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

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the engine coolant overheat warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact pulled over. The contact then continued driving at 10 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant sensor failure. The contact was informed that the coolant sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11637940

On [XXX], with the wife and 3 grandkids in the car, as we made a left turn and were picking up speed suddenly the car downshifted to first gear. This jerked the whole car whipping the necks of everybody in the car and drastically slowed the car. Fortunately, the guy behind me did not rear end me, but almost. This scared us all. The car recovered and we proceeded the 15 miles home but several times the transmission seemed to have trouble finding the right gear. There were no lights or warnings on the dash. My wife said she would not drive the car any more. We parked the car until Monday, January 6. I drove the car to Tracey Langston Ford in Springfield and they have said I need a new transmission. This is a $6,700 repair out of my pocket. They have said they will reduce it to $6,000. Meanwhile, I still do not have the car and we have made it with one car for over 2 and one half weeks.

NHTSA ODI 11638147

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted, hesitated, and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11637419

Cracked Transmission Cooler where hoses attach. Replaced/repaired at owners expense.

NHTSA ODI 11636598

1. Yes, available for inspection. 4 x 4 issue. Front half shaft axel needs replaced, as well as hoses because of the change in the front half shaft design. My safety is at risk as when I'm driving the veichle it will randomly kick out of 4 x 4, and hill assist. I cannot make it up hills and slide everywhere. I have almost been into multiple accidents due to the failed system. Ford Dealership inspected the car, and diagnosed it. They said it's a known issue for the year and there is a TSB but no recall. They fix the sams issue frequently. Ford Dealership read the codes and wrote a order of the parts I need. No lights or issues prior to this safety issue. This issue causes all sensors to stop working, hill assist to kick out, auto hold to kick out, and causes the entire car to not work in 4 x 4.

NHTSA ODI 11636039

The transmission failed. Causing me to almost be rear ended because when I hit the brakes there was a hard down sift between gears. Then I could not accelerate resulting in me being stranded on the side of the road. We have had the car inspected by two separate shops and they both confirmed it was a failed transmission. We were not able to take it to the manufacturer dealership for two weeks. There was no warnings before this happened.

NHTSA ODI 11636170

The rear window dropped down while driving, which was scary and wouldn't go up.

NHTSA ODI 11635589

At only 5 years old and at 113k miles in January 2025 I was told by my local dealership that the right side catalytic converter was cracked and needed replacement to pass inspection. In March 2023 the left side catalytic converter was replaced under a service bulletin 21E11. Prior to that both sides intermediate exhaust pipes and flex connectors were replaced in November 2021. I have searched online and read of many other Ford Explorer ST owners complaining of failed catalytic converters. Ford is doing nothing to address this if the vehicle is outside of the required 80k mile emissions warranty. It seems to me there’s a known problem and this ride side catalytic converter should also be recalled. No catalytic converter should be consistently failing this early in a cars lifespan. Catalytic converters are known to last over 10 years and 300k+ miles. I’ve also seen where the same Ford Explorer but under the Police Interceptor name has had the right side catalytic converter recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11635763

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.

NHTSA ODI 11635174

2020 Explorer ST transfer case and transfer case module failed. Safety was a high risk factor for myself and anyone around me because when trying to make turns the vehicle slow way down like the brakes were being applied and the vehicle would violently shake. The vehicle has been inspected by a dealer and confirmed to be the transfer case and transfer case module. When this occurred there were several warnings, advancetrac fault, hill start assist fault, 4WD fault, ABS fault, and traction control fault.

NHTSA ODI 11635155

The headrests of both of the back seats first locked and would not release, then suddenly released and were never able to lock back in place again. Because of the headrest mechanism failures, we cannot allow anyone to sit in the rear seats because they are not safe. We need to be able to use those seats for our children. We had them inspected by our local Ford dealer and they confirmed that this is a known issue for this model, but that there has not been a recall yet. They could fix them, but unfortunately it would be a significant cost to fix both of them out of pocket when this really is a safety issue and should be a recall. There were no warning messages other than one day they simply would not lock in place properly.

NHTSA ODI 11634633

The accelerator pedal is mounted to the floor and the pedal itself is attached to the base with a very thin piece of plastic that over time separates. In my vehicle the pedal has separated and is moving freely which makes the accelerator pedal raise up while your foot is on the brakes and when you go to accelerate the pedal is blocking your foot from returning to the accelerator. The answer to question #1, the accelerator pedal and yes it is available for inspection. #2 I was nearly struck while crossing over a divided highway because my foot was obstructed by the accelerator pedal. #3 I have contacted the dealer and they advised I had to replace the part because it was not under recall. #4 I am law enforcement and I have encountered and inspected the pedal and deem it to be dangerous. #5 There were no lamps, no warning lights and this occurred all of the sudden, no symptoms prior to separation.

NHTSA ODI 11634155

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was in to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (POWER TRAIN); the mechanic discovered metal shavings inside the rear axle differential fluid. The contact was advised that the rear axle assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11633923

Dealer confirmed the driver side rear shock is leaking. SUV was driven only on paved roads locally with an occasional highway drive.

NHTSA ODI 11633763

The Power Liftgate does not open, and it took me 16 minutes to open it. It is a safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11632735

Low beam headlights have both went out in our second year of ownership. At 1600.00 each and 600.00 labor to replace.

NHTSA ODI 11632381

Sunroof liner out of line with track, when opening blocks rear visibility including blind spots. Dealer confirmed multiple reports of sunroof issues with no identified fix besides replacing it with an identical mechanism that’s currently failing. Passengers in middle row are completely covered by drooping sunroof and have to lift it out of the way

NHTSA ODI 11632107

Received letter for Ford CSP 24N01 which states that the one bolt holding the rear end is at risk of breaking off under load. The letter then says if the bolt is broken or if any noise and/or vibration is present in the rear, to then bring the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer then stated that the bushing the bolt rides in is tearing at the top but the vehicle is not eligible for the CSP. The main issue is they will not quote just replacing the bushing but they are required to update the rear diff cover that accommodates two bolts and bushings (which is the CSP). I’m forced to either pay $1800 for the dealer to address this or just throw the CSP in the glove box and let the stress of the bolt take the abuse of a sloppy bushing and let my wife drive along until her rear end falls out. I would get the bushing replaced but the dealer is not giving that option. The bushing that is in the vehicle is DISCONTINUED due to a design flaw. How is this not a recall for all explorers of these years? Mine was built 02/2020 which is part of the Safety Recall 22S27.

NHTSA ODI 11631967

There are problems with these items which are covered under a Ford recall. My vehicle is at Liccardi Ford dealer in Watchung NJ and I feel a tremendous resistance from the dealer to repair the recalled ordered repairs.

NHTSA ODI 11631330

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon raising the front passenger's side power window switch, the window rolled up and then rolled back down unintentionally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power window control module was reset. The contact stated after the dealer had performed a rearview camera recall repair on the vehicle, messages advising that the traction control and the other drive modes were inoperable were displayed. The dealer replaced the throttle body and an unknown part. Additionally, the contact stated after the dealer had lifted the vehicle for servicing, the dealer noticed that the catalytic converter, the mufflers, and the shock absorbers had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the shock absorbers were leaking fluid. The dealer determined that the catalytic converter, the mufflers, and the shock absorbers needed to be replaced. The dealer had ordered the parts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11631495

My back window shattered. It made a horribly loud noise and shattered from one side to the other. There was no visibility out the window. I had just parked my car and was stepping out when it exploded. I can’t imagine the reaction I would have had if I had been driving. There was not any warnings or anything pertaining to the window and my vehicle has not been inspected at this time. I will be taking my vehicle to have the back window replaced, and it could be inspected anytime prior to that.

NHTSA ODI 11631255

Daytime running light on drivers side not functioning at all.

NHTSA ODI 11631300

I discovered a leak from the Transmission oil cooler. Diagnosed by Ford but not covered under power train warranty. Upon further research discovered the vehicle not included in the Customer Satisfaction program, Campaign #20B34 initiated by Ford Motor Company. If I had not discovered the leak, damage to the transmission would have occurred or caused the transmission to fail putting the occupants at risk of injury or death. Vehicle currently being repaired at my own expense.

NHTSA ODI 11629832

Various electrical issues GPS not working also drivers seat electrical

NHTSA ODI 11629528

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while the transmission was shifting gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the crash prevention system, the traction control system, the driving mode warning lights, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to change the driving mode to the current driving condition. Additionally, the vehicle unintendedly switched from 4WD to 2WD. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Jordan Ford (609 E Jefferson Blvd, Mishawaka, IN 46545), where it was diagnosed and determined that the AWD control module and the front axle seals needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the AWD control module replacement was not covered under the power train warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11629161