What 119 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ford Ranger (super Cab)

Transmission is awful jerky, jumps in and out of gear, causing engine rpm’s to go really high. Shifts erratically, causing me to almost rear end other vehicles. Very dangerous situations a many occasions. Won’t accelerate at times when pulling out in to traffic, causing other drivers to slow down or get in to another lane suddenly. This has happened on many occasions

NHTSA ODI 11747502

Truck was shifting weird the day before incident got really bad. The next day on the way home from my newborns dr appointment it began shuddering really badly and would make a loud thud noise when shifting so I had to pull off to the side of the road. There was never a warning lamp or message prior. I took the truck to a reputable transmission shop and they found the issue to be the CDF drum that had shifted out of place. CDF drum and valve body was replaced. Truck had just over 35000 miles at time of repair. I can provide receipt from shop if needed. While speaking to the mechanic at the shop he informed me that this is a common occurrence for these 10 speed transmissions and there was another vehicle there for the same issue

NHTSA ODI 11746269

In May of 2025, the transmision of my 2020 Ford Ranger with 35,000 miles jolted and bucked expectadly at traffic lights, I had full loss of engagement of the transmission several times, engine would rev to 4000rpm and no transmission enagement. These issues happened while at traffic stops and while driving in normal conditions. This presented on one occasion with powertrain warning light and the truck going into "limp" mode. This then reverted to no light but the issues continued, with inconsistent jolts, unable to gain speed. The jolting was abrupt and truck "leapt" forward at speed. During loss of power incidents, I was left with no ability to accelerate away from road hazards. This would have been extemely dangerous if I were turning across traffic. Ford refused to acknowledge any issues. An independent mechanic diagnosed this as a full transmission failure.

NHTSA ODI 11744781

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving, at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to shift hard when downshifting and upshifting. The vehicle jerked. The vehicle went into limp mode. There was a reduction of power. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was contacted regarding parts, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 91,955.

NHTSA ODI 11737883

Bought 2020 Ford Ranger Lariat in March 2024 with 13k miles. I have had no issues and have kept up maintenance needed. Vehicle currently has 19,128 miles and on 4/17/26 while driving the vehicle lost power. I was able to pull over and immediately called the dealership where vehicle was purchased and had towed to their facility for diagnosis. There we no warning lights prior to losing power. The dealership informed me a new transmission is needed pulling codes P0751 and P2700. The cost they informed me for replacement was $10k +/= indicating the Power Train warranty had expired in 2025. (5 yr/60,000) I find this appalling that at 19k I am responsible to replace something that has clearly had issues in past. Their only option was to replace transmission or they could take apart and overhaul to fix the codes which could be cheaper but also may result in transmission replacement anyways which will cost more in long run.

NHTSA ODI 11734620

Clicking sound coming from under the dash. I traced it to the blend door assy. Defrost intermittently will disengage. Vehicle has 29,600 miles on it

NHTSA ODI 11733994

The cylinder #1 spark plug ignition coil. Check engine light came on and the vehicle began to vibrate while traveling 70 mph. The last 30 miles of the drive on an interstate required no speed higher than 50 to prevent the vibrations. Per the independent service center, Ford has issued guidance that water could enter this compartment and rust the part. A repair costing 847.00 was completed by the mechanic, verifying it was completely rusted. Flashing check engine light came on and then steady light.

NHTSA ODI 11731585

Back up camera intermittently fails to operate giving a squiggly picture or a blank black screen. I have seen many articles involving the same issues with Ford Broncos and where recalls have been issued for those vehicles. When will the NTSB be calling for Ford to recall other vehicles models having the same issues?

NHTSA ODI 11727296

2020 Ford Ranger XL: Total failure of both rear leaf spring assemblies (detached from bushing). Discovered during routine maintenance at approximately 47K miles. Both rear leaf spring assemblies failed in the same location where spring meets the bushing at fwd spring attachment leaving the rear of the truck supported by the rear shock assemblies only. Technician assessment showed no damage to associated rear suspension components, minimal corrosion, and no sign of collision or impact causing failure - suspect latent manufacturing defect in original OEM part as OEM has since updated original part number. Local ford service center indicated that this is a known issue however no current recall or extended warranty covered by OEM. I am in possession of all failed parts. Happy to provide info or failed parts upon request for further analysis.

NHTSA ODI 11726096

Truck shifts from 1st to 3rd, hard shifting in 4th through 10th gears.

NHTSA ODI 11724318

Hit a tree head-on going 30+mph. Impact point on the vehicle was next to the airbag sensor. Air bags did not deploy

NHTSA ODI 11715693

My 10 speed 10r80 transmission is failing and dangerous. Besides slipping bucking and delaying shifting it now revs up without moving. I've almost been hit more than 6 times. My ford dealer changed the fluid road tested and normal all that I'm complaining about is normal.

NHTSA ODI 11710888

Purchased used in 2024 with 44,000 miles. Transmission issues began at 79,000 miles. Hard shifting, slipping and then lurching when it goes in gear. Diagnosed after transmission service ($600) as a factory defect in the 10 speed transmission. Ford has issued Service Bulletins defining and outlining the issue but has offered no assistance in rectifying and repairing. Since so many vehicles are affected there should be a recall. I understand that in Canada a class action lawsuit has been initiated.

NHTSA ODI 11708536

I bought my 2020 Ford Ranger preowned with around 64k miles on it. After having owned it for about 6 months or so, I started to notice lots of problems with the transmission. After first noticing it, the problems persisted for a couple more months until I finally decided to address it. The problems were very characteristic of transmission slippage, and they got progressively worse week by week, which it what ultimately prompted me to address it. When accelerating and shifting through the lower gears (15-30 MPHs, approximately), the shift would be delayed and lag a couple seconds. This would often cause stalling in the acceleration, particularly when going from a stop to a start, such as through traffic lights. There were also very rough and aggressive shifts at higher gears when driving on the highway. It would feel like rough jolts that would rock the truck a little. Also transitioning the truck into reverse often caused serious jolts as the transmission shifted very aggressively. Eventually, I took my truck into an AMCO transmission shop for inspection. They confirmed that my transmission was damaged and needed replaced. This was at about 86k miles. I took the truck into a Ford dealership to get a second opinion and they also confirmed my transmission needed replaced. I went ahead and had the transmission replaced at that point. The replacement was done with the truck at 86k miles. The Ford dealership replaced the 10R80 transmission with a re-manufactured 10R80. It has now been about 8k miles and 9 months since the transmission was replaced, and the re-manufactured transmission is starting to experience similar problems. Mostly with a lag when shifting in lower gears and hard jolts when placing it in reverse. The problems are not as bad as the original transmission before I had it replaced, but some still remain. There were no warning lamps or messages with this problem. Ford's 10R80 transmission is notorious for failing and being a safety problem to the public.

NHTSA ODI 11707667

Brought the vehicle to the dealer for standard 40,000 mile service. When it was raised on their lift, the rear end dropped out because both driver and passenger side leaf springs had broken at the mount bushings. The springs had been broken for some time, as there was significant rust at the broken points. The truck drove normally. This was only discovered once the truck was on a service lift. The weight of the truck was resting on the intact part of the springs, but may have completely disconnected if I had hit a large enough bump while the springs were broken. This would certainly have caused a loss of control, and likely resulted in a crash. The dealer confirmed that this was a manufacturer defect. Despite being past the warranty period, Ford agreed that this is a defect. They used the "Ford ESP" extended service plan to with the cost to perform the repair, though I did not have an extended service contract. I searched the internet, because this should not be possible on a vehicle with this age and mileage. I discovered many reports of similar occurrences on the 2019-2022 Rangers. [XXX] [XXX] I found similar reports on Reddit and other sites. This is dangerous and appears to be a common defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11706732

When starting to accelerate, the automatic transmission shifts hart into second or third gear, and sometime has no power, like it is idling for 5 to 7 seconds before engaging. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by Quirk Ford of Augusta, Maine who said I must have had a faulty transmission from the factory. The safety issue is hesitation from the occasional loss of power during the hard shift which could put one in danger of being rear ended. The were no warning indicators except the sudden jarring during hard shift. Other than the problem being diagnosed by the dealer, it has not been inspected. Hard shift first appeared around 75,000 miles. Dealer flushed and Changed fluid. Reappeared with loss of power during around 130,000 miles. Transmission being replaced 12/15/25 at $9200. Ford basically said it was my problem. I have had two ford rangers before that I drove for over 230;000 miles each without any transmission issues. Clearly the 10 speed transmission is flawed and needs a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11704830

2020 Ford Ranger with transmission and engine (EGR cooler) issues resulting in hard shifting and surges makes it dangerous to drive. Happened on vehicle that was properly cared for and maintained. Issues present on truck that has less than 70k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11699272

all of these issues: Shuddering at the point of acceleration Inability to reach desired speed Gear lockout Failure to start Shifter “lockout” or being “stuck in park” Hesitation from a stopped position Sluggish performance, including during towing “Check engine” light “Juddering,” which involves shaking of the vehicle during normal operation Loss of power or failure to engage

NHTSA ODI 11694912

Rear view camera screen freezes, has distortion and is sometimes blank. This has been an issue for several months and I keep seeing articles regarding this problem and that Ford is recalling various vehicles for the same issue but have not been notified of a recall for my vehicle model and year.

NHTSA ODI 11695059

I bought the 4x4 Ford Ranger specifically to be towed behind my motor home and followed the directions on how to set up the Flat-tow feature that allows the Ranger to be towed behind my motorhome. I had traveled to a number of Good Same Rallys without any trouble with the Ranger. I use it also as my main vehicle at home to go to store, church etc. On my last trip to Branson, MO while coming home there was a noise that sounded like my brakes on the Ranger were locked up. I took my foot off the gas pedal and it stopped, I proceeded on home when it did this several times. Each time it would stop. I got home disconnected the Ranger and it started fine, I drove it almost 200 miles when I began to notice a jerking from the transmission and took it to my dealer. They proceeded to check it out and told me that the transmission and universal were bad and needed to be replaced at a 17k price. According to the computer readout my battery had failed 2 times. HOW CAN A BATTERY FAIL TWO TIME??? Apparently this caused my flat tow in nuetral tow to go into normal range and at that time made my truck act like it was in normal range, towing a dead truck. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO HAVE A BAD ACCIDENT, END UP IN A DITCH. The shop checked and the batter was low but ok. The computer on board did this to my truck and lied on the readout. Three (3) other Rangers had this happen to them and one blew up. I am sure other Ranger owners have had this happen to them too. This can cause a serious accident. I have filed a complaint to our attorney General in my state.

NHTSA ODI 11693049

My transmission start to skip about two years ago, l took to Ford Dealership, they check the code, everything was good, we check the 3 months ago, everything okay, but it still kept skipping, so l change the fluid, and filter, still skips, for wanted over $600.00 to see what the problem, said l had no warranty, I’m a 71 year old disabled Senior on a fixed income, , didn’t have the money, l don’t know what to do

NHTSA ODI 11690039

Backup camera isn't working a recall on some 2020 rangers has been issued but not mine. Parking collision warning isn't as loud as it used to be. Took it t ford garage but they wanted to charge me to do diagnostics. Warning onbackup camera call your service department

NHTSA ODI 11689153

Automatic transmission Available for request Accelerating and stoping proves to be a safety issue on the roadways Confirmed by anyone that drives the vehicle Not inspected, out of warranty and can not afford replacement No lamps

NHTSA ODI 11689037

Internal component failure of the 10R80 transmission. While driving one evening on a highway the vehicle while in cruise began bucking, surging and reduced gears. The vehicle began spraying transmission fluid on vehicles behind me and what was once a 10 speed transmission became a 7 speed transmission. Prior to failure there was zero indication of an issue. Nearly getting into an accident I had to make my way to the side of the road where there wasn’t much of a flat shoulder. Not only could my sudden decline in speed have caused an accident but the transmission fluid spraying on vehicles behind me could have reduced others visibility. Dealership near the incident area has confirmed internal failure which is extremely common for these transmissions. Vehicle is currently awaiting a replacement transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11688593

Rough shift and jerkings around 35 to 40 mph

NHTSA ODI 11683335