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Other or unknownPart report

2020 Ford Explorer Other or unknown Problems

Complaints
214about this part
Share
17%of 1,249 total for the year
Median mileage
5,761miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 214 complaints about the other or unknown of the 2020 Ford Explorer, 17% of the 1,249 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 5,761 miles. 8 of these say a crash was involved and 5 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Auto hold feature continues to display fault. I've taken it to the dealership 3 times and each time they say it's fixed. Im concerned that it will fault when im stopped and cause a collision. Ford customer care can barely understand english let alone listen to me describe the issue. For a vehicle with 700 miles this is ridiculous.”

NHTSA complaint #11317960, filed 2020-03, 750 miles

“On a 400 mile road trip on a highway, we started feeling exhaust fumes in the inside cabin. Felt nausea and watery eyes and had to stop couple of time to get a breath of fresh air. Not sure what the issue was it disappeared after an hour. Scary thing is I see some else also has reported the same issue. Could be very hazardous having exhaust fumes coming in side the cabin.”

NHTSA complaint #11287721, filed 2019-12, 2,200 miles

“The brakes locked up, steering wheel locked, gas locked, all sensors went haywire and I slid off my driveway and into the woods thankfully avoiding collision on my property. Dealership could not duplicate the issue. I was leaving my house on my driveway when it happened.”

NHTSA complaint #11398960, filed 2021-03, 7,800 miles

“The backup camera intermittently does not work when we put the vehicle in reverse. We estimate that it fails to work 10-15% of the time. The screen turns blue and we cannot use the camera to see what is behind us. We rely on the camera because the overall visibility to see behind the vehicle is poor. We believe that this issue is similar to the problem that LED Ford to recall other vehicles. Our vehicle is not included in those recalls.”

NHTSA complaint #11415715, filed 2021-05, 6,659 miles

“Immediately after starting vehicle (in garage) and while it was still in park, I saw white smoke rising up to the driver side visor. It looked as if the smoke had come from the driver side window defroster vent. As a result, I turned off the vehicle and went to grab the fire extinguisher. I let the vehicle set for a couple of minutes and then pulled it out of the garage; however, I did not notice any more smoke when I moved it.”

NHTSA complaint #11324548, filed 2020-05, 896 miles

Related service bulletins

Other or unknown: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20261126%
20251918%
2024419%
20232825%
20225821%
20219020%
202021417%
20194816%
201816823%
201737422%
201643518%
201540722%
201434320%
201335116%
201210813%
201111810%
201098%
2009618%
2008128%
200752%
2006244%
2005163%
2004373%
2003484%
2002441%
2001123%
2000273%
1999272%
1998432%
1997402%
1996332%
1995162%
1994161%
1993111%
199251%
1991163%
199018%

Other parts of the 2020 Ford Explorer

Transmission and drivetrain
504 complaintsElectrical system
188 complaintsEngine
117 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
104 complaintsBrakes
88 complaintsForward collision avoidance
72 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
70 complaintsExterior lighting
56 complaintsBody and structure
46 complaintsFuel system
42 complaintsSeats
41 complaintsSuspension
36 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2020 Ford Explorer

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology