general problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer

Left lowlight headlight stops working intermittently and then completely. Both front axles cracked. Right rear shock busted. Gas purge valve malfunctioned.

On [xxx]. , in heavy rush?hour traffic on [xxx] , my vehicle (~75,417 mi) suddenly lost motive power w/o warning at ~55 mph. It became immobile in a live lane, creating a roadblock and rear?end crash risk. Drivers swerved/honked. Accelerator had no effect; limited/no power?steering assist; I coasted to an in?lane stop (no safe shoulder) and activated hazards. Cluster displayed “shift sys fault—service required” and wrench icon. Attempts to restart failed; the vehicle remained disabled ~30min until a tow arrived; police responded. After tow, on a slight incline, the vehicle rolled backward when started and the parking brake was released, though the cluster showed park—clear rollaway concern. Recovery/diagnosis: towed first to autotech clinic (advised replacement trans). Then to bill brown Ford (livonia, mi): fractured planetary gear and broken park pawl; recommended full transmission replacement (~$8,500). Repair history (pre?purchase): I’ve owned the car <6 mos (now ~75k). A Ford dealer later informed me the vehicle previously had major work at taylor Ford of trans?cooler plumbing cracks between cooler and trans lines at ~34k, and major internal trans repair at ~46k (“burnt clutch a; full reassembly”). None of this appeared on carfax or was disclosed by the selling dealer. Costs/downtime: ~$700 towing/diagnostics to date; trans replacement quoted ~$8,500. Mfr/dealer response: reported to Ford on 10/13/2025, case [xxx]. Initial response: no assistance; pending. The Ford 10r60 has multiple tsbs for trans issues, but neither the dealer nor csr cited any, and no assistance has been offered. Maintenance/mods: vehicle stock; maintained per mfr schedule. Safety concern: sudden loss of propulsion in traffic + inability to move to safety, combined with a park indication that allows rollback, present significant crash/rollaway hazards. Please investigate and, if warranted, require a recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On highway was accelerating to pass another vehicle the transition froze , engine revved with no acceleration ( transmission skipped) this has happened several times over the 5 years. The lasted event we documented the date and mileage it happened date 7/13/25 mileage is 34990. These skips have put us in extremely dangerous situations. Transmission has been making growling noise now under normal driving.

There is hesitation when coming from a stop to accelerating there is a delay of power. This problem has been going on since we have had the car. It is safety issue especially when we accelerate to get onto the highway. It is very inconsistent. We recently took it in and found that an error code of p0496 the evaporator purge valve to be a problem. Not sure if this is a problem with other Fords like ours. So I thought you could investigate it for me. Thank you.

When my vehicle reaches 60 mph the back end of my vehicle begins to sway excessively. Something may be wrong with the axle. It’s actually very frightening. Also, when my vehicle is running, I feel a slight puttering and then it quickly goes away as if somethings going on with the fuel pump. Lastly, my rearview camera sometimes looks a little blurry. I did take my vehicle to team Chevrolet in swansboro, north carolina where I purchased the vehicle. They stated something is going on with the axle and sway bar.

This problem started about 2 months ago and it happened 3 different times so far. While driving, when pressing the gas, the vehicle will all of a sudden not go. You just drift as if the car is not getting gas. On 2 of the occasions, a shift error message appears on the dash but quickly disappears. This can be very dangerous while driving and cause an accident. I have not had the vehicle looked at yet because I feel it should apart of the new recall for the other Ford Explorers.

Fuel purge valve not working properly causing the vehicle to not start after filling with gas, needing to keep vehicle running while filling with gas, safety issue. Turbo faulty causing car to loose power while driving and towing. Safely concern for multiple reasons. Flex exhaust pipe broken and mesh ripped causing burning smell and dangerous debris.

I have recently have experienced engine failure with the 2020 Ford Explorer 2. 3 ecoboost engine. I was driving on a 4 lane highway, specifically on a bridge, and I experienced loss of power and acceleration. At that time, the engine light came on. I managed to get home, with the vehicle seemed as if in limp mode. I had my vehicle towed to the Ford dealer ship. The service manager stated that they believe it is complete engine failure. He believes the failure is in the cylinder walls which is due to coolant intrusion in cylinders 2 and 3. His suggestion is to change the "long block" at the costs of $12,284,51. Also, he expressed a concern with the transmission. It might be an issue with the computer, or wire harness. Which would be $1091. 81. Plus, a couple sensors, spark plugs. In all the total repair costs are $16,904. 16. I owe about $9,500. Prior to this, in 2022 the turbo went out. It was replaced under the warranty at that time. This was at 90,000 miles. After doing some online research. There has also been a class-action lawsuit involving the 1. 5l, 1. 6l, and 2. 0l ecoboost engines. Owners of these engines reported issues such as coolant leaks leading to engine overheating and, in some cases, engine failure. The lawsuit claims that Ford was aware of these defects but did not take adequate steps to address them. There are some fantastic videos on youtube that explains and illustrates the reasons for the manufacture defect and engine failure. [xxx] I am a high mileage driver of highways and interstates. I understand that vehicles will have normal wear & tear. I now have 190,000 miles and no longer under warranty. However, based on my investigation, and other similar complaints about the 2020 Explorer with the same or similar issues, I believe there could be a defect with the cylinder head just like the other ecoboost engines. Other Ford Explorer owners will likely experience the same as the add miles information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

There are problems with these items which are covered under a Ford recall. My vehicle is at liccardi Ford dealer in watchung NJ and I feel a tremendous resistance from the dealer to repair the recalled ordered repairs.

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.

August 22, 2024 Ford motor company customer relationship center p. O. Box 6248 dearborn, mi 48126 regarding: customer satisfaction program 24n01 I want to let you know how dissatisfied I am with your customer service claim to have happy satisfied customers, that is so proudly proclaimed in the introduction to this notice. We travel long distances in very remote areas of the southwest. The last thing I want is to be stranded in the hot desert with an axle bolt beginning to or actually failing. Your policy to notify us of a potential problem, but not repair until the bolt fails gives me no confidence in my vehicle. In fact I am reluctant to make this trip again in this vehicle that has a known parts failure issue. It would have been better to have not notified me of this concern, in which Ford has no intention of repairing until it fails. If the issue was only non critical, such as the chrome around the window operation buttons this process would be acceptable. However this issue has the potential for severe mechanical failure, resulting in dropping the driveline. The approach presented in this letter for this issue demonstrates a lack of customer service. At this point I am ready to sell this vehicle and purchase a different vehicle from a different manufacturer before taking another long distance trip in it.

Muffler tailpipe separated at the wield of the muffler.

Vehicle "service required" light (wrench) displayed on vehicle when commuting from work to home on a Friday. Light went off next time vehicle was used, so vehicle was used to commute from home to work. During this commute, light came on approximately 25 miles from home, and then 25 miles from work (commute is 32 miles 1 way). Driver stopped vehicle and once vehicle turned off, light went off. Local dealership was contacted (ryan) was able to diagnose issue over computer, stating 1. The vehicle (parts are not communicating with each other) and then the light is from transmission pump overheating. He stated this is common (transmission issue) with 2020 Ford Explorers. I did research and this is correct. We agreed to bring vehicle in to be checked out instead of driving it any further. I also asked if any dealer vehicles were having issues filling up fuel at the local gas station (they fuel all vehicles there), since recently the gas pump would stop filling after 2-3 gallons when vehicle was further empty. I said this has happened 3-4 times in the last few weeks (vehicle is filled up 2x a week). Upon review, ryan found 2 TSB (bulletins) for the vehicle and explained these are again issues with this vehicles. 1-TSB 20-2337 automatic transmission clutch, coolant pump. 2-TSB-22-2433 fuel filler neck and housing for the fuel filling system. I have contacted number given by previous service manager (jim) 1-800-392-3673 and either customer service personnel where: upset I received this number, stating this is a dealership only number to call them. Finally given the information since vehicle was fixed/corrected prior to contacting them (dealership personnel requirement) they were not able to help-stating the department helps in financial situations only. Phone calls to the above number 3-5 times. I research and found a general number for Ford (866-436-7332), getting case cas49857851. Cust. Service specialist amber told me they will not help and to contact.

Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Fuel gauge on electronic instrument panel shows empty at all times. Driver can run out of gas without warning. Vehicle obdc shows fuel sensor fault, local dealer claims a faulty instrument cluster with very costly repair. No warnings before this happened. Just fuel light coming on, check engine light coming on and fuel level showing zero.

There have been a few times when the gas pedal (accelerator) isn’t responsive. I have pressed the accelerator to the floor a few times and there has been a long delay in response from the engine and when it did respond it was at a lower rpm then expected when the pedal is to the floor. It has occurred when the vehicle is at a stop and the accelerator is pressed to hard. This has occurred multiple times.

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.

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.

Car did not respond to accelerator while driving on the freeway causing the car to decelerate on traffic creating a dangerous situation, other cars honked and swerved around.

Fuel does not pump in correctly and causes spit back. The car has been taken into Ford numerous times without a solution & parts have been replaced. The problem still exists. This causes gas to leak at the gas station as it doesn’t flow fast into the tank even on the lowest flow possible. You are also unable to move the nozzles around, in or out to make it work.

I took my car to the bank and parked in the parking lot and while I went to the atm I left the car running I wasn't away from the car for more then three minutes and when I got back in the car it started sputtering and then just shut off. I tried to start it back up but upon doing so the vehicle wouldn't turn over. The engine sounded like it wanted to turn over but wouldn�t. I tried this a bunch of times until the tow truck arrived( about an hour) but every time the vehicle still wouldn't turn over. Just continued to make the engine noise then would shut off.

Received malfunction indicator lamp- regulatory.

In April 2020, I brought my car into the lafayette Ford dealership in fayetteville, nc bc I had been experiencing issues with the car moving when it was not supposed to. I would start the car with my foot on the brake, switch it into reverse/drive and *without taking my foot off the brake* the car would jerk forward or back, depending on if I was in reverse or drive. The event that caused me to bring my car into the dealership occured while I was in front of my garage. I had my foot on the break, and was planning to adjust my direction toward the garage when my car propelled forward and took a hit that resulted in bad damage to my driver side bumper. The dealership held my car for over a week and was not able to replicate the problem, so they told me my car was fine. I have since mentioned this problem every time I get my car serviced to see if there have been any similar complaints and nobody has shared anything. At my last service appointment, they updated my firmware so that the car keeps the emergency brake on until I disengage it, which nullifies the issues that I had been having. Today I can across the following article that sounds exactly like the cause of the damage to my car. What are my options for taking this information to Ford to have them acknowledge the fault and fix the damage? thank you. . Read more...

Transmission issues again. Same broken / cracked weld at transmission oil cooler. Part replaced. This is the vehicle's 3rd oil cooler (we're at 12,600 miles now).

Breaks gave out while backing out of lane. Separate issue pressed on gas no response or delayed response in stop and go traffic. Acted like it was almost out of gas but not. Also other small issue is loud high whistle noise above 70mph.

The Explorer was put into reverse. The vehicle drove forward about 3 ft, jerked, then slammed into reverse. Reaction time on my behalf was slow as it was unexpected, I almost hit a light pole. This occurred in a parking lot.

During low speed maneuvers like parking and when coming to a stop, the fuel sloshes loudly and can be heard inside the vehicle. It sloshes most noticeably when the fuel level is above 3/4 full. The fuel moves so much it sometimes sounds like there's something hitting the floor underneath the driver seat or a driveline issue.