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

SINCE WE HAVE PURCHASED THE SUV IT HAS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS FLASHED CROSS TRAFFIC SYSTEM FAULT, BLIND SPOT SYSTEM FAULT, AC SHUTS OFF, AND THE WINDOWS WILL NOT ROLL DOWN. HAVE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE, ONCE THEY CHARGED THE BATTERY, THE LAST TIME THEY RESET A MODULE. IT DID IT AGAIN TODAY SO WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK. WE HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM HAPPEN WHILE MOVING BUT TODAY WE WERE STATIONARY WHEN IT HAPPENED. *TR

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CAR GOES INTO DEEP SLEEP AFTER TWO DAYS OF BEING PARKED AND HAS TO BE JUMPED TO START. HAPPENS ON REGULAR BASIS. DEALER UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THE CAR SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED.

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WHEN OUTSIDE TEMP IS BELOW MINUS 5 DEGREES STEERING IS HARD, AT SLOW SPEED STEERING LOCKED HAD TO JERK IT TO CONTROL. ABOVE 60MPH STEERING OK. HAPPENED AT PARKING LOT SPEED (LOCKING UP) AND BELOW 60MPH HARD STEERING.

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TRANSMISSION ISSUES AGAIN. SAME BROKEN / CRACKED WELD AT TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER. PART REPLACED. THIS IS THE VEHICLE'S 3RD OIL COOLER (WE'RE AT 12,600 MILES NOW)

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FALSE ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE ALARM ISSUE - VEHICLE BELIEVES IT IS OVERHEATING WHEN IT ISN'T. THIS RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, WHERE THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO DRIVE FASTER THAN 50MPH AND IS EXTREMELY SLOW TO ACCELERATE CAUSING A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MY EXPLORER ST MODEL 3 DIFFERENT TIMES ALL WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SECOND TIME WHILE I WAS TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY AND NEARLY COLLIDED WITH A SEMI TRUCK SINCE I LOST ALL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. ALL TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. MY VEHICLE HAS CURRENTLY BEEN WAITING FOR REPAIR FOR OVER 30 DAYS & ONLY HAS 13,000 MILES ON IT.

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AUTO HOLD FEATURE CONTINUES TO DISPLAY FAULT. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES AND EACH TIME THEY SAY IT'S FIXED. IM CONCERNED THAT IT WILL FAULT WHEN IM STOPPED AND CAUSE A COLLISION. FORD CUSTOMER CARE CAN BARELY UNDERSTAND ENGLISH LET ALONE LISTEN TO ME DESCRIBE THE ISSUE. FOR A VEHICLE WITH 700 MILES THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

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ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AT APROX. 3,000 MILES. TOOK TO DEALER TOLD BAD GROUND AT MODULE CONNECTOR. DEALER SAID WOULD HAVE TO ORDER 2 NUTS AND BOLTS WOULD CALL WHEN PARTS ARRIVED. TWO WEEKS LATER NO CALL. CALLED DEALER & GOT VOICE MAIL, LEFFT MESSAGE NO CALL BACK AFTER 2 HOURS. DEALER COULD HAVE PROVIDED LOANER TILL FIXED AS WE ARE DRIVING A CAR WITHOUT ABS BRAKES. PAID 63K AND DRIVING A VEHICLE NOT AS SAFE AS REPRESENTED AT PURCHASE AFTER ONLY 3K MILES!. THERE SHOULD BE A SERVICE LETTER AT LEAST FOR THIS PROBLEM. CONCERNED MECHANIC WILL MAKE UNAPPROVED IMPROVISED REPAIR.

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VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGINS JERKING HARD AT SPEEDS OF 45 MPH GOING DOWN A TWO LANE ROAD, THEN WRENCH WARNING LIGHT COMES ON DASHBOARD AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPS AND NO LONGER WILL ACCELERATE FORWARD OR REVERSE. MESSAGE APPEARS AND SAYS GEAR WILL ENGAGE IN LOW SPEED ONLY, HOWEVER GEARS NO LONGER MOVE THE VEHICLE. WARNING APPEARS THAT POWERTRAIN ISSUE HAS OCCURRED CONTACT YOUR DEALER, THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE POWERTRAIN OR 4X4 SYSTEM. THIS IS A NEW 2020 EXPLORER WITH 453 MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME. HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO DEALER.

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WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAYTHE 'STEERING FAULT SERVICE NOW LIGHT' CAME UP ON THE DASHBOARD WHILE TRAVELING 75 MPH MILES ON ODOMETER 900. AFTER STOPPING THE CAR AND RESTARTING IT THE 'STEERING LOSS STOP SAFELY' MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE DASHBOARD I HAD TO DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO POWER STEERING OR ANY TRANSMISSION OPTIONS LIKE SPORT, ECONOMY, REGULAR, DEEP SNOW, NO ASSIST FOR UPHILL OR DOWNHILL PARKING

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WHEN TRYING TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK, EITHER REVERSE OR DRIVE THE VEHICLE JERKS INTO GEAR HARD AND THEN STALLS. TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY STARTS UP NO ISSUE, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT YET KEEPS STALLING. THIS IS NEW OWNED FOR 3 DAYS WITH LESS THAN 200 MILES ON IT.

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DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BETWEEN 65-75 MPH AND NOTICED A MEDIUM VIBRATION AT ABOUT 2500 MILES. AT ABOUT 3000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK AND START WHINING AT LOW SPEEDS UNDER MILD ACCELERATION.

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WHEN STARTING AT INTERSECTIONS OR STOPPING YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE FUEL IN THE TANK SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH. I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE NOISE AND DOCUMENTED IT. THEY REACHED OUT TO FORD WHICH SAID THEY KNEW OF THE ISSUE AND AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO FIX.

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TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 3481 MILES. BROKE A WELD AT THE OIL COOLER ASSEMBLY.

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THIS VEHICLE WAS A LONER CAR THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME WHEN MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON MY 2020 EXPLORER. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON THIS VEHICLE AS WELL, AT 1800 MILES LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERYWHERE AND NOT SHIFTING, MAKING A VERY DANGEROUS HIGHWAY DRIVE TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP.

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PURCHASED A 2020 EXPLORER ON FEB 11, NOTICED SMOKE FROM THE HOOD RIGHT WHEN I ARRIVED HOME FROM THE DEALER, CONTACTED THEM AND THEY SAID IT MIGHT BE NORMAL FOR A NEW VEHICLE TO HAVE SOME SMOKE IN THE BEGINNING, LATER I NOTICED THAT THE INTERIOR HEAT IS ONLY BLOWING COLD AIR SO I WAS ABOUT TO TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALER TO CHECK IT OUT, I REMOTE STARTED THE CAR THROUGH THE OFFICIAL FORDPASS APP AND THEN 10 MINUTES LATER I ENTERED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THE COOLANT LIGHT WAS ON BEFORE I EVEN STARTED DRIVING (CAR HAS 78 MILES ON IT) , ( I ALSO GOT 2 NOTIFICATIONS FROM THE APP THAT THE ENGINE IS OVERHEATING) SO I CALLED FORD TO TOW IT, NOW ITS SITTING BY FORD SERVICE FOR 2 DAYS AND THEY ARE SAYING THAT IT'S A COOLANT LEAK BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE IT LEAKS TO AND THEY ARE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM FORD ENGINEERS ON HOW TO PROCEED, IT SEEMS LIKE FORD MAY HAVE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE COOLANT SYSTEM AND THIS IS POTENTIALLY PUTTING ANY EXPLORER DRIVER AT RISK OF THE VEHICLE STALLING WHILE DRIVING, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY

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WE BOUGHT THE CAR ON 9/21/19 FROM UPLAND FORD. WE HAD AN ISSUE WHERE THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN BLACKED OUT, BUT THANKFULLY, AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR AN HOUR, ALL IS WORKING FINE ON THAT MATTER. HOWEVER, VERY EARLY ON, WE NOTICED ROUGH SHIFTS, AND OTHER RED FLAGS, COMING FROM THE DRIVETRAIN. IF I HAD TO GUESS, WE NOTICED IT BEFORE 3K MILES. TOOK IT TO VISTA FORD IN OXNARD ON 1/04/2020 (ODO: 4960), WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER. WHILE THEY REPLACED THE COOLER, THERE ARE STILL SIGNS OF THE ISSUES... ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWER GEARS. I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR HAS 6200 MILES ON IT, AS OF TODAY, 2/13. I ALSO HAVE AN ISSUE OF THE CAR NOT SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, UNTIL AFTER A LONG DELAY, AND WITH SOME JERKING. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN THERE ROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AS A TALL MAN (6-FOOT4, WITH 36-INCH INSEAM), I HAVE GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT HOW UNCOMFORTABLE IT IS FOR ME TO DRIVE THIS CAR. THESE PROBLEMS ON A BRAND NEW CAR, FROM A BRAND LIKE FORD, ARE DISAPPOINTING AND UNACCEPTABLE.

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TRANSMISSION COOLER DRAIN SYSTEM LEAKED METAL FOUND IN TRANSMISSION PAN REPLACED WITH AN OEM TRANSMISSION. CAUSING POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION

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I WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND ALL OF SUDDEN IT STOPPED, STARTING JOLTING US... THEN NO LONGER WOULD ACCELERATE.. WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. WITH LESS THAN 400 MILES ON IT

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CRUISE CONTROL CAN NOT BE DISABLED BY PRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. REQUIRES PASSING STEERING WHEEL BUTTON TO TURN OFF. ALSO "PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE" MESSAGE COMES ON DASH EVERY TIME VEHICLE IS STARTED.

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THE VEHICLE IS RANDOMLY BRAKING FOR NO UNKNOWN REASON. ALMOST LIKE IF I WAS DRIVING AND PUT ON EMERGENCY BRAKE. IT MOSTLY DOES IT WHILE IN REVERSE WHEN THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING AROUND ME. THERE IS AN OPTION AND IT HAS STILL DOES IT WITH OPTION OFF. IT HAS NEARLY CAUSED 1 ACCIDENT WHEN I WAS IN MY SONS CAR POOL LINE AT SCHOOL. OTHERWISE IT HAS CAUSED EXTREME ANXIETY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. THE BRAKE ASSIST FAULT IS ALSO ON, AND DEALER CANNOT FIND FIX TO THAT EITHER. THE DEALER (CAPITAL FORD RALEIGH) WAS AWARE OF SENSOR ISSUES, AS WELL AS FAULTS THE DAY I TOOK DELIVERY ON VEHICLE. THEY KNOWINGLY SOLD IT TO US ANYWAYS. I TOOK VEHICLE TO SERVICE DEPT THE VERY DAY AFTER WE TOOK DELIVERY. THERE IS NO FIX FOR THESE DANGEROUS ISSUES, AND I AM FORCED TO KEEP DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN THIS DANGEROUS VEHICLE.

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FUEL TANK SLOSHING AND CLUNKING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS. THE VEHICLE FUEL TANK DESIGN LOCATES A PORTION OF THE GAS TANK UNDER THE VEHICLE AND BELOW THE SEATS. WHEN THE GAS TANK IS ABOVE HALF FULL, YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE GAS MOVING IN THE TANK, ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEED, DURING TRAFFIC WITH FREQUENT STOPPING. NOT SURE HOW SAFE IS TO FEEL THE GAS MOVING INSIDE THE FUEL TANK AND THE NOISE WHEN THE GAS IMPACTS THE GAS TANK WALLS. WHEN THE TANK IS FULL AND YOU BRAKE, THE FUEL SLOSHES FORWARD AND MOVES SOMETHING INSIDE AND SLAMS AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE TANK.

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DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS LIKE PARKING AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE FUEL SLOSHES LOUDLY AND CAN BE HEARD INSIDE THE VEHICLE. IT SLOSHES MOST NOTICEABLY WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL IS ABOVE 3/4 FULL. THE FUEL MOVES SO MUCH IT SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING HITTING THE FLOOR UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SEAT OR A DRIVELINE ISSUE.

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THE EXPLORER WAS PUT INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE DROVE FORWARD ABOUT 3 FT, JERKED, THEN SLAMMED INTO REVERSE. REACTION TIME ON MY BEHALF WAS SLOW AS IT WAS UNEXPECTED, I ALMOST HIT A LIGHT POLE. THIS OCCURRED IN A PARKING LOT

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VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY BREAKS, AS IF DETECTING A CRASH, WHEN THERE IS CLEARLY NO CAR AHEAD. VEHICLE TAKES OVER CONTROL OF BREAKS UNEXPECTEDLY. HAS HAPPENED ON REPEATED OCCASIONS AND ALREADY REPORTED TO MANUFACTURER MONTHS AGO.

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AT 4,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING IN AND OUT OF GEARS UNTIL IT WAS ALMOST NOT DRIVE ABLE. WHILE DRIVING IT WOULD SLIP OUT OF GEAR AND AT 26 MILES PER HOUR IS WOULD JUMP GEARS.

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