2020 FORD EXPLORER Engine Problems

I own a 2020 Ford Explorer with approximately 85,776 miles. The vehicle has experienced two separate loss-of-propulsion events in traffic. On both occasions, the vehicle suddenly lost power while driving and stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. There was no prior warning of imminent engine failure. After stalling, the vehicle would crank but would not restart. The vehicle was disabled in the intersection for approximately 45 minutes to one hour each time. My family was inside the vehicle during these incidents. The vehicle displayed multiple malfunction warnings including “Shift System Fault” and messages indicating the vehicle was not in Park even when the shifter was in the Park position. The dealership, Hansel Ford of Petaluma, verified the concern and referenced Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 23-2249 related to internal transmission components, including the valve body and park pawl actuator system. The dealership confirmed that when the vehicle is...

My explorer was very slow/unable to accelerate onto the highway. The next time I started it there was rattling and lots of non engine noises, along with all kinds of warning lights. I took it to the dealership. In his words ‘the turbo grenaded itself into the engine. Quoted me 15k to fix/replace the engine, turbo and half shaft. I still owe 9k on it. Extended warranty that I purchased expired 4,000 miles ago. I have had multiple issues with this vehicle since I purchased it brand new in 2020. I am trading it in tomorrow🙁

I was driving down upper pleasant ridge road caldwell id . Had cruise control on doing 50 and all of a sudden car just stopped in the middle of the road. No warning, no noise, no smoke , no check engine light nothing. I was in the middle of the road ,in the dark. Had to call the canyon county sheriff out to help me not get hit by a car waiting on the tow truck. Put jumper cables on battery my new battery bought in jan 2025 started smoking what ever happen fried my battery . Took it to dealership waiting on info

slipping gears between 1&2nd gear, harsh/delayed shifting, some power loss. Vehicle is around 120k miles

On highway was accelerating to pass another vehicle the transition froze , engine revved with no acceleration ( transmission skipped) this has happened several times over the 5 years. The lasted event we documented the date and mileage it happened date 7/13/25 mileage is 34990. These skips have put us in extremely dangerous situations. Transmission has been making growling noise now under normal driving.

Bought my car 2020 and every year I have been on and off the shop to fix it. Last year I just paid them to fox my transmission gearing, clutch and axle. The other dY I have them service it again due to power train malfunction. And sent me an invoice of $1700 not including the $195 to diagnostic test for my car.

Ac compressor has gone out 3 times. This car year, make, is known to have this problem.

The weld which attaches the tail pipe to the muffler failed causing the pipe to strike the pavement while the vehicle was in motion which resulted in sparks and potential fire hazard.

The vehicle was purchased on 10/26/22 and the first occurrence of the issue and was reported to Autonation Ford Littleton and was dropped off by 11/02/22. The issue reported was that the engine to the vehicle would shut off and we were unable to turn it back on for a few minutes. This occurred while at a stop light in the middle of traffic. We dropped it off and they were unable to duplicate the issue. I then had the same issue reoccur and it was in the shop from 06/01/23 and the repair order was closed out on 07/31/23. They were unable to duplicate the issue again. We then had it occur again and we dropped the vehicle off on 06/28/25 and did not get it back until 08/19/25. Again, the issue was not able to be duplicated. The vehicle has shut off, and is unable to turn back...

This problem started about 2 months ago and it happened 3 different times so far. While driving, when pressing the gas, the vehicle will all of a sudden not go. You just drift as if the car is not getting gas. On 2 of the occasions, a shift error message appears on the dash but quickly disappears. This can be very dangerous while driving and cause an accident. I have not had the vehicle looked at yet because I feel it should apart of the new recall for the other Ford Explorers.

Manufacture hasn’t made a remedy available for the recall and it’s past its anticipated availability date. Manufacturer Recall Number 24S52 NHTSA Recall Number 24V598

ADAS System malfunctions, 4WD malfunctions, Vehicle will randomly shut off during driving.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop at a red traffic light, the vehicle inadvertently shut off in the middle of the roadway and failed to restart. The battery warning light was illuminated. No further information was available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: EA23002(Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 112,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle jolted forward while parking. The brakes were locking up. While driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel locked up. The 4-WD fault light was illuminated. The contact stated that the Pre-collision Assist, Hill Assist and Reverse messages were displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 23-2174. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the AWD actuator was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,156.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power after coming to a stop. The contact stated that the oil pressure message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred thirty days after an oil change. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Fuel purge valve not working properly causing the vehicle to not start after filling with gas, needing to keep vehicle running while filling with gas, safety issue. Turbo faulty causing car to loose power while driving and towing. Safely concern for multiple reasons. Flex exhaust pipe broken and mesh ripped causing burning smell and dangerous debris.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the left and right catalytic converters were fractured. The dealer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that only the left catalytic converter replacement was covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Nearly all loss of engine power while driving on on a highway. Ford states these are the necessary repairs. The mechanic supervisor Verbally told me told me possible Engine coolant in cylinders 2 and 3. I requested photos, however none have been provided. I have not approved repairs due to the costs. Total Estimate for repairs is over $15000.00 Ford ecoboost engines have had a lot of recalls, for these same issues on other model Ford engines except the 2.3 liter 2020 Ford Explorer. (Rapid Coolant loss and leaking into the combustion chamber) causing the engine block to damaged. However, no recalls yet on the 2020 Ford Explorer. Cause REPLACE LONGBLOCK DUE TO INTERNAL FAILURE Correction REPLACE ENGINE AND ALL ONE TIME USE PARTS Estimate $ 11,534.51 EITHER PCM, HARNESS OR SENSOR BAD HEATER CIRCUIT OXYGEN SENSOR BANK 1 SENSOR 2 Correction REPLACE O2 SENSOR BROKEN EXHAUST PRESSURE SENSOR Correction...

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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...

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.

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)

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...

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....

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...

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

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...

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...

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.

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.

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

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

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...

Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

The factory welds at passenger outlet on the exhaust broke.

I bought my 2020 Ford Explorer Platinum new in November of 2020--right during the COVID pandemic when businesses weren't opened, so there was no place to go for the largest time. I had already retired from my job of [XXX] years. I have another vehicle, Jeep Wrangler, which I try to drive, too. My Explorer only has 7,818 miles on it and my 2018 Jeep Wrangler has 10,681 miles--the point I'm trying to make is I don't go anyplace that much! I have noticed for quite sometime, my Explorer has a burning smell and the hood and front side would be so hot--it was too hot to touch! I only drive about 9 miles to the local grocery store or Walmart and by the time I get home and pull it in the garage. it's hot and smells light something burning/scorched. I'm afraid it's going to catch on fire and...

[XXX] My Ford Explorer had engine failure on the highway, just as I had entered it. The dashboard read powertrain malfunction, engine overheat, and service engine. My vehicle went from 60 mph to almost a complete stop on the highway. I had almost a dozen cars nearly rear end me as this happened. Getting off the road was just as dangerous as it only went 10mph max on the busy highway I was nearly hit several times. The vehicle was taken to an automotive shop for diagnosis. There was oil in the coolant tank and cracked head gasket, needing a new engine. The automotive shop called the ford dealer to confirm it was under warranty and was towed to the dealer at my expense [XXX]. Was told February 9th that parts were ordered for repairs. I asked the service rep Mike for a list of parts being replaced and the...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had the vehicle towed from the middle of the road to an independent mechanic. The mechanic found that the oil pan was drenched in excess oil indicating a possible oil leak. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine and turbo chargers needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in any recall. The manufacturer was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 68,000.

There is an exhaust leak under the car that propagates into the ventilation system and also when a door is open while idling. This is a known issue for some models with the 3.0L engine under emission recall (21E11), but does not include my VIN even though the powertrain is identical. Dealer replaced some flex tubing to try and correct, but that did not work. It's a safety issue because the smell is strong and there's no way to tell how much carbon monoxide is present to the passengers.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle experienced a hard downshift and failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catastrophic engine failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired due to the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

January of 2023, 30,000 miles took the car in for oil change and for a complaint of exhaust noise and smell coming from just behind the engine. Dealer checked and stated they found no issues. December of 2023 43,000 miles on a cold day noticed exhaust vapors coming from under the car in the area of the noise. Found the pipes, NMZ-5G203-A and dash -B to be broken at the expandable joints. This corresponds to both my wife and I experiencing head aches/excessive sleepiness while driving long distances. Made an appointment for January 04, 2024 at Tom Peck Ford Clinton WI. The pipes were found defective and replaced at a cost of~$600. Given the left side had a recall on the police version 3.0L, why was a recall not made for the passenger models with the same engine? Have noted the issue reported on the NHTSA sight often. Recall 21E11....

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle experienced a hard downshift which caused the vehicle to jerk and independently shift into park. The contact smelled an abnormal burning odor. The vehicle lost power motive and stalled. The contact pulled over and was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Car became unresponsive to accelerator while trying to pass on the freeway, lost speed and had cars around me going 65+ mph, this is not the first time this had happened, have filed several reports and have not heard about a fix to this, getting nervous using this car and I don't know what recourse I have, dealer unable to duplicate the problem and almost got involved in an accident again, please advise. See complaint 11539225, 11533701, 11521566, 11494044

My 2020 Explorer ST has been in the shop off and on for three months. The engine had to be replaced at about 45K miles. The transmission whines. The latest issue occurred while driving in downtown Chicago. I was coming up on a light and moved to the left turn lane to turn into oncoming traffic. When I went to go - I pressed the pedal and nothing happened. I ended up rolling into oncoming traffic when finally, the vehicle responded. On the way home this happened about 10 times on the interstate. It would happen when you quickly decelerate and then accelerate after the transmission downshifted. The loss of responsiveness lasted about 5-10 seconds each time and was accompanied by a loud clicking sound under the vehicle. It is still at the dealership and waiting to hear back from them.

Vehicle would suddenly slam on breaks when breaking and stalled changing gears. We have had it looked at and it is in engine failure - the vehicle is only 3 years old.

Reporting a loss of motive power and loss of transmission torque to the rear wheels from my Explorer that had been remedied with the PCM software update. Experience a surge forward nearly striking another vehicle. Contacted my Ford Dealer who advised that I must wait for a letter and instructions from thereafter. I have several trips planned with family and feel this is unfair ( prolonged fix and intial fix didn't work) and unsafe but I need my vehicle.