general problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer - part 2

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...

The factory welds at passenger outlet on the exhaust broke.

Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

I was on highway 5, right before the grapevine, traveling back from visiting family for the weekend. My vehicle suddenly lost all power while I was in the fast lane doing highway speeds. Luckily I was able to get over to the sliver of shoulder while there was no acceleration and only a brake . Although I was able to turn the vehicle off and start it again to drive from los angeles to sacramento, it was the most frightening moment of my life. I have multiple recalls on this vehicle that have delayed my ability to register it in my state. I do have an open court case with Ford but they have delayed the hearing date to over a year away. 2026. There are multiple issues with this vehicle and I have not been able to drive this SUV comfortably again since my power loss experience. There may be a safety concern for others who have this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had the vehicle towed from the middle of the road to an independent mechanic. The mechanic found that the oil pan was drenched in excess oil indicating a possible oil leak. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine and turbo chargers needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in any recall. The manufacturer was referred to the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 68,000.

There is an exhaust leak under the car that propagates into the ventilation system and also when a door is open while idling. This is a known issue for some models with the 3. 0l engine under emission recall (21e11), but does not include my VIN even though the powertrain is identical. Dealer replaced some flex tubing to try and correct, but that did not work. It's a safety issue because the smell is strong and there's no way to tell how much carbon monoxide is present to the passengers.

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

December 16, 2023 my Ford Explorer had engine failure on the highway, just as I had entered it. The dashboard read powertrain malfunction, engine overheat, and service engine. My vehicle went from 60 mph to almost a complete stop on the highway. I had almost a dozen cars nearly rear end me as this happened. Getting off the road was just as dangerous as it only went 10mph max on the busy highway I was nearly hit several times. The vehicle was taken to an automotive shop for diagnosis. There was oil in the coolant tank and cracked head gasket, needing a new engine. The automotive shop called the Ford dealer to confirm it was under warranty and was towed to the dealer at my expense 12/19/23. Was told February 9th that parts were ordered for repairs. I asked the service rep mike for a list of parts being replaced and the cause of the engine failure, he would not give me an answer and said he'd call me back. February 20th I then asked crystal r at Ford customer service the same questions, she said she would get back to me February 22. As of 2/20/24 Ford customer service representatives, and employees at red mccombs Ford have gone no contact with me.

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 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 manufacture was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2020 Ford Explorer purchased in January 2021. Since owning this vehicle, we have experienced numerous (10+) situations where at a light or entering traffic with our foot on the brake pedal and waiting to proceed the car starts to acerate on its own and jump forward 4'-6' before it stops. I have visited my dealer jones Ford in charleston, SC and reported this issue a couple of times over the past few years. As usual they were unable to replicate the issue in shop or find a service code that relates to this problem. On Thursday, November 16, 2023, while horizontally parking my vehicle in georgetown, SC in front of an electrical pole (with support wires holding it in place), with my foot on the brake pedal coming to a stop, the engine acerated and jumped the curb hitting the steel wires causing damage to my front and right side. The following Monday, November 20th I brought the Explorer into the dealer to investigate the problem since it was still under an extended warranty. After spending a week at the dealer, they return the vehicle unable to find anything wrong and charged me over $200 for a service inspection (invoice included). At that point I contacted Ford customer service directly and after numerous calls and emails they denied that anything was wrong with my Explorer and closed the case (email included). Since January 2024, I have incurred 5 additional occurrences, and the last one was last week while I was parking the car in reverse. . . It jumped and struck the parked vehicle behind me. Thank goodness there was no damage to either vehicle. Over the past weekend in continuing to research this problem I came across an ap article from June 2023 discussing this problem with 2020-22 Ford Explorers (article included). This is why I am lodging this complaint; Ford was well a where of this dangerous situation that my wife and I faced over the years. When the vehicle would acerate it was very scary, and you honestly were not positive the car would stop.

I own a 2020 Ford Explorer, the catalytic converter failed at approx 100k miles. There is an open recall but my VIN is not included and it should be! the vehicle has been inspected by a dealership and confirmed the catalytic converter is bad. The check engine light is on for the repair. Program #24m01 replace catalytic converters if failed and inspect wire harness.

Car became unresponsive to accelerator while trying to pass on the freeway, lost speed and had cars around me going 65+ mph, this is not the first time this had happened, have filed several reports and have not heard about a fix to this, getting nervous using this car and I don't know what recourse I have, dealer unable to duplicate the problem and almost got involved in an accident again, please advise. See complaint 11539225, 11533701, 11521566, 11494044.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the vehicle experienced a hard downshift which caused the vehicle to jerk and independently shift into park. The contact smelled an abnormal burning odor. The vehicle lost power motive and stalled. The contact pulled over and was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Reporting a loss of motive power and loss of transmission torque to the rear wheels from my Explorer that had been remedied with the pcm software update. Experience a surge forward nearly striking another vehicle. Contacted my Ford dealer who advised that I must wait for a letter and instructions from thereafter. I have several trips planned with family and feel this is unfair ( prolonged fix and intial fix didn't work) and unsafe but I need my vehicle.

My 2020 Explorer st has been in the shop off and on for three months. The engine had to be replaced at about 45k miles. The transmission whines. The latest issue occurred while driving in downtown chicago. I was coming up on a light and moved to the left turn lane to turn into oncoming traffic. When I went to go - I pressed the pedal and nothing happened. I ended up rolling into oncoming traffic when finally, the vehicle responded. On the way home this happened about 10 times on the interstate. It would happen when you quickly decelerate and then accelerate after the transmission downshifted. The loss of responsive ness lasted about 5-10 seconds each time and was accompanied by a loud clicking sound under the vehicle. It is still at the dealership and waiting to hear back from them.

Vehicle would suddenly slam on breaks when breaking and stalled changing gears. We have had it looked at and it is in engine failure - the vehicle is only 3 years old.

While driving around town when I am coming to a stop either at a red light or stop sign or even in the drive through at a restaurant I am getting a message that says "shift to p, then restart engine" and then the car just shut's off and I have to put it in park and restart the car. After restarting the car sometimes is very sluggish as if it is not going to get through the intersection or starting from a stop . . . This is in my opinion a very serious problem and a safety risk for not just myself and family but that also of the general public.

Vehicle lost power while driving at 75mph on major highway. Received power train malfunction warning light. Had to tow car to dealership and wait 9 days for the service technician to determine a repair. Now my parking brake light keeps coming on.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at approximately 55 mph there was a beeping sound hill start assistance warning powered train collision assist not available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the axel disconnect actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN tool confirmed no unrepaired recalls at this time.

I had the driver side catalytic converter replaced under recall , I notice that the passenger side catalytic converter has a crack at welding point I notice this do to black exhaust leak crack shows black powder from exhaust marks on crack.

While slowing down the car feels like the engine shakes and when I start to drive jumps when I accelerate also when I’m on brake it also starts to jump maybe transmission or engine problems.

This is my third complaint regarding the same issue, driving on the freeway today the gas pedal was not responsive leading to a drop of speed almost getting hit from behind, don't know what to do, I'm getting nervous to use my car because the problem comes with no notice (see complaint 11533701, 11521566 and 11494044) hopefully I will not get in a serious accident before something is done.

Cars jerking while upshifting or downshifting at regular speed.

The 2020 Ford Explorer eco boost limited that we have has had many issues that we are concerned about. Our number one concern is when we accelerate on the freeway to get up to speed we have a rotten eggs/ perm smell. We have taken this into the Ford service department and they were able to recreate the smell and had the Ford master mechanics look at it. The smell is a sigh of a catalytic converter going out according to other mechanics on other vehicles. They have gave us the excuse that it is the way the vehicle smells when you accelerate. It is a strong odor that makes the passengers in the vehicle verbally ask what is throat smell. My specialty in my career has brought up the question that I don’t know the smell and is it harmful. What could the long term effects have on me and or my family and kids. It’s a very displeasing smell and to hear the Ford dealership tell us that it’s just the way the vehicle smells is a little frustrating knowing that we bought a vehicle that may have an issue and is not performing the way it is designed to. Also we have had issues with the electronics in the vehicle where the passenger mirror continues to extend beyond the set position. If you are not paying attention and look to use your mirror while driving you will not be able to see where the mirror is designed to show. Ford after a while of back and forth not wanting to fix it finally fixed it he issue by replacing a new mirror. We have had connection issues from the main computer and our tailgate will randomly open while getting our kids in the car. It has not done it while driving yet but we expect it to. We have taken it in for those reasons but they have not been able to fix it.

Faulty exhaust downpipe. Vehicle made loud rattling by catalytic converter, upon investigation the downpipe exhaust hanger rod had broke off due to vibrations in the flex pipe. Ford has an issue with the flex pipe in which it is to weak and will shake the downpipe during idle or acceleration. Ford had issued a factory fix for the downpipe; however, it doesn't fully fix the flex pipe vibration issue. My flex pipe shake so violently that it broke the metal exhaust hanger rod by the catalytic converter. Without the hanger support further shake could result in cracking along the exhaust/catalytic converter. This could result to exhaust fumes being ventilated into the passage side of the car. This could result in carbon monoxide poisoning. As a pilot, they always teach us to check the exhaust for cracks and teach awareness due to the exhaust being near the cabin. Fords fix is to place a hose clamp which doesn't work. Multiple Explorer forums have reported this issue. Fords solution to it is to replace it with the same part. Not sure how that will fix the issue if your replacing a defective designed part with another defective design part. I have attached photos of the snapped hanger and hanger location.

Previously filed reports 11521566 and 11494044, stating problem with no response from the accelerator pedal, it happened several times again, at different speeds and different driving modes, should I wait to be involved in an accident to sue the company directly or what other recourse do I have? have taken the car different times and mentioned the problem but they say "we found nothing wrong" the car is out of warranty now and have seen reports of transmission problems that should have caused a recall.

For months our backup camera would turn blue and not show the rear cameras. Also during this time, on occasion the emergency braking would stop us from backing up and then the brakes would not work. We had a recall on the blue screen software but the breaking has started again.

On multiple occassions while driving, the accelerator/gas pedal looses functionality. For example, while coasting into a turn and needing to accelerate, the engine is completely unresponsive. The pedal can be against the floor and the vehicle does not respond. We have brought the issue to two Ford dealer's attention during routine maintenance and have been told that there are no stored codes in the system and that bad gas is the culprit as they were unable to replciate the issue during their brief test drives. Each time this has occured it has been with different (top tier) gas. One one occasion, I found that fully releasing the accelerator for several seconds then pressing it down it can engage. On a second occasion, I shifted to neutral and then back to drive for it to engage. On a third occasion, I shifted the drive mode to engage the accelerator. This issues seems to be a major safety issue that should have a better response than "bad gas. " especially when crossing an intersection with children in the car.

There seems to be a recurring issue with Explorer st vehicles burning excessive oil upon start-up. In my situation, I have seem my oil levels drop after 5,000 miles. In some reported cases the constant consumption of oil has caused catastrophic engine failure while driving. A similar issue has also been reported on Ford f-150 trucks with the 2. 7l turbo. There appears to be a fix for this that requires a oil feed line from the block to the turbo unit to be replaced (newly designed oil feed line) but Ford has not issued any recalls or repair notices for the 2020 Explorer st's that experience a similar problem.

Engine does not respond when trying to pass slower traffic, press the gas pedal several times with no response, car started to slow down with fast traffic behind/sides on the freeway, took more than 20 seconds to respond to gas pedal input almost causing an accident.

I had an oil change at the feldman Ford dealership on or around 3/7/2023. On 4/14/2023 at or at round 5-6 pm; I was traveling southbound on I-75 when my 2020 Explorer suddenly slowed down from 70 miles per hour to around 40 miles per hour while I’m in the farthest lane and it wouldn’t go pass 45 miles per hour almost causing the vehicle behind to rear end me. The dash displayed a reading stating the oil pressure is low and to get engine serviced. I put on my hazards and safely made it to exit off of the freeway. I stopped at a gas station because the engine was making a loud screaming noise. I called my salesman from feldman Ford and explained what was happening and what the dash was saying so he asked me to shut off the engine and to check the oil. So when I opened the hood I saw oil everywhere and the engine was so hot that the heat was burning my face. The dipstick was indicating that the oil was low to empty. He stated that’s impossible you just had an oil change 4-5 weeks ago and the engine appears that it’s not cooling. So he advised me to put in 2-3 quarts and get on my knees to see if any oil is leaking underneath and there was no leak after I put in 3 quarts of oil. So he asked how far was I from home I told him no more than 15 minutes, then he asked me to start the car to see if the noise diminished and it was not as loud so he said to see if I could get the car home because I had my 1 month old grandson and my daughter with me and he will have a tow truck to come and get it. I made it a block from my home then the car shut off and wouldn’t start. So I had family to come get my daughter and grandson and I stayed with the vehicle until 930/10 pm when the tow truck arrived and my vehicle has been at the feldman Ford service lot ever since 4/14/2023 and it has not been fixed or worked on. I was told that the oil pump failed causing 2 or 3 seals to go bad in the back and front of the motor. The Ford app displayed engine issues 2 months prior to my purchase.

Sudden unintended acceleration when parking; vehicle stopped with brake depressed. Vehicle suddenly accelerated and steering wheel jerked back and forth with no driver input resulting in an collision with an unoccupied parked car. No injuries. Insurance adjuster stated that dealer found no evidence of equipment malfunction. A police report was filed (military police aboard a military base), report is pending as requires foia. No warning lamps or messages or other symptoms prior to failure.

When stopped at a light the engine suddenly accelerated forcing a hard braking action to prevent an accident. After 2-3 seconds it went to idle still in gear. This has happened 3 times the third time 2 witnesses said that it was not caused by braking with their foot on the accelerator. In reviewing the three episodes I noted that the air-conditioned switch was engaged all three times when this uncommand occurred. This never occurred when the car was moving only at a stop. It seems that the air conditioner was called to turn on by the body control module which cause the engine rpm to decrease which cause the power train control module to react increasing the demand to the throttle body which either stuck high or was over commanded in not reacting in a fast enough manner to satisfy the power train control module. When this occured I thought we were going to hit the car in front of us. I think this is correctable with some changes in the power train control module programing.

The wiring harness in the back for the air was installed upside down, making the hot cold and the cold hot the vent in the ceiling that distributes air was kinked and had to be replaced the seatbelt on the drive side second row bucket seat was installed upside down the heater core had to replaced due to heat not blowing hot, still not and car was returned a second time found out upon calling Ford that the car had two transmissions repairs by the previous owner and another "additional repair" done in 2022, would not disclose to me. I informed them the dealership gave me clean car facts. Car has less than 28,000 miles on it. I have had it less than one month.