The vehicle suddenly started having transmission issues at 5,600 miles. Very low mileage and no issues until that point. The vehicle started jerking when up and down shifting, sometimes really lurching the vehicle. Took the vehicle to the Ford dealer ASAP and it was returned to me 4 days later. They said the issue was a valve and replaced it. However, on the drive home from the dealership the problem started again. Unfortunately, by that time the dealer was closed. The next morning there was transmission fluid all over the driveway. The car has now been towed back to the Ford dealership. We have been unable to use our vehicle for about 12 days now and are waiting to hear back from the service department.
2020 Ford Explorer transmission complaints
Page 16 of 18: complaints 431 to 460 of 507, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the plate and gasket assembly to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Transmission started shifting on it’s on. Mostly down shifting. Gas mileage went from 28mpg to around 20 mpg. Dealer had to order parts-not available for 4- 6 weeks. Never know when it will happen. No recall or warning lights Dealer aware of this issue
Automatic transmission "jumps" and clunks in and out of gear at speeds between 25-35 mph, causing vehicle to lunge. Also, experienced vehicle sporadically engaging into gear from a stop sign and lunging forward for several seconds, almost causing a car to rear end my vehicle. Problem has been reported to dealer, but dealer will not look at it for more than 2 weeks. No warning lamps or system messages appear on the dash board. This is a major safety problem as it causes the vehicle to lunge and jump randomly while driving or accelerating from a stop.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while attempting to upshift. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the same symptoms. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,261.
1. Powertrain/Transmission: The transmission starting slipping and having hard shifts. When I would slow the car to turn or stop, it jerked at 30mph, 20 mph, and again at 15-10mph. Then it started hard shifting when you put it in Drive, and again at each shift. It wouldn't go over 55mph. The Powertrain Failure light(orange wrench) and Fordpass Notice finally came on a week and a half after the issues started. Shortly after the light cam on the car would not go in Reverse. There is a recall on the Powertrain in 2020 Explorers, however my VIN # does not show any recalls. I have an infant that is in the car with me usually. I am afraid for her to travel with me now in this vehicle, even once Ford tries to "fix" the issue because the warning light does not appear until the Powertrain is completely gone. I feel that the sensor should go off when it notices the transmission is having issues. This vehicle is now at a Ford dealership to be repaired. *2. Rear-view back up camera: Camera works 20% of the time. The screen is blue or the image jumps severely. It was taken to a Ford dealership and they said it didn't happen when it was there so they did nothing to fix it. There is a recall on this feature however my VIN # does not apply. *3. A/C: The air-conditioning unit fails to cool the air. The AC unit blows humid air. *4. Screen/display: The screen in the center console will go black and the steering wheel buttons will not work on the radio or bluetooth phone capabilities. The hands free phone option was not available during these system blackouts. 5. Park-aid sensor: The parking sensors in the front bumper keep falling out and go off making it seem like I am an about to hit something. I had to pop them back in place at least twice. *A Ford dealership has tried to address these issues already. However, these features still do not function properly on the car. If the feature "worked" while it was in the repair shop then they said they couldn't fix it.
Driving our 2020 Ford Explorer ST Friday at approx 35-40mph. Vehicle seemed to loose power and almost die when it suddenly surged forward at a high rate of speed. This happened several more times scaring my wife and grandkids. The vehicle only has 3800 miles on it but she is now scared to death to drive it. Had it towed to dealership Friday afternoon and waiting for a tech to take a look. Not good!
Car jerks from 1st to 2nd gear and sometimes 2nd to 3rd. Also, very long delay when putting the car into reverse. Takes anywhere from 5-10 seconds sometimes to shift into reverse.
My 2020 ford explorer, bought brand new. At 25k miles, car started to make this weird sound when the gear shifts 1-2 and 2-3 when accelerating. Now every time it shifts very noticeably from 1-2 and 2-3, it jerks so hard. It is so annoying. Seriously so disappointed this car is my dream car. Love everything else about it. Is this going to be an ongoing problem forever? I would like it to get recalled because I know for a fact that I am not the only one experiencing this. Tons of forums out there are explaining the exact same issue. What a same, because this car is pleasing to the eye but.... I don't want to recommend it to someone because of this issue.. Currently waiting to be able to get the car in the shop because the transmission departments are booked... Makes me wonder if they are all 2020 ford explorers
Leaked transmission oil.vehicle shifts hard into gear like if it were up hill and itas on a flat surface. This vehicle makes a load noise and would jerk.
On two occasions, instead of changing gear, the car increased rpms like it was in neutral and then lurched back into gear. In both cases, I was able to quickly brake, but it was a terrifying situation. I was in normal drive mode, and believe the gears were shifting from first to second.
While driving at 70mph the transmission abruptly downshifted about threw us into the dash. Pulled over and shut off and restarted. At no time did any warning lamp come on. After restarting transmission shifted normal , then the shift to park message came on at highway speeds. Then it went off, then the transmission began lurching then it was ok. Still no warning lights. Parked car in driveway and turned it off. Message on dash said shift to park but it was in park. I got out and car rolled about 10 feet and stopped on it's own. Next day it drove fine for awhile and no warning lights then began to get message shift to park. Transmission then seemed to skip gears then began to not shift until rpms were very high. Parked car and with engine off message said shift to park even though it was in park. Had it towed to ford dealer. They said it was stuck in park. Then called to say it had metal in it and it needs a whole new transmission. This is unsafe that a car can roll by itself when in park. Unacceptable that it failed with no warning lights or messages at 19,000 miles.
Vehicle was sitting in driveway overnight with no issues and when went to drive the next morning to take kids to school vehicle would not go above 10 MPH. It gave the warning there was a powertrain malfunction, engine coolant over temperature (which we just had the recall done a week ago), and a regulatory malfunction indicator. We were not far from home, so returned back.
The vehicle has started itself 4 times in the last 24 hours. It does not automatically shut off and the keys are not in the vehicle. It locks and starts as if it was auto started but does not shut off and no one has started the vehicle. It has been stationary and parked when this happened. This is not the only issue I am experiencing. It has also had transmission shifting issues as well as hill start assist issues.
Transmission was grinding and stopped pulling at approximately 17,000 miles. Had car towed to dealer. There was a transmission leak. It was repaired and 6 quarts of fluid added. Since the repairs, transmission is hard shifting and jerking. I've had the car back at the dealer for steering issues 3 times. At highway speeds (65mph and above) the car wanders all over the road, like there's slack in the rack and pinion. The dealer says the alignment is okay and refuses to listen to my complaints. Have issues with the sync. The radio will randomly not let you adjust the volume and have had the back-up camera replaced. Also, randomly will not sync-up with iphone.
I bought a 2020 ford explorer last may. The vehicle has less than 7500 miles. Monday 3/15/21 I noticed a whining noise when the car was shifting into gears. It continued to happen as the week progress. It got worse by mid-week. Thursday 3/19/21 I called my local ford dearlership and was told I could drop it off for several days or the next available date was the 2nd weekend in april. I informed my husband who stated that there was a puddle of fluid under my car this morning. He call roadside assistance to come get my car. We had to move it from the parking garage I park in to the street and there was also a big puddle of fluid. He checked the oil and there was plenty of it in the car. By the time the tow truck arrive there was just a small puddle under the car. No warning lights on car came on to indicate an issue.
Previous complaint of 11394378, they tried to fix it by changing valve body for transmission. That didn't work so now I'm needing a new transmission. Been with them for over a month. They are working on it, but still an issue at this time.
In november 2020 we took our brand new 2020 explorer to the dealer we purchased it from for a leaking oil and transmission issue as well as the transmission having trouble shifting, lurching, and getting stuck in gear. They advised that the oil drain was not tight enough but the transmission needed parts. We took it back in dec and they put a shift kit in. This did not fix the problem and they said they needed to order other parts but they were back ordered and would be in around jan 2021. January came and went and no contact. I contacted the dealer in february and they said they had not received the parts. I contacted them again end of february and they had the parts but no transmission person. I contacted them again beginning of march and was told they still had no transmission person and would call us within a week to get it figured out. Still no one called and on march 16 I called the dealer again. They once again said they had no transmission person but would bring the car in on the 30th to put in a new valve body and attempt any other repairs they find. In the mean time we are driving around in a car that we do not believe is safe due to the transmission issues and the dealer does not seem to care.
Vehicle is now having hard shifts when in lower gears, it has a hard time going from drive to reverse. Engine makes a humming or low growling noise, like it did before the transmission cooler busted in december 2020. This all happens when driving the vehicle it doesn't want to accelerate properly anymore it lags. Several times I've gone to reverse into my drive way ABS it doesn't shift at first it takes a couple of pushes on the accelerate for it to catch.
Transmission is catching which switching gears. Car has under 6,000 miles. Transmission will not switch gears and catch. Car will jolt forward and it feels like I am being rear ended
When shifting into drive, vehicle will randomly have a hard brake pedal and vehicle will lurch forward with increased RPM. Use of e-brake or putting transmission in park required to stop movement. Place trans in park and restart of engine and problem gone until next time. Use of reverse, vehicle will suddenly stop and sound as if you hit something. Brake pedal very hard. Have to place trans in park and restart engine. The issue occurs from a stationary condition, in driveway or public parking areas, so this causes concern that this may ultimately result in accident or collision with a structure, another vehicle, or a pedestrian! Issue cannot be repeated on demand. It is entirely random and every drive has to be approached with the expectancy that the vehicle will move without normal brakes to stop. There are no alerts to tell us why (or which system) is the issue. This has occurred randomly since buying this explorer st. Ford service seems surprised and unaware of this issue (and more).
Vehicle sticks, jerks or lunges while shifting in low gears
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.
Very hard jerky shifting. When accelerating and braking. 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 3rd. Has gotten worse over time. Happening for months
The transmission on the vehicle started going out as we were driving back from an out of town trip on a highway. My husband made a stop at a light and upon accelerating after the stop, the vehicle made a grinding sound and began having engine issues. We made an appointment at the local dealership where my husband drove the vehicle on city streets due to high rpms despite low speed. The vehicle is at the dealership as of monday february 8th and we have been told parts are on back order with no eta. The vehicle does have a recall for a transmission intercooler. We have read about this issue in numerous 2020 ford explorers.
At 6700 miles transmission began harsh , jolting shifting mostly in low gears , downshifting . So bad as to be undriveable, been at the dealers service dept. For 8 days now. This problem totally eclipses the dead battery - deep sleep mode that the car experiences about once a month. Had it towed to ford the first time it happened , they say nothing wrong , that we probably leave our lights on . We don't go anywhere without jumper cables.
Transmission shifts erratically, hard shifts, and twice press the accelerate and vehicle does not move.
Have had the vehicle for about 4 months. It isn't driven very much. Recently started to notice that went slowing down it downshift very roughly from 35 to 20 MPH. About 2300 miles on the vehicle and they already said that they needed a new transmission and valve body. They said that it would be covered by warranty but it's odd that pretty much a brand new vehicle that's not driven often and that it's already needing a large scale replacement to nothing I've done wrong.
I have a 2020 explorer limited edition, with just over 10,000 miles. Since I got it, I noticed that shifting from 2-4 gear was pretty rough, and jerky. About 2 months ago, I left the driveway, heard a thud when I put it in d, and it didn't move. I hit the gas harder, and it moved, but would not leave 1st gear. Got a check engine light. Turned it off, waited a while, tried it again, and it drove fine, but check engine light was still on. The car drove fine for a couple of weeks. The check engine light went off the next day. 2 weeks later, I took it out of the drive, put it in drive and again, it wouldn't leave first gear. Put the car back in the garage, waited a while, and it was fine. Called the dealer, and scheduled an appt because I can't have these serious issues continue. My concern was that they won't be able to duplicate the issue, and just send me on my way. Needless to say, they ran several diagnostics tests, and found some issues/codes. They performed a pinpoint test trace and found codes p062c, p2242. They then performed tsb 20-2217 again, and the codes were clear. For a short time after, the jerkiness in the shifting of the gears went away, however that has since returned. Stopping and starting, and driving especially in neighborhoods, is very frustrating. It is uncomfortable to say the. Least, the very aggressive shifting, and jerking of the vehicle at low speeds. I have not yet had the same issue where the vehicle refused to change gears, or was stuck without moving, however the transmission as a whole is very problematic, and somewhat scary to drive.
The transmission is not functioning correctly. When shifting from second to third and third to second, the engine revs high. The car then jolts forward when moving back into second gear causing safety concers.
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