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

The left, middle row captain seat chair passenger fails to lock in place. The back part of the chair can be easily folded down or pushed back just by pressing or pulling on it. The back part of the chair won’t stay locked in whatever position is chosen via the adjustment level on the side of the seat. None of my children are allowed to sit in that chair as I fear it could crush them or allow them to slide out of their booster seats in an accident. I have not reported this to our dealership yet, but I do intent to have my vehicle looked at soon.

NHTSA ODI 11592961

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted into neutral(N), and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond while the engine revved. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and 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 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592790

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal humming noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission cooler had cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer that the manufacturer was aware of the failure and had issued a Technical Service Bulletin; however, the vehicle was no longer covered for the repairs under warranty. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592843

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to open the front driver’s side door from the inside, the chrome plating fractured, causing the contact’s hand to get struck. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle for the failure. The contact was instructed to contact the local dealer for the repair and to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592472

Was driving vehicle and during acceleration, heard a loud bang. No warning lights came on in the small distance I continued to drive into a gas station to safety evaluate the vehicle and find the cause of the sound. Entire contents of transmission fluid pan leaked onto the ground at the gas station that the fire department had to be called to help clean and car was towed to dealership. Still no warnings at this time and car had been to dealership for oil change just few weeks prior. When care was finally turned on days later at the dealership I received a warning that the powertrain control system has detected one of the transmission shift solenoids is not responding as expected. The dealership then informed me that there was a hole in the pan and that the entire transmission needs to be replaced on a vehicle less that 4 years old and 73,960 miles on it. Per the dealership it appears as though there was some catastrophic failure inside the transmission that shot off something and damaged the pan from the inside. I believe this to be an faulty issue with Ford Manufacturing and believe that they should be at least partially liable for the cost to repair.

NHTSA ODI 11592074

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle experienced an unexpected downshift and seized in low gear while the RPMs became significantly elevated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced hard shifting and shuddered while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving at slow speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and 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 61,100.

NHTSA ODI 11592141

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while in reverse, the camera screen went blank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention). 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 not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11591689

AWD control failure creating these messages: No Hill-Assist No Collision-Assist No Traction Control Service AdvanceTrac Service AWD The result is no AWD.

NHTSA ODI 11590326

2020 Explorer VIN: [XXX] Summary [Recall] Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera Description The remedy is under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed june 26, 2023. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23s23. This recall expands and replaces nhtsa recall number 23v-022. Vehicles previously repaired under 23v-022 will need to have the new remedy performed. Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov. Read less

NHTSA ODI 11590016

2020 Ford Explorer purchased in January 2021. Since owning this vehicle, we have experienced numerous (10+) situations where at a light or entering traffic with our foot on the brake pedal and waiting to proceed the car starts to acerate on its own and jump forward 4'-6' before it stops. I have visited my dealer Jones Ford in Charleston, SC and reported this issue a couple of times over the past few years. As usual they were unable to replicate the issue in shop or find a service code that relates to this problem. On Thursday, [XXX], 2023, while horizontally parking my vehicle in Georgetown, SC in front of an electrical pole (with support wires holding it in place), with my foot on the brake pedal coming to a stop, the engine accelerated and jumped the curb hitting the steel wires causing damage to my front and right side. The following Monday, [XXX] I brought the Explorer into the dealer to investigate the problem since it was still under an extended warranty. After spending a week at the dealer, they return the vehicle unable to find anything wrong and charged me over $200 for a service inspection (Invoice Included). At that point I contacted Ford Customer Service directly and after numerous calls and emails they denied that anything was wrong with my Explorer and closed the case (email included). Since January 2024, I have incurred 5 additional occurrences, and the last one was last week while I was parking the car in reverse...it jumped and struck the parked vehicle behind me. Thank goodness there was no damage to either vehicle. Over the past weekend in continuing to research this problem I came across an AP Article from June 2023 discussing this problem with 2020-22 Ford Explorers (article included). This is why I am lodging this complaint; Ford was well a where of this dangerous situation that my wife and I faced over the years. When the vehicle would accelerate it was very scary, and you honestly were not positive the car would stop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11589627

While in motion a 4wd fault is detected that also makes forward pre crash unavailable. The fault resets when the engine is cycled and remains out for sporadic amounts of time I.e one week, one month, three months... Due to the fault resetting the dealer is unable to confirm cause and the sporadic nature make it difficult to replicate. The dealer was given a DTC 0f C0631-7F but was not able to verify it do to the code not being present at time of service. There is an Internal Tech. service bulletin for said code but is only before if code is present at time of service

NHTSA ODI 11589436

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, exhaust fumes were present inside the cabin of the vehicle and an excessively loud exhaust sound was coming from the exhaust system. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the weld on the catalytic converter was cracked. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 11588610

Transmission cooler is leaking, hairline crack in cooler line on external cooler on transmission we looked online and it said 2020 ford explorers 2.3 engine that was a recall but says my specific vehicle isn’t recalled but i believe it should be.

NHTSA ODI 11588634

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the brakes, traction control, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front axle disconnect actuator or the intermediate shaft needed to be replaced with a revised part. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 21-2174. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11588706

The defroster lines are peeling off of the rear window. In the Winter season it make visibilty difficult to see. Dealer stated there is no fix or warranty for this repair to reach out to insurance. Ford needs to issue a recall for this safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11587617

Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

NHTSA ODI 11587169

The backup camera fails to load. I get a blue screen or a distorted screen.

NHTSA ODI 11587112

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front passenger’s side window would not remain closed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the front passenger’s side window regulator module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The regulator module was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the same failure recently occurred with the front driver's side window and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,800.

NHTSA ODI 11586537

the chrome is peeling from the interior driver door handle, leaving a piece of metal. This flaking/peeling metal cuts your hand when using the inside driver door handle to exit the vehicle. Ford told me it is not covered under the current recall of window switch chrome peeling (and can cut you).

NHTSA ODI 11586037

The factory welds at passenger outlet on the exhaust broke.

NHTSA ODI 11585039

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, the front driver's side seat shifted backwards. Due to the failure, the front driver's side seat was installed slanted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked seat assembly and the seat assembly needed to be replaced. The contact was informed of an unknown recall notification with the similar failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. In addition, the contact was advised that the vehicle was unsafe to drive until the repair was completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11584560

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the alignment and other unknown maintenance were performed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11583790

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 stated that the camera showed a blue screen when the vehicle was shifted into reverse. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11582984

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the advanced traction control, 4-wheel drive pre-collision assist, and drive mode assist warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while it was raining. The contact lost control of the rear of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle and crashed into a rail. The vehicle then crashed into a guard rail, crossed a two-lane highway, and bounced off of a concrete slab before the vehicle stopped. The contact's two children were in the vehicle. The contact and the contact's children received medical attention on the scene and were taken to the medical center. The contact and the contact's children were all treated for whiplash and concussion. The contact was also treated for nerve damage. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact stated that the failure had occurred previously, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer had informed the contact that there was an unknown recall with a similar failure description, however, the VIN was not associated. The vehicle had an upcoming service appointment with an independent mechanic. The contact stated that the independent mechanic was very trustworthy and served the contact's vehicle regularly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11583062

The 10R60 transmission is exhibiting a hard downshift from 7-6 gear. I know this has been a problem with several of this year make and model. Ford says its not included in the recall. I have 81,000 miles on the vehicle and have to replace the transmission that is known to have problems. No warning lights no codes were produced. Just started happening and took to the dealership

NHTSA ODI 11582884