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2020 Ford F-150 engine problems

139 complaints (19% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 59,100.

owner complaints
139
of this car's complaints
19%
typical mileage
59,100
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor
    4
  • Exhaust system: emission control
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Ford F-150 engine problems in other years

19901995200020052010201520202026

Specific symptoms reported on the 2020 Ford F-150 engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Check engine light 56Loss of power 50Stalling 30Oil consumption 28Engine failure 17Overheating 14Knocking 13

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2020 Ford F-150 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · NC

The Transmission has failed. Hard shifting, random gear switching while driving at any speed. i put it in reverse and it went forward while in reverse. it slows itself down while on the highway. it acts like it wants to turn off while running, its a matter of time before I'm driving down the road and it decides to stop suddenly and cause an accident. I got it diagnosed by truck works garage and they confirmed that the shifting was all over the place with random high rpms. The dealership quoted me $2500 just to diagnose the problem so i had it diagnosed at truck works garage for $160 to confirm the issues matched the tsb's and recalls that they wont acknowledge my VIN for. The failure 1st appeared 5 years ago when i was under warranty, i took it in (and have the work order still dated 10/22/202) for hard shifting and they brushed me off and sent me away with false information about the cause. 5 years ago (25 days before i brought it in for the hard shifting) there was a tsb 21-2315 published for the exact issue on my truck, They ignored it and sent me away without fixing anything or addressing the issues.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Engine · 30,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after the check engine warning light illuminated on two occasions, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the catalytic converters were replaced under warranty. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that one of the catalytic converters needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the manufacturer would provide partial financial assistance for the repair. Additionally, the contact stated that the fuel efficiency had decreased after the failure started. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Filed Sep 25, 2026 · Engine · CT

Brought my 2020 Ford F150 2.7L EcoBoost in for mandatory emissions recall 24E12. Vehicle had zero dashboard lights or performance issues prior. Immediately upon completion of the PCM flash, the check engine light activated. When the truck was scanned I am now receiving a P0420 and P0430 catalytic converter efficiency codes. The dealership is now requiring $6000 for replacement of qty 2 catalytic converters caused by the recall parameters. This is a predatory compliance software update designed to shift manufacturing component failures onto the consumer after the 80k mile warranty window (truck has 105k). I have filed a complaint with Ford and asked for a P01 Financial Review for After-Warranty Assistance and have been told there is nothing Ford can or will do to assist and I must pay them $6000 if i want them to fix this. Because of this the vehicle is now not emissions compliant.

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Engine · 9,000 miles · CA · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the engine running, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact's spouse, who was seated in the front passenger seat, saw smoke coming from under the dashboard. The contact's spouse exited the vehicle. The contact stated that while attempting to open the front driver's door, the front passenger's side of the dashboard and the windshield caught on fire. Additionally, the front passenger's door was on fire. The contact's two dogs were seated in the rear seat. The contact entered the vehicle through the fire and removed the dogs from the vehicle. The contact used a neighboring building's water hose and extinguished the fire. The contact stated that within two minutes, the vehicle was engulfed in fire. The fire department later arrived. The Fire Chief inspected the vehicle, and the contact was informed that the fire had started in the engine compartment. The contact was transported by ambulance and received medical treatment. The contact sustained second-degree burns on the left and right legs and left and right elbows and forearms. In addition, the contact sustained second-degree burns on the left and right hands. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. A Police report was filed, but the information was unavailable. The contact had received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V442000 (Back Over Prevention). The manufacturer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Engine · PA

My 2020 Ford F-150 (5.0L V8) experienced a sudden loss of engine power and stalled completely while I was driving. In the days leading up to this, the check engine light had illuminated, and I later discovered the vehicle had consumed a severe amount of engine oil — the dipstick read below the "add" line. Critically, no low oil pressure warning light or audible chime alerted me to the oil loss before the stall occurred. After the initial stall, the engine continued to struggle to maintain idle and stalled repeatedly whenever RPM dropped to approximately 1,000, making the vehicle unsafe to drive. I had the vehicle towed to a Ford dealership for diagnosis. The dealership's estimate confirmed the need for a full engine (long block) replacement, at a cost of approximately $19,824.56 (total estimate $21,491.04). I am aware that Ford issued Technical Service Bulletin 19-2365, which acknowledges that 2018-2020 F-150 trucks with the 5.0L engine may experience excessive oil consumption exceeding one quart per 3,000 miles with no visible external leaks, attributed to oil being drawn into the engine during deceleration fuel shut-off events. I believe this defect directly caused my vehicle's stalling and oil starvation, and that the lack of any dashboard warning prior to the failure is a separate and significant safety concern, since a driver has no way to know the engine is being damaged or that a stall is imminent.

Filed Sep 3, 2026 · Engine · MA

We purchased a used 2020 F­150 in late summer 2024. We brought it in for issues in November 2024, but the Ford dealership found no repairs were needed. We returned in March 2025 when the CDF drum failed requiring a transmission rebuild, a known issue with Technical Service Bulletin but not a recall. The engine continued consuming oil after this despite Ford completing all applicable service bulletins and advising there was nothing further to do. We took the vehicle in for service in May, 2026 and were told they had already updated software to address the oil consumption and we were told that should resolve the issue. On June 30, 2026, the truck was towed to the dealership after repeated stalling and a check engine light. The dealership again acknowledged this is a known issue with this engine - the valve seals are defective yet they had stalled our concerns so long at this point, we were past the warranty period. We researched and found this was a widespread, known issue asked whether Ford would offer customer loyalty assistance after 30 years of Ford ownership. We were told the truck's approximately 118,000 miles exceeded the assistance threshold. The engine replacement was quoted at $15,000. Ford advised us to repair the engine and save our receipt in case they should issue a recall at some point in the future. Given the value of the truck was $15,000 we chose not to keep investing in this vehicle and sold it for parts at a loss.

Filed Aug 7, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · FL

Camshaft had to be replaced a couple years ago, followed by cam shaft sensor. Then another $6,300 of "critical" issu3s to be fixed. The vehicle is 5 1/2 y/o. Absolutely ridiculous that this amount of money is required for such a young vehicle.

Filed Jul 27, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · AL

I. Vehicle Purchase and Maintenance History In September 2020, I purchased this 2020 Ford F-150 new. II. Chronology of Defect and Repair Attempts Around 33,000 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting severe excessive oil consumption, an audible engine noise, and visible blue/gray smoke puffs emitting from the exhaust system. The following timeline outlines my exhaustive efforts to have Ford remedy this under warranty: • March 14, 2025 (36,370 miles): First formally reported the noise and exhaust smoke to Service Advisor Shelby Ray. The dealership initiated an official Ford Oil Consumption Test. I was instructed to drive 1,000-mile increments and return for unrecorded level checks. • May 21, 2025 (38,200 miles): Second formal report. The dealership performed Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 192365 CP:6006, an established protocol recognizing inherent oil consumption flaws in this specific 5.0L engine. • August 7, 2025 – September 11, 2025 (41,119 miles): Third formal report. The vehicle was left at Tony Serra Ford for over a month (RO # 6034434) to perform engine repairs mandated by Ford tech lines. A loaner vehicle was provided. • December 9, 2025 (44,144 miles): Fourth formal report. The defect was noted as unresolved and still present between oil changes. The engine was found to be 2 quarts low on oil upon arrival. A new tech line case was opened. • May 7, 2026 – Present (48,086 miles): Fifth formal report. The engine noise and exhaust smoke. Truck has been at dealer for 3 months with no resolution.

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · 28,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was idling abnormally rough. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, however the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Engine · AL

Back in Jan 2025 I noticed oil consumption from 2020 F150 with the 5.0 engine. There is class action lawsuit against Ford currently for this problem they know they have. I informed my local dealer, that has always serviced my tuck on time over the years, that it was smoking. I have owned this truck since new in Sep 2020. It had roughly 33K miles on it when I first noticed it. The dealership started running consumption test on it under warranty at 36,370 miles. They changed the oil regular for the test and instructed me to drive it 1000 miles each time between changes. One change before they tried to fix it, it had consumed 5 quarts of oil. Ford says 1 quart per 10K miles is normal. They changed several motor parts when it was at 41,121 which took about a month. The problem got worse and I informed them and they again started testing it again and instructed me to drive it 1000 miles each time. They pushed the milage up and also ran it over on the warranty time frame and it has been at their location for over a month now, and Ford doesn't want to pay for a motor that only has 48,086 miles on it due to being out of warranty. They knew this problem existed and caused the warranty to laps and never fixed it. Now they are asking me to pay $11,598.42 for a new motor they knew was bad 15k miles before warranty went out. I am going through steps to make someone aware of this issue I'm currently dealing with. This motor has this problem, and they knew it and never fixed it and intentionally ran my warranty out so they would not have to cover it.

Questions about the 2020 Ford F-150 engine

Does the 2020 Ford F-150 have engine problems?

Owners have filed 139 complaints about the engine of the 2020 Ford F-150, 19% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2020 Ford F-150 engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 59,100 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2020 Ford F-150 engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Ford F-150 have bad engine?

The Ford F-150 model years with the most engine complaints are 2018 (591 complaints), 2013 (567 complaints) and 1997 (544 complaints).

Other 2020 Ford F-150 problems

Transmission 364Electrical 89Visibility 63Driver assistance 42Brakes 23Body 22Acceleration 17Fuel system 14Locks 11Airbags 10Steering 10Suspension 10Lights 5Wheels 5Seats 4Seat belts 3Tires 2

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