Warnings problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer

Summary of facts for legal consultation bad faith redhibition claim — louisiana civil code art. 2545 prepared for attorney consultation 1. Vehicle & transaction information vehicle2020 Ford Explorer st — awdpurchase datemarch 2025purchase structure$17,000 trade-in applied + $17,000 remaining loan balanceadditional warranty$2,500 paid warranty purchased through dealership at time of saleselling dealerindependently licensed dealership (non-Ford franchise)warranty servicewarranty work performed during coverage period 2. The technical service bulletin (TSB 23-2174) Ford issued TSB 23-2174 in July 2023 — nearly two years before the vehicle was sold to the client. Key facts about the TSB: •covers: 2020–2021 Ford Explorer/Lincoln aviator awd vehicles •component affected: front axle disconnect actuator (fada) — left side •failure mode: fada o-ring seal failure causing awd malfunction, triggering powertrain warning light (wrench icon) with dtcs c00a6 and/or c0631 •required repair per TSB: full replacement of fada with revised intermediate shaft and reprogramming of transfer case control module •result of proper TSB repair: permanently eliminates front axle disconnect capability — a fundamental, permanent change to vehicle drivetrain operation •TSB was publicly available on [xxx] at time of purchase — free, searchable by VIN 3. Critical pre-sale service record — January 2025 the dealership's own service center performed the following repair on the vehicle approximately 1–2 months before the sale to client: date of servicejanuary 2025 (approx. 1–2 months pre-sale)work order descriptionleft axle disconnect/hub actuatorparts listedmotorcraft left axle seal onlylabor hours9 hoursdtcs or TSB referencednone listed on work orderawd module reprogrammednot indicated on work order critical observation: the terminology used on the dealer's own work order — "left axle disconnect/hub actuator" — mirrors the exact component language of TSB 23-2174. A technician with suffici information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informat.

Rear camera does not detect traffic passing or people walking behind the vehicle. Sometimes the screen goes blue. Crash alert goes off any time it wants. Even when parked.

My SUV was expired last Dec and didnt know I just got that since April 2025 and I have to pay my own self for fix SUV it not my fault and there no warranty for me check SUV and fix recall.

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.

360 cameras are foggy and cannot see out of them causing false readings on parking alerts. This is the same issue the f150s have a recall about but there is not one for the Explorer. The foggy display is getting worse over time. Hard to tell by the picture but in not very bright areas out of direct sun you cannot see anything on the 360 camera.

Please refer complaint number: 11507564 manufacturer promised to release a temporary remedy by mid August. Its November ,still no temporary fix nor permanent. Dealers give a fixed response of no parts available or no remedy. Attached is the recall letter that promised a temporary fix by Aug 7,2023.

When putting the vehicle in reverse the backup camera will cut out to a blue screen randomly. A recall was issued in may of 2023 and it is now October with no fix at all.

Intermittent non-functional backup camera and brake assist after Ford dealer applied a fix for backup camera failure. Backup camera blue/black screen error was not present before dealer applied “fix”.

Summer 2023 ota update to Ford sync caused sync system to malfunction. As a result touch screen controls are a black screen. No radio , no rear climate control, no backup camera , no 911 crash assist, no voice activated features, no forward collision warning system. Waiting for service appointment at local Ford dealer.

My vehicle has had 3 software updates to try correct blue screen issues. Recently under a blue screen I was backing up in a parking garage and hit the wall as I could not see with the screen being blue. Fortunately I was going slow but it did scrape my bumper from hitting the concrete wall. Mostly it scared my kids and had an abrupt stop. I had read a pin on the connector was left uncapped leading to corrosion resulting in faulting screen. Why is Ford trying to fix with software update? they should of been replacing connector pins or cameras. I have been experiencing this for over 2 years.

Drivers assist failed and caused me to cross lanes into the cable barrier on interstate 40 causing 18,000 dollars worth of damage now the parking assist no longer works.

The vehicles rear view camera randomly displays a blue screen on reverse backup. All sensors go failing at times. Attached are some screens over the month. I have taken this to a dealership for a most recent recall fix (02/01/23) and it seems this issue never gets fixed. I keep getting notices of recalls and they claim they will patch it with software fixes but there seems to be more serious sensor issues . When this happens in a school zone it feels dangerous. This is a leased vehicle and I haven't received much help even from the manufacturers dealerships. Didn't find anyone to even listen to these issues. If we try to manually reverse the emergency braking comes into play from nowhere and applies itself due to these malfunctioning of sensors.

When you put car in reverse the camera screen may go blue or black. Sometimes it is all in cone in rear, other times it’s on the right side and at other times it is the entire screen. Turning blue or black. This started in the first several months of ownership in 2020. The dealership tried several things including replacing the camera in 2020-2021-2022. Problem continued. Was told it was all fixed and the same day it happened again. I live in metro DC and have to park in small spaces often between cement pillars. I bought the car specifically for the camera system. I have hit things while attempting to get the camera back to useable again while in heavier car use areas buy not being able to see or have a sensor go off. Since 2020 Ford has had no viable remedy available. No option for new owners other than taking the loss on the car which as a widow I cannot afford to do.

I had an issue with the rearview backupcamera. The camera kept going out multiple times. I asked fodd customer care if there was a recall and told me no. One day I was backing up at night my camera went out and I hit a mailbox which was in my blindspot I immediately called Ford to alert them that the camera went out a d I damaged my vehicle. Ford requested that I bring in my truck and changed the camera. They found out the camera had an electrical shortage. I attempted to get forx to pay for the damages to my vehicle and they refused. The total estimate was 2700. 00. The response why they denied my claim was I had an accident and they were not responsible regardless of the camera not working. They told me to contact my insurance to fix the damage. I feel I wouldn't have had an accident if my rearview camera did not go out. The backup assistance beep would have sensed the object behind me in my backup view and I would not have damaged my vehicle since the object was in my blind spot. I feel that Ford is responsible for the repairs and I have video proof that my camera was having issues prior to my accident. I need Ford to fix my vehicle at no cost to me. They are ignoring the fact that the backup camera and blinspot assistance failed.

Reverse camera has displayed very dark once. Reverse camera has displayed solid, bright blue multiple times. Gauge cluster displayed warning message that reverse assistance is unavailable.

The most recent and severe incident occurred February 27 2021. I've started my 2020 Ford Explorer st via remote and entered it to move it in order to load the vehicle. The loading the vehicle all in all took about 15 minutes, the whole time, it was idling. I've put the vehicle in reverse, backed out of a spot and started driving forward in the lot I was in at about 10mph. I've attempted to stop the vehicle, but then it was not slowing down properly. I had to use the e-brake button to stop it. It came to an immediate stop. The dash was cycling through numerous warnings; 1. Hill descent control fault 2. Anti lock brake fault 3. Pre collision assist not available 4. Hill start assist warning 5. Hill descent control fault 6. Service advance track system 7. Check brake system 8. Park brake fault service now I tried testing the brakes, while going forward and backwards, the were weak and inconsistent. Like they were pulsing with full power and then nothing. Restarting the vehicle made all those warnings disappear. Took it to the dealership, which is the 2nd time that is it going in for brake and power train related issues. Few times a months since I've bought it, the only issue I would have, is on startup and immediate movement, the brakes would sometimes bottom out and not be able to stop the vehicle when in gear unless I put it in neutral or pump the brakes. Was told that they do not see any codes, and might be just a weird timing with my start ups. The most recent event on the 27th, was what prompted me to report this. Vehicle was idling for a while and moving with weak or no brakes to stop. That could have resulted in an incident.

1. Powertrain/transmission: the transmission starting slipping and having hard shifts. When I would slow the car to turn or stop, it jerked at 30mph, 20 mph, and again at 15-10mph. Then it started hard shifting when you put it in drive, and again at each shift. It wouldn't go over 55mph. The powertrain failure light(orange wrench) and Fordpass notice finally came on a week and a half after the issues started. Shortly after the light cam on the car would not go in reverse. There is a recall on the powertrain in 2020 Explorers, however my VIN # does not show any recalls. I have an infant that is in the car with me usually. I am afraid for her to travel with me now in this vehicle, even once Ford tries to "fix" the issue because the warning light does not appear until the powertrain is completely gone. I feel that the sensor should go off when it notices the transmission is having issues. This vehicle is now at a Ford dealership to be repaired. *2. Rear-view back up camera: camera works 20% of the time. The screen is blue or the image jumps severely. It was taken to a Ford dealership and they said it didn't happen when it was there so they did nothing to fix it. There is a recall on this feature however my VIN # does not apply. *3. A/c: the air-conditioning unit fails to cool the air. The ac unit blows humid air. *4. Screen/display: the screen in the center console will go black and the steering wheel buttons will not work on the radio or bluetooth phone capabilities. The hands free phone option was not available during these system blackouts. 5. Park-aid sensor: the parking sensors in the front bumper keep falling out and go off making it seem like I am an about to hit something. I had to pop them back in place at least twice. *a Ford dealership has tried to address these issues already. However, these features still do not function properly on the car. If the feature "worked" while it was in the repair shop then they said they couldn't fix it.

My 2020 Explorer st is displaying 4wd fault, drive mode unavailable, service 4wd. Reverse brake assist not available. The info screen stay black and will not load. The vehicle also displays pre collision fault and brakes hard on a clear and open road. Vehicle breaks by itself when reversing. The vehicle is also displaying numerous other faults. Vehicle will start on it's own. The break petal goes to the floor. The vehicle will sometimes break hard on it's own at highway speeds.