2020 FORD EXPLORER Fuelpropulsion System Problems

Left lowlight headlight stops working intermittently and then completely. Both front axles cracked. Right rear shock busted. Gas purge valve malfunctioned

On [XXX]., in heavy rush‑hour traffic on [XXX] , my vehicle (~75,417 mi) suddenly lost motive power w/o warning at ~55 mph. It became immobile in a live lane, creating a roadblock and rear‑end crash risk. Drivers swerved/honked. Accelerator had no effect; limited/no power‑steering assist; I coasted to an in‑lane stop (no safe shoulder) and activated hazards. Cluster displayed “SHIFT SYS FAULT—Service Required” and wrench icon. Attempts to restart failed; the vehicle remained disabled ~30min until a tow arrived; police responded. After tow, on a slight incline, the vehicle rolled backward when started and the parking brake was released, though the cluster showed Park—clear rollaway concern. Recovery/diagnosis: Towed first to AutoTech Clinic (advised replacement trans). Then to Bill Brown Ford (Livonia, MI): fractured planetary gear and broken park pawl; recommended full transmission replacement (~$8,500). Repair history (pre‑purchase): I’ve owned the car <6 mos (now ~75k). A Ford dealer later informed...

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.

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.

There is hesitation when coming from a stop to accelerating there is a delay of power. This problem has been going on since we have had the car. It is safety issue especially when we accelerate to get onto the highway. It is very inconsistent. We recently took it in and found that an error code of P0496 the evaporator purge valve to be a problem. Not sure if this is a problem with other Fords like ours. So I thought you could investigate it for me. Thank you.

When my vehicle reaches 60 mph the back end of my vehicle begins to sway excessively. Something may be wrong with the axle. It’s actually very frightening. Also, when my vehicle is running, I feel a slight puttering and then it quickly goes away as if somethings going on with the fuel pump. Lastly, my rearview camera sometimes looks a little blurry. I did take my vehicle to team Chevrolet in Swansboro, North Carolina where I purchased the vehicle. They stated something is going on with the axle and sway bar.

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.

Fuel does not pump in correctly and causes spit back. The car has been taken into ford numerous times without a solution & parts have been replaced. The problem still exists. This causes gas to leak at the gas station as it doesn’t flow fast into the tank even on the lowest flow possible. You are also unable to move the nozzles around, in or out to make it work.

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...

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.

August 22, 2024 Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center P.O. Box 6248 Dearborn, MI 48126 Regarding: Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01 I want to let you know how dissatisfied I am with your customer service claim to have happy satisfied customers, that is so proudly proclaimed in the introduction to this notice. We travel long distances in very remote areas of the Southwest. The last thing I want is to be stranded in the hot desert with an axle bolt beginning to or actually failing. Your policy to notify us of a potential problem, but not repair until the bolt fails gives me no confidence in my vehicle. In fact I am reluctant to make this trip again in this vehicle that has a known parts failure issue. It would have been better to have not notified me of this concern, in which Ford has no intention of repairing until it...

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.

Muffler tailpipe separated at the wield of the muffler

Vehicle "service required" light (wrench) displayed on vehicle when commuting from work to home on a Friday. Light went off next time vehicle was used, so vehicle was used to commute from home to work. During this commute, light came on approximately 25 miles from home, and then 25 miles from work (commute is 32 miles 1 way). Driver stopped vehicle and once vehicle turned off, light went off. Local Dealership was contacted (Ryan) was able to diagnose issue over computer, stating 1. the vehicle (parts are not communicating with each other) and then the light is from transmission pump overheating. He stated this is common (transmission issue) with 2020 Ford Explorers. I did research and this is correct. We agreed to bring vehicle in to be checked out instead of driving it any further. I also asked if any dealer vehicles were having issues filling up fuel at the...

Vehicle caught fire while parked after driving.

Adding gas to my FORD EXPLORER 2020 Limited EcoBoost 4WD, is almost impossible. We just purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. No matter what gas station we use, no matter how slow we fill, the nozzle continuously clicks off every few seconds. We use the funnel that came with the vehicle & the gasoline consistently spills out along the side of the vehicle. The only way to get gas in the tank is with the funnel at the slowest fill possible. When the tank is on the fuller side, it sloshes around incredibly loud & there’s also a knocking sound on the driver side under the steering wheel area. I’ve looked online & have seen so many others that have these same issues. Took the car back to the dealership, they attempted to fill up the tank themselves and were just as confused as I was on how difficult...

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.

The 2020 ford Explorer eco boost limited that we have has had many issues that we are concerned about. Our number one concern is when we accelerate on the freeway to get up to speed we have a rotten eggs/ perm smell. We have taken this into the ford service department and they were able to recreate the smell and had the ford master mechanics look at it. The smell is a sigh of a catalytic converter going out according to other mechanics on other vehicles. They have gave us the excuse that it is the way the vehicle smells when you accelerate. It is a strong odor that makes the passengers in the vehicle verbally ask what is throat smell. My specialty in my career has brought up the question that I don’t know the smell and is it harmful. What could the long term effects have on me...

Vehicle lost power while driving at 75mph on major highway. Received power train malfunction warning light. Had to tow car to dealership and wait 9 days for the service technician to determine a repair. Now my parking brake light keeps coming on.

In April 2020, I brought my car into the Lafayette Ford Dealership in Fayetteville, NC bc I had been experiencing issues with the car moving when it was not supposed to. I would start the car with my foot on the brake, switch it into reverse/drive and *without taking my foot off the brake* the car would jerk forward or back, depending on if I was in reverse or drive. The event that caused me to bring my car into the dealership occured while I was in front of my garage. I had my foot on the break, and was planning to adjust my direction toward the garage when my car propelled forward and took a hit that resulted in bad damage to my driver side bumper. The dealership held my car for over a week and was not able to replicate the problem, so they told me my car...

This is my third complaint regarding the same issue, driving on the freeway today the gas pedal was not responsive leading to a drop of speed almost getting hit from behind, don't know what to do, I'm getting nervous to use my car because the problem comes with no notice (see complaint [XXX], [XXX] and [XXX] ) hopefully I will not get in a serious accident before something is done. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel gauge on electronic instrument panel shows empty at all times. Driver can run out of gas without warning. Vehicle OBDC shows fuel sensor fault, local dealer claims a faulty instrument cluster with very costly repair. No warnings before this happened. Just Fuel light coming on, check engine light coming on and fuel level showing Zero.

There have been a few times when the gas pedal (accelerator) isn’t responsive. I have pressed the accelerator to the floor a few times and there has been a long delay in response from the engine and when it did respond it was at a lower rpm then expected when the pedal is to the floor. It has occurred when the vehicle is at a stop and the accelerator is pressed to hard. This has occurred multiple times.

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.

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

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

WHEN STOPPING, MOVING SLOW OR PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT OR GARAGE YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE FUEL IN THE TANK SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS AT LEAST 1/2 FULL AND IS VERY NOTICEABLE BUT SEEMS TO GO AWAY WHEN FUEL IS UNDER 1/2 TANK.

WHEN PARKING VEHICLE OR BACKING OUT OF GARAGE SLOWLY, YOU HEAR FUEL SLOSHING UNDER THE FRONT SEATS LIKE THERE IS NO BAFFLE IN THE TANK. VERY VERY NOTICEABLE AND ALSO MENTIONED ON THIS SITE FROM OTHER FORD OWNERS. A TSB SHOULD BE ISSUED BY FORD IMMEDIATELY AS THEY DID FOR THE SAME ISSUE WITH TSB 18-2378. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL CONDITION AND IT'S A COP OUT FOR FORD NOT TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE HAD IN OTHER FORD PRODUCTS AND THIS ONE NOW AS WELL!!

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE BANK AND PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT AND WHILE I WENT TO THE ATM I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING I WASN'T AWAY FROM THE CAR FOR MORE THEN THREE MINUTES AND WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR IT STARTED SPUTTERING AND THEN JUST SHUT OFF. I TRIED TO START IT BACK UP BUT UPON DOING SO THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T TURN OVER. THE ENGINE SOUNDED LIKE IT WANTED TO TURN OVER BUT WOULDN'T. I TRIED THIS A BUNCH OF TIMES UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED( ABOUT AN HOUR) BUT EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE STILL WOULDN'T TURN OVER. JUST CONTINUED TO MAKE THE ENGINE NOISE THEN WOULD SHUT OFF.

VEHICLE WILL NOT START WHEN PARKED ON DRIVEWAY W/ NOSE FACING STREET IF THERE IS LESS THAN ABOUT A QUARTER OF A TANK OF GAS IN IT. WHEN TRIED TO MANY TIMES THE DASH READS CRANKING LIMIT EXCEEDED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP - 2021 LOANER WAS PROVIDED AND THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED. DEALERSHIP ALSO ADVISED THEY HAD ANOTHER CUSTOMER WITH A 2021 EXPLORER HAVE THE SAME ISSUE A WEEK PRIOR. WAS TOLD TO PARK MY CAR IN STREET AND NOT USE DRIVEWAY OR TO ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN A QUARTER TANK OF GAS. THESE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS

VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN MULTIPLE REPAIR SHOPS MULTIPLE TIMES FOR FUEL PUMP, ELECTRICAL, AND POWER TRAIN PROBLEMS. THE FIRST TIME IT SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARKING LOT, IT WAS TOWED WAS AT 1720 MILES. IT CURRENTLY HAS 7772 MILES. I WOULD GET IT OUT OF THE SHOP ONE DAY THE CAR WOULD EITHER HAVE THE SAME WARNING LIGHTS APPEAR OR BREAK DOWN TOTALLY. PRIME EXAMPLE PICKED IT UP ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 AND IT STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS ON THE 24TH AS SOON AS THE GAS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE CAR SHUT OFF AT 65 MPH AND ALL THE CABIN LIGHTS CAME ON INSIDE THE CAR. I MANAGED TO GET IT RESTARTED AFTER 20 MINUTES AROUND 8:15 PM AND GET TO A GAS STATION AND I PUT GAS IN IT AND THE GAS WARNING LIGHTS WENT OUT. THEN SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY AT 70 MPH ON THE...

RECEIVED MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP- REGULATORY

TRANSMISSION ISSUES AGAIN. SAME BROKEN / CRACKED WELD AT TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER. PART REPLACED. THIS IS THE VEHICLE'S 3RD OIL COOLER (WE'RE AT 12,600 MILES NOW)

WHEN STARTING AT INTERSECTIONS OR STOPPING YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE FUEL IN THE TANK SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH. I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE NOISE AND DOCUMENTED IT. THEY REACHED OUT TO FORD WHICH SAID THEY KNEW OF THE ISSUE AND AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO FIX.

FUEL TANK SLOSHING AND CLUNKING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS. THE VEHICLE FUEL TANK DESIGN LOCATES A PORTION OF THE GAS TANK UNDER THE VEHICLE AND BELOW THE SEATS. WHEN THE GAS TANK IS ABOVE HALF FULL, YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE GAS MOVING IN THE TANK, ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEED, DURING TRAFFIC WITH FREQUENT STOPPING. NOT SURE HOW SAFE IS TO FEEL THE GAS MOVING INSIDE THE FUEL TANK AND THE NOISE WHEN THE GAS IMPACTS THE GAS TANK WALLS. WHEN THE TANK IS FULL AND YOU BRAKE, THE FUEL SLOSHES FORWARD AND MOVES SOMETHING INSIDE AND SLAMS AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE TANK.

DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS LIKE PARKING AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE FUEL SLOSHES LOUDLY AND CAN BE HEARD INSIDE THE VEHICLE. IT SLOSHES MOST NOTICEABLY WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL IS ABOVE 3/4 FULL. THE FUEL MOVES SO MUCH IT SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING HITTING THE FLOOR UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SEAT OR A DRIVELINE ISSUE.

THE EXPLORER WAS PUT INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE DROVE FORWARD ABOUT 3 FT, JERKED, THEN SLAMMED INTO REVERSE. REACTION TIME ON MY BEHALF WAS SLOW AS IT WAS UNEXPECTED, I ALMOST HIT A LIGHT POLE. THIS OCCURRED IN A PARKING LOT

BREAKS GAVE OUT WHILE BACKING OUT OF LANE. SEPARATE ISSUE PRESSED ON GAS NO RESPONSE OR DELAYED RESPONSE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. ACTED LIKE IT WAS ALMOST OUT OF GAS BUT NOT. ALSO OTHER SMALL ISSUE IS LOUD HIGH WHISTLE NOISE ABOVE 70MPH.