general problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer - part 2

Vehicle continuously shows a fault for hill start assist, awd mode disabled, advancetrac fault, park sensor, awd module failure, abs disabled. These faults started showing 13/04/25. While in traffic, driver was giving the throttle gas. While giving gas, driver lost power, and noticed a ticking noise as car was losing power in normal drive mode. Driver could have potentially been rear ended, pushed into traffic, and fear that the vehicle will eventually have a brake failure; or have the brakes lock up on the car while driving that could also lead to fatality, or bodily injuries of driver, or civilians. After making it to destination, driver parked for the night. The next day driver started car all faults were gone. Driver then trashed car to dealership to see what malfunction the car had and everything was fine. Fault later appeared, and driver lost power again. Driver then proceeds to a nearby auto store where driver had a diagnostic of the car. The store associate then tells driver that the car had a faulty pcm. Driver also notes that the car was purchased used with mileage reported at 29,000 miles. Driver now has 57k miles. Though car isn’t new. It isn’t old. Being that it is used, car is and was practically new. Driver feels a car with low mileage should not be malfunctioning given the status of its components.

When driving the vehicle felt sluggish and the 4wd fault came on, on the dashboard. Decided to take it to the dealer and they inspected it and stated the front differential actuator needs to be replaced. It's a component that is electrical and it turns on the four wheel drive and turns it off when not needed. This should be covered by Ford since it's a manufacturing error for putting faulty components to control the awd.

The button to adjust rear view side mirrors malfunctioned. The side mirrors no longer adjust or respond to the button.

Vehicle came into our shop with the charging system fault light on. Upon checking for codes bcm battery code b11d9:09:0a was present. During diagnosis the technician found that the battery cable was rubbing against the floorboard of the vehicle causing arching/welding of the positive battery against the floorboard of the vehicle leaving visible damage to the vehicle.

I am filing a complaint regarding a recurring safety-related electrical and awd defect in my 2020 Ford Explorer. My vehicle repeatedly displays the following warnings while driving: “4wd fault service required” “service advancetrac” “pre-collision assist not available” “hill start assist not available” the issue began about a year ago occurring intermittently every few weeks and disappearing after restarting the vehicle. It has progressively worsened and now appears almost immediately after driving only a few feet. The defect affects multiple critical safety systems including awd/4wd, traction/stability control, hill assist, and collision avoidance systems. I have contacted Ford multiple times. Ford only opens customer service cases but has not provided a permanent repair. Ford is aware this is a common issue with 2020 Explorers specifically, and later model years appear to have been corrected. Numerous owners report the exact same failures online. Ford has issued service information involving software reprogramming, module communication faults, and wiring harness issues, but only Ford dealerships can perform the required programming. This appears to be a widespread manufacturing or engineering defect and creates a serious safety concern while driving. Vehicle information: 2020 Ford Explorer mileage: under 55,000 miles I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this issue for a potential recall or mandatory corrective action.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the touchscreen monitor and backup camera display were extremely hot to the touch. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 104,009.

Electrical shorting caused the transmission to improperly shift stalling the vehicle on a highway.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine oil change. While driving at 35 mph, the vehicle began to make an abnormal knocking and squealing sound. The vehicle began to jerk. The driver turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was like the failure listed in NHTSA campaign number: 23v597000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was towed to the residence. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine, turbo, and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the parking assist was inoperable, and the reverse automatic emergency braking was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact used a scanning tool and determined that the failure was still present. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Awd module fault: no hill-assist no collision-assist no traction control service advancetrac service awd.

The rear window dropped down while driving, which was scary and wouldn't go up.

While driving. Every light on the dash started coming on. Pre-collision assist not available, 4wd fault not available, no cruise (adaptive or regular) available, reverse break assist not available, hill assist not available. Every time the vehicle was started it would these issues or would start while driving. This is an absolute safety issue and hazard. The vehicle has plenty of reports online of this happening to other. Ford was willing to give vehicle back saying it was safe to drive without fixing bc I couldn’t afford it and it wasn’t covered under the power train warranty. I was told I have to report it and if it gets enough reports something will be done. But this is an unacceptable answer and cost for something that is a safety concern.

The power liftgate does not open, and it took me 16 minutes to open it. It is a safety issue.

Various electrical issues gps not working also drivers seat electrical.

Awd control module stopped working. Lost awd.

I have a previous file for this situation already submitted reference # 11626064. Since that filing I have had an additional occurrence of the same description. I also found a recall for 2021 Explorers which sounds to be the same as what I have experienced , below is a reference to the 2021 Explorer recall. [xxx] please confirm if the recall can be updated to include the 2020. Best regards [xxx] 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 the center display screen failed to turn on upon starting the vehicle. The rear air conditioner, backup camera, and heater failed to be operational due to the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who replaced the camera under NHTSA campaign number: 23v342000 (back over prevention). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and confirmed the recall repair and that the screen was not covered. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

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

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?.

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

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

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.

Both my passenger and driver headlights have failed. I have paid to have them replaced. The drivers side has failed twice. The passenger side has failed 3 times. I have taken it to the dealership and they “fixed” the issue but it keeps coming back months or weeks later. The low beams are what is failing. The message on the dash says “check headlight assembly see manual” this is a safety risk to me and other people on the road. They have failed while driving. If I am driving early in the morning or late at night I can not see if there are no street lights. People also can’t see me coming. This is a major safety risk. I bought the car in August 2024. Headlights have failed 5 times since then. The dealership helped me with my first four failures. On this last failure, they said it is not covered under warranty and that I need to pay $3000 for the headlight. Five failures of headlights seems like a manufacturer issue and not something. I am doing on my end.

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.

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.

Transmission does a hard downshift from gear 7 to gear 6. There is a TSB bulletin for it but no recall. Car is under 100k miles but out of warranty and estimated to cost $3500 to repair. Also, the screen and backup camera frequently freeze or go black.

Check engine light came on. Code p0161 for O2 sensor heater circuit bank 2 sensor 2. Found massive corrosion at connector. This is the second like make/model/year vehicle we have seen this on. Mfg does not have pigtail repair kit available and entire harness would be needed to repair.

The top brake light bar on the wing over the trunk consistently fails. I have had to replace almost yearly. Water gets into the light bar causing the leds to short out and fail. This makes my brake activity difficult to see for truckers and other tall cars. This is certainly a design defect that water should get in do easily. In regards to dates, the lamp fails annually.

Tailgate does not work any longer. After a few days period of it getting progressively less functional, it just stopped working.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the charging system fault warning light illuminated, and the vehicle independently shifted into to park(p) and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a battery junction box and fuse failure. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

While vehicle was driving in motion, all system error messages began to sequence on the dashboard (steering assist fault service required, check park aid, see manual, service advancetrac, front camera fault service required, full accessory power active, park brake fault service now, pre-collision assist not available, navigation fault). Vehicle lost acceleration and had decreased steering and braking capability. This happened on 5/20/2024 and was "repaired" by dealership then happened again on 6/21/2024. It also happened in 08/17/2021 and was repaired by dealership until most recent reoccurrences. This does not include the instances where the same error messages sequenced prevented the vehicle from even starting (for hours) leaving the motorist stranded. This is also not the first time this concern has been submitted to the NHTSA.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon raising the front passenger's side power window switch, the window rolled up and then rolled back down unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power window control module was reset. The contact stated after the dealer had performed a rearview camera recall repair on the vehicle, messages advising that the traction control and the other drive modes were inoperable were displayed. The dealer replaced the throttle body and an unknown part. Additionally, the contact stated after the dealer had lifted the vehicle for servicing, the dealer noticed that the catalytic converter, the mufflers, and the shock absorbers had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the shock absorbers were leaking fluid. The dealer determined that the catalytic converter, the mufflers, and the shock absorbers needed to be replaced. The dealer had ordered the parts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The rear hatch of my 2020 Ford Explorer does not open reliably. There is no manual release mechanism to open the hatch in case of failure. The only methods to open the hatch are via the button on the hatch itself, the button on the dashboard, or the key fob. When any of these are pressed, the hatch makes sounds as if it is trying to engage and open, but it does not actually open. Additionally, the vehicle dashboard displays an alert indicating that the hatch is open, even though it remains securely closed. This false alert is confusing and concerning. The problem is unpredictable and intermittent, sometimes allowing the hatch to open normally, but often failing without warning. This issue significantly limits access to the cargo area and poses a safety concern in situations where quick or emergency access to the hatch is needed. I had the vehicle inspected by a dealer regarding the hatch issue. They diagnosed the problem as a faulty hatch motor. The estimated cost to repair or replace the motor is approximately $1,300. 00. Given the high cost, I am concerned about the safety and reliability of the vehicle, as well as the financial burden of any potential repairs. Because the rear hatch does not open reliably, I am forced to access the cargo area by crossing over the rear seats, which is inconvenient and unsafe, especially when carrying groceries or large items. Moreover, I am unable to access the spare tire in case of an emergency, which poses a serious safety risk.

I have a 2020 Ford Explorer and a motorola andriod phone. When I plug my phone into my Explorer to use the maps my display blinks like crazy the charging does not work and my phone gets so hot I am afraid it is going to start a fire. The Ford dealer I talked to said that they knew about it and do not know of any fix. I don't need my vehicle catching on fire.

2020 Explorer VIN:1fmsk7dh0lgc30608 summary [recall] back over prevention: sensing system: camera description the remedy is under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 26, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23s23. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 23v-022. Vehicles previously repaired under 23v-022 will need to have the new remedy performed. . Read more...