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

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 62 MPH, the passenger’s side front seat belt was unlatched without passenger input. The occupant buckled the seat belt however, the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, and it was diagnosed that the seat latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11573963

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound and accelerated unintendedly. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal continuously until the vehicle stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently while driving from a complete stop. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving downhill, and the vehicle nearly drove into highway traffic. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while reversing in a parking lot, nearly causing the vehicle to crash into other vehicles. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer several times to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11573569

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was started and in park(P) in the driveway, he exited the vehicle to retrieve a package left inside the residence; however, when he returned, the vehicle had rolled down the driveway and struck a light pole across the street from the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was still in park(P) and the engine was still running. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local body shop. The vehicle was repaired. The contact had not called a local dealer or informed the manufacturer of the failure. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) several months after the failure. The contact related the failure to the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 5,600.

NHTSA ODI 11573617

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had the vehicle towed from the middle of the road to an independent mechanic. The mechanic found that the oil pan was drenched in excess oil indicating a possible oil leak. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine and turbo chargers needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in any recall. The manufacturer was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572874

I have a 2020 Ford Explorer that has had intermittent issues with the passenger side losing heat since aprox 11/18/2023. On Friday 2/16 we had snow begin falling at 7AM locally. I park in the GARAGE. 1/2 way to work, on a major highway, my passenger side began fogging up. The heat was all the way up and there was no way for me to aim my driver-side vents to the other side of the car. After 4-5 minutes, my passenger side was completely fogged up and 1/4-1/3 of the windshield was also completely fogged up. In the 15 minute drive, I could not see anything on the right side of my vehicle and almost missed my exit, hitting a curb and scraping my rim. This is a known issue as there are 2 bulletins out by the NHTSA for my SPECIFIC make, model and years.

NHTSA ODI 11572757

I have had the blue screen sensors replaced 3 times. This has been a recall. Now my front camera is having an error code. Yeh blue screen came on while backing up and I hit a rock. They say it has been fixed but now it is still occurring with the radio freezing and the front camera producing an error. The dealer says there’s no current fix and they have an unable to reproduce it when it is at the dealership because it happens intermittently. I have had the driveshaft replaced and the transmission I am unable to trade this car and due to the multiple safety issues and transmission issues, this car has such a long repair history that it is priced up below market value. I am afraid that I am going to have another accident or something is going to freeze up at an in opportune moment and causes collision as it did before.

NHTSA ODI 11572734

The passenger side lower control arm broke in half while backing out of a parking spot at a low rate of speed, not turning very deep.

NHTSA ODI 11571551

Out of nowhere, there was an issue with downshifting between 4th and 3rd gear. A loud clunking noise started every time on the downshift. I took it to a transmission shop, they diagnosed that there was significant issues downshifting from 8 to 7, 7 to 6, and 4 to 3. I was notified it was still within manufacturers warranty so I took it to a ford dealership. They felt the issue when test driving it then notified me that it needs “a total tear down of the transmission” but didn’t tell me the specifics of the issue. All of this happened without any warning lights showing on the dash.

NHTSA ODI 11571179

On 02/05/24 my 2020 Explorer XLT alerted me that the pre collision assist was not available, to service advancetrack, Hill Start assist not available, 4wd fault service required, and to see manual. The alert went away after I restarted the car, but it came back on again 02/06/24. In addition to the alerts on the dashboard, the vehicle had delayed acceleration after standing at redlights. I took it to the dealership who told me I needed part #7p238 MOD ASY DRV LN CONTR, they also informed me the part was not covered under my extended warranty plan. I called Ford manufaturers directly, spoke with Miracle who informed me that Ford would not offer any financial assistance with replacing this switch. The price is $770. The vehicle has 70,666 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11571088

There is an exhaust leak under the car that propagates into the ventilation system and also when a door is open while idling. This is a known issue for some models with the 3.0L engine under emission recall (21E11), but does not include my VIN even though the powertrain is identical. Dealer replaced some flex tubing to try and correct, but that did not work. It's a safety issue because the smell is strong and there's no way to tell how much carbon monoxide is present to the passengers.

NHTSA ODI 11570482

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side headlight intermittently failed to illuminate with the "Check Headlamp System See Owner’s Manual" message displayed on the instrument panel. The failure persisted, and the driver’s side headlight also failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was given an estimate for the repair. The contact decided to replace both front headlight modules which corrected the failure; however, the warning message remained on the instrument panel. A week later, the driver’s side headlight failed to illuminate as needed, after which the passenger’s side headlight also failed to operate as designed. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ODI 11570251

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 dealer and several unknown dealers were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11570025

Randomly one day, the transmission started lurching on downshift between gears 3 and 4. This pattern continued, regardless of driving status without any malfunction indicator lights. This sudden downshift, lurching, caused a rapid decelleration in the vehicle causing me to step on the brakes while in traffic to address the issue. The vehicles issue was identified and confirmed by the dealer and is currently being addressed with no solution being presented. As previously mentioned, this mechanical issue happened suddenly, without any sort of warning lamp or message and without any previous issue and appeared randomly, on a commute home from work.

NHTSA ODI 11569850

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who checked the vehicle visually and became aware that there was fluid leaking from the differential onto the driveshaft. The mechanic referred the contact to a dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V154000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11569460

The back hatch has opened 4 times with no warning. The vehicle was in motion. First Time September 2021: I was backing out of my garage, the hatch came open and hit my garage door, it bent the hatch and it was repaired by RT Auto Centerville Iowa and garage door had to be replaced. Second time November 2021: I was backing out of my driveway and it came open with no warning, no damage. Third Time October 2022 I was backing out of my garage, the hatch came open and hit my garage door again, no warning, Repaired by Copeland Repair Center Oskaloosa Iowa Fourth Time February 2023: I was backing out of my garage, the Hatch opened with no warning & hit my garage door, the hatch, and camera were completely replaced and the vehicle had to be painted by Copeland Repair Center Oskaloosa Iowa. Prior to the fourth incident, I contacted FORD Motor company and was advised there was no recall or complaints on this issue and was told to go to the FORD Dealership. I went to the Ford dealer and was advised to take the problem to the repair shop, it was not FORD's issue that they had check it and found nothing wrong. Since the camera and hatch have been totally replaced, this has not happened. I am worried to have passengers in the back row seats due to this issue, for fear it will come open and someone will get injured. I purchased this vehicle new in May of 2020 from Junge Motors, North Liberty, Iowa. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] I only have one of the 3 Estimates. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6

NHTSA ODI 11569580

Issues with the rear liftgate opening and closing on its own it will close open and partially close partially open at random in the middle of the night at random it keeps going till it kills my battery It closes when your underneath and causes a safety concern if you were not aware and get out of the way quick enough. Took it to dealership it needs a wiring harness due to corrosion and a switch. I see other people reporting the same with water leaks causing corrosion.

NHTSA ODI 11569349

The chrome trim on the 2020 Ford Explorer inside door handle and window switches is separating/peeling off and is very sharp. My neice sliced her finger and was bleeding from the inside passanger door handle chrome that is peeling/separating from the handle when opening the door to exit the vehicle. I have cut my finger on the chrome tipped window switches.

NHTSA ODI 11569366

Failure of panoramic moon roof gasket, and in adequate drainage system installation. This causes substantial water intrusion into vehicle. Flooding of drivers side floor causes extremely slippery and wet conditions when operating the pedals. Water migration into vehicle has potential to impact electronics, causing further damage and dangerous driving conditions. Vehicle has been inspected and problem confirmed by the dealership, who contracted a water leak specialist to identify the issue. No warnings prior to appearance. Issues has been ongoing for the past 3 months - 1,000 miles and 4 months after the end of bumper to bumper warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11568716

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the passenger’s side rear brakes were scraping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired; however, the brake failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11568717

We turned the vehicle on and a parking brake error came up on the dashboard followed by the dashboard lighting up with a lot of warnings. The vehicle was turned off and back on but continued with the error. Because we were out at a store and not home, we tried to drive it. We placed it in reverse and when put in drive, the brakes did not work with engaged. There was a small bumped that was able to stop the vehicle. I called Ford and they offered to run diagnostics on the vehicle for next week but could not guarantee a paid rental for the length of time needed for the repair. After exiting the vehicle, letting it rest for 5 minutes and restarting again, we were able to drive home with the brakes working again.

NHTSA ODI 11567941

Drivers assist failed and caused me to cross lanes into the cable barrier on interstate 40 causing 18,000 dollars worth of damage now the parking assist no longer works

NHTSA ODI 11567961

While driving my Explorer at night on an unlit road in north western New Jersey the instrument cluster in my car displayed a warning message stating, “Check Headlight System, See Manual”. I pulled over and inspected my cars exterior lights for abnormalities, found none. With the headlamp warning light still on I proceeded on my way home when approximately 10 miles further down the road my driver side low beam turned off completely drastically reducing my visibility of the road ahead of me. Making it incredibly unsafe to me and the passengers in my car. On my way home I got pulled over by a local police officer for an out headlight. I explained the issue and they let me off with a warning. I immediately brought my car to my local Ford dealership to be further inspected. They proposed that the headlamp control module was causing the issue by diagnosing using their “pin test”. After replacing the module ($1,000) at the dealership I drove the car less than 10 miles away from the dealership and the headlamp warning light turned back on and the driver side low beam turned off once again leaving me stranded without light on the road. This cycle continued several times and Ford had no explanation as to why it’s happening. I was sent a quote to pay full price for the repair ($2,500) because I was out of Ford’s 36,000 mile limited warranty. A new car that leaves me without a driver side low beam on a dark road poses an incredible risk to me and my passengers as well other drivers and is unacceptable. Not only is an out headlight illegal and a ticket able offense what if there was an animals or debris on the road while I was driving with my 8 month old niece? My down the road sight is exponentially reduced because the driver side low beam is out. The car had less than 36,500 miles when this issue first occurred and it’s been an ongoing problem ever since. An LED headlamp is supposed to be a “lifelong” vehicle part and it’s failing before the car is fully broken in.

NHTSA ODI 11567338

We are having issue with the “Check Headlamp System Check Owners Manual” display on the dash. Took it in for repair under warranty. They replaced passenger side headlamp. The warning still appears on dash. Is this an electrical issue? Will this cause a fire if it’s a short somewhere? Will the lights just malfunction going down the road if issue is not corrected? These are all questions I have and am concerned about my family’s safety…

NHTSA ODI 11566821

During the past 4 months or so, I have noticed burning sensation in my eyes and tightness in my throat and lungs whenever I get into the vehicle even when the ignition is not even turned on yet. Recently, it got to the point that I am experiencing headaches while driving. I don't feel these sensations when driving my old 2016 Honda Civic or being inside any other car. Last December 2023, I brought and left the vehicle for a week to Future Ford of Clovis dealership in Clovis, CA for diagnostic tests. They did not find anything wrong and no report was made since they did not find anything that might have caused any issues. As of this writing, the problem persists and I do not feel safe anymore being inside this 3-year-old vehicle, let alone drive it.

NHTSA ODI 11566672

Transmission failure at 48k miles under normal driving conditions. Down shifts from 7th to 6th gear you hear noticeable clunk and vehicle jerks as described under Ford TSB 20-2337

NHTSA ODI 11566714