2020 Ford F-150: complaints, problems and recalls

AFTER 6 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP AND 1000 MILES OF USAGE, I HAD A FEW EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION ISSUES. FIRST I HAD A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF CLUNKS WHEN BEGINNING TO DRIVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER START UP. A COUPLE DAYS AGO I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE YET. AFTER PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO WAIT FOR A CURBSIDE PICKUP, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. UPON RESTART, I SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND GAVE A LITTLE GAS AS I PULLED AWAY FROM SPOT GOING FORWARD. THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNK AND THE TRUCK JERKED BEFORE DRIVING NORMALLY. EVEN MY WIFE NOTICED…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11325906 at NHTSA ↗

BOUGHT TRUCK ON 05/25/2020 . TODAY'S 05/30/2020 . MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 355.7 MILES AND HAS A WARNING ALREADY ' CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICES NOW' . I BEEN DRIVING FROM GALVESTON TEXAS TO WEBSTER TX. AND THE WARNING KEEP POPPING OUT DRIVEN AND EVEN ON FULL STOP. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 355 miles reported. Look up ODI 11326634 at NHTSA ↗

THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 7,170 miles reported. Look up ODI 11327800 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVE MODE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE APPEARS IN MESSAGE CENTER. VEHICLE CANNOT CHANCE DRIVE MODES, SUSPENSION STIFFENS UP, AND ENGINE WILL GO INTO LOW POWER MODE OR COMPLETELY STALLS. MESSAGE HAS RANDOMLY APPEARED ABOUT 6 TIMES NOW. FIRST ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP AT 118 MILES. VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 1600 MILES. 6TH INCIDENT HAPPENED 2 DAYS AGO. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 118 miles reported. Look up ODI 11327860 at NHTSA ↗

TRUCK IS BRAND NEW, ODOMETER READS 310 MILES. WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BROKE FIRST TIME I WAS TRYING TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN. MOTOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, VISIBILITY WAS EXTREMELY LIMITED. THIS WAS SUPER DANGEROUS DUE TO DRIVING CURVY COUNTRY BACK ROADS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 300 miles reported. Look up ODI 11329411 at NHTSA ↗

TAILGATE OPENS ON OWN EVEN WHILE DRIVING. NO WARNING THAT IT HAS OR IS OPEN. AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE TAILGATE HAS OPENED ALLOWING BED CONTENTS TO SPILL OUT! *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 6,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11331539 at NHTSA ↗

DROVE FROM NEW JERSEY TO BROOKLYN, OVER THE VERRAZZANO PARKED AND GUESS WHAT... TAILGATE WAS OPEN WITH MY TOOLS EXPOSED? HEADING HOME NICE DRIVER IN TUNNEL MADE ME AWARE THE TAILGATE WAS OPEN. FINISHED DRIVING THROUGH TUNNEL, PULLED OVER TO CLOSE TAILGATE FOR THE THIRD TIME ON ONE DAY. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 6,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11331649 at NHTSA ↗

BACKUP CAMERA FAILS TO WORK WITHIN DAYS OF TRUCK PURCHASE. DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK DOES NOT ENGAGE WITH REMOTE. WORKS ONLY WITH KEY TO ACCESS OR LOCK. ESTIMATED REPAIR TIMES GIVEN ARE WEEKS VS DAYS. UNACCEPTABLE.

Owner-reported narrative. 3,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11337226 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2019-08-28 (August 28, 2019)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."

Consequence: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.

Reported: 2019-11-12 (November 12, 2019)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 F-150 vehicles. The fastener securing the Power Distribution Box (PDB) 12V cable and Battery Monitoring System (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems such as instrument panel displays and braking or steering assist. The engine could also stall.

Consequence: Inoperative vehicle systems or an engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. Reduced braking and steering efforts increases the risk of a crash. This condition could also create a resistive short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the fastener, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S40.

Reported: 2019-12-18 (December 18, 2019)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 F-150 trucks equipped with 17-inch spare tires. The spare tire could have been damaged when it was installed on the rim.

Consequence: The damage can cause the tire to rapidly lose air pressure or detach from the wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the spare tire, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S55.

Reported: 2020-02-21 (February 21, 2020)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."

Consequence: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.

Reported: 2020-04-03 (April 3, 2020)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.

Consequence: If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.

Reported: 2020-08-10 (August 10, 2020)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 F-150 vehicles. An incorrect attachment nut may have been used to attach the battery positive (B+) power supply cable to the starter motor, possibly affecting the electrical conductivity, resulting in excess heat and electrical arcing.

Consequence: Electrical arcing can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the starter motor B+ power supply attachment nut, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S40.

Reported: 2020-09-23 (September 23, 2020)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles. Due to a poor electrical connection, the rearview camera may intermittently display a blank or distorted image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: Reduced rearward visibility can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Remedy became available on February 1, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C19.

Reported: 2022-04-14 (April 14, 2022)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.

Consequence: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.

Reported: 2024-11-08 (November 8, 2024)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

Reported: 2025-06-27 (June 27, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Consequence: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

Reported: 2026-06-09 (June 9, 2026)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."

Consequence: Daytime Running Lamps that do not dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: ,Dealers will reprogram the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C28. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.