Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
In April 2020, I brought my car into the Lafayette Ford Dealership in Fayetteville, NC bc I had been experiencing issues with the car moving when it was not supposed to. I would start the car with my foot on the brake, switch it into reverse/drive and *without taking my foot off the brake* the car would jerk forward or back, depending on if I was in reverse or drive. The event that caused me to bring my car into the dealership occured while I was in front of my garage. I had my foot on the break, and was planning to adjust my direction toward the garage when my car propelled forward and took a hit that resulted in bad damage to my driver side bumper. The dealership held my car for over a week and was not able to replicate the problem, so they told me my car was fine. …
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was inspected using a scanner and provided an error code for the fuel pump module. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the high-pressure fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware of an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a relative who became aware that one of the fuel hoses was fractured. A local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
August 22, 2024 Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center P.O. Box 6248 Dearborn, MI 48126 Regarding: Customer Satisfaction Program 24N01 I want to let you know how dissatisfied I am with your customer service claim to have happy satisfied customers, that is so proudly proclaimed in the introduction to this notice. We travel long distances in very remote areas of the Southwest. The last thing I want is to be stranded in the hot desert with an axle bolt beginning to or actually failing. Your policy to notify us of a potential problem, but not repair until the bolt fails gives me no confidence in my vehicle. In fact I am reluctant to make this trip again in this vehicle that has a known parts failure issue. It would have been better to have not notified me of this concern, in which Ford has no intention of repairing until it fails. …
Cruise in vehicle was set to 58 mph. Vehicle shut off going around a curve and would not restart. At 40mph emergency brake set as car wasn't running and it was coasting to a stop. I sat on the road barely off the shoulder as car would not restart and would not come out of park to be able to push the rest of the way off the road. Had it towed to a ford dealer where they replaced the fuel pump control module and they had concerns of it possibly not fixing the problem. I made it 10 miles after pickup and it did the exact same thing shuts off no warning like it ran out of gas. Get towed back to the ford dealer and they can't duplicate the problem and say nothing is wrong and they don't know why it randomly shuts off and loses fuel. However it still has the same codes as initially in relation to lack of fuel. …
Adding gas to my FORD EXPLORER 2020 Limited EcoBoost 4WD, is almost impossible. We just purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. No matter what gas station we use, no matter how slow we fill, the nozzle continuously clicks off every few seconds. We use the funnel that came with the vehicle & the gasoline consistently spills out along the side of the vehicle. The only way to get gas in the tank is with the funnel at the slowest fill possible. When the tank is on the fuller side, it sloshes around incredibly loud & there's also a knocking sound on the driver side under the steering wheel area. I've looked online & have seen so many others that have these same issues. Took the car back to the dealership, they attempted to fill up the tank themselves and were just as confused as I was on how difficult it was to fill the tank.
My 2020 Explorer ST has been in the shop off and on for three months. The engine had to be replaced at about 45K miles. The transmission whines. The latest issue occurred while driving in downtown Chicago. I was coming up on a light and moved to the left turn lane to turn into oncoming traffic. When I went to go - I pressed the pedal and nothing happened. I ended up rolling into oncoming traffic when finally, the vehicle responded. On the way home this happened about 10 times on the interstate. It would happen when you quickly decelerate and then accelerate after the transmission downshifted. The loss of responsiveness lasted about 5-10 seconds each time and was accompanied by a loud clicking sound under the vehicle. It is still at the dealership and waiting to hear back from them.
When my vehicle reaches 60 mph the back end of my vehicle begins to sway excessively. Something may be wrong with the axle. It's actually very frightening. Also, when my vehicle is running, I feel a slight puttering and then it quickly goes away as if somethings going on with the fuel pump. Lastly, my rearview camera sometimes looks a little blurry. I did take my vehicle to team Chevrolet in Swansboro, North Carolina where I purchased the vehicle. They stated something is going on with the axle and sway bar.
Previously filed reports 11521566 and 11494044, stating problem with no response from the accelerator pedal, it happened several times again, at different speeds and different driving modes, should I wait to be involved in an accident to sue the company directly or what other recourse do I have? Have taken the car different times and mentioned the problem but they say "we found nothing wrong" the car is out of warranty now and have seen reports of transmission problems that should have caused a recall.
This problem started about 2 months ago and it happened 3 different times so far. While driving, when pressing the gas, the vehicle will all of a sudden not go. You just drift as if the car is not getting gas. On 2 of the occasions, a shift error message appears on the dash but quickly disappears. This can be very dangerous while driving and cause an accident. I have not had the vehicle looked at yet because I feel it should apart of the new recall for the other Ford Explorers.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer vehicles equipped with 2.3L engines and 19 gallon fuel tanks. The fuel tank inlet check valve may not be fully welded to the fuel tank shell.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank shell, free of charge. The recall began December 8, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. Over time, the protective sleeve on the vapor fuel line may chafe through the plastic liquid fuel line and cause a fuel leak.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a longer protective sleeve on the liquid fuel line, as necessary, free of charge. Ford issued owners and interim notification on January 29, 2020.
Fuel System complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2020 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2020 Ford Explorer, 3% of the model year's 1,240 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2020 Ford Explorer fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-730 (storage, Nov 24, 2020); NHTSA recall 19V-859 (hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, Dec 4, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Explorer fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 83% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.