10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,772 miles

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problem #86

Mar 022025

Explorer

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. An abnormal sound was coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front passenger-??s side axle had detached, and the engine had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was provided NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V788000 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- West Pittston, PA, USA

problem #85

Mar 122025

Explorer

  • miles
The car has 66,311 miles and both catalytic converters are cracked and leaking exhaust into the passenger compartment. The down pipe flex joint on the passenger side is leaking and the one on the driver-??s side is deteriorating. Car is currently at the dealership being evaluated. This appears to be a known problem with the 3.0 Ford Explorer in the model years 2020-2022 but no recall has been issued. The problem has been identified by both the dealership and an independent transmission repair shop. There has been no warning lights just strong exhaust smell in passenger compartment when idling at stop signs or lights.

- Lebanon, OR, USA

problem #84

Mar 052025

Explorer

  • 101,400 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle jerked with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 101,400.

- Des Plaines, IL, USA

problem #83

Feb 162025

Explorer

  • miles
Electrical shorting caused the transmission to improperly shift stalling the vehicle on a highway

- Richmond Hill, GA, USA

problem #82

Dec 172024

Explorer

  • miles
I have recently have experienced engine failure with the 2020 Ford Explorer 2.3 ecoboost engine. I was driving on a 4 lane highway, specifically on a bridge, and I experienced loss of power and acceleration. At that time, the engine light came on. I managed to get home, with the vehicle seemed as if in limp mode. I had my vehicle towed to the Ford Dealer ship. The service manager stated that they believe it is complete engine failure. He believes the failure is in the cylinder walls which is due to coolant intrusion in cylinders 2 and 3. His suggestion is to change the "long block" at the costs of $12,284,51. Also, he expressed a concern with the transmission. It might be an issue with the computer, or wire harness. Which would be $1091.81. Plus, a couple sensors, spark plugs. In all The total repair costs are $16,904.16. I owe about $9,500. Prior to this, in 2022 the Turbo went out. It was replaced under the warranty at that time. This was at 90,000 miles. After doing some online research. There has also been a class-action lawsuit involving the 1.5L, 1.6L, and 2.0L EcoBoost engines. Owners of these engines reported issues such as coolant leaks leading to engine overheating and, in some cases, engine failure. The lawsuit claims that Ford was aware of these defects but did not take adequate steps to address them. There are some fantastic videos on youtube that explains and illustrates the reasons for the manufacture defect and engine failure. [XXX] I am a high mileage driver of highways and interstates. I understand that vehicles will have normal wear & tear. I now have 190,000 miles and no longer under warranty. However, based on my investigation, and other similar complaints about the 2020 Explorer with the same or similar issues, I believe there could be a defect with the Cylinder head just like the other ecoboost engines. Other ford explorer owners will likely experience the same as the add miles INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Freeport , FL, USA

problem #81

Jan 022025

Explorer

  • miles
At only 5 years old and at 113k miles in January 2025 I was told by my local dealership that the right side catalytic converter was cracked and needed replacement to pass inspection. In March 2023 the left side catalytic converter was replaced under a service bulletin 21E11. Prior to that both sides intermediate exhaust pipes and flex connectors were replaced in November 2021. I have searched online and read of many other Ford Explorer ST owners complaining of failed catalytic converters. Ford is doing nothing to address this if the vehicle is outside of the required 80k mile emissions warranty. It seems to me there-??s a known problem and this ride side catalytic converter should also be recalled. No catalytic converter should be consistently failing this early in a cars lifespan. Catalytic converters are known to last over 10 years and 300k+ miles. I-??ve also seen where the same Ford Explorer but under the Police Interceptor name has had the right side catalytic converter recalled.

- Chesterfield , VA, USA

problem #80

Dec 132024

Explorer

  • miles
There are problems with these items which are covered under a Ford recall. My vehicle is at Liccardi Ford dealer in Watchung NJ and I feel a tremendous resistance from the dealer to repair the recalled ordered repairs.

- Scotch Plains, NJ, USA

problem #79

Nov 132024

Explorer

  • miles
I have a previous file for this situation already submitted reference # 11626064. Since that filing I have had an additional occurrence of the same description. I also found a recall for 2021 explorers which sounds to be the same as what I have experienced, below is a reference to the 2021 Explorer recall. [XXX] Please confirm if the recall can be updated to include the 2020. Best Regards [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Bronxville, NY, USA

problem #78

Mar 192024

Explorer

  • miles
I was on [SSS], right before [SSS], traveling back from visiting family for the weekend. My vehicle suddenly lost all power while I was in the fast lane doing highway speeds. Luckily I was able to get over to the sliver of shoulder while there was no acceleration and only a brake. Although I was able to turn the vehicle off and start it again to drive from Los Angeles to Sacramento, it was the most frightening moment of my life. I have multiple recalls on this vehicle that have delayed my ability to register it in my state. I do have an open court case with Ford but they have delayed the hearing date to over a year away. 2026. There are multiple issues with this vehicle and I have not been able to drive this SUV comfortably again since my power loss experience. There may be a safety concern for others who have this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Roseville, CA, USA

problem #77

Sep 272024

Explorer

  • miles
While driving at highway speeds I have had a engine malfunction warning or a power train warning appear on my dashboard. The vehicle losses power and has a rattling sound when there is a loss of power. The vehicle steers fine but starts to slow down with the engine rpm dropping to zero. After a few seconds of gliding the engine resumes and I have full power. It seems to happen when I try to accelerate to pass. On occasion it has happened with other vehicles being in the lane I intend to move into or with another car following too closely behind me. I have looked on line about this problem and other people have noted the same problem. I brought the car in to Ford service they had the car for a day and ran it without finding anything. I am not surprised as it only happens occasionally. Of course the day after I had the car in for service it happened when I was driving.

- Bronxville, NY, USA

problem #76

Oct 302024

Explorer

  • miles
We bought this our ST in April and just our luck it has passed the 5-year mark.....no powertrain warranty for us, darn. On Wednesday, during the 30-minute drive home from work, my spouse reported a fault indicator on the dash related to 4WD or AWD being inoperable. This did not trigger the MIL, but diagnostics showed DTC C0631, identified in TSB 23-2114/2174. After a costly fix replacing the FADA with an intermediary shaft, the SUV will no longer be an "Intelligent 4WD" vehicle-?"seems like creative and false advertising masking a known engineering failure identified by many on the internet [XXX] ). The first sign is a FADA leak. The TSB states that customers can continue to drive, so I took the vehicle for a drive, only to find myself abruptly stalled in traffic after about a mile. I tried to restart the vehicle several times, but nothing happened. After waiting about five minutes and calling my spouse, I tried again and was able to start it. It felt like it was in "limp" mode, as it had issues accelerating, so I slowly drove home. When entering the driveway, the vehicle could barely make it into the parking spot. As I pulled in and applied the parking brake, the vehicle was idling and started squealing so ear-piercingly loud (maybe SSM 51419?) that I was shocked and quickly shut it off. Later, I started the vehicle again and noticed it was knocking now, but the squeal was gone and didn't reproduce. The vehicle was towed to the local Ford dealer, and after reporting my experience and their troubleshooting, I've been given an incredible ~$8,000 estimate for repairs. The technician claims that the VTC phasers, a fix from TSB 23-2058, are the additional corrective action for the stalled engine, lack of power, and engine knock noise. Ford knows the VTC phasers are design flawed, they've redesigned them multiple times; Ford TSBs have been available for this issue on this website for other engine models for over 10 years. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Lincoln, CA, USA

problem #75

Oct 242024

Explorer

  • miles
A couple months ago I started having problems with the turbo kicking out and having no power. I let the vehicle sit for a while before being able to get someone to look at it. Once the mechanic looked at it, it was determined that the catalytic converters were clogged and causing problems with the turbo or engine. The vehicle had started blowing out with smoke from the exhaust at this time also. After having the cats cleaned, the vehicle ran but was still kicking out white smoke. After driving it the first day it was now back to low power and low oil pressure light is kicking in more white smoke was coming out of the exhaust. I parked it 100 miles from home and having it towed for the second time

- Redgranite, WI, USA

problem #74

Sep 262024

Explorer

  • miles
While driving on an interstate highway, my car slipped from drive to neutral on its own. Within a few seconds the transmission returned to drive. When the car reached its destination, it went into park, but wouldn't shift out of park for 20 minutes. It finally shifted into reverse, and drive as needed until reaching my home. While trying to shut off the car at my home, it showed that it was in park, put the car was rolling. Finally the car stopped rolling and appeared to be in park. The car hasn't been driven since that day. I had the car towed to the local Ford dealer who sold me the car. They determined that the parking pawl malfunctioned and part of it destroyed the transmission. When I researched recalls on this vehicle, I noticed NHTSA Recall #23v-069 appears to be the same problem that I experienced. The Ford dealership said that this recall didn't include my car's VIN #, so that is why I never received any notifications of this recall. I believe that my car should have been included in the recall and I wouldn't be facing an $8,000 + bill for a new transmission. Ford will not pay for the repair because the car has 66,000 miles, which is over the 60,000 limit. The service technician at the dealership said that I did nothing to cause the transmission to be destroyed. This obviously was a very dangerous situation, and this is why there is a recall on 2020 Ford Explorers. I believe that more cars need to be included in this recall.

- Brighton, CO, USA

problem #73

Oct 082024

Explorer

  • miles
it is well know fack that rear bolts for axle and all part tend break ford replace them once with what " bolts that still break so probems was never fix, now as ford did this as was no recall they refuseing replace bolts a 2ed time to fix there error, wich lead to many cars being damage so bad ford has refuse to fix them leaveing the people holding the bag more so when car wreckes, probem is ford and may others are hiding cars throw use of modle number vr ack year that car was made under, 2020 ford expoler made 2019 throw not one 2019 recall was place on this car, " and why vin is base on modle number not year was made, and your department dose not force these busness to investgate part number in reclall list, parts should not been used in newer cars but was this goneing on more then not, now again i get message replace rear axle bolts only after they brake ONLY AFTER THEY BREAK now they know what will happen if they brake going 70 mpr, this probem was never fix right first time and now again this time ford saying we not going replace bolts, it is time you all step up and find out why this keeps going on why wasent it fix and get fix right, this is huge saft probem, that one can lose a hole tire if more one bolts breaks this has happen, ford and others do not look at part numbers as part there recall process throw part number in the system so if other cars has this probem people has fix it, think change must be made to not only look at vin but part numbers in all recalls regardless of vin or what car if that part is in it should be replace, now i cant explane why ford refuse to not replace such a critcal part this is not just something as lose pice of molding these bolts hold rear end in place and all the bolts prone to breaking, i ask that u look in to why they replace first time and why they must be replace again and force ford to replace these bolts befor some one dies

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #72

Feb 062024

Explorer

  • miles
Car went to dealer for engine noises and was told the motor needed replacement. Was never told what was actually wrong with the car in my paperwork. Then brought to another mechanic and was told the car needed a motor due to a bearing in the lower end had failed. Then noise went away was driving it to another dealer when the motor completely locked up.

- Newton, MA, USA

problem #71

Jul 232024

Explorer

  • miles
Check engine light came on. Code P0161 for O2 Sensor Heater Circuit Bank 2 Sensor 2. Found massive corrosion at connector. This is the second like make/model/year vehicle we have seen this on. MFG does not have pigtail repair kit available and entire harness would be needed to repair.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #70

Oct 312023

Explorer

  • miles
I own a 2020 Ford explorer, the catalytic converter failed at approx 100k miles. There is an open recall but my vin is not included and it SHOULD be! The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership and confirmed the catalytic converter is bad. The check engine light is on for the repair. Program #24M01 REPLACE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS IF FAILED AND INSPECT WIRE HARNESS

- Marathon, WI, USA

problem #69

May 212024

Explorer

  • miles
2020 Explorer VIN: [XXX] Summary [Recall] Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera Description The remedy is under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed june 26, 2023. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23s23. This recall expands and replaces nhtsa recall number 23v-022. Vehicles previously repaired under 23v-022 will need to have the new remedy performed. Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov. Read less

- Long Beach , CA, USA

problem #68

Nov 162023

Explorer

  • miles
2020 Ford Explorer purchased in January 2021. Since owning this vehicle, we have experienced numerous (10+) situations where at a light or entering traffic with our foot on the brake pedal and waiting to proceed the car starts to acerate on its own and jump forward 4'-6' before it stops. I have visited my dealer Jones Ford in Charleston, SC and reported this issue a couple of times over the past few years. As usual they were unable to replicate the issue in shop or find a service code that relates to this problem. On Thursday, [XXX], 2023, while horizontally parking my vehicle in Georgetown, SC in front of an electrical pole (with support wires holding it in place), with my foot on the brake pedal coming to a stop, the engine accelerated and jumped the curb hitting the steel wires causing damage to my front and right side. The following Monday, [XXX] I brought the Explorer into the dealer to investigate the problem since it was still under an extended warranty. After spending a week at the dealer, they return the vehicle unable to find anything wrong and charged me over $200 for a service inspection (Invoice Included). At that point I contacted Ford Customer Service directly and after numerous calls and emails they denied that anything was wrong with my Explorer and closed the case (email included). Since January 2024, I have incurred 5 additional occurrences, and the last one was last week while I was parking the car in reverse...it jumped and struck the parked vehicle behind me. Thank goodness there was no damage to either vehicle. Over the past weekend in continuing to research this problem I came across an AP Article from June 2023 discussing this problem with 2020-22 Ford Explorers (article included). This is why I am lodging this complaint; Ford was well a where of this dangerous situation that my wife and I faced over the years. When the vehicle would accelerate it was very scary, and you honestly were not positive the car would stop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

problem #67

Apr 082024

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

- Bel Air, MD, USA

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