general problems of the 2020 Ford Expedition - part 1

I was driving home from vacation on I-77 in virginia, and felt large jolt and heard several clicking type noises. Two separate service engine lights immediately came on the dashboard, and I was able to safely pull over. I had my vehicle towed to a nearby dealership to be looked at by a mechanic. The mechanic indicated the existence of safety recall notice 26s48/(NHTSA 26v402). I spoke with the mechanic who removed the diagnostics lights on the dashboard as prescribed by Ford, and attempted to see if they would be triggered again by driving the vehicle around. I described what had happened and the mechanic immediately said the description of this safety recall seems to be the culprit as to what was experienced. The parking pawl engaged while I was on I-77 traveling 70mph, causing the transmission to inadvertently shift into park causing the jolt and sounds I described. I contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and Ford manufacturer directly regarding this recall, and was told as there is no remedy available. I have several concerns as the remedy is not expected until 5/31/2027 which is way too long of a period to have to wait when my vehicle has clearly been diagnosed with this recall issue, as shifting into park while driving presents a major safety risk that puts lives in danger. Furthermore, the parking pawl can cause significant damage to the vehicle's transmission and may make me liable for significant repair costs that 100% could be avoided by Ford providing a remedy in a reasonable amount of time. I need my vehicle to either be repaired, repurchased, or provided a loaner car by the dealership while I await this remedy to avoid this situation from happening and resulting in me having to pay for a new transmission or worse potentially causing an accident. This vehicle was inspected by the state of pennsylvania in 2026.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 26v368000 (structure), 26v402000 (power train), 26v344000 (seat belts) and 25v197000 (seat belts); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 shifting the transmission into park(p) or drive(d), the vehicle lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. 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 50,000.

The transmission shifts very hard the first time accelerating after slowing down.

The transmission frequently has harsh and delayed shifting it is concerning that this leads to unsafe conditions while driving as the vehicle is not as responsive as it should be. The transmission has been replaced once and rebuilt three times by the dealer.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started coasting, and thirty seconds later the vehicle operated as intended. The contact then heard a loud sound coming from the front of the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

Vehicle has intermittent shift issues. Transmission will shift to neutral while in motion. Issue is not terrain specific. Poses extreme safety issue has been looked at and not found by mechanic. Ongoing issue since I took ownership in Nov. 2024.

My 2020 Ford Expedition has a transmission problem. The vehicle has harsh shifting, slipping, hesitation, jerking/lunging, and abnormal shifting while driving. The problem happens during gear changes and creates a safety concern because the vehicle may hesitate, slip, or shift unexpectedly in traffic. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The technician diagnosed the issue and recommended replacing the transmission. I believe this may be related to a known Ford 10r80 10-speed automatic transmission defect. I am requesting that NHTSA review this complaint and investigate this safety issue.

On July 1st 2026the car violently slammed into park while in traffic. Took the car to the Ford dealership the dealership advised me that the " parking pawl" was damaged and was part of Fords recall. There is currently no fix for this recall and nothing they could do. Called Fords customer service they advised no fix and could continue to drive car. The car has since slammed into park while driving in traffic on July 10 and July 11th.

At highway speed of 70 mph vehicle briefly went into park and shut entire vehicle down, vert traumatized and injured my head from the brief shutdown, could have caused a fatal accident.

I was driving at highway speeds and parking suddenly engaged forcing vehicle to lose all power. While I was able to get the vehicle off the road it could have ended much worse. Ford recognizes this as a recall but because it it is not officially active they will not fix it unless I pay for it. Manufacturer recall number26s48 NHTSA recall number26v402.

2020 Ford Expedition max. Ford issued safety recall 26s48 / NHTSA 26v402 confirming a transmission park pawl defect causing potential rollaway and crash risk. Remedy not available until q2 2027. Vehicle has experienced the exact defect symptoms since at least November 2025 including stuck-in-park diagnostic codes and shifting anomalies. Prior to November 2025 the transmission failed to execute a commanded shift at approximately 65mph while passing another vehicle on an expressway causing sudden unexpected deceleration with family members present — a near-miss consistent with the park pawl defect Ford now confirms. An authorized Ford dealer visit in June 2026 for computer reprogramming included verbal acknowledgment of transmission concerns but no documentation on the repair order. Eight days later Ford issued recall 26s48. Separately this vehicle has generated over 1,400 restraints indicator lamp warnings logged in Ford’s own connected vehicle app since at least April 2023. Restraints warnings began within 30 days of purchase at under 400 miles. Ford issued recall 26s34 / NHTSA 26v344 for front seatbelt retractor inspection on this vehicle. On multiple dealer visits spanning 2021 to 2026 service advisers verbally acknowledged the restraints warning but documented no concern and performed no diagnostic action on repair orders. Ford’s telematics platform received all warnings in real time with no proactive owner notification. Remedy not available for either recall.

The transmission (10r80) in the 2018-2022 Ford Expedition and Ford f-150 vehicles are failing at an alarming rate. There are hard shifts, hesitation, and some vehicles, like mine, drop out of gear at highway speeds putting myself and my family at risk of a traffic collision. The repairs are in the many thousands and there are tens of thousands of transmissions that are failing. Something needs to be done to protect the consumer.

The vehicle at highway speed failed to accelerate or hold speed. Warning text came up on dash. Vehicle rpm increased yet vehicle failed to accelerate or hold speed. Vehicle felt like it went into nuetral. This happened several times. Vehicle driven to dealer for transmission repairs. Code p07e6 stored in ecm.

Vehicle trasmisson will randomly shift into neutral and loose all power. It does pickup and go back into the correct gear within 5 seconds. Intermittent power loss at higher speeds and on busy roadways does cause safety concerns. Transmission oil has been changed and checked repeatedly. This has been a continuing problem since I took ownership 2 years ago. I have complained to Ford directly with no response or remedy. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times but nothing seems to be a remedy. No lights come on and no vehicle notifications were given. The transmission temp did go up to 207f at the last instance and eventually cooled back down to 196f. This has happened while traveling on flat roads and up hill. There seems to be no difference on terrain or speed.

Failed component & availability: Ford 10r80 10-speed transmission (power train). Available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: my family is put at extreme risk in two ways. 1) sudden loss of motive power, slipping, and violent engagements at highway speeds create an imminent rear-end collision risk. 2) this exact vehicle is now under safety recall 26s48 (NHTSA 26v402) for unintended vehicle rollaway. Ford explicitly states a remedy is not available until q2 2027, forcing us to drive an unfixable, inherently dangerous vehicle for another year. Confirmation & inspections: yes, reproduced and confirmed by tomball Ford. The latest catastrophic internal failure was physically inspected and confirmed by an independent old republic auto warranty inspector. The tomball Ford technician explicitly documented the cause as "outdated internal components" aligning with TSB 25-2476. Warnings & symptoms: violent shifting, delayed engagement, and "powertrain malfunction / reduced power" dash warnings. The latest catastrophic failure triggered hard fault dtc p07f7 (gear 10 incorrect ratio). Cause summary: chronic manufacturing defect inherent to the Ford 10r80 / 10r60 transmission family. This vehicle has required four (4) transmission assemblies in under 70,000 miles (repairs in Nov 2022, Feb 2023, and June 2026). During the most recent failure (may-June 2026), the vehicle was out of service for 26 consecutive days. Despite 4 failed transmissions and an active unfixable safety recall, Ford corporate just denied our request for a replacement vehicle, abandoning my family in a documented rolling hazard.

The vehicle has experienced repeated critical transmission failures and currently has four active federal safety recalls with no available remedy. The transmission has failed four separate times, requiring four transmission assemblies within approximately 68,795 miles. The latest failure produced dtc p07f7 (gear 10 incorrect ratio) and was confirmed by the Ford dealer and an independent inspector as an internal transmission failure. Symptoms included harsh engagement, delayed shifting, hesitation, slipping, and repeated powertrain malfunction messages. The vehicle was out of service for 26 consecutive days during the most recent repair. A NHTSA VIN lookup shows four active unrepaired recalls: a transmission rollaway hazard affecting the parking system (26s48), two seatbelt pretensioner recalls involving inadvertent deployment or failure to retract (25s31 and 26s34), and a chrome trim recall involving sharp edges (26s38). All four recalls currently have no remedy available, with estimated repair dates extending into late 2026 and 2027. These defects affect critical safety systems including the power train, seat belts, and parking system. The rollaway hazard recall indicates the vehicle may move unexpectedly even when shifted into park, creating a serious risk of injury or collision. The seatbelt pretensioner recalls involve components that may deploy without warning or fail to retract, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The chrome trim recall involves sharp edges that may injure occupants. Combined with repeated transmission failures, these issues create multiple simultaneous safety risks. The problems have been confirmed by the Ford dealer and an independent inspector. Warning symptoms occurred before each failure, including harsh shifting, slipping, hesitation, and powertrain alerts. The combination of unresolved federal safety recalls and repeated transmission failures makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.

When attempting to accelerate (gently) on the highway, the vehicle hunted for gears and shook violently and have zero acceleration. A wrench flashed on the screen of car. Felt like it went to neutral as engine rpm's increased rapidly accompanied with a loud thunk. Thankfully we were in a safe spot to just coast and exit the highway.

SUV jerks when shifting, hard shifts, transmission fails to shift preventing driver to speed up resulting in hazardous driving condition when entering a highway. Metal shards recovered from transmission fluid checks. Occurs consistently when moving to higher speeds, I. E. Acceleration from red light to green light. Or entering highways, freeways when acceleration is needed.

On at least 5 separate occasions the vehicle has slowed significantly and failed to downshift in order to accelerate. This has been accompanied by high transmission temps and power train warnings. In one instance the vehicle slowed to below 40 mph on an expressway with a speed limit of 70. Eventually the vehicle will downshift with a harsh and erratic shift which will then accelerate the vehicle. I'm at the point where it does not feel safe to have the vehicle on the expressway.

The transmission has now stalled in 2 situations within 7 days. Stops pulling for about 30 seconds, then a loud pop occurs as the transmission kicks back in to working. 53,000 miles on the vehicle, no warning lights came on or currently on.

While merging on to highway vehicle made loud clunk, transmission slipped and vehicle went into fail safe mode(limp mode). Vehicle would not accelerate when pushing on gas pedal for 8 seconds. Tractor trailer truck behind us slammed on its brakes as well as 3 other vehicles due to tractor trailer truck swerving in lanes to stop. Was almost rear ended by tractor trailer truck. Vehicle has TSB’s on 10 speed 10r80 transmissions but no recalls. Vehicle does not throw code so vehicle can not be assessed or repaired according to dealership and Ford motor company. This is a huge fatality risk and safety issue regarding multiple claims of the 10r80 transmissions in the newer Ford Expeditions.

While driving my 2020 Ford Expedition at approximately 50-60 mph, the vehicle experienced a sudden, unintended downshift without driver input. The dashboard gear indicator abruptly dropped to "1st gear. " this caused rapid deceleration and a mechanical "chattering/popcorn" noise as the transmission struggled to find a gear. The loss of power in traffic created an immediate safety hazard and risk of a rear-end collision. A certified Ford dealership (river view Ford - oswego, IL) has diagnosed this as an internal transmission failure.

The 10-speed automatic transmission has harsh/ erratic shifting, clunking, hesitation and power loss. We were turning on to a 4-lane highway. The Expedition lost power and would not go. A vehicle almost ran into the back of the Expedition. When we tried to accelerate the transmission made a clunking/ grinding sound and finally went into a gear. Yes, the problem has been reproduced by the Ford dealership. It is scheduled to be inspected this week. There were no warning lamps or messages or other symptoms of the problem. The problem started a week ago.

My Ford Expedition (2-wheel drive) is experiencing jerking at variety of speeds, (changing gears, slowing down) and will sometimes get stuck in gear when I press the gas. Today, as I was entering the freeway, I pressed the accelerator and the transmission did not engage—there was no power at all until I released the gas pedal and pressed it again, at which point it finally engaged. This issue happens intermittently and is a serious safety concern, especially because I cannot predict whether the vehicle will hesitate or fail to respond when accelerating.

Transmission clucks when changing gears.

Transmission will randomly jump while accelerating and downshift to the point that we have to get to the interstate shoulder. This has happened many times.

2020 Ford Expedition with 38,094 miles started having delayed and rough shifting a few days after my warranty was out on December 12th. 2024. I had looked up the issue before I took it in and found all these complaints and was worried mine was having this same issue. Took to our Ford dealer and it was confirmed that my 10r80 transmission had failed and my cdf drum is worn and quoted 5600 to fix! they refuse to cover the cost knowing I and 1000's of others have had this same issue. Ford refuses to acknowledge it and the consumer is left with bill. I have owned 2 Ford explorers and 2 Expeditions in my driving life and feel like they have screwed me over. This needs to be resolved. They need to be held accountable! I am at a loss here and cant afford this fix so does a practically new ( by mileage terms ) car just sit in the yard and rot now??.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25e070000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that he lived near a school zone and was concerned that the failure could occur, causing the vehicle to strike and injure children on the road. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive because the recall was not a safety recall. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The power liftgate system appears to be malfunctioning. The vehicle intermittently displays a warning that the liftgate is open when it is fully closed and secured. When this occurs, the liftgate will not open using the exterior handle, interior button, or key fob. Additionally, the false “liftgate open” alert triggers the vehicle’s alarm system to activate unexpectedly without any attempt to access the vehicle. The issue occurs randomly and without warning. This malfunction creates a safety risk because the liftgate cannot be opened when needed, which could prevent access to emergency supplies, child safety items, or the spare tire in an urgent situation. The false alert also causes the vehicle alarm to activate randomly, which can startle the driver and others nearby, potentially causing distraction while driving or in traffic areas. Additionally, the system incorrectly indicates that the liftgate is open, creating uncertainty about whether the vehicle is secure and safe to operate. A malfunctioning liftgate could present a hazard if the vehicle incorrectly detects an open door while in motion. Yes, the issue has been reproducible at bluebonnet Ford in new braunfels, TX. No, alerts prior to it happening, when I does alert all lights in the vehicle turn on, as well as notifications on the Ford mobile app.

I am suggesting an investigation into the 2020 model Ford Expedition relating to the 10 speed automatic transmission in this vehicle and others in previous and newer models. The problem is known and has been well documented that the transmission often fails and pops out of gear especially when accelerating and is extremely dangerous for obvious reasons while passing or climbing hills. There is not a recall for repair or replacement of these transmissions. The recommended service for this transmission occurs at 150000 miles according to the owners manual however failure often begins well before the first recommended service interval. The cost to repair or replace the equipment often exceeds $10000 and service managers are well aware of the issue.

The incident occurred while traveling at 75 mph on the interstate. The car felt like it tried to put itself in park and slammed forward violently, at that time it came up with a shift fault light on the display, it shifted to neutral so there was no movement of the vehicle it was free wheeling, then it slammed itself back in a low gear where the vehicle slammed hard and the car engine was redlined. The transmission then proceeded to shift back up into a higher gear. All this while traveling at 75 mph. My concern, if one of my kids were driving it, or the road conditions would have been wet or snowy we would of had a very different outcome. The vehicle was sent to a Ford dealer where they found a park shift failure and shift issues recommending a new transmission. Ford was not willing to warranty the transmission even with the issues experienced and forced me to pay 60 percent of the cost. I find this hard to believe since a family could've been severely injured or killed. Previous to this incident, there were no warnings, lights, or concerns, the issue came out of the blue.

I got a brand new transmission put in at the beginning of the year but my whole car spits and sputters and shakes going 45 and when I am backing up it throws me forward(almost in the car in front of me) instead of reversing and making a loud clinking noise.

My 2020 Ford Expedition platinum VIN [xxx] miles suddenly began harsh shifting violent kicking/jerking and lunging between gears while driving at highway speeds 65-80mph. The vehicle slams into gear unexpectedly and has nearly caused loss of control on multiple occasions. Dealership diagnosed cdf drum failure in the 10r80 automatic transmission requiring full transmission replacement at a cost of 8,057 (TSB 25-2132 and prior tsbs). This is a known widespread safety defect affecting thousands of 2018-2022 Ford vehicles equipped with the 10r80 transmission. Ford has issued multiple tsbs and is currently facing class-action litigation over this exact failure. Despite the clear safety implications and identical cases being approved for 100% goodwill coverage, Ford is refusing full repair coverage in my case. This defect presents an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Transmission stalls, shifts hard, shutters,. Had the transmission rebuilt about four months agoand similar issues are already starting with the rebuilt transmission.

2020 Ford Expedition fx4. Towing a four wheeler and motorcycle on the expressway. The SUV was in tow / haul mode and on cruise. The car downshifted to go up a incline and made a booming noise and then composed its self. Shortly after, I tried to pass a car, and the trans downshifted, made a couple of loud clunks, shuddered, lost all power. After a couple terrifying seconds it composed itself, found gear and maintained speed, acceleration was not possible as the trans would go out of gear. Further down the road, it did the same thing, clunk, clunk out of gear, no power. There were no warning lights. I took it out of tow mode and tried both sport and standard settings, both had similar issues. This was the scariest situation I have ever been in with a car mechanical issue. Note: we were ~120 miles into the 160mile trip. The oat temperature was ~45 degrees. Trans temp showed 250 degrees when acting up, and dropped to 220 by the time the trip ended. Odometer shows ~77k. Cpo, dealer maintained.