2020 Ford Explorer problems
The 2020 Ford Explorer has 1,755 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (28%) concerns drivetrain & axles. Next are electrical system (11%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,755 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 58 and 16
- Injuries and deaths
- 49 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 17,000 miles 561 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 292 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 56 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 62 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 63 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 37 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 33 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 13 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 561 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 17,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 42,000 miles (180 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 58 complaints mention a crash; 16 complaints mention a fire; 49 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford Explorer with enough data (1,542 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 33 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On November 16, 2022, my 2020 Ford Explorer XLT AW, VIN # [VIN removed], was being driven when it experienced a horrific incident of spontaneously bursting into flames. There were flames coming from under the hood and smoke inside the car. The vehicle was in traffic and had to maneuver over to the breakdown lane while the vehicle was filling with smoke in order for the occupants to escape. The Explorer’s mileage was 10,744 miles and had just recently been at the Ford dealer for regular maintenance.
On April 1, 2023 | was leaving the garage of the Marriott Residence inn in Arlington, VA, with two passengers. Up the ramp of level two to level one, slight turn and suddenly car accelerated so fast, sounded like an airplane. Like the accelerator had a mind of its own. Brakes and steering wheel did not respond. We traveled about 20 feet in about 10 seconds at rapid speed head on into a wall. My car was totaled, airbags deployed, a parked car next to me was totaled. EMTs and police responded immediately.
The contact owned a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the advanced traction control, 4-wheel drive pre-collision assist, and drive mode assist warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while it was raining. The contact lost control of the rear of the vehicle and the rear of the vehicle and crashed into a rail.
This particular problem has occurred on more than one occasion, most recently today (january 30, 2021). While driving and then accelerating, the car sputtered and almost died. We were pulling into oncoming traffic and needed to accelerate. We pushed on the accelerator and the car made a sound as if it would speed up, instead it stalled. (a message flashed on the screen, but it was too quick for me to read.) we were almost hit by a car before we were able to pull into a parking lot.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.