2020 Ford Expedition Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe transmission problems: rough or delayed shifts, unexpected downshifts, loss of power while accelerating, and in many cases dealers recommending replacement or rebuild of the 10-speed automatic. A smaller but notable group of complaints covers engine rattles and oil leaks, seat belt retractor locking or firing, and rearview camera or center-screen failures. Many transmission complaints come in between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles, and several owners mention that dealers could not duplicate the problem on the first visit.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission rough shifting and unexpected downshifts

   • 246 complaints (58%)
   • median 65,600 mi at 4.5 yrs old (49 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $9,859 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe harsh or delayed gear engagement, hard shifts between gears, and sudden downshifts - several owners say the vehicle dropped from a high gear to a much lower one at highway speed, with a thud or lurch and a loss of power. Some report slipping out of gear into neutral, shuddering or jerking while accelerating, and messages such as 'Shift System Fault' or 'Transmission Fault'. Dealers in many complaints either could not duplicate the concern or diagnosed an internal transmission failure and recommended replacement or rebuild. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 100,000 miles, with some as early as 7,000 miles and some over 120,000.

   Recall 26V4020004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the transmission service history and whether any software updates or reprogramming were done, and test drive at highway speed watching for harsh or delayed shifts. A pre-purchase scan for stored transmission codes is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V344000 (Seat Belts), 26V368000 (Structure), 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission started slipping. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11747120, filed 2026-06, 88,476 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was restarted. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission and recommended that the transmission be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11585266, filed 2024-04, 80,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Loss of power or stall while driving

   • 172 complaints (40%)
   • median 65,600 mi at 4.3 yrs old (41 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $9,429 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle losing motive power or shutting off while driving, sometimes at highway speed, with the accelerator unresponsive. Some say the engine made a revving or grinding sound and the vehicle coasted before recovering, or had to be restarted on the shoulder. In complaints where a dealer diagnosed the vehicle, transmission or torque converter failure was often named, and a few reports mention a drum failure with metal debris found inside the unit. Spread from about 20,000 to over 130,000 miles, often on highway drives at 45-75 mph.

   Recall 26V4020002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the vehicle has ever lost power or stalled and whether the transmission has been repaired or replaced under warranty; have a shop check for stored powertrain codes before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended and the vehicle lost power. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was not provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified on the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11679083, filed 2025-08, 106,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while attempted to change gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that a case was opened with the dealer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11597550, filed 2024-06, 87,000 miles
3. 3
   Seat belts

   Seat belt retractor locks or fires and will not retract

   • 36 complaints (8%)
   • median 66,230 mi at 6.3 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Complaints describe front and second-row seat belts that lock tight and will not retract or extend, sometimes after a loud bang from the retractor housing with dust in the cabin, leaving the belt seized. In some cases the belt had to be unlatched and relatched to free occupants, and one owner reports the belt tensioning against a child in the second row. Other owners report an air bag warning light tied to a seat belt tension sensor, and several mention recall notices with parts not yet available. Reported from about 60,000 to 110,000 miles; several complaints concern vehicles built in 2020 regardless of mileage.

   Recall 26V344000Recall 25V197000Recall 24V099000Recall 20V574000Recall 20V217000

   What to check: Pull each seat belt out fully and let it retract, checking that none locks or stays tight, and ask whether the pretensioner recalls have been completed. Check that the air bag warning light comes on and goes out at startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while parking, the passenger removed their seat belt. As the seat belt retracted, there was a very loud explosion sound. A cloud of dust was observed, and the passenger-side seat belt became extremely tight. The contact stated that the vehicle shook, and the sound and movement originated from the passenger-side seat belt retractor housing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11760915, filed 2026-08, 87,849 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the second-row driver's side and passenger's side seat belts became excessively tight and seized. The contact stated that the seat belts had to be unlatched and latched. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while two minor children were seated in the second-row seats. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11747802, filed 2026-07, 100,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Rearview camera and center screen faults

   • 53 complaints (12%)
   • median 49,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Complaints describe a rearview camera image that is blank or distorted, sometimes with the camera staying on after shifting out of reverse or the screen going black and taking the infotainment system down. Some owners report the instrument cluster blinking off and on and safety features becoming unavailable, and one describes water from the air conditioning collecting on a fuse box. Dealers in several of these cases diagnosed an interface module or other module failure. Reported from under 1,000 miles to about 60,000 miles; several complaints are low-mileage.

   Recall 25V442000Recall 25V346000Recall 20V5750003 related service bulletins

   What to check: With the vehicle in reverse, confirm the camera image is clear and stays on until you shift out; ask if the rearview camera and body control module software recalls have been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Back up camera stopped giving any warning and distance to objects. If not aware of this it could cause the car to strike and object or another vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363552, filed 2020-10, 720 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electrical system in the vehicle unexpectedly shutdown. The vehicle was driven to several dealers where it was diagnosed and determined that the gate module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11621931, filed 2024-10, 49,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Engine rattle at start-up and oil leaks

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe a rattling or clattering sound from the engine on start-up, which some dealers attributed to the cam phasers or a stretched timing chain, sometimes with diagnostic codes for camshaft timing stored. A few complaints describe low oil pressure warnings, front cover seal failure, oil leaks and metal debris found in the engine, with an engine replacement recommended in one case. Others mention coolant loss. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 25V6280002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for a rattle in the first seconds after a cold start, check the oil and coolant levels, and look underneath for leaks. Ask whether cam phaser or timing chain work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling sound while starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the cam phasers. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11605577, filed 2024-07, 83,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle shuddered with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where diagnostic codes: P0011, P0012 and P0016 were retrieved. The dealer determined that the crankshaft chain was stretched and needed to be replaced in bank #1 and bank #2, along with the pretensioners and phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11557822, filed 2023-12, 98,000 miles

Buying note. The transmission is the main thing to vet on this model year - check for harsh shifts, downshift events and any repair history, and confirm outstanding recall work (transmission park pawl, seat belt pretensioner, rearview camera software) has been completed or scheduled. A pre-purchase scan for stored codes plus a highway test drive gives the clearest picture.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.