general problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign number: 23v675000 (power train), 25v093000 (seat belts), 26v402000 (power train), and 26v451000 (seats) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.

While driving down a main road, the speed limit changed from 40 to 55 mph. When the gas pedal was pushed, the car violently jerked, did not speed up, and proceeded to have a grinding sound emitting from the engine. No warning lights appeared. The grinding noise continued until the vehicle was placed in neutral and back in drive. We began looking into it and found a recall for the transmission. We contacted a local dealership and were told that they would not be able to inspect or address the issue until Ford issues a remedy (projected to be 8-11 months from now). Since then, the car has experienced harsh upshifting, hesitation with acceleration, jerking, and grinding along with significant rolling when put in park and let off the brake. We contacted Ford directly with no avail. No one has had any advice to “help” with the issue until Ford decides to issue the remedy. We have essentially been told to either park it and continue to make payments on something that is of no use, or to keep driving it and go until it stops. The concern is we have two small children and can not risk engine/transmission failure while driving down the road. The safety of our children comes before anything else, and this vehicle no longer provides safety for them.

My car was banging into gear when downshifting. I took to the Ford dealer and they told me it was TSB 20-2337 a known issue. My warranty had just expired and I had to pay out of pocket for the damages. If this is a known issue, it should be covered by Ford not an out of pocket expense. I was told by the dealer if may turn into a recall and if it does, I can they get reimbursed for it. How can a known issue be the consumer's responsibility to pay for when there is a flaw in their building of this expensive vehicle. I do not even have 70k miles and the transmission is failing??.

Illuminated powertrain malfunction (wrench) indicator with dtcs c00a6 and c0631, caused by failure of the front axle disconnect actuator/intermediate shaft on an awd 2020 Explorer at 46,821 miles. The vehicle displayed the wrench light along with "service advancetrac," "4wd fault," "hill start assist not available," and "pre-collision assist not available. " multiple driver-assistance and stability systems disabled themselves simultaneously, including advancetrac stability control and pre-collision braking. Loss of stability control and automatic emergency braking without warning is a safety concern, particularly at highway speed. The fault was intermittent at first. The dealer had the vehicle five days and could not duplicate it. Within a week of getting it back the condition became nearly constant. The repair is Ford TSB 25-2568, which replaces the front axle disconnect actuator/intermediate shaft with a revised, non-disconnecting design and a new halfshaft. Ford has published this bulletin repeatedly since spring 2023 — 23-2114, then 23-2174 (July 2023), then 25-2373, then 25-2568 (January 2026) — for 2020-2021 Explorer and aviator awd vehicles built on or before 30-Aug-2021. Ford has redesigned the part and eliminated the disconnect feature entirely, but has issued no recall or customer satisfaction program. Because this vehicle is out of factory warranty by age at 46,821 miles, the roughly $2,500 repair fell to me. I request that NHTSA review whether a known design defect that disables stability control and pre-collision braking warrants a safety recall rather than a service bulletin.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting roughly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 25v685000 (equipment), 26v117000 (visibility), and 26v402000 (power train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact was concerned that the incomplete recalls presented significant safety risks, specifically because the contact resided in alaska, where it rained constantly with low temperatures. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and sam wampler's freedom Ford of mcalester (720 s george nigh expy, mcalester, ok 74501); were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that while decelerating to approximately 25–30 mph, the vehicle jerked abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an incorrect response from the immobilizer control module. The contact was advised not to continue driving the vehicle. The contact relayed the diagnostic information to the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair could be paid out of pocket with a possible reimbursement whenever the parts became available. The failure mileage was approximately 94,600.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving and decelerating to merge onto the highway, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle felt as if the vehicle had been struck in the rear. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions while decelerating between 25-30 mph. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle, and while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle shuddered and failed to accelerate above 40 mph. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was an unknown black fluid inside the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the failure was not associated with NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the transmission unexpectedly shifted to park(p). The transmission was inoperable after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could be repaired out of pocket because the part was not yet available, and then to submit documents for reimbursement after the part became available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

While operating the vehicle it is jerking like the parking brake is activating or jerking transitioning from first and second gear. Received an alert: the powertrain control system has detected a transmission fluid over temperature condition. The engine continues to operate at a reduced power level.

While traveling uphill in a turn on a county highway the 4wd fault notification arrived on the dash cutting power to the front 2 wheels. The vehicle slipped however was able to regain control. If road condition had been poor I could of slipped into on coming traffic causing a wreck. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they identified that the front axle disconnect actuator was failing and needed to be replaced. Two weeks prior to the code appearing, I had two episodes of unusual binding while in reverse. Ford has issued a TSB long ago to fix this failed design however will not fix it until it fails.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was depressing the accelerator pedal to drive from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond, and the transmission failed to properly shift to the next gear and the vehicle went into limp mode. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and failed to shift properly. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired because parts for the repair were not available. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,781.

The vehicle was parked on a slight incline and they were inside the vehicle rolled away and struck a fire hydrant. The vehicle was in park and rolled down the hill and struck multiple stationary objects.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound while downshifting, with a loud boom coming from the underbody of the vehicle. The vehicle was bouncing while downshifting from 4th gear to 3rd, 2nd, and into 1st gear. The failure reoccurred while downshifting. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired by the dealer. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, and the transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

The transmission malfunctioned on the interstate. The car started jumping and then would slow way down to about 33 mph with the rpm's super high and then kick back in and speed up super fast and I would have to brake constantly. I almost hit the car in front of me at one point. A different point in the same trip the car behind me had to slam on it's brakes to stop from hitting me when the car lost power. I got off the interstate at the very next exit and took back roads home. The transmission has been inspected by a Ford dealership and they said it was the transmission going out. At first there were no warning lights and after it started jumping and starting. Then a few days later the engine light and power train warning lights came on.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that after his wife had parked the vehicle, the message "parking malfunction" was displayed and the vehicle rolled forward. The parking brake was activated to prevent the vehicle from rolling away. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,612.

The transmission shifts into park while driving causing the vehicle to jerk and slow down or stall. I contacted Ford and they stated that this was not a safety issue and that this was an advance notice and that no remedy is available until June 2027. They refused to provide a loaner vehicle until this time when the recall is "released". June of 2027 is a year from now and I drive this car daily with small kids and I am afraid that this vehicle will stall while driving and cause harm or death to my family members.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked back and forth and then stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-55 mph and coming to a stop, the vehicle shuddered and jerked. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving from a complete stop. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Vehicle started hard shifting while driving and noticed hard shifts when slowing down. Vehicle then began to lose power while driving. Display screen has issues at times screen will only display blue or stay in backup camera mode.

My vehicle started downshifting hard, making a jerking motion, specifically from around 7th-6th gear. It is an automatic transmission but when I went to slow down at stop signs, stop lights, etc. It would make a jerking motion in the slow down process. It has inhibited my ability to drive it. There are times when it have difficulty accelerating. I took it to an independent mechanic shop to have them look at it. Immediately when examining the transmission fluid, it had a strong burning smell. This is not normal. This vehicle has 158,000 miles and has not had issues with the transmission before. There are no warning lights on the dash. I haven’t gotten any notifications that something is wrong in the Ford app. I cannot drive it to work or elsewhere due to the fact of the shifting and not knowing how much longer before it stops working all together. This is a known issue with the transmission my car has and yet does not have a recall.

Transmission failure caused my vehicle to jump/jerk and left me out of control of the speed of my truck at times. It has been confirmed that I need a new transmission. A service light came on only after issues started. Said light would turn off once the vehicle was turned off and not come back on until driven again.

Transmission with known defects failed at 72,000 miles under normal driving circumstances and a vehicle only six years old.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v675000 (power train), 26v117000 (visibility), and 26v402000 (power train); however, parts for 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 after parking the vehicle with the foot on the brake pedal, the gear shifter was shifted to park(p), and the vehicle unexpectedly reversed and crashed into a nearby brick mailbox and came to a stop. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled while parking the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 87,159.

Rear bolt recall. The small leak due to technician replacing bolt caused the rear end to eventually lose all fluid.

When trying to accelerate on interstate drive train light and I have to pull over turn off car on interstate then start again to keep out of limping mode also when backing up car stalls jumps and makes a grinding noise need a remedy.

Back in 2026 I bought a vehicle from wild west Ford in guymon ok about three weeks after I bought the vehicle there was a safety recall on it for the rear axle bolt. Ever since the recall was done, I noticed a significant change in my vehicle rear and it shook real bad. Basically I was eating my tires and so I took about to wild west and they told me to go get alignment done so I went and got an alignment done, and it still was doing it and I had taken it to at least four different Ford dealerships across two different states and they all told me that there is nothing wrong with my vehicle, so I looked it up on the forum in the procedure on how the recall was done and I find out that the bushing was improperly installed. One of the Ford dealership is the one who send me a picture of the bushing even starting to rip. Please help my kids ride in this vehicle everyday and wild west claimed the recall but did it completely wrong and refuses to fix it so I took it to different dealerships and with each dealership, I specifically asked them to re-look into the recall because I feel like it was done wrong and they all said that it was all up to four specs in the end. There was nothing wrong with it, but here’s the proof that it is so how do I get my vehicle fixed?.

Transmission failed at 83k miles.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there was an abnormally loud, dragging sound underneath the vehicle. The contact believed that an object was dragging underneath the vehicle; however, there was nothing on the roadway that could have caused the noise. Shortly afterwards, the message "system shift to park" was displayed. The driver pulled over and left the vehicle running, but the vehicle failed to shift out of park while attempting to resume driving. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer the following day, where the vehicle was diagnosed. The dealer determined that the powertrain control module needed to be replaced; however, the repair was denied, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer failed to repair the vehicle under NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v069000 (power train) and 23v675000 (power train). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

The vehicle downshifts hard while driving at regular speeds, revving the engine. As you drive, you can feel it downshifting heavily. The transmission now has metal in it and is undriveable.

Sudden transmission issues, no warnings. Ford Explorer 2020 XLT, had sporadic issues while driving on the highway, decided not to take it to pick up my children a few hours away after sudden jerking and revving high rpm's on the highway, proceeded to take backroads home. Following day, only issue in slowing down to under 35mph with a hard jerk into first gear and delayed reaction. Transmission needs a complete replacement at about $9k, with $19k still being paid on the vehicle. Ford is refusing to acknowledge or offer any help on a known transmission issue with the 10 speed transmission in this model year.

While the vehicle was under warranty, I reported a transmission problem to an authorized Ford dealership involving sudden slipping out of gear into neutral at highway speeds, resulting in momentary loss of power and acceleration. The dealership performed diagnostic testing but stated they could not identify a problem and advised that the vehicle was safe to continue driving. The condition persisted intermittently. After the warranty period expired, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic transmission failure while on a heavily traveled highway. The vehicle suddenly lost power and the rear wheels locked, creating a dangerous traffic situation requiring assistance from two state police vehicles until the vehicle could be towed. The vehicle was taken to the same Ford dealership that previously evaluated the transmission concern. The dealership then diagnosed a complete transmission failure requiring replacement at a cost of approximately $9,000. I contacted Ford headquarters regarding this issue and the prior warranty period complaint, but Ford has not responded to the matter in any way. I believe the transmission failure is a continuation of the original transmission defect that was reported during the warranty period but not repaired. I am submitting this complaint because of the significant safety risk created by sudden loss of power and rear wheel lockup while driving at highway speeds. All documentation of original issue and current repair is at the Ford dealership.