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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,924 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2020 Ford Explorer engine problems

engine problem

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2020 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #46

Nov 162022

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

1. The Explorer spontaneously went on fire while being driven damaging the entire front of the vehicle 2. The vehicle could have exploded affecting other vehicles as well as injured or killed the driver and passenger 3. No. Insurance Company immediately declared vehicle totaled. 4. No. Once again, vehicle was immediately declared a total loss and assigned salvage company to take possession 5. No warnings. First sign of anything wrong was flames coming from under the hood

- Wolfeboro, NH, USA

problem #45

Aug 082023

Explorer

  • miles
Cars jerking while upshifting or downshifting at regular speed.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #44

Apr 112022

Explorer

  • miles
The component that has failed is on the exhaust listed as the flexible exhaust pipe assemble part N1MZ5G203A. The part has no visual damage but consistently rattles while idle. The vehicle has been well taken care of but the part appears to be defective. This appears to be the same issue as NHTSA Technical Bulletin 20-2282. There are no safety concerns at this point. The vehicle has been inspected by Capital Ford in Charlotte North Carolina. There has been a Ford customer experience associate assigned to the case who has reviewed the dealerships diagnostic of the issue. Ford has offered to pay for the part but not the labor required to install the part. There were no warning signs/lamps/indicators notifying of the underlying issue.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #43

May 052023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There seems to be a recurring issue with Explorer ST vehicles burning excessive oil upon start-up. In my situation, I have seem my oil levels drop after 5,000 miles. In some reported cases the constant consumption of oil has caused catastrophic engine failure while driving. A similar issue has also been reported on Ford F-150 trucks with the 2.7l turbo. There appears to be a fix for this that requires a oil feed line from the block to the turbo unit to be replaced (newly designed oil feed line) but Ford has not issued any recalls or repair notices for the 2020 Explorer ST's that experience a similar problem.

- Tustin, CA, USA

problem #42

Jul 212023

Explorer

  • miles
Previously filed reports 11521566 and 11494044, stating problem with no response from the accelerator pedal, it happened several times again, at different speeds and different driving modes, should I wait to be involved in an accident to sue the company directly or what other recourse do I have? Have taken the car different times and mentioned the problem but they say "we found nothing wrong" the car is out of warranty now and have seen reports of transmission problems that should have caused a recall.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #41

Apr 142023

Explorer

  • miles
I had an oil change at the Feldman Ford Dealership on or around 3/7/2023. On 4/14/2023 at or at round 5-6 pm; I was traveling southbound on I-75 when my 2020 Explorer suddenly slowed down from 70 miles per hour to around 40 miles per hour while I-??m in the farthest lane and it wouldn-??t go pass 45 miles per hour almost causing the vehicle behind to rear end me. The dash displayed a reading stating the oil pressure is low and to get engine serviced. I put on my hazards and safely made it to exit off of the freeway. I stopped at a gas station because the engine was making a loud screaming noise. I called my salesman from Feldman Ford and explained what was happening and what the dash was saying so he asked me to shut off the engine and to check the oil. So when I opened the hood I saw oil everywhere and the engine was so hot that the heat was burning my face. The dipstick was indicating that the oil was low to empty. He stated that-??s impossible you just had an oil change 4-5 weeks ago and the engine appears that it-??s not cooling. So he advised me to put in 2-3 quarts and get on my knees to see if any oil is leaking underneath and there was no leak after I put in 3 quarts of oil. So he asked how far was i from home i told him no more than 15 minutes, then he asked me to start the car to see if the noise diminished and it was not as loud so he said to see if I could get the car home because I had my 1 month old grandson and my daughter with me and he will have a tow truck to come and get it. I made it a block from my home then the car shut off and wouldn-??t start. So I had family to come get my daughter and grandson and I stayed with the vehicle until 930/10 pm when the tow truck arrived and my vehicle has been at the Feldman Ford service lot ever since 4/14/2023 and it has not been fixed or worked on. I was told that the oil pump failed causing 2 or 3 seals to go bad in the back and front of the motor. The Ford app displayed engine issues 2 months prior to my purchase.

- Detroit , MI, USA

problem #40

Jun 162023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

For months our backup camera would turn blue and not show the rear cameras. Also during this time, on occasion the emergency braking would stop us from backing up and then the brakes would not work. We had a recall on the blue screen software but the breaking has started again.

- Westminster, CO, USA

problem #39

Jun 012023

Explorer

  • miles
On multiple occassions while driving, the accelerator/gas pedal looses functionality. For example, while coasting into a turn and needing to accelerate, the engine is completely unresponsive. The pedal can be against the floor and the vehicle does not respond. We have brought the issue to two Ford dealer's attention during routine maintenance and have been told that there are no stored codes in the system and that bad gas is the culprit as they were unable to replciate the issue during their brief test drives. Each time this has occured it has been with different (top tier) gas. One one occasion, I found that fully releasing the accelerator for several seconds then pressing it down it can engage. On a second occasion, I shifted to neutral and then back to drive for it to engage. On a third occasion, I shifted the drive mode to engage the accelerator. This issues seems to be a major safety issue that should have a better response than "bad gas." Especially when crossing an intersection with children in the car.

- Lake In The Hills, IL, USA

problem #38

May 012023

Explorer

  • miles
engine does not respond when trying to pass slower traffic, press the gas pedal several times with no response, car started to slow down with fast traffic behind/sides on the freeway, took more than 20 seconds to respond to gas pedal input almost causing an accident

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #37

Mar 312023

Explorer

  • miles
Sudden unintended acceleration when parking; vehicle stopped with brake depressed. Vehicle suddenly accelerated and steering wheel jerked back and forth with no driver input resulting in an collision with an unoccupied parked car. No injuries. Insurance adjuster stated that Dealer found no evidence of equipment malfunction. A police report was filed (military police aboard a military base), report is pending as requires FOIA. No warning lamps or messages or other symptoms prior to failure.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #36

Mar 052023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The wiring harness in the back for the air was installed upside down, making the hot cold and the cold hot The vent in the ceiling that distributes air was kinked and had to be replaced The seatbelt on the drive side second row bucket seat was installed upside down The heater core had to replaced due to heat not blowing hot, still not and car was returned a second time Found out upon calling Ford that the car had two transmissions repairs by the previous owner and another "additional repair" done in 2022, would not disclose to me. I informed them the dealership gave me clean car facts. Car has less than 28,000 miles on it. I have had it less than ONE month.

- El Mirage, AZ, USA

problem #35

Mar 162023

Explorer

  • miles
When stopped at a light the engine suddenly accelerated forcing a hard braking action to prevent an accident. after 2-3 seconds it went to idle still in gear. This has happened 3 times the third time 2 witnesses said that it was not caused by braking with their foot on the accelerator. In reviewing the three episodes I noted that the air-conditioned switch was engaged all three times when this uncommand occurred. This never occurred when the car was moving only at a stop. It seems that the air conditioner was called to turn on by the body control module which cause the engine RPM to decrease which cause the power train control module to react increasing the demand to the throttle body which either stuck high or was over commanded in not reacting in a fast enough manner to satisfy the power train control module. When this occured I thought we were going to hit the car in front of us. I think this is correctable with some changes in the power train control module programing.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #34

Feb 182023

Explorer

  • miles
I parked my vehicle 2/17/2023 around 9:45pm in the parking garage of my Condominium for the night. I was awakened Saturday morning 2/18/2023 by the building fire alarm and my neighbors banging on the doors to get outside because smoke was visible from the side of the building. I exited the building and crossed the street. The entire parking garage was filled with thick black smoke. The sprinkler system had activated and the Fire Dept arrived. Through the smoke I was able to see that my 2020 Ford Explorer Limited Edition was on fire. The front end was engulfed in flames which were now shooting up the side of the building and the ceiling of the parking garage.

- Hackensack, NJ, USA

problem #33

Dec 032022

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle is pre owned and had been driving fine since I-€™ve owned it from 8/2021 the vehicle had 9000 miles on it when I purchased it. While driving, the vehicle randomly made some noises from the engine compartment but no warning lights I stopped at a red light and when I took off it started to sound like a screatching from the engine then the low oil pressure light came on I immediately pulled over and shut the vehicle off. The next day I had the vehicle towed to a Ford dealership I got a call from them that there is a lot of metal shavings in the engine oil and filter and that this had been going on for a long time and they aren-€™t sure when it started. The vehicle currently has 27000 miles on it and has had 3 oil changes while I owned it at both Belle Tire and a Ford dealership. The dealership currently still has my vehicle with no information nor update going on 3 weeks.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #32

Nov 162022

Explorer

  • miles
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

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #31

Oct 092022

Explorer

  • miles
Transmission is skipping when put into different gears

- La Puente, CA, USA

problem #30

Aug 082020

Explorer

  • 4,000 miles
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.

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #29

Jul 092022

Explorer

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owned a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate its speed on its own. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and saw fire located on the front passenger side wheel. The contact, his wife, and grandson were able to safely exit the vehicle before the vehicle was engulfed by the fire. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a fire report. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle total loss. The contact towed the vehicle to towing lot. The contact drive to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Wilbraham, MA, USA

problem #28

May 242022

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle stalled on interstate on my way home from picking it up. Had been at dealer for nearly a month for heater repair. Cost me $250 to get it towed back to dealer. Very dangerous situation. I was lucky to be able to get it oof the travel lanes before someone rear ended me at high speed. Very frightening.

- Middletown, OH, USA

problem #27

Mar 112022

Explorer

  • miles
Twice now my car has felt like it has stalled. Once I was at a stop light, the light was red so I stopped. Then when the light turned green I accelerated, the car moved slightly and then stalled. Pedal to the floor and nothing happened. Nothing in the car indicated why this happened. The car was on and ready to go but the petal or engine didn't work. Not sure what happened. The second time it happened I was trying to make a turn from a stop. I accelerated, the car moved a bit then stopped. I was pulling onto a 55 mph road and I was just sitting there. Car was fine, running and seemed to be in working condition but it stalled on me. Pedal to the floor, no response from the car. I have an appointment on Tuesday April 12th to take the car in to speak with the service department. I have spoken to other 6th generation ford explorer owners that have stated the same thing has happened and the service department had no answer for them. I am hoping if enough of us submit an issue it will get investigated preventing a fetal crash.

- Amissville, VA, USA

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