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

The dri er side leaf spring broke at the fro t bushing attachment. The bushing is completely rusted and cracked.

NHTSA ODI 11682178

On more than one occasion but still infrequently, I have been coming to a stop and while braking, the engine revs and lurches forward while I'm attempting to stop. It is rare that it happens but it is very scary when it does happen. No warning lights appear. I have submitted a request to the dealer who sold us the truck. But it happens to infrequently that it would be difficult to reproduced by a dealer. It has happened approximately 5 times since purchasing the vehicle in December 2020. Approximate date of most recent event below.

NHTSA ODI 11675521

When accelerating from a stop, there is a lag in the engine shifting into gear, it causes the RPM's to climb before eventually shifting gears and once it does that the whole vehicle jolts forwards. There is also a noticeable lag when the vehicle is shifting from 1st and second, as well as a jolt when it does shift but not as much of a jolt as the initial 1st to 2nd. Once the vehicle is up to 3/4th gear, it does not appear to have the same issue shifting. This poses a safety issue in numerous situations. One example being, when stopped at an intersection and trying to make a left hand turn, I have to be extremely cautious that I have plenty of space as to account for the potential lag and not being able to accelerate quickly.

NHTSA ODI 11674752

Repeated problems with the 10 SPD automatic transmission in my 2020 Ford Ranger. Transmission skips between gears, shakes, jerks, feels like I’m driving over rumble strips. You name it, the transmission is doing it. Took it to the Ford dealership last year and they “cannot reproduce the issue”. That’s because it doesn’t happen all the time. I guess I need to take a technician on a road trip with me to identify the issue. Fast forward to now…warranty is gone and problem still persists. Only 28,000 on the truck. Waiting on a recall to replace the transmission. I mean, these issues are all over the internet. Super common issue. The transmissions are obviously faulty and Ford refuses to resolve the issue. I am beyond irritated at this point

NHTSA ODI 11673167

My 2020 Ford Ranger, which I bought new on [XXX] from Stivers Ford in Montgomery, AL, has a 10 speed 10R80 transmission which has adaptive learning. It has put myself and others' safety at risk because it shifts gears erratically and sometimes hesitates when pulling out into traffic even though the gas peddle is pressed. I first reported these transmission issues to the Stivers Ford dealership on 11/09/20 when the truck had only 5,275 miles. They said that the transmission "operates as designed" verbally and printed the same on the service invoice. I reported the issue multiple times to Stivers Ford thereafter each time I had the oil changed and they repeated verbally that the transmission "operates as designed". The problem persisted and progressively got worse and began to create scary conditions by hesitating when pulling out into and in front of moving traffic, until finally 8/27/24 with 89,407 miles I insisted to Stivers Ford Dealership that they fix it. They agreed to look at problem again, and, when I picked it up, they said they reset the adaptive learning to the factory specs, which fixed the problem perfectly, until April of 2025, when the problem reappeared. The Stivers dealership refused to look at it again as a warranty issue, even though I reported the problem when it was under warranty and they told me to contact Ford Manufacturing. The Ford MFG representative on 05/29/25 said they would not help and suggested I contact the NHTSA. I currently have my truck at a different dealership and told them I would pay for the temporary fix of resetting the adaptive learning. PROBLEM: Ford MFG has allowed me AND the general public to purchase their new vehicle with a defective and unsafe 10R80 transmission and I'm in hopes your department will require them to recall this transmission and replace or fix it. I appreciate you reading all this and hope you will respond to me in some way. My number is [XXX] if you need any additional information. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11670762

Rear camera sometimes freezes or blacks out. Have seen recall notices for this issue on 2024 year models of the same vehicle model but not for the 2020 model

NHTSA ODI 11668872

Rearview camera malfunction. Screen on rearview mirror goes from blue color to blank. The vehicle's air conditioning does not blow cold air. Stays at warm temperature. Cannot hear pump kick on for A/C.

NHTSA ODI 11667906

On the freeway cruise control at 75 mph, truck started down shifting in to 7th gear, then back up and continued to do this several times until i reached my destination. Took it out of cruise control and still did it. It did it again about 3 days later. I took it to ford dealership, they test drove it and it wouldn't do it for them.

NHTSA ODI 11666184

Wiring in components failed resulting in non functioning cross traffic alerts and blind spot detection. Problem found by independent mechanic, ford warranty does not cover.

NHTSA ODI 11663676

Transmission issues since purchasing used. Has been in once for Transmission reprogramming. Less than 6 months later, Transmission now bucks when foot removed from accelerator and shifts out of gear while driving. Returning to Lincoln dealer 6/6 for additional service.

NHTSA ODI 11663677

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the vehicle jerked before the transmission responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality afterwards. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 50 MPH, there was an abnormal humming sound coming from the vehicle before the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with an internal leak in the transmission which caused the failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired after the latest failure. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 242046. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11660775

Rear brake lights did not work, but high mount brake light functioned normally. I found a safety recall for the 2019 Ford Ranger for the same condition (19S43). This safety recall identifies connector C442 as the root cause for the incident. Based on this information, I located the connected. I disconnected the connector, did visual inspection. Visual inspection did not find any bent pins, so I reconnected connector. After inspection and reconnection of connector C442 the brake light now work. A little background on me. I’m a retire Service Engineer from Nissan and I have extensive background in vehicle service issues, recalls and campaigns. Based on my experience, I believe that the incident I confirmed on my vehicle may indicate that the Ford Ranger may continue to have brake light inoperative condition beyond the current Safety Recall window of vehicle. I have already contacted Ford to advise them of this condition. I offered to make my vehicle available to Ford for inspection, Ford declined.

NHTSA ODI 11659506

My rearview camera sometimes will not work. Ford has many recalls for this but not for my 2020 Ranger.

NHTSA ODI 11654040

The taillight on the driver's side has never worked properly. Took it for repair to get a replacement bulb. Personnel at local auto parts store were aware of problems on this model vehicle. They stated no replacement bulbs were available because it required an electronic "bulb." Was informed that the part was VERY expensive, so was unable to get replacement part. Was pulled over by local police and told no lights in rear of vehicle, including brake lights were working. Consumer reports reported same problem with 2019 Ford Ranger and had article "Ford Recalls Ranger Pickup Trucks for Taillight Problem." November 25, 2019. Ford recalled 78,264, year 2019 Rangers. My truck is a 2020 Ranger and the problem with the taillights0030 described for 2019 is IDENTICAL TO THE ONE DESCRIBED FOR 2019.

NHTSA ODI 11651773

I purchased a 2020 Ford Ranger truck which had, either a faulty "bulb," or other type of device which caused the driver side tail light to not illuminate. I was not made aware of this, as I do not commonly check to see if the taillights were when I turn on the lights to drive at night. However, I observed the faulty taillight probably a year or so after owning the vehicle. The vehicle is not frequently driven, as I brought the 2020 Ford Ranger truck new, and it presently as of April 2025 has about 7300 miles on it. When I became aware of the faulty taillight, I went to the local AutoZone store to purchase a replacement bulb, and was informed by a fairly knowledgeable individual that my vehicle did not have a standard "bulb" which could be replaced. I was told the unit which housed the component which caused the lighting to occur was an integrated compounded which had to be totally replaced, at a significant cost. I have not made any attempts to remove the component, and was informed there would be a significant cost to do so. On March 29, 2025 I was pulled over by a local sheriff's office indicating there was a problem with not only the taillight on the driver side not operating, but also problems with operation of my brake lights and other lights in the rear of the truck. I was informed that I should get the problem fixed as soon as possible. I did explain that I had previously made an attempt to get the driver side taillight fixed, but the component, was not available to do so. I then began to research the problem, and found an article was online which was attributed to Consumer Reports entitled "Ford recalls Ranger pickup trucks for taillight problem, automaker says loose electrical connections could lead to a crash" the basis of the November 25, 2019 article stated "Ford is recalling 78,264 of its 2019 Ranger pickup trucks because electrical connector may be loose or not properly installed. As a result the taillights may be inoperative or work intermittently.

NHTSA ODI 11651930

The contact owned a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that his wife had parked the vehicle in the residence driveway and was bringing purchases into the residence when she returned to the vehicle she observed that gray smoke was being emitted from under the hood. The contact came out to the driveway, observed the smoke, and saw that flames were coming from the driver's and passenger side of the hood. The contact stated that the fire department was called but when they arrived the vehicle was engulfed from the front to the rear. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the flames using water and chemicals. The contact stated that the fire department had written an incident report. The contact stated that his insurance provider had the vehicle towed to an impound lot and declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to his insurance provider. The failure mileage was approximately 24,500.

NHTSA ODI 11649542

While driving on the highway the tensioner pulley snapped off from the timing cover. Losing the pulley caused my serpentine belt to become tangled in the radiator fan. My engine over heated and I lost power steering. This left me stranded on the side of the highway for hours. I took the truck to ford, the origional quote was 3900, but they worked with me and got it down to 1765.

NHTSA ODI 11647642

Date/Time: [XXX] Approximately 3:00PM local Weather: About 10F, light wind. No precipitation. Event Description: Vehicle had sat for > 12 hours. Started vehicle and operated wipers to clear snow. Vehicle was in 2WD; Shifted to “D” and began driving forward down driveway slowly; normal throttle response. Shifted from 2WD to 4WD. 4WD engaged, and there was normal throttle response. After driving for about 15 seconds, near end of driveway, removed foot from accelerator to slow to see if there was traffic. I saw that there was none and tried to accelerate. No throttle response; the vehicle came to a stop in the snow. Note: when I state “no throttle response”, I mean no engine revving; it was not simply that the drivetrain wasn’t sending engine power to the wheels, the engine wasn’t increasing throttle as I commanded. Momentarily surprised, I pressed harder to about 30% throttle, still no response. I removed my foot from the accelerator and applied the brake. As I did so, looked at the center console display. It was showing that it had lost connection with my phone (I had left it in the house) and it was trying to reconnect. At that moment I felt a slight “bump” of acceleration. The time between first noticing no throttle response and feeling the “bump” was about 3 seconds. I decided to go back for my phone (and I also didn’t want to get on the road with a wonky throttle) so I backed up to the house; normal throttle response. I retrieved my phone and everything operated normally after that. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11643926

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Pre-Collision Assist Not Available Sensor Blocked" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that whenever the message was displayed with the Cruise Control activated, the Cruise Control would disengage independently. The dealer was notified of the issue but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11642687

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the heating system became inoperable. The contact stated that the heater would not function properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the HVAC blower motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11635073

The blend door for HVAC controls sticks, makes clicking noises. From time to time it will stick in one position, for example cabin, when I need defrost, making it difficult to see safely potentially.

NHTSA ODI 11626414

Early model 2019-2020 Ford Rangers have a known defect where the blend door actuator fails. The assembly was redesigned mid 2020 and is now the common fix for all who are affected by this issue. During this failure the blend door cannot and will not actuate as it should causing in ability to defrost the windshield causing visibility issues. Additionally, it causes unbearable heat to be released inside the vehicle with no warning causing additional safety issues for drivers and passengers. The issue is widely observed for all owners of early generations. Even though ford has known about the issue that forced an entire redesign they are unwilling to recall the defective component. I have contacted their corporate office and was informed there is no support for this issue. Today, while driving the system on its own changed to defrost, half of the windshield could be seen through, the other half could not due to variations on both sides which also caused condensation to form.

NHTSA ODI 11615914

Transmission has rough and erratic shifts at lower speeds. Bucking and bouncing of the vehicle occurs do to the shifting.

NHTSA ODI 11611999

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused a failure with the spark plugs. The contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that an engine appearance shield needed to be installed over the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11607514

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal squeaking and humming sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the carrier bearings and there was no grease or scratches. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11599277