This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Transmission has been fixed twice, but it is still causing issues. It shifts hard and sometimes shutters. No dealership takes it seriously anymore. It is a known manufacturer defect that isn't being corrected promptly, probably to skirt by until warranty expires. The auto-hold system sporadically stops working. It will pop up on the dash that it is not available, but it will work after restarting the car a time or two. The info screen will randomly be a black screen after startup. The backup camera sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Rarely, there will be no sound from any speaker. Radio, phone, turn signal, nothing works through the speaker like it should. The turn signal will make a strange noise through the dash that doesn't match normal sounds.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Rear back up camera How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The loss of the rear camera image while in reverse has increased my risk of crash. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, it has been to Holman Ford Turnersville many times for repair but the issue keeps occuring. I have been in touch with Ford directly and have two cases open. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No warnings or symptoms
The rear hatch opens unexpectedly with no command given. It happened twice while in Drive pulling out of my garage. There was no audible or visual warnings the hatch was opening. The hatch impacted the garage door frame causing the glass to shatter and denting the metal. First incident was 4/2022 the second was 1/2023. Both were reported to my insurance provider and the Ford dealer. I also contacted Ford directly for reimbursement of my deductible and other expenses and they paid. See attached. Please see SSM 49015 - 2020 Explorer/Aviator -€" Partial Power Liftgate Opening And/Or False Anti-Theft Alarm Activation -€" Liftgate Ajar - Built On Or Before 17-Feb 2020. The problem is not resolved and I no confidence the hatch won't open whie I am on the road. If it does and something falls out this would be a major safety issue.
I hit my brakes at a traffic light and the dash board lite up. With the following messages. Service Advance trac, 4WD Fault service required, see manual, hill start asst not available, auto hold fault, tooknto dealer tried to charge $600 for a diagnostic, codes were ran all codes are communication codes. Have no abs brakes. Took to another shop they couldn't figure it out. Called Ford. They refer back to dealer who what's to charge more money for diagnostics and the 33 codes they say are in the computer. Big safety issues. Happened just after 60,000 miles before looking at it dealer stated it wouldn't be covered under powertrain warranty anyway. Can't upload photos from phone for some reason.
Braking system stopped working. I had no breaks on the Highway! All systems lit up on my dash. Thankfully I was able to coast down the side of road in neutral until the car stopped. Whole time I was holding the brake down to the floor. Upon stopping it automatically threw into park. I turned the car off and then started again and everything seemed fine. I was scared to death to even drive it any further. I took it to the dealership to have it looked at. I see this is a problem with 2020 explorers and it needs to recalled. Someone is going be seriously injured or even die in the event of a wreck from this issue
- Laurel, MS, USA
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Car did not respond to accelerator while driving on the freeway causing the car to decelerate on traffic creating a dangerous situation, other cars honked and swerved around
On March 14, 2021, a failure with the vehicle posed a serious safety hazard when my two children, another minor child and our dog were accompanying me, with the car fully loaded for spring break, and the brake system completely failed, among other electrical issues, as we were departing our neighborhood. The vehicle was subsequently towed to the dealership. I cringe to imagine what would have ensued if this defect would have occurred only a few minutes later, as we pulled into traffic or made it to the highway for our trip. I don't recall what lamps came on as it was very scary at the time, but the alerts on the Ford App were, Antilock Brake Fault, Hill Start Assist Warning, Hill Descent Control Fault Warning and Pre-Collision Assist Not Available.
The Ford Explorer ST when shifting into reverse, sporadically, the backup camera presents a blue screen, preventing all visibility while attempting to drive in reverse. It appears that none of the warning signals are operational when getting close to people or objects when the camera isn't working, thus presenting a hazardous condition as all safety features do not function. Apparently, there are similar recalls on some Explorer models but my particular vehicle is one that is not included in the previous pool of vehicles that are eligible for the recall repair.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while shifting into reverse the Back Over Prevention screen failed to operate as designed. Additionally, the vehicle would respond without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact also stated that while driving 35 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning system activated while there was no vehicle nearby. The contact stated that the vehicle was sputtering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician informed the contact that the brake assist was unavailable. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure with the Forward Collision Avoidance system. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.
The hands free lift gate closes on its own. This has happened more than a dozen times since I bought this vehicle 3 months ago. Any person standing at the rear bumper (not putting their foot under the bumper) activates this self closing process. The door hit me in the head twice.
When reversing the rear camera display turns blue and I'm not able to see anything behind me using the safety camera feature. I rely on the camera to assist with detecting people or objects in my blind spots while reversing and intermittently the display turns blue. There was a recall for this make and model and manufacture date, but the vehicle is not included in the recall. Recall information - Rearview Camera Recall 21C09. The dealership can't reproduce the issue because it's intermittent and there are no error codes, so they won't replace the camera. They've tried several software fixes but the problem continues. No warning messages displayed when the issue occurs. Thanks.
My car warnings were malfunctioning as they were all flashing on briefly. The car has done this before and has other issues with the panel such as now it has the icon for camera visibility is not working. I cleaned each camera and the light is still on. I backed out of the driveway put the car in drive and started to accelerate. I stepped on the brakes and they were not working, I repeatedly tried to stop but they were gone. My car finally stopped (I was not far enough to have started to build any speed. I turned the car off and back on and the brakes were back on. This happened March 31st, 2022.
Our radio/navigational/climate control screen will go completely black while driving the vehicle. This has happened approximately 15 times since the purchase of the brand new car in August of 2020. Therefore, I lose all of my controls and my GPS. This will not come back on until the car is turned off and is given time to reset. This reset time varies from 30 minutes to 1 hour. The first time this occurred was one month after purchasing the vehicle. So, after three different visits to Ford dealerships, Hopkins Ford, Manning Ford and Dundee Ford, not one technician can duplicate this problem so it is still happening. Recently, I was in Columbus, Ohio and the screen went black while I was driving in an unfamiliar area. I'm aware that Ford had a massive recall on this very issue but somehow our VIN number is not included in this. I frequently travel across the Midwest because my fifteen year old daughter is in travel volleyball. I cannot afford for safety reasons for this to happen to the two of us when we are driving in unfamiliar places. This is a huge safety concern for my daughter and I.
A computer system fault caused the inability to start, move, turn off, turn on, lock or otherwise do anything with the vehicle with manual buttons or the remote. The drivers screen flashed through fault codes but would not allow any action. After discussing with the dealer on the phone, who mentioned something about a bad battery cell, I decided to disconnect the battery terminal, waited a period of time, and reconnected. The computer system reset and everything functioned correctly with no fault codes. At the time the vehicle was in a company drive lane causing a major hazard to the vehicles passing through. The vehicle was brought straight to the Dealer Service department who said they could not find anything wrong.
While driving at 70 mph the vehicle experienced the following issues all at once, the power steering shut off, all brake pressure was lost, the pre- collision system was turned off, parking brake engaged(at 70 mph) traction control system turned off, engine light turned on and all of the warning lights on the dash activated. This has happened 3 times and almost killed me twice. Ford has tried to repair this vehicle all three times and still have not corrected the issue. Ford has also refused to replace or buy back the vehicle.
The rear camera malfunctions and the display screen is blue. The vehicle is available for inspection. It creates a blind spot on the display screen of the area behind the vehicle and sounds an alert/alarm every time the malfunction occurs. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealer but I have provided multiple pictures of it occurring. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer on several occasions. There were no warnings prior to the failure.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon rapid acceleration at various speeds, exhaust fumes from the tailpipes would enter the cabin of the vehicle. The contact also stated that after heavy rains, water-filled the spare tire compartment located in the rear of the vehicle. One day while his wife was driving and coming to a complete stop, the water spilled out of the compartment and flooded the cabin floor of the vehicle. Once the contact discovered where the water was located, he vacuumed up nearly four gallons of water out of the spare tire compartment. As a result of the internal water intrusion, there were several electrical failures. The forward collision warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel without any vehicles in near proximity. The contact also stated that his wife received multiple alerts on her phone through the Ford app that an intruder had attempted to open the tailgate however, each alert was a false alarm. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where the service manager agreed to have the vehicle thoroughly inspected. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Smoke started coming from the passenger side visor as I was driving. There was no indication of an issue with warning messages of any kind. Of course I panicked, ran from the car and called the fire department who stated it smelled electrical when they arrived. After a week of being at the dealership, they couldn't find anything; however, 30 seconds after I got into my vehicle, I noticed the cabin lights weren't working. After returning the vehicle within an hour they found that a wire had burned out and shorted out some fuses. 2 weeks later and I still don't have my vehicle. No injuries, just scared beyond belief to have a 2020 ST start smoking!! Even if they state it is fixed, I am still scared to death to drive it after that!! I have had issues with the brakes as well. Those stopped working but apparently that was a recall that was resolved. I have purchased Fords for the past 20 years. I will NEVER buy a Ford again with all the issues I have on this vehicle!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sand Springs, OK, USA