Home · 2020 Ford Explorer Police Intercept · Complaints

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

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,163)Crash / fire / injury (64)Transmission & drivetrain (454)Electrical system (179)Engine (111)Backup camera & sensors (104)Brakes (79)Driver assistance (67)Visibility & wipers (63)Lights (51)Body & structure (43)Fuel system (42)

454 of 1,163 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 19 of 19

Jan 30, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

AFTER INITIALLY STARTING THE VEHICLE AND BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT IT WAS SHIFTED TO DRIVE. WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE PARKING LOT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING HIGHER THAN NORMAL. UPON MAKING A RIGHT TURN ONTO A DIVIDED BOULEVARD THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR. THERE WAS TRAFFIC COMING BUT LUCKILY IT WAS FAR ENOUGH BACK THAT I COULD PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION BACK INTO PARK AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE. WHEN I STARTED MOVING FORWARD AGAIN IT WOULD NOT SHIFT PAST 1ST GEAR STILL. . I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION PARKING LOT AND LET MY HUSBAND TRY TO SEE IF HE COULD FIGURE IT OUT. WE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON. STILL WPULD NOT SHIFT PAST 1ST GEAR. HE ATTEMPTED TO USE MANUAL SHIFTING AND IT WOULD ONLY GO TO 2ND GEAR THEN CHUG SEVERAL TIMES AND GO COME TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP. SHUT IT OFF AGAIN AND BACK ON. THIS TIME IT SEAMED TO BE WORKING. HE PULLED OUT ON TO THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE AGAIN ALMOST STOPPED HALF WAY THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. HE PULLED OFF INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED IT OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR 15 MIN. WHEN IT TURNED BACK ON IT WORKED FINE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ON AT THIS POINT. WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THE 10 MILE DRIVE HOME. THIS IS VERY CONCERNING AS THE VEHICLE IS ONLY A WEEK AND A HALF OLD WITH LESS THAN 600 MILES ON IT. I WAS SKEPTICAL OF THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION TO START WITH BUT THIS DOES NOT HELP BUILD MY CONFIDENCE. ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT OUR 10 MONTH OLD BABY WAS IN THE VEHICLE AS WELL AND HAD WE NEEDED TO MAKE ANY TYPE OF QUICK ACCELERATION WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AND COULD VERY WELL HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE GROUND WAS DRY AND SMOOTH.

NHTSA ODI 11306199

Dec 20, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

VEHICLE DOESN'T MOVE FOR LONG SECONDS WHEN I SWITCH TO REVERSE.

NHTSA ODI 11290236

Dec 13, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

I PURCHASED A 2020 FORD EXPLORER AT SAMES FORD IN LAREDO, TX. THE VEHICLE WAS RECEIVED 11 SEPT 2019. THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN ON 18 SEPT 2019 IN INDIANA (MILEAGE 1896) WHILE IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AUTO PARK FORD IN STERGIS, MICHIGAN. THE PROBLEM WAS THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER, WHICH I NOW KNOW IS ENDEMIC TO THIS MODEL. I WAS TOLD THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER HAD ALSO CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THE TRANSMISSION & OIL COOLER WERE REPLACED AND I HAD TO DRIVE FROM NEW YORK TO MICHIGAN AT MY OWN EXPENSE TO GET THE CAR WHEN IT WAS REPAIRED AND RETURNED TO ME 4 OCT 2019. THIS VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AGAIN WHILE IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM (TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER) 5 NOV 2019 (MILEAGE APPROX..5,300) IN LAREDO, TX. AT THAT TIME, THEY TOOK THE ORIGINAL CAR BACK AND GAVE ME AN IDENTICAL, NEW 2020 FORD EXPLORER WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY BROKE DOWN WITH THE EXACT SAME TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER FAILURE.

NHTSA ODI 11288974

Dec 13, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

THIS VEHICLE WAS GIVEN TO ME ON OR ABOUT 12 NOVEMBER 2019 AS A REPLACEMENT FOR A 2020 FORD EXPLORER, VIN [XXX], PURCHASED FROM SAMES FORD IN LAREDO, WHICH TWICE HAD FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION COOLING SYSTEM WHILE IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS NEW VEHICLE BROKE DOWN WHILE IN MOTION IN THE HIGHWAY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM (TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER) IN NEW BOSTON, TEXAS ON 22 NOV 2019 (MILEAGE 1021). JOHNSTON FORD IN NEW BOSTON COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY SECURE THE PARTS AS THEY WERE IN HIGH DEMAND FROM FORD, AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FULLY REPAIRED UNTIL 10 DECEMBER 2019. I INTEND TO SELL THIS VEHICLE AS SOON AS IT IS RETURNED TO ME AS I NO LONGER HAVE FAITH THAT THIS MODEL CAN BE RELIED ON FOR SAFE HIGHWAY PERFORMANCE. ON BOTH VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER A MINIMUM OF TWO HOURS OF CONSTANT HIGHWAY DRIVING. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 11288976

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Working with the data? Download all 1,163 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 22, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2020 Ford Explorer Police Intercept verdict →