2020 Ford Explorer complaints

The back hatch has opened 4 times with no warning. The vehicle was in motion. First Time September 2021: I was backing out of my garage, the hatch came open and hit my garage door, it bent the hatch and it was repaired by RT Auto Centerville Iowa and garage door had to be replaced. Second time November 2021: I was backing out of my driveway and it came open with no warning, no damage. Third Time October 2022 I was backing out of my garage, the hatch came open and hit my garage door again, no warning, Repaired by Copeland Repair Center Oskaloosa Iowa Fourth Time February 2023: I was backing out of my garage, the Hatch opened with no warning & hit my garage door, the hatch, and camera were completely replaced and the vehicle had to be painted by Copeland Repair Center Oskaloosa Iowa. Prior to the fourth incident, I contacted FORD Motor company and was advised there was no recall or complaints on this issue and was told to go to the FORD Dealership. I went to the Ford dealer and was advised to take the problem to the repair shop, it was not FORD's issue that they had check it and found nothing wrong. Since the camera and hatch have been totally replaced, this has not happened. I am worried to have passengers in the back row seats due to this issue, for fear it will come open and someone will get injured. I purchased this vehicle new in May of 2020 from Junge Motors, North Liberty, Iowa. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] I only have one of the 3 Estimates. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO

Issues with the rear liftgate opening and closing on its own it will close open and partially close partially open at random in the middle of the night at random it keeps going till it kills my battery It closes when your underneath and causes a safety concern if you were not aware and get out of the way quick enough. Took it to dealership it needs a wiring harness due to corrosion and a switch. I see other people reporting the same with water leaks causing corrosion.

The chrome trim on the 2020 Ford Explorer inside door handle and window switches is separating/peeling off and is very sharp. My neice sliced her finger and was bleeding from the inside passanger door handle chrome that is peeling/separating from the handle when opening the door to exit the vehicle. I have cut my finger on the chrome tipped window switches.

Failure of panoramic moon roof gasket, and in adequate drainage system installation. This causes substantial water intrusion into vehicle. Flooding of drivers side floor causes extremely slippery and wet conditions when operating the pedals. Water migration into vehicle has potential to impact electronics, causing further damage and dangerous driving conditions. Vehicle has been inspected and problem confirmed by the dealership, who contracted a water leak specialist to identify the issue. No warnings prior to appearance. Issues has been ongoing for the past 3 months - 1,000 miles and 4 months after the end of bumper to bumper warranty.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the passenger’s side rear brakes were scraping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired; however, the brake failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

We turned the vehicle on and a parking brake error came up on the dashboard followed by the dashboard lighting up with a lot of warnings. The vehicle was turned off and back on but continued with the error. Because we were out at a store and not home, we tried to drive it. We placed it in reverse and when put in drive, the brakes did not work with engaged. There was a small bumped that was able to stop the vehicle. I called Ford and they offered to run diagnostics on the vehicle for next week but could not guarantee a paid rental for the length of time needed for the repair. After exiting the vehicle, letting it rest for 5 minutes and restarting again, we were able to drive home with the brakes working again.

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

While driving my Explorer at night on an unlit road in north western New Jersey the instrument cluster in my car displayed a warning message stating, “Check Headlight System, See Manual”. I pulled over and inspected my cars exterior lights for abnormalities, found none. With the headlamp warning light still on I proceeded on my way home when approximately 10 miles further down the road my driver side low beam turned off completely drastically reducing my visibility of the road ahead of me. Making it incredibly unsafe to me and the passengers in my car. On my way home I got pulled over by a local police officer for an out headlight. I explained the issue and they let me off with a warning. I immediately brought my car to my local Ford dealership to be further inspected. They proposed that the headlamp control module was causing the issue by diagnosing using their “pin test”. After replacing the module ($1,000) at the dealership I drove the car less than 10 miles away from the dealership and the headlamp warning light turned back on and the driver side low beam turned off once again leaving me stranded without light on the road. This cycle continued several times and Ford had no explanation as to why it’s happening. I was sent a quote to pay full price for the repair ($2,500) because I was out of Ford’s 36,000 mile limited warranty. A new car that leaves me without a driver side low beam on a dark road poses an incredible risk to me and my passengers as well other drivers and i

We are having issue with the “Check Headlamp System Check Owners Manual” display on the dash. Took it in for repair under warranty. They replaced passenger side headlamp. The warning still appears on dash. Is this an electrical issue? Will this cause a fire if it’s a short somewhere? Will the lights just malfunction going down the road if issue is not corrected? These are all questions I have and am concerned about my family’s safety…

During the past 4 months or so, I have noticed burning sensation in my eyes and tightness in my throat and lungs whenever I get into the vehicle even when the ignition is not even turned on yet. Recently, it got to the point that I am experiencing headaches while driving. I don't feel these sensations when driving my old 2016 Honda Civic or being inside any other car. Last December 2023, I brought and left the vehicle for a week to Future Ford of Clovis dealership in Clovis, CA for diagnostic tests. They did not find anything wrong and no report was made since they did not find anything that might have caused any issues. As of this writing, the problem persists and I do not feel safe anymore being inside this 3-year-old vehicle, let alone drive it.

Transmission failure at 48k miles under normal driving conditions. Down shifts from 7th to 6th gear you hear noticeable clunk and vehicle jerks as described under Ford TSB 20-2337

AWD Module is faulty and somehow not covered by Powertrain warranty.

Trunk hatch will not close or open properly, intermittently works, rear camera display turns off, does not work at times, display controls work intermittently

The front driver's and passenger side wheel well liner is hanging down on my tires. They constantly rub against tires and on driver side it has created a hole in liner. I feel they will eventually detach from wheel well and damage my vehicle or possibly someone else's vehicle. I am afraid it could also fall off in traffic and cause an accident. When I turn my steering wheel the scrubs on liner as well.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the pre-collision assist, service engine, four-wheel drive service, and advancetrac service warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front axle. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 21-2174. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, unknown warning lights were flashing. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shift into drive as needed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

Adding gas to my FORD EXPLORER 2020 Limited EcoBoost 4WD, is almost impossible. We just purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. No matter what gas station we use, no matter how slow we fill, the nozzle continuously clicks off every few seconds. We use the funnel that came with the vehicle & the gasoline consistently spills out along the side of the vehicle. The only way to get gas in the tank is with the funnel at the slowest fill possible. When the tank is on the fuller side, it sloshes around incredibly loud & there’s also a knocking sound on the driver side under the steering wheel area. I’ve looked online & have seen so many others that have these same issues. Took the car back to the dealership, they attempted to fill up the tank themselves and were just as confused as I was on how difficult it was to fill the tank.

FORD EXPLORER 2020 LIMITED ECOBOOST 4WD. Purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. Intermittently, the frontal crash warning goes off when there is no vehicle in front me. The front warning sensor did not beep as I tried to parallel park along a sidewalk. I gently hit a curb and had to have my tire replaced, seems like I hit it just right for a chunk to be taken out and threads were exposed. The rear back up camera and 360 view screen turns blue intermittently. I have the shut the vehicle off and turn it back on for it to properly function again.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle experienced a hard downshift and failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catastrophic engine failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired due to the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Driver's side headlight works intermittently.

The rear left brake caliper locked up and caused damage to the wheel, tire, rotors and most of the brake assembly. Ford service thought that maybe a bolt fell out. The vehicle has ~36000 miles. I purchased what was called a bumper to bumper warranty from the dealership but was told it did not cover the problem. The damage is $3200. I looked at online forums and found numerous entries about the brake caliper issues. A parts employee at a dealership told me the part (L1MZ2B511C) was on national backorder due to a "Quality" problem. Ford customer service said they would not cover the repair because there is no recall.

The adhesive to the sunroof headliner has failed causing the headliner to sag. The sunroof is almost the size of the entire top of my vehicle, which concerns me because I have two young children in the back and if this falls down on them while I’m driving or even on myself while I’m driving this would be dangerous. This issue is not specific to me. At my dealership there are actually a couple of escapes and explorers going through the same thing. The cost to repair is 6 hours of labor so about $1200. I don’t believe the consumer should pay when this poses a safety risk and also seems like a manufacturing defect. Another thing is that my sunroof will still open but it crunched up the headliner, and if i don’t stop it from opening in time then my sunroof will jam and I will have an open top.

Tailgate latching warning is intermittent in indicating if a lift gate is actually left open. This has been a reported issue by multiple users on forums. It’s caused me to have to call airport security to make sure my tailgate was indeed latch and happened three other instances. Some users have reported that they have had their driver door entry keypad unplugged that’s shorting the car’s warning system. This now sets off my car alarm and also sends a notification via the ford app. See other users experiencing the same issue since 2022 and ford trying to charge customers for short, even some reporting not being able to open the lift gate at all. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

January of 2023, 30,000 miles took the car in for oil change and for a complaint of exhaust noise and smell coming from just behind the engine. Dealer checked and stated they found no issues. December of 2023 43,000 miles on a cold day noticed exhaust vapors coming from under the car in the area of the noise. Found the pipes, NMZ-5G203-A and dash -B to be broken at the expandable joints. This corresponds to both my wife and I experiencing head aches/excessive sleepiness while driving long distances. Made an appointment for January 04, 2024 at Tom Peck Ford Clinton WI. The pipes were found defective and replaced at a cost of~$600. Given the left side had a recall on the police version 3.0L, why was a recall not made for the passenger models with the same engine? Have noted the issue reported on the NHTSA sight often. Recall 21E11. Ford also issued a CSP TSB 21B35 which referenced the Police and ST models with the 3.0L engine, but the parts are the same for the Platinum version. Also noted the -B part as now been updated to a dash -C. It is clear from the reports on the NHTSA and various Explorer forums the flexible connection is a failure point that could lead to an accident or death. The is a far more serious issue than the chrome pieces on the window up and down buttons causing some cut fingers. I cannot download the documents or pictures.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera image turned black or blue. A message indicating that the rearview camera was inoperable was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed several times; however, the failure persisted. 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 local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

When parked with the vehicle running a passenger exited the rear seat behind the driver. When they closed the door the drivers seat moved all the way forward and the seat back also moved forward pinning the driver to the steering wheel. After a few seconds the driver was able to move the seat back from the steering wheel. Not sure if there is a setting for the electric seats to move forward like that but it should not do it with the driver in it.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently downshifted without warning. The vehicle also hesitated or lost motive power upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward before resuming normal driving operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer later diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to shake abnormally. While driving, the vehicle lunged forward without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The software was reprogrammed and set for the parking brake to remain engaged. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The brake pedal was engaged and continued to depress independently. After turning off the vehicle, an abnormal sound was detected. The contact stated that while driving, there was a line on the screen. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was referred to the local dealer. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

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.

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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Power train malfunction (wrench) indicator came on. I eventually slowed down and when turning sharply, I could feel some grinding. I didn't want to drive any longer than necessary and got the vehicle to a shop. There was a bulletin for this problem-23-2114 requiring replacement of multiple parts including intermediate shaft and half shaft. Considering this was in the front end drive train, I was very concerned this could have affected the steering ability.

I recently had an increasing tire vibration problem on my 2020 ST with 18,500 miles. Took the ST to a Costco tire center to have the tire balance checked for lost weight, damaged rim or whatever. Balancer had massive weight shift so they took tire off the rim. Unknown to me, the original Pirelli P Zero tires have a foam coat inside the tire for noise comfort(????). It had deteriated and was formaing clumps and coming off the rubber.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the rear-view camera screen was blue. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 5,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed and determined that the EVAP system was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,253.

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was violently jerking. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the rear axle bolt had previously been replaced; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,200. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and shook excessively. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

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

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 stated that after he started the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into drive (D), reverse (R), or neutral (N). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

My backup and 360 camera repeatedly fails. It maybe works 1% of the time. Ford is aware and has no resolution for the problem.

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.

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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifting gear, there was an abnormally loud grinding sound coming from the front-end of the vehicle. There was transmission fluid leaking underneath the vehicle while the vehicle was idling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission cooler had fractured and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program NHTSA ID Number: 10185994 (Power Train, Equipment) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program. The repair was not covered under warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that with the vehicle in park, the vehicle started reversing independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to several faulty parts inside of the transmission. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) and 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to engage the front driver's seat control buttons, he noticed that the seat control buttons housing was fractured internally. The contact stated that he replaced the part himself. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact they could not assist because the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The 4WD/Powertrain service wrench appears on the dash of the car along with multiple other warnings “Service Advance” The AWD module has been an issue with 2020 Ford Explorers around the nation, locally as well as the Ford Service Techs brought to my attention. This AWD module has been replaced and fixed multiple times on my own personal vehicle but still manages to not function correctly. While on the highway, my car was going 65-70 mph and suddenly stops accelerating and slows down to 40 mph without driver having control of the matter. Acceleration does not occur until foot is off the pedal and the RPMs are back down to 1000 and slow acceleration occurs. The AWD module has had issues on the 2020 Ford Explorer regardless of mileage. It occurred at 7,733, 9,569, and 30,351. Again at 64,000 miles and again at 93,276 with lights coming off and on in between but after a while lights shutting off and car functioning normally. This is an electrical, technical issue that messes with the speed of your car while on the road. It’s happened while trying to accelerate from a red light to a green light and being unable to move proficiently with traffic.

Please refer Complaint Number: 11507564 Manufacturer promised to release a temporary remedy by mid august. Its November ,still no temporary fix nor permanent. Dealers give a fixed response of no parts available or no remedy. Attached is the recall letter that promised a temporary fix by aug 7,2023.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and whenever attempting to accelerate the vehicle would display a jerking sensation. It would jump as if it wanted to fail and or stall. power train malfunctioning, hill start pre-collision assist, front camera low visibility, as well as others, all had illuminated on the dashboard. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the all wheel drive module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred them to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 34,412.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast into a parking area, after which the vehicle displayed a power train fault alert. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 103,000.