What 1,163 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

In June of this year, with about 82,000 miles I began to experience a clunk felt through the vehicle while slowing down from @35 mph upon the downshift. The clunk was more noticeable under braking, i.e. approaching a stop light. This went on for a few days growing more frequent and noticeable. On June 30th, 2025 I dropped my Explorer off at my Ford dealer's service department. The mechanic test drove and confirmed my experience. They also found that the transmission fluid had a burnt smell and some debris. Their testing turned up codes P1783 and P028 indicating an overtempt condition. I’d offer that at no time did I see and sort of dashboard indicators of any trouble. I’ve never pulled a trailer, modified the engine intake or exhaust systems, or had custom engine tunning performed. It’s a completely stock Explorer ST. My recourse was to pay $8,529.63 to replace the transmission. I do feel that if I had continued to operate the vehicle best case would be I was stranded someone where. Worse stranded on the roadway or highway.

NHTSA ODI 11675031

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.

NHTSA ODI 11675126

Parking brake won't disengage. Cannot drive or reverse

NHTSA ODI 11675146

While sitting in the 3rd row seat, my daughter felt the headrest smack the back of her head. When trying to put it back up, it will no longer stay in place. There are multiple reports of this exact thing happening. This is a known issue with these vehicles. I am now unable to allow anyone to ride in that seat, as the headrest will not stay up.

NHTSA ODI 11674615

3rd row seats have a malfunctioning system causing the headrests to not lift back up after seat is down, seat goes down with an automatic button but then headrest on both sides do not lift up as they should. This poses a very serious risk to children in the back seat who are now leaned and pushed forward by this headrest which is folded down over the seat and will not go up. After a lot of research I have seen that this is a very common issue with this year of Explorers.

NHTSA ODI 11674159

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while attempting to shift gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to the dealer for additional assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transfer case had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 46,894.

NHTSA ODI 11673947

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.

NHTSA ODI 11673590

The tire pressure monitoring system has failed. Per the dealership, each tire needs a new battery, which run around $150/each. The first sensor went out approx 1 month ago, with the other 3 going out shortly after. While this does not pose an immediate risk for the driver, it does appear that numerous other 2020 explorers are having the same issue. If the batteries provided are faulty, a recall should be issued.

NHTSA ODI 11673288

The front windows on my 2020 Ford Explorer have an intermittent issue. When auto rolling up the windows they will bounce back and automatically roll down 2/3 of the way. This has happened in rainstorms and at the car wash creating a driving hazard. The dealer hasn’t been able to fix the issue as the issue does not generate an error message. They tell me without an error message they can’t fix it. Several calls to Ford Customer Service hasn’t resulted in them agreeing to fix the issue. The best they offer is for me to take it to another Ford dealer and pay another $160 and hope this time an error code is found If you google the issue you will see this is a widespread problem that Ford is apparently pretending doesn’t exist. So much for “Quality is job 1.”

NHTSA ODI 11673336

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed the transmission was slipping and the vehicle was slow accelerate. The vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the contact stated that the RPM was high while driving at low speeds. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 19,000.

NHTSA ODI 11673373

Water has been leaking on my passenger side front floor, and now the blower motor has completely seized. Ford quoted me over $1,000 for a blower motor! I have requested asking for satisfaction warranty for this to be covered via email, with no response. Blower motors should not go bad this soon. I have no way to defrost or defog my windows. This is a major safety concern

NHTSA ODI 11673226

The sunshade for sun/panoramic roof stopped retracting. When I pressed the button to open it, the shade rolled back about two inches and as it’s continuing to go back the shade then became loose and hanging blocking my rear view. As this was happening I was in the process of backing up, so at this point it affects the safety of me, and my kids, including others around. No warning or indication that it would malfunction ever came. Now it’s just sagging and loose it’s no longer tight.

NHTSA ODI 11673045

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop at a red traffic light, the vehicle inadvertently shut off in the middle of the roadway and failed to restart. The battery warning light was illuminated. No further information was available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA23002(Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11672765

2020 explorer Transmission needs to be rebuilt due to transmission failure. Hard shifting that causes car to jerk dangerously. Decreased ability to gain speed due to delays and inability to properly shift though gears. Issues started on April 2025 and have continued to get worse. Care only has a little over 36000 miles on it. It was bought brand new November of 2019. Car is currently at ford dealership being worked on but this is a known issue with the transmission on 2020 models. This should be covered at no cost to me but here I am stuck paying for most of it.

NHTSA ODI 11672397

With no previous problems, over the course of the past two days the transmission has begun to hard and delayed shift in multiple gears between 10 to 75 mph. When slowing down to go through tolls this morning, as I accelerated, there was a sudden loss of power transmission and a loud rattling sound. The engine would rev in this case. I had to coast for about 150 ft before I regained control of my speed. Once I was slowing down to take my exit to get to work and wait at the light, when I attempted to accelerate to go through the light, I experienced another loss of power. However, this time the engine would not rev. Once in the intersection I was moving slowly. Had this happened (loss of power) while I was in the intersection or through the toll and someone was behind me accelerating, I could have been rear ended and injured. I am taking the Explorer to the dealership next Tuesday to find out if they can reproduce the issue. There are no warning lamps associated with this problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by any third party yet.

NHTSA ODI 11672556

my car has been in the shop in Louisiana and Alabama, it has had a leak, and I have told them over and over about the jerky shifting etc, but it was never noted on any of the service, they said they have fixed the leak...but it continued with the jerking and slow to go into gear. then a couple of weeks ago I was driving down the road and the car wouldn't go, I made it home. I called the Ford service to make an appointment to have it checked again, and the service recall on the seatbelt. My appointment was for Tuesday morning July 1st, but on Thursday I hadn't heard from them, so I called, and on the following Monday they called me back to say the transmission was out and needed to be replaced, it would be 10K plus. So I got a tow to go pick it up and take to a transmission shop. They didn't even get the seatbelt issue resolved in the week it was there. Why didn't they check the transmission was bad while it was under warranty. It now has about 80K miles

NHTSA ODI 11672143

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle jolted forward while parking. The brakes were locking up. While driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel locked up. The 4-WD fault light was illuminated. The contact stated that the Pre-collision Assist, Hill Assist and Reverse messages were displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 23-2174. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the AWD actuator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,156.

NHTSA ODI 11672039

11/5/24 Transmission failed. Gear selector knob went unresponsive. Wrench light on dash came on. 1/2/25- new transmission received. 4/25/25- car hesitates going into reverse gear- 10 second delay. Still continues. 7/1/25- transmission starts slipping again. 7/2/25- transmission slamming while accelerating.

NHTSA ODI 11671483

Back latch is getting stuck in secondary position when released. Module is intermittently not communicating.

NHTSA ODI 11671045

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon shifting to park(P), the vehicle rolled and almost struck two pedestrians. The contact engaged the parking brake, and the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated upon driving to the residence and attempting to park near the garage door, the failure recurred, and the vehicle struck the garage door. The contact engaged the parking brake and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that the vehicle then became inoperable. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

NHTSA ODI 11671143

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and then the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the engine seized. No warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power control module. The contact was informed that the power control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11671157

Experiencing issues with power steering after battery replacement. Taken to two Ford dealerships (Fayetteville, GA & Morrow, GA) . One unable to diagnose (Fayetteville) and the other reset battery settings (Morrow). Issue still persistent with intermittent power steering failure while driving. Very dangerous and scary! Errors that appear: service advance trac, steering assist fault service required & pre-collision assist not available.

NHTSA ODI 11670672

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jerked abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the previous owner had previously taken the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing, and the failure information was already in the dealer database. The contact was informed that the failure was due to transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle was purchased two weeks prior to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

NHTSA ODI 11670753

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power after coming to a stop. The contact stated that the oil pressure message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred thirty days after an oil change. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11670274

On the glass panels in between the rear and front side windows, the panels are shattering underneath both sides. When looking up online to see if anyone else has this problem, there’s all kinds of pictures of this problem posted online..I’m including photos of mine. Have included photos of driver and passenger side.

NHTSA ODI 11669879