prominent complaint area is power train with 33 reported complaints.
Best Research Moves
- Use the complaint log to understand what owners were actually reporting instead of relying only on the raw complaint total.
- Compare the recall list with the complaint mix to see whether the most reported issues overlap with formal NHTSA safety campaigns.
- Check the linked investigations for extra ODI context if you want to see whether owner complaints escalated into formal defect review.
Key Takeaways
- The 2020 Ford Ranger currently shows 7 NHTSA recalls listed on this page and 114 owner-reported complaints.
- This page currently shows 1 NHTSA investigation linked to this page.
- This page reflects complaint volume, recall history, and NHTSA test data, but it does not diagnose causes or rank reliability by itself.
- Safety data currently shows 4/5 overall NHTSA safety rating.
- The most frequently reported complaint categories on this page are power train (33), unknown or other (9), engine (7).
- Vehicle
- 2020 Ford Ranger
- Recalls
- 7
- Complaints
- 114
- Safety Rating
- 4/5
How to Interpret This Page
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
If you are researching a used vehicle, start with the complaint categories, compare them against the recall list, and then check nearby model years to see whether the same issue profile repeats. That usually produces a better buying or research signal than treating the raw complaint total as a standalone safety ranking.
NHTSA Crash Test Performance
Frontal Crash Test
Side Crash Test
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
29.2% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
ESC: StandardForward Collision Warning: StandardLane Departure Warning: Optional
Recall Notices
NHTSANHTSA ID: 25V685000October 10, 2025
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Remedy Status
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
NHTSA ID: 25V442000June 27, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Remedy Status
Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
NHTSA ID: 23V379000May 26, 2023
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Bronco, 2023 Super Duty F-250, and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles. The Tire and Loading Information (TREAD) label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can result in an overloaded vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy Status
Ford will mail a new TREAD label to install over the existing label, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the new label installed, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C18.
NHTSA ID: 21V811000October 15, 2021
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Ford Ranger Super Cab vehicles. The front passenger outboard seat belt may not have been assembled properly, allowing the seat belt to be misrouted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Remedy Status
Ford will provide owners with instructions to perform a preliminary inspection of their front seat belts. Owners that detect an issue with the driver's seat belt, are unsure of the results, or do not want to perform an inspection, should not drive their vehicles and contact a Ford dealership. Dealers will inspect the front row outboard seat belts and replace them, if necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C25.
NHTSA ID: 21V765000September 30, 2021
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Ranger Super Cab vehicles equipped with rear seats containing fixed head restraints. The fixed head restraints may interfere with proper installation of certain types of child seats. Additionally, the child seat may not attach properly to the lower-rear anchors. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage System."
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect the rear-lower child restraint anchorages for correct alignment and adjust as necessary. Separately, dealers will replace the non-removable head restraints with removable head restraints, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 5, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C24.
NHTSA ID: 20V575000September 23, 2020
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles. Due to a poor electrical connection, the rearview camera may intermittently display a blank or distorted image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Remedy became available on February 1, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C19.
NHTSA ID: 20V197000April 03, 2020
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.
Investigations
1 totalOn September 23, 2020, Ford Motor Company (Ford) filed a noncompliance recall report under 49 CFR Part 573 (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-575), recalling 620,246 Model Year (MY) 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles for a noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 111, Rear Visibility. Ford's recall described the noncompliance as insufficient electrical conductivity within the printed circuit board (PCB) internal to the camera leading to intermittent rearview camera operation. The supplier of the cameras was Magna Electronics.According to Ford's chronology in the Part 573, during the period February-April 2020, Ford identified and monitored warranty claims pertaining to intermittent or inoperative rearview cameras. Ford reviewed supplier product changes, focusing on changes introduced by the supplier in the October-November 2019 time frame. The Part 573 stated that the issue was brought to Ford's Critical Concerns Review Group (CCRG) for review on May 12, 2020.On July 7, 2020, NHTSA's Vehicle Research and Testing Center (VRTC) informed the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of a trend of MY 2020 Escape vehicles with rearview camera malfunctions. ODI contacted Ford the next day, providing five Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging inoperative rearview cameras. On July 15, 2020, Ford met with NHTSA to discuss the rearview camera issue. In a subsequent August 24, 2020 meeting, ODI and NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) met with Ford to discuss the recall status and additional VOQs. Ford presented rate and scope data for many of its MY 2020 products during the August 2020 meeting indicating high failure rates for certain models.This RQ is being opened to investigate both the timeliness and scope of Ford's rearview camera recall (20V-575), and Ford's compliance with reporting requirements.The subject reports referenced in the opening resume are identified by the following ODI reference numbers which can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov: 11349813, 11344126, 11342696, 11341486, 11340254, 11337274, 11331444, 11330875, 11329235, 11316960, 11343521, 11341884, 11337226, 11344018, and 11339573.
Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERAOpened: Aug 3, 2021
Owner Complaints
114 totalVISIBILITY/WIPER
Apr 27, 2026
Clicking sound coming from under the dash. I traced it to the blend door assy. Defrost intermittently will disengage. Vehicle has 29,600 miles on it
ENGINE
Apr 9, 2026
The cylinder #1 spark plug ignition coil. Check engine light came on and the vehicle began to vibrate while traveling 70 mph. The last 30 miles of the drive on an interstate required no speed higher than 50 to prevent the vibrations. Per the independent service center, Ford has...
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UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Mar 25, 2026
Back up camera intermittently fails to operate giving a squiggly picture or a blank black screen. I have seen many articles involving the same issues with Ford Broncos and where recalls have been issued for those vehicles. When will the NTSB be calling for Ford to recall other ve...
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POWER TRAIN
Mar 14, 2026
Truck shifts from 1st to 3rd, hard shifting in 4th through 10th gears.
SUSPENSION
Mar 1, 2026
2020 Ford Ranger XL: Total failure of both rear leaf spring assemblies (detached from bushing). Discovered during routine maintenance at approximately 47K miles. Both rear leaf spring assemblies failed in the same location where spring meets the bushing at fwd spring attachment l...
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POWER TRAIN
Jan 5, 2026
My 10 speed 10r80 transmission is failing and dangerous. Besides slipping bucking and delaying shifting it now revs up without moving. I've almost been hit more than 6 times. My ford dealer changed the fluid road tested and normal all that I'm complaining about is normal.
AIR BAGS
CRASHJan 2, 2026
Hit a tree head-on going 30+mph. Impact point on the vehicle was next to the airbag sensor. Air bags did not deploy
SUSPENSION
Dec 8, 2025
Brought the vehicle to the dealer for standard 40,000 mile service. When it was raised on their lift, the rear end dropped out because both driver and passenger side leaf springs had broken at the mount bushings. The springs had been broken for some time, as there was significant...
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POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
Nov 7, 2025
2020 Ford Ranger with transmission and engine (EGR cooler) issues resulting in hard shifting and surges makes it dangerous to drive. Happened on vehicle that was properly cared for and maintained. Issues present on truck that has less than 70k miles.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oct 22, 2025
Rear view camera screen freezes, has distortion and is sometimes blank. This has been an issue for several months and I keep seeing articles regarding this problem and that Ford is recalling various vehicles for the same issue but have not been notified of a recall for my vehicle...
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Showing 10 recent complaints from 114 total
View Full Complaint LogCompare Related Vehicles
Why Compare These Pages
The strongest comparison flow is usually: exact vehicle-year page, then nearby years of the same model, then other 2020 Ford models. That sequence helps separate one-off year spikes from broader make-wide patterns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many recalls does the 2020 Ford Ranger have?
The 2020 Ford Ranger has 7 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
How many complaints have been filed for the 2020 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has received 114 owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Ford Ranger.
What is the NHTSA safety rating for the 2020 Ford Ranger?
The 2020 Ford Ranger received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Ford Ranger?
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2020 Ford Ranger are power train (33 reports), unknown or other (9 reports), engine (7 reports).
Does the 2020 Ford Ranger have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA has 7 recalls on record for the 2020 Ford Ranger. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.