2020 Ford EXPLORER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2020 Ford Explorer SUV RWD has received an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. This rating reflects top marks in various crash tests including front crash, side crash, and side pole crash ratings. Additionally, the vehicle comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning systems, further enhancing its safety features.

Despite its high safety ratings and advanced safety technology, it is worth noting that the 2020 Ford Explorer has had a relatively high number of complaints totaling 542. Furthermore, there have been 19 recalls issued for this vehicle, indicating a higher than average number of issues that may require attention. Overall, while the safety features of the Ford Explorer are commendable, potential buyers should also take into account the number of complaints and recalls associated with this model.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

542

Recall Count

19

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

5/5

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2020 Ford Explorer SUV RWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2020 Ford Explorer SUV RWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Standard
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Standard

2020 Ford Explorer SUV RWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2020 Ford Explorer SUV RWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2020 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2020 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2020 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2020 Ford EXPLORER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"transmission failure at 48k miles under normal driving conditions. down shifts from 7th to 6th gear you hear noticeable clunk and vehicle jerks as described under ford tsb 20-2337"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-10-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, unknown warning lights were flashing. additionally, the vehicle failed to shift into drive as needed. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 42,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-09-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently downshifted without warning. the vehicle also hesitated or lost motive power upon depression of the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward before resuming normal driving operation. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. the dealer later diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. the vehicle was not repaired and remained in possession of the dealer. the failure mileage was approximately 119,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v675000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-06-10
Complaint:
"power train malfunction (wrench) indicator came on. i eventually slowed down and when turning sharply, i could feel some grinding. i didn't want to drive any longer than necessary and got the vehicle to a shop. there was a bulletin for this problem-23-2114 requiring replacement of multiple parts including intermediate shaft and half shaft. considering this was in the front end drive train, i was very concerned this could have affected the steering ability."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-07-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v675000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was violently jerking. no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that the rear axle bolt had previously been replaced; however, the failure recurred. the dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 107,200. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v675000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and shook excessively. the contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. the dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v675000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact stated that after he started the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into drive (d), reverse (r), or neutral (n). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v675000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-06-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 ford explorer. the contact stated that with the vehicle in park, the vehicle started reversing independently. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the failure was due to several faulty parts inside of the transmission. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the vin was not under recall. the failure mileage was approximately 78,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-11

Recalls for the 2020 Ford EXPLORER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020 explorer and lincoln aviator vehicles equipped with a 2.0l or 3.3l engine and a 10 speed automatic transmission with the all wheel drive package. the drive shaft may fracture along the weld seam."
Consequence:
Defective drive shafts may fail and cause a loss of connection between the transfer case and rear axle, possibly resulting in a vehicle rollaway when in Park or a loss of drive. Either condition can increase the risk of a crash. The drive shafts can also deform and separate from the driveline and potentially contact the fuel tank, increasing the risk of fuel leaks and/or fire.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the drive shaft label inspected and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S65.

Component(s) Involved: POWER TRAIN > DRIVELINE > DRIVESHAFT
Date of incident: 2020-11-10
Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 explorer vehicles. the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect."
Consequence:
A disconnected driveshaft can result in a loss of drive power or a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not applied. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Dealers will replace the subframe bushing and rear axle bolt. They will also inspect the rear axle cover for damage near the bolt hole location and replace with a new cover if any damage is found. Repairs will be performed free of charge. A letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed November 6, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S55.

Component(s) Involved: POWER TRAIN > DRIVELINE > DRIVESHAFT
Date of incident: 2023-10-06

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other FORD vehicles?

2022 F-350 REGULAR CAB
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 0
  • Recall Count: 0
View Car
2019 F-150 SUPERCAB
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 438
  • Recall Count: 6
View Car
2021 ECOSPORT
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: 4
  • Complaints Count: 30
  • Recall Count: 1
View Car
2009 F-150
FORD
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 316
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car