Complaint volume
1135 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Ford Explorer Complaints
1135 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Ford Explorer, grouped by component category.
1135 Total complaints
33 Crash reports
10 Fire reports
27 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, unknown or other, back over prevention. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 33 crash reports, 10 fire reports, 27 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 385 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 33,892 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, unknown or other, back over prevention?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Ford Explorer?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Ford Explorer
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Ford Explorer complaints?
33 Crash
10 Fire
27 Injury
0 Fatality
40 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Ford Explorer complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 307
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 117
BACK OVER PREVENTION 56
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 44
ENGINE 42
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 40
SERVICE BRAKES 27
VISIBILITY/WIPER 27
STRUCTURE 26
SEATS 25
1,135 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN | See related previous complaints 11394378 and 11403620. Same issue, transmission began to line with no lights then when driving pressed on the accelerator and there was no forward momentum. Luckily was on a country road that was not busy as I had no power to accelerate if I needed to. Lights came on for transmission AFTER I rolled to a stop and turned the vehicle off then back on. Error says it's an issue with the transmission sensor, power control system, transmission control module errors. As stated before has previous issue where they replaced the transmission valve body around 2300 miles and this is the second transmission put in. Last complaint was in February 2021. Same issue with the power train which this time my family was in the car and I was unable to make an evasive maneuver if I needed to. Transmission issue and still no recall for this danger to others. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | When engaging gear into reverse, there’s no image feedback in the information screen. A blue screen is displayed, making it unsafe and dangerous to operate the vehicle. My Explorer is definitely being affected by the recall and yet when checking the VIN number it shows ‘No Recalls’. Please advise and provide confirmation of acknowledgment so I can take it to a Ford dealership for repair. Thank you | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ENGINE | Vehicle is pre owned and had been driving fine since I’ve owned it from 8/2021 the vehicle had 9000 miles on it when I purchased it. While driving, the vehicle randomly made some noises from the engine compartment but no warning lights I stopped at a red light and when I took off it started to sound like a screatching from the engine then the low oil pressure light came on I immediately pulled over and shut the vehicle off. The next day I had the vehicle towed to a Ford dealership I got a call from them that there is a lot of metal shavings in the engine oil and filter and that this had been going on for a long time and they aren’t sure when it started. The vehicle currently has 27000 miles on it and has had 3 oil changes while I owned it at both Belle Tire and a Ford dealership. The dealership currently still has my vehicle with no information nor update going on 3 weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing, the back-up camera image turned blue. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the failure reoccurred a week later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the back-up camera failed and needed to be replaced; however, the recall repair did not include a back-up camera replacement. The contact stated that the recall remedy failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not currently under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 29,000 |
| Nov 2022 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The rear view camera system will intermittently display a blue screen. Dealer service has downloaded new software updates with no success. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 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 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the transmission independently shifted from drive(D) to neutral(N) and made a loud revving sound. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. There was a warning symbol advising to refer to the Owner's Manual. The failure occurred approximately five times within 20 miles. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the transmission fluid was contaminated, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,855. | Crash: No Fire: No | 49,855 |
| Nov 2022 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the back-up camera intermittently displayed a blue screen while in use. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions where software was used to clear the fault codes; however, the failure would return soon after the update. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Protection). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| Nov 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle is available for inspection as of writing this report. The vehicle has a jolt or jerk like feeling when the car is speeding up or slowing down and seems to be between gears 4-7. It feels like the car is going to die in the middle of driving and could be at speeds 50+. Almost as if one were to pop the clutch on a manual transmission. Car only has approximately 27,000 miles, has received all regular maintenance, and indoor storage. I have not taken the car for dealer or independent inspection of this particular issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle. Additionally, an abnormal exhaust odor was detected while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B35 (Right-Hand Catalytic Converter and Right-Hand and Left-Hand Exhaust Flexible Pipes) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 47,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 47,500 |
| Oct 2022 | STRUCTURE | Over the last two years, the lift gate has closed in excess of 20 times without direct actuation of the lift gate button located on the lift gate, in the driver compartment or from the key fob. A significant amount of time this includes no sounding of the lift gate closing chime. This happens when the lift gate is open, and you are standing at the rear of the vehicle. The lift gate has closed and caused the person to quickly duck out of the way to avoid getting hit in the head by the door. This action is suspect of the movement of something below the bumper to trigger the hands-free opening / closing sensor. The vehicle in question was brought into the local dealer for troubleshooting and no defects noted. A software update was performed, and the condition still exists. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | Rear camera screen turning blue when in reverse. Incident where child on bicycle crossing driveway put in danger.Appears to happen in afternoon with sun exposer on side of vehicle where camera is located. Taken to Ford dealer and had to purchase new camera system. Rear automated lift hatch also began opening when unattended and triggering alarm if parked. In addition it has released once while driving and caused alarm. Circuit board replaced at my expense has not resolved the problem. Each issue has happened multiple times during September and October 2022 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while at a complete stop, she would hear abnormal rattling sounds coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at 40 MPH and coming to a complete stop, she noticed that the rattling sounds had stopped; however, the exhaust pipe was emitting abnormal sounds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the exhaust pipe was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. A case was opened, however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 5,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,500 |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE | Transmission is skipping when put into different gears | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | On March 14, 2021, a failure with the vehicle posed a serious safety hazard when my two children, another minor child and our dog were accompanying me, with the car fully loaded for spring break, and the brake system completely failed, among other electrical issues, as we were departing our neighborhood. The vehicle was subsequently towed to the dealership. I cringe to imagine what would have ensued if this defect would have occurred only a few minutes later, as we pulled into traffic or made it to the highway for our trip. I don't recall what lamps came on as it was very scary at the time, but the alerts on the Ford App were, Antilock Brake Fault, Hill Start Assist Warning, Hill Descent Control Fault Warning and Pre-Collision Assist Not Available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | On multiple occasions the wipers have stop working while raining. The bounce back and forth about an inch. This on at least 4 separate occasions forces us to pull over on the side of the road, including the highway. With not being able to see the shoulder well, we had to slow way down causing a potential hazard for other vehicles on the road as we try and navigate to the side of the road. Restarting the vehicle does not seem to do the trick. Sometimes stopping the wipers, picking them off the windshield and letting them smack on the window. This sometimes works. This increases the risk for severe injury on the side of the road outside the car in less than ideal driving conditions. I have taken the car to the dealership multiple times and they refuse to do anything because they cannot duplicate the issue. I showed them videos and did not car. Called ford, opened case with them. They did not do anything after 2 weeks. They've given me no suggestion or offered any solution or option. The last time it was a downpour and could not see anything. I had to slow down to less than 20mph, stick my head out the window to try and find a place to pull off as this road did not have a shoulder. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Some 2020 Explorer/Aviator vehicles built on or before 17-Feb-2020 may exhibit an intermittent partial opening of the power liftgate and/or false activation of the anti-theft alarm | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The issue started after the car was brought in for a recall. They said it was only a software update, so it may be a coincidence. When starting to drive the car after being in park, the front of the car sounds like things are screeching and halts the car suddenly without any warning. When in reverse a note comes on that rear assist is unavailable as it stalls. When in drive no notice comes on but the car comes to a halt. It will work if you turn it off and on and try to drive again but happens in the middle of the street. This is a huge safety concern while driving on the road to be hit by someone, injured by the whip lash from the stop. We have very young kids and refuse to put them in the car in fear of this happening with them in it again, or happening in their daycare parking lot with other kids around. We took the car twice to the dealership by our house, however they were unable to duplicate the issue and says there is nothing they can do. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on normal suburban roads, error messages appear on the instrument display every two to three days: 4WD Fault Service Required, Pre-Collision Assist not available, Service Advance Trac. The check engine light or wrench icon appears on the instrument display, and the stability trac icon appears on the instrument display. When this happens, the adaptive cruise control does not function. Safety of the vehicle and driver are impaired by major safety system(s) do not function, such as the stability control and the collision avoidance feature. I have brought the Explorer in to one dealer one time, and another dealer two times. A repair to the half shaft speed sensor has been performed twice, however the problem still persists. This problem first appeared on the vehicle in July of 2022 at 44,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | When shifting from park to reverse, with foot completely on brake, the car will roll backwards several feet before stopping. Happens multiple times a month. Very dangerous as it rolls back into oncoming vehicles in parking lots. It is difficult to replicate as it is an intermittent problem. There is no prompting by the vehicle that there is an issue before hand. The only notable difference is the brakes are very firm while the vehicle is rolling and cannot be pressed in further. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission has failed. Started with hard shifting between gears, was to the dealership. Worked on it for 2 days, could not fix, gave back now as I was going thru an intersection went into a "neutral" type mode, lost all power coasted then picked up and started going again. Almost got rear-ended because of this. No messages appeared. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while activating the windshield wipers, the driver’s side windshield wiper was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the driver’s side windshield wiper was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the bracket had sunk into the vehicle causing the wiper to not function correctly. The mechanic stated that an additional screw would be added for the wiper to function as needed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 48,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 48,000 |
| Aug 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | When I release the parking brake and put the car in reverse, the car starts to roll while my foot is still actively pressing the brake. Brake pedal feels locked. It’s happened a handful of times but is not consistent and hard to replicate. This, of course, puts anyone in my car in danger and anyone around my car. I’ve taken it to the dealership and elevated it to corporate, but they say they can’t do anything since they can’t replicate it on site. Based on website forums, this is a common issue. When it happens, there are no warning lights or anything indicators. Again, to summarize, car rolls when brake is pressed intermittently. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to move and was seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the transfer case, gear, transmission, and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 68,000 |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | While vehicle was in park it continued to go in reverse with warning lights showing "PARK NOT ENGAGED". | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |