Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the vehicle jerked before the transmission responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal functionality afterwards. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 50 MPH, there was an abnormal humming sound coming from the vehicle before the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with an internal leak in the transmission which caused the failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. …
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted into neutral(N), and then shifted back into drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle responded, then jerked forward and backward. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving from a complete stop; however, on the latest failure, the vehicle failed to respond and stalled. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving, at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to shift hard when downshifting and upshifting. The vehicle jerked. The vehicle went into limp mode. There was a reduction of power. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was contacted regarding parts, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 91,955.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced various transmission failures which included the transmission slamming into gear while shifting from park to drive. Also, while driving at various highway speeds, the message "Power Train Malfunction, Reduce Speed" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal squeaking and humming sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the carrier bearings and there was no grease or scratches. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired but the sound persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again and diagnosed with transmission failure again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Ranger. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving between 40-45 MPH, the vehicle began jerking and the transmission was skipping. Additionally, the vehicle lost power and was consuming an excessive amount of fuel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,900.
Since purchase I have been experiencing problems due due a poorly built transmission. The 10R80 transmission has been the opposite of what I expected when purchasing a new vehicle. I have experienced extremely harsh up-shifting and downshifting, as well as slipping gears while in motion which causes a loss of power while the vehicle is in motion. The most concerning of these is when the gear seems to slip while driving and when the accelerator is depressed the engine will only rev for a few seconds and then harshly clunk into a gear which will cause a jolt in the forward motion which has cause me to lock up my brakes in order to avoid hitting another vehicle. In addition to these I have also experienced harsh clunking and jolting forward or backwards when selecting gears. All of these are of great concern to me of course. …
I bought the 4x4 Ford Ranger specifically to be towed behind my motor home and followed the directions on how to set up the Flat-tow feature that allows the Ranger to be towed behind my motorhome. I had traveled to a number of Good Same Rallys without any trouble with the Ranger. I use it also as my main vehicle at home to go to store, church etc. On my last trip to Branson, MO while coming home there was a noise that sounded like my brakes on the Ranger were locked up. I took my foot off the gas pedal and it stopped, I proceeded on home when it did this several times. Each time it would stop. I got home disconnected the Ranger and it started fine, I drove it almost 200 miles when I began to notice a jerking from the transmission and took it to my dealer. They proceeded to check it out and told me that the transmission and universal were bad and needed to be replaced at a 17k price. …
The truck is currently at a certified ford dealer for diagnosis with a drive train fault. I suspect it is transmission-related, but was not given the history of all stored, pending and history of the codes. The truck exhibits unprovoked forward acceleration/violent lunging when braking to a stop and when driving at low speeds, making intersection control dangerous. It also has severe delayed gear engagement, causing high engine RPM spikes followed by sudden gear slamming, creating a sudden loss of acceleration power while attempting to merge into active highway traffic. The transmission symptoms have been repeatedly reported to and reproduced by certified Ford franchises (Mullinax Ford and Coggin Deland Ford). Technicians previously performed superficial adaptive memory software clears (KAM resets) rather than fixing the physical mechanical defect, which has persisted. …
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (PRNDL)
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.
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.
Transmission complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2020 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2020 Ford Ranger, 38% of the model year's 130 complaints. The component named most often is driveline › driveshaft (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Ford Ranger transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-197 (gear position indication (prndl), Apr 3, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Ranger transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles.
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.