The transmission, when slowing down from 3rd to 2nd gear is shifting really hard and jerking. I haven't noticed this when it upshifts, only downshifting. There are times when backing up it will also act like the brake isn't completely off. It will jerk and scoot until you put it in park and let it set for a minute and then start backing up again.
2020 Ford Explorer transmission complaints
Page 8 of 18: complaints 191 to 220 of 507, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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 component that appears to be malfunctioning is the driveshaft and/or related transmission system. I have experienced repeated issues such as abnormal jerking when switching gears, grinding or clunking noises, and jerking through the drivetrain with erratic RPMs before the vehicle regains power. These symptoms are consistent with problems covered in recent recalls for the 2020 Ford Explorer. The vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. *The issues have made it feel unsafe to drive the vehicle, especially with children in the car. The unpredictable jerking and loss of power present a serious danger, particularly when accelerating into traffic or driving at highway speeds. I am extremely concerned that a sudden failure could result in loss of control, a rollaway, or even a serious accident. Another concern is the defect involving the driveshaft or half shafts that might disconnect or stop functioning. This disconnection can lead to a loss of drive power or, if the parking brake is not applied, a possible vehicle rollaway. *While I have not yet had the issue diagnosed by a service center, I have filed a lemon law claim, and I’m in the process of addressing the matter formally. The symptoms I’m experiencing appear to match known issues that Ford has already recalled for the 2020–2021 Explorer models. *The manufacturer has not yet inspected the vehicle, and no inspections have been conducted by police or insurance representatives. I am open to having the vehicle inspected by Ford or an authorized party as needed. *There were no warning lamps or messages displayed prior to the issues occurring. The symptoms—jerking, clunking noises, and erratic RPM behavior—began gradually over time, with the first noticeable incident occurring a few months ago. Since then, the issues have become more frequent and severe.
While driving the car made a grinding noise and experienced a brief loss of power. We were in two lanes of traffic, traveling at 65 MPH on an incline with a tractor trailer behind us. Then when reaching destination the car would not engage in park, but continued to roll. We were visiting our grandchildren’s house and they come out to greet us and my husband was getting out of the car as the car was still rolling. We drove the car to our Ford dealership and the manager drove the car and also experienced the car’s inability to engage in PARK. The Ford dealership inspected the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality afterwards. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission oil cooler had failed and was leaking transmission fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and confirmed that the transmission oil cooler had failed. The vehicle was pending repair. The contact stated that recently, while the vehicle was parked, there were oil stains found on the ground. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to the Manufacturer Recall Number: 20B34. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was making an abnormal screeching sound underneath the floorboards. The contact stated while slowing down the vehicle stalled. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated, and the vehicle could to be restarted. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred two more times. The contact stated that the last failure of the transmission had occurred several weeks ago. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.
Ford Customer Service Case: [XXX] The transmission presented multiple problems, and eventually completed failed. Hard shifting, failing to engage properly, jerking and jolting in gear. Failure to shift to Park after stopping. Failing to shift gears up or down while driving. Loss of propulsion all together after stopping at lights or stop-signs. This put our family at risk, losing power in traffic. No warning lamps presented until the failure happened. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, and transmission failure was confirmed. The dealership did supply an estimate for transmission replacement ($6300). The vehicle is currently available for inspection, and has not yet been repaired. The interesting thing is that all of these symptoms seem to be extremely common for this exact model based on research. Multiple TSBs were issued in relation to the same model and transmission, but no repairs were ever made or suggested for this particular vehicle. It appears there may have been a recall for other 2020 Explorer STs, but somehow this particular one was excluded from the list, but manifested the exact same transmission failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle jolted and failed to shift into gear as intended while the gear lever was used. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
See attached document for complaint
Currently have my vehicle in for a recall notice and mentioned to the Ford service staff that the transmission makes a jerking motion when engaged in a low gear but no warning lights are lit up. Technician states I need an entire new transmission and my vehicle is just barely out of the powertrain warranty. Ford refuses to replace transmission on their dime because its out of warranty. However, I've researched and found multiple complaints of people experiencing the same problem that just barely out of warranty their Ford transmissions are failing and need complete replacement too. Why is this not a recall issue with Ford!? My issue could create a safety issue if it completely failed without warning while I was driving. A car transmission typically lasts between 100,000 to 200,000 miles, or approximately 7 to 10 years for most drivers, yet mine is only 5 years old and 65,000 miles when it failed.
At 84000 miles, just roughly 6k after my "extended warranty" expires ford says my transmission needs to be replaced. I had an issue with my transmission September 07, 2023, they looked at it verified it was slipping and the fluid was dirty but did nothing to replace it at that time acting like that was normal. Ok. It would have and should be covered under the warranty I paid for, they took advantage of me because I'm a women. I have the paperwork from that and I would like someone to reach out to me personally. On top of that there is a recall on other 2020 ford explorer with the exact same engine and transmission as mine. At 84000 miles I should not be looking at replacing a 10,000$ transmission! Especially when they should have fixed it the first time.
Powertrain malfunction/reduced power came on when I came home from work as I pulled in my driveway. The check engine light comes on and off for the past week or two prior to the powertrain malfunction.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle lost motive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the failure was linked to Technical Service Bulletin: 20 – 2305. The contact was informed that the A-clutch and transmission front support needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
When driving the vehicle felt sluggish and the 4wd fault came on, on the dashboard. Decided to take it to the dealer and they inspected it and stated the front differential actuator needs to be replaced. It's a component that is electrical and it turns on the four wheel drive and turns it off when not needed. This should be covered by ford since it's a manufacturing error for putting faulty components to control the AWD.
When accelerating to enter the highway the car loses forward momentum and emits a loud grinding sound from the console area from the transmission
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact's husband stated while driving 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a possible sensor failure or transmission failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
I have 68,000 miles on car and car suddenly started making a thumping sound and jerking when braking. Slip also when driving at low speeds. The Dealership says it needs a new Transmission. I have searched online and found this is a common problem for this year and model.
The wiring is faulty. We have had electrical issues since buying this vehicle. The car is not old- I turned my car on put it into reverse and all these lights popped up saying there’s electrical issues and it can’t work and the brakes legitimately did not work. We almost went into traffic from a business with no ability to break. For a 4-5 year old car this should not even be a thing I feel like. And it should not be having this serious electrical issues. Everything electrical in the car is not working and the fuses are fine according to the mechanic. Si we are going down the list of issues that could be an issue. But he is saying the wiring could just be faulty. Which is scary because it almost cost me and my oldest child our lives.
The vehicle was driven to the destination and then turned off. Upon turning the vehicle back on and attempting to drive it, the vehicle vibrated and shuttered violently at times. The vehicle was looked over on-site before being driven to a mechanic for any loose parts or debris in the fender wells. The vehicle was able to be driven slowly to mechanic and only wide turns could be made or it would shudder and vibrate. After inspecting the vehicle, the mechanic stated that the front axles needed to be replaced and this would solve the issue. Approval for the front axle replacements to be completed was given to the mechanic and the soul was completed. However, the vehicle continued to vibrate and shudder in forward and reverse gears, especially when turning. The mechanic suggested to go to the dealership to get it checked out and reset/reprogram the PCM. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who looked it over and checked for a rear axle bolt failure and then sent it back to the original mechanic to swap the axles as they are unsure if the correct parts were installed. The original mechanic contacted the Ford dealership and ordered the front axles again and installed them. The problem persisted. The mechanic then attempted the completion of the TSB 23-2174 to see if that would help solve the problem. The vehicle was then driven to the dealership to have the PCM reprogrammed and the work completed by the mechanic reviewed. After leaving the vehicle at the dealership for several weeks and having the work completed, the problem persists. However, since this problem started, the transmission or drive train now slips or hips when coming to a stop right at 0mph. It also pops and jumps when taking off in the lower gears.the drive train behaves erratically and feels like something is loose or slipping or of place. The rough shifting and hop when stopping causes concern about the vehicle not stopping or shifting out of gear or into the strong gear or something is coming loose
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle felt misaligned and made an abnormal rubbing sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the dealer recommended the transmission be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and covered the transmission replacement. The dealer replaced the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was test-driven, and the failure was duplicated; however, the dealer could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related to the failure of Ford Campaign Number: 24N01. The manufacturer was contacted, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and jolted before returning to normal functionality. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module. The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 108,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jerked with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle had started to vibrate abnormally. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact later noticed that oil had leaked onto the driveway from the rear driver's side wheel well. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the subframe bushing had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
Transmission randomly shifts from gear to gear. Dealer says must replace transmission. Only 58k miles
At 56000 miles and 5 years 40 days, the transmission started downshifting roughly from 8 to 7. Apparently this is a common issue with the explorers. Ford extended the warranty to 5 years or 60000 miles, so by driving the car conservatively and not beating on it we inadvertently helped the transmission survive a little over a month past its warranty length. The transmission degraded towards complete failure quickly making it nearly impossible to get it to the repair facility safely.03
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to decelerate, the vehicle independently jolted before downshifting into the 1st gear while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several local service shops; however, the vehicle was later taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
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 REPLACE SENSOR Concern Critical Check Engine Light Is On And Running Rough Cause REPLACE SPARK PLUGS AND RECHECK Correction REPLACE SPARK PLUGS AND RECHECK Approved $ 605.56 Total estimate $ 15,863.61 Manufacturer Recall Issued Recall 23S23 Inoperative Rear 360 Degree Camera With A Blue Screen Imported From Oxlo On 12/18/2024 06:52 Approved No Charge I have not authorized repairs due to the high costs, and lack of guarantee of repair. Plus I'm still making monthly payments for another 15 months. Ford has not acknowledged cylinder manufacturing defects to engine block on the 2020 Ford Explorer. I'm at a loss.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle bucked forward and failed to drive as intended. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transfer case and rear seal leak needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the power train warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the AWD module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,000.
Hard shifting up and down through the transmission shifting sequence. Multiple clutch friction codes and powertrain warnings from Ford service advisor on 3/10/25. Check engine light on. Vehicle mileage 58,735 under warranty but no communication from Ford Motor Company until we brought the vehicle to a dealership. 5-6 week projected repair process at this time. TSB’s on the 10R80 and 10R80 MHT transmissions reported back through 2020 MY. Claim started with Ford Motor Company 3/10/25 and claim number assigned due to mileage of vehicle under the 60,000 mile warranty termination point.
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