2020 FORD EXPLORER Power Train Problems

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....

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V069000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 32,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle began to jerk when downshifting without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for another repair and the contact requested a transmission flush. The contact was later informed that transmission fluid had leaked into the transmission resulting in transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the Power Train Malfunction - Reduced Power", "Pre-Collision Assist not available", "Hill Start Assist Warning" messages flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was restarted, and the messages continued flashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the failure was not replicated. The failure later reoccurred and the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,149.

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...

Multiple advanced service warnings. Dealer states it’s the AWD module that needs to be replaced.

Harsh down shift 7 gear to 6 gear. Apparently ford knows of the issue. Very expensive repair due to Ford’s negligence

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

The vehicle is equipped with electric power brakes which will intermittently stop working resulting in no power brakes. It doesn't warn you that the pump has stopped working just a very hard brake pedal and no braking effort, failure to slow down.

Engine / Transmission constantly kicking when accelerating. Brought it to Ford Dealership multiple times for this issue. Told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.

recall in 2022 on rear bolts breaking was done bolts was replace. how ever new bolts are breakng as well, and dealership has put out report but only if rear bolts brake at this time u wreck the car , note two cars has crash do this when i ask they said the not replace them unless they break this incluedes bolts in upper and lower control arms, and related compontents, now why would say replace the bolts but wait untill they break makes no sence to me as total loss control can happen bolts should be replace with stanless steel , mettle wont rust or seze up , my resuch pulled up 5 car crashs all was hurt no one died so what must happen dose people neeed die , ? this must be taken care of asap cars are not safe , and this leads me to bigger...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop, there was a screeching noise coming from the transmission and the vehicle experienced hard shifting. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was transmission fluid leaking from the transmission oil cooler. The contact was advised that the transmission oil cooler was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 47,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lunged forward and jerked upon releasing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that on one occasion, the SRS warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no service technicians were available to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V069000(Power Train), and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,500.

The transmission failed on my 2020 Ford Explorer with only 66,000. Ford knows there is an issue with the snap ring inside of the tranmission but won't do anything about it. This is a vehicle that is less than 5 years old and 6,000 out of warranty. There was no warning to the transmission going out, I was on my way to work and my car downshifted very hard and lost all power. I was on the 4 lane highway and thankfully was able to get over to the side of the road safely and call my husband. There were no warning lights or messages displayed but clearly the transmission was bad. I took my vehicle to my local Ford dealer and they confirmed the snap ring had come unseated and I was going to need a new transmission. I took it to a local transmission shop to get a...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH and slowing to exit the highway, the vehicle downshifted hard, and the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was recurring and was occurring while slowing down or while accelerating. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the transmission and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the main control valve had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the CDF clutch bushing had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 25,000.

We been getting AWD malfunctions alerts, causing the vehicle to not go into AWD. Took it to the dealership they say this isn't covered under the powertrain and we need to replace the AWD module on our 2020 Ford explorer. Reading other Forums, sounds like this is a common issue with the explorer but the dealership won't cover under powertrain warranty even thought this component powers the AWD part of the powertrain.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission experienced hard downshifting while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the over time, the failure also occurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The power train warning light was illuminated. A local dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be seen until the end of the month. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a leak was discovered in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 52,500.

2020 ford explorer police interceptor utility 27k miles has a broken differential bushing and axle bolt which in turn has cause the axle to fail thankfully not on the highway at full speed. This issue has a recall 22S27/22V255 but our vehicle and vin # aren't included in the recall even tho same issue is being reported. What can be done to add the other vins to this list because it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE UNDER THESE CONDITIONS OF UNKNOWN BUT POSSIBLE FAILURE

-Transmission fluid leak -Trans cooler broken/cracked -Check engine light never came on (I had to discover this problem by a noise I was hearing) -Problem has been prepared by auto mechanic ($2,600). I have read there has been a recall for 2020 explorer models but my VIN is not included (should it be?). Attached youtube video shows the problem and mechanic states it’s been a problem: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle is giving a code C0631 and C0632 also has a wrench light indicator on it has something to do with the AWD the vehicle will become hard to turn stall completely will not move and a loss of power occurs

odd jerking during acceleration and deacceleration. More prominently noticed at 35MPH during deacceleration. Difficulty changing gears. Odd noises. Check engine light went on at

When slowing down around 27mph car downshifts so hard it jerks. If someone would have been behind me they would have probably hit me.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there were metal shavings inside the differential. The contact was informed that the differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,158.

Transmission does a hard downshift from gear 7 to gear 6. There is a TSB bulletin for it but no recall. Car is under 100k miles but out of warranty and estimated to cost $3500 to repair. Also, the screen and backup camera frequently freeze or go black

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the parking brake inadvertently activated. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts not being available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

While driving down the road at approximately 45 miles per hour, the Explorer sounded as though gears were stripping. The vehicle lost power and we had to quickly pull over with vehicles behind us. We were able to put the vehicle in park and return home around 10 miles away. It is now hard shifting while decelerating around 30mph. It was a very scary situation with children in the car and almost being rear ended due to a known Ford issue, but Ford states they are unaware of these issues.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the charging system fault warning light illuminated, and the vehicle independently shifted into to park(P) and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a battery junction box and fuse failure. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

AWD system binding at low speeds, backing out of parking space, shift to drive, then vehicle suddenly lets loose the lurches forward. Known issue with front axle disconnect actuator present. Code C0631 - Front Axle Disconnect Actuator

While vehicle was driving in motion, all system error messages began to sequence on the dashboard (Steering Assist Fault Service Required, Check Park Aid, See Manual, Service AdvanceTrac, Front Camera Fault Service Required, Full Accessory Power Active, Park Brake Fault Service Now, Pre-Collision Assist Not Available, Navigation Fault). Vehicle lost acceleration and had decreased steering and braking capability. This happened on 5/20/2024 and was "repaired" by dealership then happened again on 6/21/2024. It also happened in 08/17/2021 and was repaired by dealership until most recent reoccurrences. This DOES NOT include the instances where the same error messages sequenced prevented the vehicle from even starting (for hours) leaving the motorist stranded. This is also not the first time this concern has been submitted to the NHTSA.

I was going on the hwy speeding up with the traffic , my Explorer was at 8 gear of 10 atound 60 mph when it dropped to 1st gear and the truck started to break hard , after one second or two all gears started to go up one by one . No one was hurt or crash

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...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk abnormally while shifting gear. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 77,500.

When braking and slowing down between 30-25 mph the transmission catches and feels like it “bucks”. Almost to a sudden stop and I’m afraid the cars behind me are going to rear end me. I took it to my local Ford dealer where they reprogrammed and reset adaptive tables, then told me to drive it like this for 500-1000 miles to see if it worked itself out! I feel this is dangerous! I have an extended warranty 5 yr/ 60,000 miles, I’ve owned it 4 yrs with approximately 30,000 miles on it. Ford needs to just fix it!

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating, and the message "Power Train Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the back-over prevention camera display screen failed to display an image, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The camera was replaced on several occasions, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,000.

Ford dealer said one of the clutch's is failing. When getting up to speed it shifts fine. But when slowing down, there is a loud bang/jolt around 30 mph. The car is only 4 yrs old. This should not be happening.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the transmission unintendedly shifted into neutral(N), and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond while the engine revved. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal humming noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission cooler had cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer that the manufacturer was aware of the failure and had issued a Technical Service Bulletin; however, the vehicle was no longer covered for the repairs under warranty. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Was driving vehicle and during acceleration, heard a loud bang. No warning lights came on in the small distance I continued to drive into a gas station to safety evaluate the vehicle and find the cause of the sound. Entire contents of transmission fluid pan leaked onto the ground at the gas station that the fire department had to be called to help clean and car was towed to dealership. Still no warnings at this time and car had been to dealership for oil change just few weeks prior. When care was finally turned on days later at the dealership I received a warning that the powertrain control system has detected one of the transmission shift solenoids is not responding as expected. The dealership then informed me that there was a hole in the pan and that the entire transmission needs to be replaced on a vehicle less that 4...

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle experienced an unexpected downshift and seized in low gear while the RPMs became significantly elevated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced hard shifting and shuddered while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving at slow speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,100.

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

While in motion a 4wd fault is detected that also makes forward pre crash unavailable. The fault resets when the engine is cycled and remains out for sporadic amounts of time I.e one week, one month, three months... Due to the fault resetting the dealer is unable to confirm cause and the sporadic nature make it difficult to replicate. The dealer was given a DTC 0f C0631-7F but was not able to verify it do to the code not being present at time of service. There is an Internal Tech. service bulletin for said code but is only before if code is present at time of service

Transmission cooler is leaking, hairline crack in cooler line on external cooler on transmission we looked online and it said 2020 ford explorers 2.3 engine that was a recall but says my specific vehicle isn’t recalled but i believe it should be.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the alignment and other unknown maintenance were performed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The 10R60 transmission is exhibiting a hard downshift from 7-6 gear. I know this has been a problem with several of this year make and model. Ford says its not included in the recall. I have 81,000 miles on the vehicle and have to replace the transmission that is known to have problems. No warning lights no codes were produced. Just started happening and took to the dealership

An unintentional powertrain control module (PCM) reset occurred while the vehicle was in motion and resulted in park system damage. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after pulling into the driveway of the residence, the vehicle failed to shift into park(P). The vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was parking system damage within the transmission, and the transmission shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V069000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, she became aware that the rear axle had detached. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The vehicle was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.