2020 Ford Ranger complaints

I purchased a 2020 Ford Ranger truck which had, either a faulty "bulb," or other type of device which caused the driver side tail light to not illuminate. I was not made aware of this, as I do not commonly check to see if the taillights were when I turn on the lights to drive at night. However, I observed the faulty taillight probably a year or so after owning the vehicle. The vehicle is not frequently driven, as I brought the 2020 Ford Ranger truck new, and it presently as of April 2025 has about 7300 miles on it. When I became aware of the faulty taillight, I went to the local AutoZone store to purchase a replacement bulb, and was informed by a fairly knowledgeable individual that my vehicle did not have a standard "bulb" which could be replaced. I was told the unit which housed the component which caused the lighting to occur was an integrated compounded which had to be totally replaced, at a significant cost. I have not made any attempts to remove the component, and was informed there would be a significant cost to do so. On March 29, 2025 I was pulled over by a local sheriff's office indicating there was a problem with not only the taillight on the driver side not operating, but also problems with operation of my brake lights and other lights in the rear of the truck. I was informed that I should get the problem fixed as soon as possible. I did explain that I had previously made an attempt to get the driver side taillight fixed, but the component, was not available to do

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that his wife had parked the vehicle in the residence driveway and was bringing purchases into the residence when she returned to the vehicle she observed that gray smoke was being emitted from under the hood. The contact came out to the driveway, observed the smoke, and saw that flames were coming from the driver's and passenger side of the hood. The contact stated that the fire department was called but when they arrived the vehicle was engulfed from the front to the rear. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the flames using water and chemicals. The contact stated that the fire department had written an incident report. The contact stated that his insurance provider had the vehicle towed to an impound lot and declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to his insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 24,500.

While driving on the highway the tensioner pulley snapped off from the timing cover. Losing the pulley caused my serpentine belt to become tangled in the radiator fan. My engine over heated and I lost power steering. This left me stranded on the side of the highway for hours. I took the truck to ford, the origional quote was 3900, but they worked with me and got it down to 1765.

Date/Time: [XXX] Approximately 3:00PM local Weather: About 10F, light wind. No precipitation. Event Description: Vehicle had sat for > 12 hours. Started vehicle and operated wipers to clear snow. Vehicle was in 2WD; Shifted to “D” and began driving forward down driveway slowly; normal throttle response. Shifted from 2WD to 4WD. 4WD engaged, and there was normal throttle response. After driving for about 15 seconds, near end of driveway, removed foot from accelerator to slow to see if there was traffic. I saw that there was none and tried to accelerate. No throttle response; the vehicle came to a stop in the snow. Note: when I state “no throttle response”, I mean no engine revving; it was not simply that the drivetrain wasn’t sending engine power to the wheels, the engine wasn’t increasing throttle as I commanded. Momentarily surprised, I pressed harder to about 30% throttle, still no response. I removed my foot from the accelerator and applied the brake. As I did so, looked at the center console display. It was showing that it had lost connection with my phone (I had left it in the house) and it was trying to reconnect. At that moment I felt a slight “bump” of acceleration. The time between first noticing no throttle response and feeling the “bump” was about 3 seconds. I decided to go back for my phone (and I also didn’t want to get on the road with a wonky throttle) so I backed up to the house; normal throttle response. I retrieved my phone and everything operated normally a

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Pre-Collision Assist Not Available Sensor Blocked" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that whenever the message was displayed with the Cruise Control activated, the Cruise Control would disengage independently. The dealer was notified of the issue but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the heating system became inoperable. The contact stated that the heater would not function properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the HVAC blower motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

The blend door for HVAC controls sticks, makes clicking noises. From time to time it will stick in one position, for example cabin, when I need defrost, making it difficult to see safely potentially.

Early model 2019-2020 Ford Rangers have a known defect where the blend door actuator fails. The assembly was redesigned mid 2020 and is now the common fix for all who are affected by this issue. During this failure the blend door cannot and will not actuate as it should causing in ability to defrost the windshield causing visibility issues. Additionally, it causes unbearable heat to be released inside the vehicle with no warning causing additional safety issues for drivers and passengers. The issue is widely observed for all owners of early generations. Even though ford has known about the issue that forced an entire redesign they are unwilling to recall the defective component. I have contacted their corporate office and was informed there is no support for this issue. Today, while driving the system on its own changed to defrost, half of the windshield could be seen through, the other half could not due to variations on both sides which also caused condensation to form.

Transmission has rough and erratic shifts at lower speeds. Bucking and bouncing of the vehicle occurs do to the shifting.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused a failure with the spark plugs. The contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that an engine appearance shield needed to be installed over the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal squeaking and humming sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the carrier bearings and there was no grease or scratches. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

December 2024 experienced loss of power, was able to have a Certified Ford maintenance facility look at it, but found nothing, codes cleared. Codes presented were Hill Start Assist Warning, pre-collision Assist Warning, power train malfunction/reduced power. Drove the vehicle 3 hours in below zero temp. The next day after the vehicle sat in freezing temps, drove approximately 5 miles on snow covered roads when experienced loss of power. Went from 55 miles an hour to less than 10 MPH in about 200 feet. No traffic behind me, drove the remainder of the distance (another 5 miles) at 5-10 mph. Had to have the vehicle tow to a dealership where I was informed that there is a service bulletin on the throttle body. They ended up dumping approximately 2 cups of water from the throttle body. Ford replaced the throttle body at no charge. I called Ford Customer service to share my concern. The fact that the vehicle speed fell off so quickly was what prompted me to call.

At about 40,000 miles truck started jumping and hesitating under 30mph and has now gotten worse and jumping and hesitating at 65mph had it in the shop 3 times and they can't find the problem they came up with driveshaft and pinion flange. It came from Detroit and I believe it is a problem with the transmission.

1.) 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. 2.) 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.' 3.)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.' 4.) 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 l

When driving between 40 & 45 miles per hour truck start jerking and skipping also burning lots more fuel.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving between 40-45 MPH, the vehicle began jerking and the transmission was skipping. Additionally, the vehicle lost power and was consuming an excessive amount of fuel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,900.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired but the sound persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again and diagnosed with transmission failure again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the front camera fault service required and pre-collision assist not available, messages were displayed. There was an abnormal chiming sound detected. The safety features were disabled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact to clean the camera. The dealer used an ODB scanner but retrieved no codes and informed the contact to schedule a service appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted into neutral(N), and then shifted back into drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle responded, then jerked forward and backward. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving from a complete stop; however, on the latest failure, the vehicle failed to respond and stalled. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and 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 109,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while parking and removing the seat belt, the belt retracted quickly wrapping around their child's neck. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and release the child; however, the seat belt still failed to retract properly. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, a message indicating that the computer system needed to be updated was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the computer system could not be updated, and the dealer determined that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was awaiting a call from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

The Transmission in this truck has problems the 10 speed shifts hard on down shifts and slips on up shifts. This should have a recall to be addressed

Rear seat latch does not work resulting in seat collapsing forward when braking and would also collapse in an accident. Seat belts and child car seat would not be functional. Appears to be a common problem based on our research on the Internet. Salinas Ford dealership rep stated repairs are not covered because it is not a seat belt. This vehicle only has 2,758 miles, even though it is a 2020.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the contact became aware that the interior lighting failed to turn off, resulting in the battery becoming drained. A short time later, the contact stated that the center display failed to display the correct information, after which the vehicle lost electrical power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the audio control module (ACM). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 14,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle surged unintendedly. Additionally, the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with water leaking into cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the cylinder needed to dry out. The contact was also informed that an engine cover needed to be installed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

Presently, my mileage is approximately 42770. It has started to exhibit vibration throughout the cab. It wasn't as prevalent during the cold and would only last about 30 seconds, after warm up, and around 70 mph. Now that it has gotten warmer, it is happening after warm up at all speeds. I haven't take it to the dealership yet, but have read reports of the problem with the same model year.

I just purchased a vehicle from Autex Mazda of Keene. (1/2/24) A 2020 Ford Ranger with 36K miles and extended warranty. When driving on the highway at 60MPH my steering wheel started shimming very bad as I was passing a school bus that I felt I might of hit because it startled me and never felt a steering wheel shimmy so bad like that. Called dealer and they balanced the tires and leaving to return home the shimmy was back almost out of the lot. Are there any recalls on this issue and my backup camera is barely visible. I feel I was taking advantage of knowing there was a problem with this vehicle. I'll be calling Ford Service next but wanted to know about recalls and to report this before someone gets killed because of the issue.

Transmission has difficulty moving through gears- powertrain failure noted via alert system x2 when vehicle stopped abruptly while driving. "Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power". Fortunately no one injured. 60k miles on the vehicle and Ford reporting need a 6k new transmission.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the driver’s side headlight intermittently failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that a defective wiring harness had caused the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Vehicle has 11000 miles on it When stopping brakes are soft and pedal can go lower than gas pedal. Have talked to other drivers w same problem w ford rangers. It will b $150 expense Ford dealer says abs bleed procedure will correct. To me this is a safety issue as my foot could I have the gas pedal when braking

Vehicle has hard jerking when increasing speeds. Vehicle takes several seconds to gain power from being stopped at red light and shifts very hard. Sometimes feels like gear slips into neutral and loses power after accelerating slowing. Takes several seconds to recognize being in reverse and jerks hard when it gets going. Started at around 37,000 miles and getting worse at 45,000. Been told several times it's normal, but it very obviously is not and feels very unstable and unsafe.

Problem shifting,jerky motion or no response at all with the transmission had to pull over almost was rear ended because of no response.

The 10 speed automatic transmission has a problem. Yes the problem was verified by the Dealer. Yes the Dealer has had the car 3 separate times and worked on the issue. The transmission when starting out from a stop will fall on its face with no power to move from the stop. 2-4 seconds and then it takes off. When pulling out into traffic this condition is very unsafe and could cause an accident. Now it is starting to do it as traveling at speed and light acceleration it will hesitate before it goes. This is an intermittent problem not doing it all the time .

Vehicle has 51,532 miles and a blend door actuator needs to be replaced - inconsistent air flow coming in. The desired air wanted whether it be hot or cold, is being diverted incorrectly, so we are not getting a consistent temperature out of the A/C system. This item was recalled previously In the 2019 Ford Ranger.

At one point, the heat/ac would blow air but would not heat or cool. This was about a month and a half ago., There was an electrical burning smell, and at that point the system would not heat or cool. The burning smell has since subsided. I took the truck to Santa Maria Ford to have it looked at and have my oil changed. I was told that it would cost 3500.00 to repair the issue. I looked the issue up and I found that the 2019 Ford Ranger had been recalled for this exacted issue. I felt that it was just a matter of time before the 2020 Ford Ranger would be recalled for this item. I decided to I should submit this form to be on the safe side.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced various transmission failures which included the transmission slamming into gear while shifting from park to drive. Also, while driving at various highway speeds, the message "Power Train Malfunction, Reduce Speed" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while reversing, the back over prevention camera was inoperable. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera displayed a black screen. The contact stated that occasionally the back over prevention camera failed to operate. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become more frequent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

Transmission jerking, lunging forward, hesitating, loss of power. Has been verified by Ford of Sioux City IA. Ford states they do not make parts for the transmission. They can only replace the entire transmission at a cost of over $7000.00. This truck has 28,000 miles on it. This all started after an automatic software update was done on the truck. This is dangerous as it could easily cause an accident including upto death.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal squeaking sound was coming from the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was totaled and there is no need to proceed with this complaint.

The Ignition Coil and spark plug failed and caused the vehicle to misfire & lose power under load. The vehicle is available for inspection. Sudden loss of power could have caused a collision due to the vehicle suddenly slowing without warning in traffic conditions. Ford Motor company is aware of the problem and has a service bulletin describing how the lack of an engine cover allows water to get into the spark plug wells causing the failure to occur. Ford's fix is to install the engine cover and replace the damaged components. But will only do so under the standard warranty. Ford was notified of the problem with my vehicle while it was well within warranty. But because a dealer could not schedule an appointment until 9 days after the standard warranty expired, they have denied coverage. Dealership has inspected the components and confirmed problem is related to service bulletin. Check Engine light came on and was flashing when problem occurred. No prior warning or symptom until problem occurred.

It’s been about 4 months on the forward collision alarm and 4 1/2 weeks on the jerking going when taking off the transmission seems to jerk and when driving down a highway when nothing what so ever is on front of me all the sudden my front collision alarm goes off with a sudden breaks being applied by themselves.I spoke to dealer about it and all they told me it was probably from a shadow of trees or a sign which is bull crap.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and violently shook while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where it was discovered that the spark plugs, and engine coils were damaged due to moisture from rain or a car wash. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

After 40K miles the vehicle's transmission began to fail to engage, become hesitant/delayed in shifting and acceleration, and hard downshifting. At one intersection the vehicle's engine had to be turned off and restarted for the transmission to begin engaging again. The dealership's diagnostics detected that the transmission valve body controller and cvf drum needed replaced. Took months for the parts to come in just because so many vehicle of the same type needed the same work.

Exactly what is described in TSB 22-2025 and 21-2147. Ford did not put an engine cover on my truck, and water has intruded into the spark plug wells and corroded the equipment. Ford is refusing to fix the issue, as the NHTSA didn't include my VIN in the two previously issues TSBs about this.

Car has a terrible mold and musky smell in the cabin. Cleaned carpet several times and checked for water in truck Smell didn't dissipate. Took to Ford where the linked it to the air condition dripping or gathering. The cleared line and emptied. Smell was milder for short time. After running the air a few days it was getting stronger. Local Ford dealers couldn't see us for some time so we Took to outside AC car repair and they found the following issue related to SSM 50603 an improperly wrapped evaporator coil or small leak. Can't run air condition as we were advised smell would increase and possibly ruin carpet. Smell also is difficult to get out of upholstery and anything left in car. Ford dealers won't repair and require us to pay. Told by Ford corporate through chat that dealers are independently owned and it is their choice. This is an issue Ford is aware of but won't repair. No help at the corporate level. This could become larger issue as we don't know what buildup, leak or incorrect wrapped coils could lead to.

This is the second time I'm hearing the climate control system click before i can adjust the temperature gauge. It was replaced less than 1,000 miles ago and it already broke again. You already put notice on the issue, SSM 49264, but it needs to be recalled with better parts. Im afraid ill be having to pay out of pocket if it keeps breaking. Please recall this.

The 10-speed automatic transmission experiences rough shifting, particularly when the vehicle has been sitting for a period (e.g., overnight), including when shifting from park and into gear as well as shifting into gears 2 and 4. There have been no warning messages or indicators. Ford has attempted to diagnose this issue on at least one occasion - and is scheduled to examine the vehicle again - but, to date, has failed to acknowledge, duplicate or resolve the issue. This has been ongoing for more than a year. Based on simple internet search, this appears to be a known issue with Ford 10-speed automatic transmission vehicles.

There is a known issue with 2019 and some 2020 model year Ford Rangers. The Ford SSM is #50629. I have been waiting for a Ford service center to fix this issue for 3 months. This issue does not allow for the heater to work properly. Because of that, the defroster and defog doesn't work. This allows for limited or zero visibility through the windshield and side windows in winter conditions that require defrost or defog. I have to had to pull over and scrape ice off my windshield on short trips. Also, this winter has had some of the coldest days on record. Reaching in the -20F range. Having no heat at a time like this could possibly result in frostbite or hypothermia. I use my vehicle as sparingly as possible this winter, but there are times I absolutely need to drive around.

Regular headlights are excessively bright. Oncoming traffic is constantly flashing their bright lights with implications that my Ford Ranger's lights are on bright and not normal setting. This seems to be dangerous to oncoming traffic. It happens repeatedly every morning I am driving in the dark (5:00am-6:30am) Dealer said that there is nothing they can do. No indications that the bright lights are on (bright light symbol not appearing)

Since purchase I have been experiencing problems due due a poorly built transmission. The 10R80 transmission has been the opposite of what I expected when purchasing a new vehicle. I have experienced extremely harsh up-shifting and downshifting, as well as slipping gears while in motion which causes a loss of power while the vehicle is in motion. The most concerning of these is when the gear seems to slip while driving and when the accelerator is depressed the engine will only rev for a few seconds and then harshly clunk into a gear which will cause a jolt in the forward motion which has cause me to lock up my brakes in order to avoid hitting another vehicle. In addition to these I have also experienced harsh clunking and jolting forward or backwards when selecting gears. All of these are of great concern to me of course. I have tried contacting numerous Ford dealerships and shops to try and fix this problem and I continue to get the run around. I have since looked up recalls and I have found recalls for 2020 Rangers made in the Michigan plant from February 28 to March18 of 2020 have been issued a recall but somehow my Ranger doesn't even though the VIN states it was made in March of 2020. All of the servicing has been done according to Ford's specifications.