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2020 Ford Explorer: brake failure

7 of the 1,254 complaints about the 2020 Ford Explorer describe brake failure.

owner complaints
7
of this car's complaints
1%
recalls
2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 13 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Brake failure by model year

What owners say

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Brakes, Steering · MI

Power steering doesnot work , steering was hard also antilock brake failure

Filed Jul 30, 2026 · Brakes · TX

I experienced catastrophic brake failure on July 14 2026. Total loss of brakes that led me to narrowly miss several vehicles. The Ford Dealership in Manor TX stated it needed the brake booster replaced and program reset. After researching this is a problem with my VIN that was offered free replacement until 2022 this should be a total unexpired recall. I could have lost my life or someone eles! It’s part of the Customer Satisfaction Program 20B51:

Filed May 30, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · GA

Vehicle continuously shows a fault for Hill Start Assist, AWD Mode disabled, AdvanceTrac fault, Park Sensor, AWD Module Failure, ABS disabled. These faults started showing 13/04/25. While in traffic, driver was giving the throttle gas. While giving gas, driver lost power, and noticed a ticking noise as car was losing power in normal drive mode. Driver could have potentially been rear ended, pushed into traffic, and fear that the vehicle will eventually have a brake failure; or have the brakes lock up on the car while driving that could also lead to fatality, or bodily injuries of driver, or civilians. After making it to destination, driver parked for the night. The next day driver started car all faults were gone. Driver then trashed car to dealership to see what malfunction the car had and everything was fine. Fault later appeared, and driver lost power again. Driver then proceeds to a nearby Auto store where driver had a diagnostic of the car. The store associate then tells driver that the car had a faulty PCM. Driver also notes that the car was Purchased used with mileage reported at 29,000 miles. Driver now has 57k miles. Though car isn’t new. It isn’t old. Being that it is used, car is and was practically new. Driver feels a car with low mileage should not be malfunctioning given the status of its components.

Filed Jan 30, 2024 · Brakes, Transmission · 40,000 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the passenger’s side rear brakes were scraping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired; however, the brake failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

Filed Jan 26, 2024 · Brakes · FL

We turned the vehicle on and a parking brake error came up on the dashboard followed by the dashboard lighting up with a lot of warnings. The vehicle was turned off and back on but continued with the error. Because we were out at a store and not home, we tried to drive it. We placed it in reverse and when put in drive, the brakes did not work with engaged. There was a small bumped that was able to stop the vehicle. I called Ford and they offered to run diagnostics on the vehicle for next week but could not guarantee a paid rental for the length of time needed for the repair. After exiting the vehicle, letting it rest for 5 minutes and restarting again, we were able to drive home with the brakes working again.

Filed Jun 23, 2022 · Brakes · 15,000 miles · CA · crash

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and slowing down for a traffic light he had a brake failure and crashed at low speed into the rear of a vehicle already stopped at the traffic light. The contact stated that he was pumping the brakes and was not able to stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was damage to the right front passenger side of his vehicle and was unable to determine the damage to the other vehicle. The police were called and wrote a report. There were no injuries and the contact had the vehicle towed to his home and later towed to a dealer. The local dealer diagnosed that there were no problems with the brakes. The vehicle damage was repaired but not the brakes. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Filed Mar 2, 2021 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 13,000 miles · TX

The most recent and severe incident occurred february 27 2021. I've started my 2020 ford explorer st via remote and entered it to move it in order to load the vehicle. The loading the vehicle all in all took about 15 minutes, the whole time, it was idling. I've put the vehicle in reverse, backed out of a spot and started driving forward in the lot I was in at about 10mph. I've attempted to stop the vehicle, but then it was not slowing down properly. I had to use the e-brake button to stop it. It came to an immediate stop. The dash was cycling through numerous warnings; 1. Hill descent control fault 2. Anti lock brake fault 3. Pre collision assist not available 4. Hill start assist warning 5. Hill descent control fault 6. Service advance track system 7. Check brake system 8. Park brake fault service now I tried testing the brakes, while going forward and backwards, the were weak and inconsistent. Like they were pulsing with full power and then nothing. Restarting the vehicle made all those warnings disappear. Took it to the dealership, which is the 2nd time that is it going in for brake and power train related issues. Few times a months since I've bought it, the only issue I would have, is on startup and immediate movement, the brakes would sometimes bottom out and not be able to stop the vehicle when in gear unless I put it in neutral or pump the brakes. Was told that they do not see any codes, and might be just a weird timing with my start ups. The most recent event on the 27th, was what prompted me to report this. Vehicle was idling for a while and moving with weak or no brakes to stop. That could have resulted in an incident.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Parking brake: electricalReported March 24, 2023 · 674 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L RWD, 3.3L GAS, 3.3L FHEV, or 3.0L ST powertrain. The previous powertrain control module (PCM) update completed under recall 22V‑255 did not include the automatic electronic parking brake feature when the vehicle is shifted to park, as intended. In addition, the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Risk
Without the electronic parking brake applied, the vehicle could rollaway if the driveshaft disconnects. A disconnected driveshaft can also result in a loss of drive power. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the PCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S16.

Recall number 23V199000 · Recall details

Parking brakeReported August 5, 2019 · 13,896 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The Manual Park Release (MPR) cover may not be installed. In addition, the vehicles may be in Factory Mode, which disables warning alerts and does not display the transmission gear selected. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Prevention" and 102, "Trans Shift Lever Seq/Starter Interlock/Trans Braking Effect."
Risk
Without the cover, the MPR lever may be unintentionally moved, allowing the vehicle to roll away. Being in Factory Mode, the vehicle will not display warnings and/or gear selection on the instrument cluster. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, install a MPR cover. Dealers will verify the instrument cluster is not in Factory Mode and clear any fault codes, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C06.

Recall number 19V575000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2020 Ford Explorer brake failure

Is brake failure a common problem on the 2020 Ford Explorer?

7 of 1,254 owner complaints about the 2020 Ford Explorer (1%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1994.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Ford Explorer?

There are 2 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2020 Ford Explorer

Jerking 130Backup camera 104Transmission failure 84Harsh shifting 65Headlights 56Collision warning 54Loss of power 49Check engine light 44Stalling 43Grinding brakes 30Won't shift 29Engine failure 23Hesitation 23Slipping 21Adaptive cruise 19Screen failure 18Fuel smell 17ABS 16Door locks 16Fire or smoke 14Overheating 13Warning lights 13Knocking 11Lane assist 11Whining noise 11Rollaway 10Sudden acceleration 9Won't start 9Key fob 8Water leak 8Wipers 8Shudder 6Sunroof shattered 6Ball joint 5Fuel pump 5Power steering loss 5

All model years of the Ford Explorer

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