2020 Ford Explorer complaints

Front Right Passenger Low Beam has gone out. Ford dealership says this part is meant to last the lifetime of the vehicle and does not know why it has gone out. It occurred right after dealer did an oil change. After low beam went out a warning on the dash states to check headlamps. The dealer now wants to charge $2500 to replace the whole assemble. Being unable to see the road entirely is a safely risk especially since the primary driver is a third shift worker and we live an a rural community with a lot of deer and other wildlife.

While driving at highway speeds I have had a engine malfunction warning or a power train warning appear on my dashboard. The vehicle losses power and has a rattling sound when there is a loss of power. The vehicle steers fine but starts to slow down with the engine rpm dropping to zero. After a few seconds of gliding the engine resumes and I have full power. It seems to happen when I try to accelerate to pass. On occasion it has happened with other vehicles being in the lane I intend to move into or with another car following too closely behind me. I have looked on line about this problem and other people have noted the same problem. I brought the car in to Ford service they had the car for a day and ran it without finding anything. I am not surprised as it only happens occasionally. Of course the day after I had the car in for service it happened when I was driving.

Power window switch driver window inoperative. Remaining windows works fine . Only the main driver window inoperative.

Driving down the highway 65mph, cruise on, car makes an abrupt violent jerk forward, tires squeal, and car starts fishtailing across all lanes of traffic. Seems as if car spontaneously slammed on the brakes. Nothing crossed in front of the vehicle, nothing in the road, both hands were on the wheel, feet resting on the floorboard. Nothing displayed on the console. Once control was regained car drove per usual, no issues.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V069000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 32,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's and passenger side tires were shredded. In addition, the curbside tire went flat. The contact's son replaced the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with fractured front axles which were leaking fluids. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue with my 2020 Ford Explorer, as well as many other vehicles of the same make and model. Recently, I discovered that the spare tire compartment in my vehicle accumulates water due to a leak, which I believe could compromise the safety and integrity of the vehicle. Upon further investigation, I found that Ford Motor Company acknowledged this issue in a Technical Service Bulletin issued on December 14, 2020. This TSB indicates that Ford is aware of the problem, which appears to affect numerous vehicles. Given that this leak could lead to corrosion or other potential safety hazards, I believe it warrants a formal investigation by the NHTSA. Since this is a known manufacturing issue, I request that the NHTSA initiate an investigation into this defect and consider requiring a recall by Ford Motor Company to ensure that all affected vehicles are repaired at no cost to the owners. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to any updates regarding an investigation or action taken to address this issue and ensure the safety of Ford Explorer owners.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The low oil pressure and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine had failed. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that there was a hole in the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Passenger side seatbelt reactor is broken. Now I am unable to have a passenger safely due to faulty ford seatbelt. When I attempted to purchase seatbelt, ford had it on back order.

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.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the Power Train Malfunction - Reduced Power", "Pre-Collision Assist not available", "Hill Start Assist Warning" messages flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was restarted, and the messages continued flashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the failure was not replicated. The failure later reoccurred and the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,149.

We bought this our ST in April and just our luck it has passed the 5-year mark.....no powertrain warranty for us, darn. On Wednesday, during the 30-minute drive home from work, my spouse reported a fault indicator on the dash related to 4WD or AWD being inoperable. This did not trigger the MIL, but diagnostics showed DTC C0631, identified in TSB 23-2114/2174. After a costly fix replacing the FADA with an intermediary shaft, the SUV will no longer be an "Intelligent 4WD" vehicle—seems like creative and false advertising masking a known engineering failure identified by many on the internet [XXX] ). The first sign is a FADA leak. The TSB states that customers can continue to drive, so I took the vehicle for a drive, only to find myself abruptly stalled in traffic after about a mile. I tried to restart the vehicle several times, but nothing happened. After waiting about five minutes and calling my spouse, I tried again and was able to start it. It felt like it was in "limp" mode, as it had issues accelerating, so I slowly drove home. When entering the driveway, the vehicle could barely make it into the parking spot. As I pulled in and applied the parking brake, the vehicle was idling and started squealing so ear-piercingly loud (maybe SSM 51419?) that I was shocked and quickly shut it off. Later, I started the vehicle again and noticed it was knocking now, but the squeal was gone and didn't reproduce. The vehicle was towed to the local Ford dealer, and after reporting my experie

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under Ford Recall: 23S23/NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention); related to the Camera Blue Screen however, the repair failed to prevent the failure from occurring. The contact stated that approximately 3 years after the recall repair was completed, the digital screen failed to display the rearview image as intended and would reset once the rear door was opened and closed. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was not related to the recall repair and that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Several years ago I reported to Elk Grove Fird that the middle right car seat would release and move forward when a personas seated in the chair. It wouldn’t happen otherwise and we seldom have a 3rd person in our car. They couldn’t duplicate the issue and did nothing. In May 2024, it took it in again. They replaced a seat release button and something else. In August, the unexpected seat release occur again. Another repair was done. The same problem happened again when I had my [XXX] granddaughter with me. On a 5 mile drive to Costco, it suddenly released about 10 times; each time propelling the seat forward and causing the seal belt around her neck. I stopped, placed my iPhone to catch what was occurring, as no body believed me. Within 5 minutes, as we returned home, I captured about 5 more releases. After one month of discussion with Ford, they said they would replace the entire seat and pay about $1,400 and I would pay $1,150. This is a safety issue that could cause serious injury or death to my grandchildren. I believe Ford doesn’t want to make safe a high-end car they know has a serious problem. I have video evidence of this defect. What can the NTSB do to help me? [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Multiple advanced service warnings. Dealer states it’s the AWD module that needs to be replaced.

Harsh down shift 7 gear to 6 gear. Apparently ford knows of the issue. Very expensive repair due to Ford’s negligence

A couple months ago I started having problems with the turbo kicking out and having no power. I let the vehicle sit for a while before being able to get someone to look at it. Once the mechanic looked at it, it was determined that the catalytic converters were clogged and causing problems with the turbo or engine. The vehicle had started blowing out with smoke from the exhaust at this time also. After having the cats cleaned, the vehicle ran but was still kicking out white smoke. After driving it the first day it was now back to low power and low oil pressure light is kicking in more white smoke was coming out of the exhaust. I parked it 100 miles from home and having it towed for the second time

The transfer case module failed after a software update. The response from the bcm is no forward collision warning , emergency braking. It turned it off?? Aren't they required to have these features? I bought the vehicle for those features that are no longer available?

The vehicle is equipped with electric power brakes which will intermittently stop working resulting in no power brakes. It doesn't warn you that the pump has stopped working just a very hard brake pedal and no braking effort, failure to slow down.

Engine / Transmission constantly kicking when accelerating. Brought it to Ford Dealership multiple times for this issue. Told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.

Multiple warnings lights from advanced drivers assistance 4x4 went accelerate and could not error code u0102 also rattling from right second row seat.

As my [XXX] was opening the rear passenger door of the vehicle part of the chrome trim had came loose in turn causing a laceration on his finger. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after a hurricane, there was water damage inside the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that water had entered the vehicle through the rubber seal of the windshield. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 76,290.

While driving on an interstate highway, my car slipped from drive to neutral on its own. Within a few seconds the transmission returned to drive. When the car reached its destination, it went into park, but wouldn't shift out of park for 20 minutes. It finally shifted into reverse, and drive as needed until reaching my home. While trying to shut off the car at my home, it showed that it was in park, put the car was rolling. Finally the car stopped rolling and appeared to be in park. The car hasn't been driven since that day. I had the car towed to the local Ford dealer who sold me the car. They determined that the parking pawl malfunctioned and part of it destroyed the transmission. When I researched recalls on this vehicle, I noticed NHTSA Recall #23v-069 appears to be the same problem that I experienced. The Ford dealership said that this recall didn't include my car's VIN #, so that is why I never received any notifications of this recall. I believe that my car should have been included in the recall and I wouldn't be facing an $8,000 + bill for a new transmission. Ford will not pay for the repair because the car has 66,000 miles, which is over the 60,000 limit. The service technician at the dealership said that I did nothing to cause the transmission to be destroyed. This obviously was a very dangerous situation, and this is why there is a recall on 2020 Ford Explorers. I believe that more cars need to be included in this recall.

Recall in 2022 on rear bolts breaking was done bolts was replace. how ever new bolts are breakng as well, and dealership has put out report but only if rear bolts brake at this time u wreck the car , note two cars has crash do this when i ask they said the not replace them unless they break this incluedes bolts in upper and lower control arms, and related compontents, now why would say replace the bolts but wait untill they break makes no sence to me as total loss control can happen bolts should be replace with stanless steel , mettle wont rust or seze up , my resuch pulled up 5 car crashs all was hurt no one died so what must happen dose people neeed die , ? this must be taken care of asap cars are not safe , and this leads me to bigger probem front end uses same bolts yeat we have no idea how many bolts was replaced and never documented,

It is well know fack that rear bolts for axle and all part tend break ford replace them once with what ? bolts that still break so probems was never fix, now as ford did this as was no recall they refuseing replace bolts a 2ed time to fix there error, wich lead to many cars being damage so bad ford has refuse to fix them leaveing the people holding the bag more so when car wreckes, probem is ford and may others are hiding cars throw use of modle number vr ack year that car was made under, 2020 ford expoler made 2019 throw not one 2019 recall was place on this car, ? and why vin is base on modle number not year was made, and your department dose not force these busness to investgate part number in reclall list, parts should not been used in newer cars but was this goneing on more then not, now again i get message replace rear axle bolts only after they brake ONLY AFTER THEY BREAK now they know what will happen if they brake going 70 mpr, this probem was never fix right first time and now again this time ford saying we not going replace bolts , it is time you all step up and find out why this keeps going on why wasent it fix and get fix right, this is huge saft probem, that one can lose a hole tire if more one bolts breaks this has happen, ford and others do not look at part numbers as part there recall process throw part number in the system so if other cars has this probem people has fix it, think change must be made to not only look at vin but part numbers in all recalls reg

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop, there was a screeching noise coming from the transmission and the vehicle experienced hard shifting. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was transmission fluid leaking from the transmission oil cooler. The contact was advised that the transmission oil cooler 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 47,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that on one occasion, the SRS warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no service technicians were available to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V069000(Power Train), and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,500.

Lift gate stopped opening. Would no longer operate with any of the buttons in the car or key fob. Dealership states that they are seeing this happening a lot with this vehicle at around 60,000 miles. This is a safety issue. What if you needed to get out of your trunk due to an emergency. The lift gate latch quit working due to having 60,000 miles on your car. That makes absolutely no sense. I feel that this needs to be recalled. This is a necessary door that should no go out due to a certain mileage.

The transmission failed on my 2020 Ford Explorer with only 66,000. Ford knows there is an issue with the snap ring inside of the tranmission but won't do anything about it. This is a vehicle that is less than 5 years old and 6,000 out of warranty. There was no warning to the transmission going out, I was on my way to work and my car downshifted very hard and lost all power. I was on the 4 lane highway and thankfully was able to get over to the side of the road safely and call my husband. There were no warning lights or messages displayed but clearly the transmission was bad. I took my vehicle to my local Ford dealer and they confirmed the snap ring had come unseated and I was going to need a new transmission. I took it to a local transmission shop to get a second opinion and they also confirmed the same thing. I called Ford Customer Care and they weren't able to help. She stated there is a TSB out for this issue but no recall at the moment so they wouldn't cover anything under warranty. I paid $5,400 out of pocket to fix a repair that Ford knows is going on and that could have been a major safety issue, had I not been able to get off the highway.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering assist and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer. The failure occurred while the contact was driving home from a trip. The contact made several attempts to have the vehicle inspected for the failure; however, there were no local dealers available. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a failure with the steering. The contact was advised to safely drive the vehicle to his destination and then take the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a power steering control module failure. The contact was informed that the power steering control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer agreed to cover 50% of the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 67,900.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH and slowing to exit the highway, the vehicle downshifted hard, and the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was recurring and was occurring while slowing down or while accelerating. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the transmission and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the main control valve had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the CDF clutch bushing had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 25,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear hatch closed without driver input. The contact stated that the buttons were inoperable and failed to open the hatch as needed. While the hatch was closing, it pinned and violently struck the contact on the head. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on four occasions, who was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

Rubber seal around sunroof failed, and vehicle is only 4 years old. Ford states the seal appears to have dried out and failed. This failure cause water to leak into the vehicle during a rainstorm, in the amount of 25 gallons based on what I pulled out by vaccuum and dehumidifier.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a pothole and made a metallic clunking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a failed driver’s side rear shock absorber. The contact was informed that the rear shocks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

We been getting AWD malfunctions alerts, causing the vehicle to not go into AWD. Took it to the dealership they say this isn't covered under the powertrain and we need to replace the AWD module on our 2020 Ford explorer. Reading other Forums, sounds like this is a common issue with the explorer but the dealership won't cover under powertrain warranty even thought this component powers the AWD part of the powertrain.

Heating on passenger side of vehicle has failed multiple times.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission experienced hard downshifting while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the over time, the failure also occurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The power train warning light was illuminated. A local dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be seen until the end of the month. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a leak was discovered in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 52,500.

2020 ford explorer police interceptor utility 27k miles has a broken differential bushing and axle bolt which in turn has cause the axle to fail thankfully not on the highway at full speed. This issue has a recall 22S27/22V255 but our vehicle and vin # aren't included in the recall even tho same issue is being reported. What can be done to add the other vins to this list because it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS OF UNKNOWN BUT POSSIBLE FAILURE

-Transmission fluid leak -Trans cooler broken/cracked -Check engine light never came on (I had to discover this problem by a noise I was hearing) -Problem has been prepared by auto mechanic ($2,600). I have read there has been a recall for 2020 explorer models but my VIN is not included (should it be?). Attached youtube video shows the problem and mechanic states it’s been a problem: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car went to dealer for engine noises and was told the motor needed replacement. Was never told what was actually wrong with the car in my paperwork. Then brought to another mechanic and was told the car needed a motor due to a bearing in the lower end had failed. Then noise went away was driving it to another dealer when the motor completely locked up.

The drivers side outside seat valance broke and needs to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact drove the vehicle to the side of the road and performed an inspection of the vehicle. The contact noticed that 3 of the 4 lug nuts were fractured on the driver's side rear tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with detached lug nuts. The contact was informed that the lug nuts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred four times within the year. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Vehicle is giving a code C0631 and C0632 also has a wrench light indicator on it has something to do with the AWD the vehicle will become hard to turn stall completely will not move and a loss of power occurs

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, the driver's side seat belt failed to fully retract. Afterward, entering the vehicle to drive to the next destination, the contact became aware that upon fastening the seat belt, the seat belt hung loose, providing little to no restraining tension. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,000.

Odd jerking during acceleration and deacceleration. More prominently noticed at 35MPH during deacceleration. Difficulty changing gears. Odd noises. Check engine light went on at

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the power window control switch failed to function properly. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the powertrain control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,518.

August 22, 2024 Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center P.O. Box 6248 Dearborn, MI 48126 Regarding: Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01 I want to let you know how dissatisfied I am with your customer service claim to have happy satisfied customers, that is so proudly proclaimed in the introduction to this notice. We travel long distances in very remote areas of the Southwest. The last thing I want is to be stranded in the hot desert with an axle bolt beginning to or actually failing. Your policy to notify us of a potential problem, but not repair until the bolt fails gives me no confidence in my vehicle. In fact I am reluctant to make this trip again in this vehicle that has a known parts failure issue. It would have been better to have not notified me of this concern, in which Ford has no intention of repairing until it fails. If the issue was only non critical, such as the chrome around the window operation buttons this process would be acceptable. However this issue has the potential for severe mechanical failure, resulting in dropping the driveline. The approach presented in this letter for this issue demonstrates a lack of customer service. At this point I am ready to sell this vehicle and purchase a different vehicle from a different manufacturer before taking another long distance trip in it.