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

The transmission, when slowing down from 3rd to 2nd gear is shifting really hard and jerking. I haven't noticed this when it upshifts, only downshifting. There are times when backing up it will also act like the brake isn't completely off. It will jerk and scoot until you put it in park and let it set for a minute and then start backing up again.

NHTSA ODI 11661573

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11661115

While driving the car made a grinding noise and experienced a brief loss of power. We were in two lanes of traffic, traveling at 65 MPH on an incline with a tractor trailer behind us. Then when reaching destination the car would not engage in park, but continued to roll. We were visiting our grandchildren’s house and they come out to greet us and my husband was getting out of the car as the car was still rolling. We drove the car to our Ford dealership and the manager drove the car and also experienced the car’s inability to engage in PARK. The Ford dealership inspected the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11661214

* The component that appears to be malfunctioning is the driveshaft and/or related transmission system. I have experienced repeated issues such as abnormal jerking when switching gears, grinding or clunking noises, and jerking through the drivetrain with erratic RPMs before the vehicle regains power. These symptoms are consistent with problems covered in recent recalls for the 2020 Ford Explorer. The vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. *The issues have made it feel unsafe to drive the vehicle, especially with children in the car. The unpredictable jerking and loss of power present a serious danger, particularly when accelerating into traffic or driving at highway speeds. I am extremely concerned that a sudden failure could result in loss of control, a rollaway, or even a serious accident. Another concern is the defect involving the driveshaft or half shafts that might disconnect or stop functioning. This disconnection can lead to a loss of drive power or, if the parking brake is not applied, a possible vehicle rollaway. *While I have not yet had the issue diagnosed by a service center, I have filed a lemon law claim, and I’m in the process of addressing the matter formally. The symptoms I’m experiencing appear to match known issues that Ford has already recalled for the 2020–2021 Explorer models. *The manufacturer has not yet inspected the vehicle, and no inspections have been conducted by police or insurance representatives. I am open to having the vehicle inspected by Ford or an authorized party as needed. *There were no warning lamps or messages displayed prior to the issues occurring. The symptoms—jerking, clunking noises, and erratic RPM behavior—began gradually over time, with the first noticeable incident occurring a few months ago. Since then, the issues have become more frequent and severe.

NHTSA ODI 11661255

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal screeching sound underneath the floorboards. The contact stated while slowing down the vehicle stalled. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated, and the vehicle could to be restarted. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred two more times. The contact stated that the last failure of the transmission had occurred several weeks ago. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11660849

I was traveling down the highway when my vehicles hood unattached and smashed into my windshield causing extensive damage to my windshield and hood. The impact of the hood releasing and shattering my windshield caused glass to enter the cabin of my vehicle. This was an unsafe incident as I had my toddler in my backseat, and I was traveling down a busy highway at the time of the event causing my vision to be impaired by the hood. I safely maneuvered to the shoulder of the roadway and was able to pull the hood down. Following the incident, I was unable to drive my vehicle due to the windshield damage. I have since contacted my insurance agency and filed a claim for the damages. I have had the windshield replaced, totaling $886.85. I have an appointment with my local body shop for damages to the hood.

NHTSA ODI 11660902

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality afterwards. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission oil cooler had failed and was leaking transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and confirmed that the transmission oil cooler had failed. The vehicle was pending repair. The contact stated that recently, while the vehicle was parked, there were oil stains found on the ground. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to the Manufacturer Recall Number: 20B34. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11660931

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the parking assist was inoperable, and the reverse automatic emergency braking was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact used a scanning tool and determined that the failure was still present. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ODI 11660605

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the contact depressed the button to open the moonroof, and the cloth material covering the moonroof detached. The contact's daughter was sitting in the second row in the middle seat and alerted the contact to the failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that hanging cloth covers over the rear-view mirror was obstructing his view. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. There was no cause for the failure found. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11660708

Ford Customer Service Case: [XXX] The transmission presented multiple problems, and eventually completed failed. Hard shifting, failing to engage properly, jerking and jolting in gear. Failure to shift to Park after stopping. Failing to shift gears up or down while driving. Loss of propulsion all together after stopping at lights or stop-signs. This put our family at risk, losing power in traffic. No warning lamps presented until the failure happened. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, and transmission failure was confirmed. The dealership did supply an estimate for transmission replacement ($6300). The vehicle is currently available for inspection, and has not yet been repaired. The interesting thing is that all of these symptoms seem to be extremely common for this exact model based on research. Multiple TSBs were issued in relation to the same model and transmission, but no repairs were ever made or suggested for this particular vehicle. It appears there may have been a recall for other 2020 Explorer STs, but somehow this particular one was excluded from the list, but manifested the exact same transmission failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11660476

The sunroof screen blocks the rear window view due to sagging. The Ford Explorer has a common issue in which the fabric retractor spring fails causing the sunroof shade to not retract. Once engaged it blocks the rear window view. Additional since it won't retract, it continues to sage due to lack of tension. This will eventually block the rear window.

NHTSA ODI 11660266

Panoramic sunroof shade came off track causing it to sag.

NHTSA ODI 11660193

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle jolted and failed to shift into gear as intended while the gear lever was used. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11659973

Currently have my vehicle in for a recall notice and mentioned to the Ford service staff that the transmission makes a jerking motion when engaged in a low gear but no warning lights are lit up. Technician states I need an entire new transmission and my vehicle is just barely out of the powertrain warranty. Ford refuses to replace transmission on their dime because its out of warranty. However, I've researched and found multiple complaints of people experiencing the same problem that just barely out of warranty their Ford transmissions are failing and need complete replacement too. Why is this not a recall issue with Ford!? My issue could create a safety issue if it completely failed without warning while I was driving. A car transmission typically lasts between 100,000 to 200,000 miles, or approximately 7 to 10 years for most drivers, yet mine is only 5 years old and 65,000 miles when it failed.

NHTSA ODI 11659211

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11659276

The cloth cover for the panoramic sun roof came off the tracks. Now when you retract the cover, it all comes down into the cabin seriously blocking drivers visibility to the back. I am unable to get the cloth cover back into the track mechanism.

NHTSA ODI 11659048

At 84000 miles, just roughly 6k after my "extended warranty" expires ford says my transmission needs to be replaced. I had an issue with my transmission September 07, 2023, they looked at it verified it was slipping and the fluid was dirty but did nothing to replace it at that time acting like that was normal. Ok. It would have and should be covered under the warranty I paid for, they took advantage of me because I'm a women. I have the paperwork from that and I would like someone to reach out to me personally. On top of that there is a recall on other 2020 ford explorer with the exact same engine and transmission as mine. At 84000 miles I should not be looking at replacing a 10,000$ transmission! Especially when they should have fixed it the first time.

NHTSA ODI 11658833

Powertrain malfunction/reduced power came on when I came home from work as I pulled in my driveway. The check engine light comes on and off for the past week or two prior to the powertrain malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11658547

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11658550

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle lost motive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the failure was linked to Technical Service Bulletin: 20 – 2305. The contact was informed that the A-clutch and transmission front support needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11658134

I was involved in an accident. I was traveling through a green light and a car was coming towards my driver side, they failed to yield. I attempted to accelerate and my transmission slipped prior to impact. I have tried to address this concern with Ford in the past and have reported the vehicle jerks on acceleration and when slowing down. You can feel the transmission slip when it is attempting to go from gear to gear.

NHTSA ODI 11657533

When driving the vehicle felt sluggish and the 4wd fault came on, on the dashboard. Decided to take it to the dealer and they inspected it and stated the front differential actuator needs to be replaced. It's a component that is electrical and it turns on the four wheel drive and turns it off when not needed. This should be covered by ford since it's a manufacturing error for putting faulty components to control the AWD.

NHTSA ODI 11657350

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11656685

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the sunroof fractured without impact. Additionally, the fractured glass fell onto the contact and all over the interior of the vehicle. The contact sustained cuts from the fractured glass. The contact had not received medical treatment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

NHTSA ODI 11656846

Sun Shade: Sunroof shade guide has lost the bolt securing it to the shade, will need bolt to re-secure. When retracted back sunroof Sun Shade sags, blocking rearview window. Causes driver to be unable to see out back window. No warning lamps. Problem has been inspected by ford dealership. According to ford the bolt that secures the Sun Shade to the sunroof has come out.

NHTSA ODI 11656506