2020 Ford F-150 Electrical Problems

Which parts fail

• Alternator/generator/regulator › Integrated starter(other than propulsion)
  1
• Starter assembly
  1
• Instrument cluster/panel
  1

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  2379%
• 25k–50k
  13%
• 50k–75k
  310%
• 75k–100k
  00%
• 100k–150k
  00%
• 150k+
  27%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owned a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that his employees had driven the vehicle to a work site. While at the work site, the vehicle caught fire while the engine was off. An employee stated that flames appeared to have come from the vehicle's dashboard. An attempt was made to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher; however, the flames quickly engulfed the vehicle. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. One of the contact's employees suffered first and second-degree burns to the face. The employee was taken to a hospital where they were treated for their injury. A police report was not filed. The decal from a storage unit was melted, a blinker cover on an RV was destroyed, and several nearby trees were damaged. …

Cruise control was set at approx. 62 mph driving on the Interstate. An exit was taken and coming down the off ramp the truck would not slow down. It seems the brakes did not disconnect the cruise control. Brakes were both pumped and firmly depressed. No response when the gear shift was placed in a lower gear. The electronic system did not shut off after the ignition was placed in the off position. An inspection is warranted, expected and welcome. This was a Sudden Unintentional Acceleration (SUA) incident/accident!!! Numerous other vehicles were placed in danger while crossing a major intersection. Two fire trucks responding to an emergency were passed at 50 miles an hour. Many other occupied vehicles and individuals at an apartment complex were in danger of being killed or injured. …

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after parking on an incline with the engine running, the contact exited the vehicle and moments later the vehicle reversed and crossed a busy road before driving into ditch. The contact stated that during the failure the vehicle nearly collided with a second vehicle while crossing the road. Prior to the failure, the vehicle experienced electrical failures causing the check engine, ABS, Hill Descent and Traction Control warning lights to intermittently flash on and off. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 159,283.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed instrument cluster. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the original instrument cluster two years prior to the failure. The contact stated that the repair was covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon attempting to unlock the doors of the vehicle with the key fob, only the front driver's side door unlocked. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to manually unlock the tailgate, the tailgate failed to unlock as intended. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure could be related to an unknown actuator recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that rodents and squirrels had eaten the wiring on multiple occasions. The ABS, cruise control, parking, and traction control warning lights illuminated and became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring had been chewed on and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the ABS, cruise control, parking, and traction control warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive and electronic power. The vehicle rolled to a complete stop. After approximately five minutes a message on the center display stated, "Shift vehicle to Park and restart". The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The next day the contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable, and the audible alerts failed to operate as needed. The start-of-trip and seat belt chime failed to operate while the seat belt was unbuckled. Additionally, there was no chime while the key was in the ignition or while the door was opened. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed Audio Control Module (ACM) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,792.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and attempting to accelerate, a warning message to pull over and restart the vehicle was displayed. The vehicle independently powered down and was restarted by the contact to keep driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred twice. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,900.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly stalled but was able to be restarted after approximately 13 minutes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Related recalls

Electrical complaints in other F-150 years