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

When I release the parking brake and put the car in reverse, the car starts to roll while my foot is still actively pressing the brake. Brake pedal feels locked. It’s happened a handful of times but is not consistent and hard to replicate. This, of course, puts anyone in my car in danger and anyone around my car. I’ve taken it to the dealership and elevated it to corporate, but they say they can’t do anything since they can’t replicate it on site. Based on website forums, this is a common issue. When it happens, there are no warning lights or anything indicators. Again, to summarize, car rolls when brake is pressed intermittently.

NHTSA ODI 11479828

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle failed to move and was seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the transfer case, gear, transmission, and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479333

While vehicle was in park it continued to go in reverse with warning lights showing "PARK NOT ENGAGED".

NHTSA ODI 11478643

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while shifting into reverse the Back Over Prevention screen failed to operate as designed. Additionally, the vehicle would respond without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact also stated that while driving 35 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning system activated while there was no vehicle nearby. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician informed the contact that the brake assist was unavailable. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure with the Forward Collision Avoidance system. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478211

The Ford Explorer ST when shifting into reverse, sporadically, the backup camera presents a blue screen, preventing all visibility while attempting to drive in reverse. It appears that none of the warning signals are operational when getting close to people or objects when the camera isn't working, thus presenting a hazardous condition as all safety features do not function. Apparently, there are similar recalls on some Explorer models but my particular vehicle is one that is not included in the previous pool of vehicles that are eligible for the recall repair.

NHTSA ODI 11478284

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when the vehicle was shifted into reverse, there was no image displayed on the screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that there was a recall for the failure. The contact stated a programming update was needed and was performed; however, the failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where an update was completed several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle had been to the dealer at least 7 times to update the software. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and advised to go back to the dealer and a case was opened. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a 9-hour update. The contact stated that the dealer called and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and the contact would be responsible for the repair. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Prevention). The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477225

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing there was an abnormal bumping sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to drive forward after the failure. The tow truck was called to the scene; however, while lifting the vehicle onto the tow truck it was discovered that the front passenger’s side control arm had fractured. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475765

The backup camera display on the infotainment system when the vehicle is placed into reverse the screen illuminates in a blue screen not showing the surrounding area normally viewed. This issue was confirmed by Ford technician, an update to the system was supposed to fix the issue, the following day after the update to the vehicle, the same issue arose, I took the vehicle to the dealership, the issue was reproduced, the service writer documented the issue with a photo. This creates a backing safety issue as the proximity sensors where not working while in blue screen to warn of objects or persons while in reverse There where no warnings or onboard messages indicating an issue with the beck up camera This issue still has yet to been repaired by the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11474515

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate its speed on its own. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and saw fire located on the front passenger side wheel. The contact, his wife, and grandson were able to safely exit the vehicle before the vehicle was engulfed by the fire. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a fire report. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle total loss. The contact towed the vehicle to towing lot. The contact drive to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473812

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving with the auto-hold brake system engaged, the tires began to spin. The brake pedal was applied but the vehicle rolled and crashed into a vehicle. The charging system and engine warning lights were illuminated. There were no reported injuries, fire, or air bag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer, AC unit, and wiring harness needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473659

When engaging reverse the image on the screen turns solid blue. I can turn the vehicle off and back on and sometime this resoles the issue. It has happened at least a 12 times in the last couple of weeks. I did some initial investigation online and it appears that my vehicle is experiencing the same symptoms as a recall announced by Ford. https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/ford-and-lincoln-recall-2020-models-for-faulty-backup-cameras/

NHTSA ODI 11472795

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change completed at the local dealer, she was informed about a recall update. The contact stated that while driving, the electronic parking brake engaged. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while the vehicle was in park(P) and also while driving. While shifting into drive or reverse, the vehicle was jerking. The Auto START/STOP was disengaged. Additionally, the brakes were continuously grabbing while attempting to stop the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 19,624.

NHTSA ODI 11472420

THE HANDS FREE LIFT GATE CLOSES ON ITS OWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE 3 MONTHS AGO. ANY PERSON STANDING AT THE REAR BUMPER (NOT PUTTING THEIR FOOT UNDER THE BUMPER) ACTIVATES THIS SELF CLOSING PROCESS. THE DOOR HIT ME IN THE HEAD TWICE.

NHTSA ODI 11472128

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while placing the gear shifter into reverse(R), the Back Over Protection screen turned blue. The side and front camera's functionality worked as intended. The vehicle was repaired under recall; however, the failure recurred several times. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed at the local dealer with a defective camera. The camera was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471849

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to simultaneously accelerate and make a left turn, the steering wheel forcefully turned in the opposite direction. During the failure the message "power steering fault, service required" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the 12-volt battery was faulty and performed a reprogramming of the steering system. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure was still present. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471490

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and slowing down for a traffic light he had a brake failure and crashed at low speed into the rear of a vehicle already stopped at the traffic light. The contact stated that he was pumping the brakes and was not able to stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was damage to the right front passenger side of his vehicle and was unable to determine the damage to the other vehicle. The police were called and wrote a report. There were no injuries and the contact had the vehicle towed to his home and later towed to a dealer. The local dealer diagnosed that there were no problems with the brakes. The vehicle damage was repaired but not the brakes. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470650

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V255000 (Power Train) and the fix stated that the dealer would update the electronic parking brake software but not replace the bolts. The contact was concerned that an update would not fix the issue as the failure was with the bolts. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact stated that he called the dealer and it was confirmed that the remedy was to update the electronic parking brake software. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the remedy and a case was opened. The manufacturer offered no further assistance. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11470689

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH the vehicle started jerking while shifting gears. After the vehicle accelerated above 10 MPH, the vehicle operated normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and a software update was performed; however, the failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470218

While driving on the highway the 2020 Ford Explorer XLT briefly lost all power, exhibited jerking through the drivetrain and erratic engine RPMs, before regaining power. Thereafter, the vehicle consistently jerked during acceleration and deceleration, with an audible clunking sound, as if the vehicle was transitioning gears or drive modes (2WD-AWD). Mileage noticeably dropped and transmission and engine RPM performance was erratic. Only a warning was issued with no indication of high severity, only reduced power. Upon further driving, the erratic behavior persisted included losing power in highway traffic and putting occupants at risk of accident. Vehicle has only 14,500 miles at time of issue with full dealer service history. As of this writing, it is being brought to the dealer for service.

NHTSA ODI 11470234

While driving on a busy , high speed road the pre collision error message came on the screen. It felt like the truck started applying brakes causing us to jerk. Although I tried I could not accelerate. Several error messages were sent to the ford app about the Powertrain. This put my kids and my safety in jeopardy. Our speed was greatly reduced and someone easily could have hit us. This is the second time I’m taking this truck in for service with the same problem. I have less than 25 k miles on this truck. This should not be happening.

NHTSA ODI 11469639

My car has a transmission problem. 6 times now, it fails to re engage after I took my foot off the gas pedal. This happens when I am attempting to accelerate after slowing down in fast moving traffic when I really need to be able to accelerate. This caused a very dangerous situation due the the fact that I am trying to get into a faster moving lane of traffic. This put me and others around me at risk. The car is at the dealership now. They say that they have identified the problem. No parts are available to fix the problem. Covid, you know!!! 6 weeks for parts! There are many complaints on the internet expressing the same problem. I also read that Ford has been buying some of this year and model back due to "This" problem. What does NHTSA know? There have been "Warning Messages", But when driving at 70-75mph and there is a problem like this, I did not have time to read it before it disappeared. Scared the crap out of me as I was put into a dangerous situation.

NHTSA ODI 11468744

Vehicle stalled on interstate on my way home from picking it up. Had been at dealer for nearly a month for heater repair. Cost me $250 to get it towed back to dealer. Very dangerous situation. I was lucky to be able to get it oof the travel lanes before someone rear ended me at high speed. Very frightening.

NHTSA ODI 11467693

Backup camera display shows intermittent blue screen.

NHTSA ODI 11467691

The front panel of my 2020 Ford Explorer ST panoramic sunroof exploded on May 6, 2022. Fortunately, I had closed the sun shade two days prior while on vacation in Florida. It was not due to being hit by debris as traffic was light and no trucks nearby. I was driving westbound on I-4 between Orlando and Tampa when a sudden "BOOM" occurred. I looked around as to what happened as their was no vibration or shuttering in the steering. I then heard glass shattering. When I could safely pull to the side of the road to inspect, the entire front panel of the sunroof was gone except around the perimeter. If I had not previously closed the sun shade, the tempered glass would have been in my eyes and any passengers in the front or rear seats. The local Ford dealership initially stated that the sunroof would be covered by warranty while waiting (6 days) for the back-ordered sunroof to be delivered. Then after being in the Service department for 2 days, they stated it would not be covered under warranty. I called Ford Corporate to complain, but they were only concerned if there was an open recall on the sunroof and there were none. They seemed disinterested in the safety aspect of the issue. I have since paid for the repair and filed an insurance claim. I know what a rock hitting the windshield or hood sounds like... this was not a rock, but a low, "mini-sonic boom"... the sunroof literally exploded. I usually do not pull the sun shade closed, but did so while in Florida although it was not extremely hot , between 87-92 degrees at around 9:30am, clear and sunny.

NHTSA ODI 11466594

Sometimes the rear camera view shows a blue screen while the other camera views work. I have to restart the vehicle to make it work.

NHTSA ODI 11465102