2020 Ford Edge Engine Problems

Car stutters, shudders, and hesitates from stopped position. Vehicle does not excelerate smoothly. Safety concern when pulling out into traffic, crossing intersection, or leaving stop. Paducah Ford said it is torque converter and independent mechanic says that as well. Ford issued tech service information concerning shudder for Ford Edge 8F35 transmission and provides a repair procedure for torque converter and output planetary assembly. I am concerned because it may represent a recurring safety related defect affecting other Ford Edge vehicles

NHTSA ID

11756196

Incident

Jul 19, 2026

transmission, skipping and shuttering and according to dealership not catching gear occurs during slow speeds. When in drive car will roll backwards and when in reverse car will roll forward. Transmission runs high until gear catches. Engine will then go in to neutral until clutch catches.in according to dealership repair will cost $7000-$11,000. i was told this is unusual. And none of it is covered under warranty

NHTSA ID

11748726

Incident

Jul 2, 2026

Complainant: [XXX] Vehicle: 2020 Ford Edge VIN: [XXX] Current Mileage: Approx. 152,000 miles Target of Complaint: Ford Motor Company / [Don Chalmers Ford] Subject: Request for Goodwill Financial Assistance Due to Documented, Inherent Transmission Manufacturing Defect I am filing this dispute to request financial assistance/cost-sharing from Ford Motor Company for a total transmission failure on my 2020 Ford Edge. While the vehicle is past its standard powertrain warranty, the failure is directly caused by an inherent manufacturing defect that Ford has internally acknowledged and documented. The dealership has quoted $9,000 for a full replacement, an unreasonable financial burden for a known, pre-existing mechanical flaw. The vehicle is experiencing severe shifting difficulties, specifically when attempting to transition the vehicle out of Park into any other gear. A formal diagnostic inspection conducted by the authorized Ford dealership confirmed a total transmission failure. Crucially, the dealership verified that the vehicle's symptoms and mechanical failures match Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 857 / 20-2190 (tel:857%20/%2020-2190). This internal Ford bulletin specifically addresses harsh engagements, shifting faults, and component degradation within this vehicle's transmission model. The dealership initially denied financial assistance because this vehicle’s specific VIN is not included in safety recall Campaign 20S47. I wish to clarify that I am not arguing a violation of a safety recall. I understand that Campaign 20S47 is a narrow, VIN-specific safety mandate. Instead, my case rests on the fact that the dealership’s own diagnostics verified the exact mechanical failure described in Ford’s internal Technical Service Bulletins. A TSB proves that Ford is fully aware of a widespread, systemic manufacturing defect in these units. The exclusion of my VIN from a safety recall does not negate the fact that my vehicle suff INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552

NHTSA ID

11745831

Incident

Apr 1, 2026

For over a year, engine shudders/jerks when accelerating. I see this has been a repeated complaint by many for a few years now. How is this not a recall?????

NHTSA ID

11745654

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

Engine died in parking lot, no dashboard lights, smelled sweet, white smoke, dealer said coolant intrusion and engine needs to be replaced

NHTSA ID

11735698

Incident

May 3, 2026

Transmission Fluid Leak/Fire Risk (Recall 20S49): Certain 2020 Edge models have missing or loose bolts on the start/stop accumulator endcap, which can cause a leak and increase the risk of fire. Rearview Camera Failure (Recall 20V572000): A common issue where the rear camera may display a blank or distorted image, failing to comply with safety standards. Driveshaft Seizure (Recall 21S43): A potential lack of lubrication in the rear drive unit can cause it to seize, leading to loss of drive and vehicle control. Inoperable HVAC Blower Motor: A potential defect causing the blower motor to fail, which can hinder windshield defrosting. Power train alert not going into park break light issue

NHTSA ID

11726322

Incident

Feb 23, 2026

The transmission keeps shuddering and jerking at low speeds. I have problems driving behind school buses or any slow moving vehicle. The vehicle has a problem when merging onto highways and loses acceleration power due to jerking. I have spoken to 3 separate edge owners who all have the same problem. Some of us can't afford the repairs but these vehicles are still being sold with this known problem.

NHTSA ID

11723410

Incident

Mar 5, 2026

Coolant entered into the engine, causing catastrophic failure. There was no warning on the dash of low coolant or anything until it happened. By then, it was too late! This is a known problem by Ford Motor Company, yet they have done nothing to assist owners with repairs by offsetting costs or performing them for free!!

NHTSA ID

11714736

Incident

Jan 23, 2026

Safety Defects and Mechanical Failures My 2020 Ford Edge (VIN: [XXX] ) is plagued by systemic safety defects that render it unroadworthy under Pennsylvania law (37 Pa. Code § 301.2).[1, 2] The 8F35 transmission suffers from a documented "shudder" and loss of motive power (TSB 21-2389), creating a high risk of collisions in traffic.[3, 4, 5] Additionally, the vehicle is subject to critical federal recalls: Recall 21S02 (21V-011) regarding sudden rear axle seizure [6, 7, 8] and Recall 20S49 (20V-550) regarding a lethal fire hazard from leaking transmission fluid.[9, 10, 11] The engine also exhibits a design flaw known as "coolant intrusion" (TSB 19-2346), which leads to catastrophic engine failure and hydro-lock.[12, 13, 14] ​Deceptive Trade Practices and Lender Liability CarMax sold this vehicle as "Quality Certified" without fulfilling the disclosure requirements mandated by the 2022 Multistate Attorney General Settlement.[15, 16] Specifically, CarMax failed to provide the required standalone, signed disclosure form for open safety recalls prior to the sale.[17, 18, 15] Because this transaction was financed through Santander Consumer USA, the lender is derivatively liable for CarMax’s deceptive acts under the FTC Holder Rule (16 C.F.R. § 433).[19, 2] This federal rule allows me to assert all legal claims and defenses against Santander that I have against CarMax, including breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, which overrides any "As-Is" disclaimer when a vehicle is sold in a non-roadworthy condition INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11714634

Incident

Dec 28, 2025

Vehicle was purchased CPO ( Certified Pre Owned ) with only 43K miles on the odometer on or about DEC , 7-10 2025. Since purchase of the vehicle it has been shifting, shuddering and tugging between 0-30mph. The vehicle shifts hard and doesn’t catch or change gears fast enough causing the engine to be caught in high RPM.

NHTSA ID

11713804

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

Component or system that failed or malfunctioned, and availability for inspection The torque converter and transmission system in my 2020 Ford Edge have malfunctioned. The vehicle experiences transmission shuddering/stuttering during normal driving, particularly during low-speed acceleration and gear changes. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk The transmission stuttering causes hesitation, jerking, and unpredictable power delivery while driving. This creates a safety risk, especially when accelerating from a stop, merging into traffic, or driving at low speeds in congested areas. The lack of smooth and reliable acceleration increases the risk of rear-end collisions or loss of control, putting both myself and other drivers at risk. Confirmation or reproduction of the problem The issue has been consistently reproducible during normal operation of the vehicle. The symptoms have been observed repeatedly and were confirmed by a dealer/independent service center, which identified the torque converter and transmission as the source of the problem and advised that significant repairs or replacement would be required. Inspections performed The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership and/or independent repair facility. The manufacturer has not yet directly inspected the vehicle beyond dealer diagnostics, but the vehicle is available for further inspection if requested. Warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to failure There were no immediate warning lamps at the onset of the issue. The primary symptoms were transmission shuddering, stuttering, and rough shifting, which gradually worsened over time.These symptoms first appeared during regular driving and became more frequent and severe, indicating progressive failure of the torque converter and transmission system.

NHTSA ID

11708701

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

While driving my family home, our 2020 Ford Edge displayed sudden overheating. White smoke with a sweet smell was coming from the tailpipe. Looking under the hood afterwards I could verify the coolant reservoir was empty. I refilled it with the recommended fluid and amount, drove it around the block, only for the same thing to happen again. Upon taking it to my local Ford dealership, they have confirmed the ERG cooler has failed and requires replacing, per TSB 20-2234.

NHTSA ID

11706380

Incident

Dec 18, 2025

At around 47,000 miles (April 27, 2024) my car would not move when I put it in reverse to leave my house that day, the engine would just rev and it would not get into the reverse gear. Then warning light came on for the power train so I called the dealership and had it towed to their service department. They said they had to completely rebuild my transmission and it took them almost a month to complete the repairs. (May 6th, while the car was at the dealership , I received several engine warnings from my Ford app. I got my car back from the dealership about 2 weeks later) But immediately after getting my car back from the dealership there were still issues; it’s slips gears , especially from drive to first gear and first gear to second gear and the engine will rev for a while and then the entire vehicle jerks when it finally catches the next gear, also it doesn’t have enough power for steep inclines , it will just roll backwards while the engine is raving trying to climb the hill. This happened intermittently after the transmission rebuild but has since progressed to be an everyday issue. And I’ve sent it back to the dealership several times over the last year for them to fix it but it never gets fixed. They keep telling me they did a software update and that should fix the issue, but it doesn’t. It’s at the dealership again right now because it has gotten so bad that I can’t even drive the car. You start the car, put it in drive and it just revs and won’t even catch first gear. It now has around 60,000 miles. I’m the only owner of the vehicle and I take excellent care of my vehicles. I just want my vehicle to be drivable and a vehicle that is worth the price that I paid for it. I paid for a brand new vehicle, but what I got is a piece of crap. And not drivable.

NHTSA ID

11701655

Incident

Apr 27, 2024

I bought the vehicle and have had major mechanical issues with it I have replaced the motor and the full exhaust system I am having powertrain issues as well. I feel as though ford she be held accountable for all of the issues the ford edges have being they all have the same issues this should not be legal. I got this vehicle to help me build my credit and now it's hurting my credit because I can't keep up with the car payments from all the major repairs that I have had to do on a 2020 vehicle. They will not even take my vehicle as a trade so I can get from under the vehicle responsibility this has not been a reliable vehicle at all.

NHTSA ID

11700989

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Known transmission issues with 8f35. Car will not safely accelerate, jerks, shudders. No check engine to indicate code. Numerous mechanics refuse to fix it because it is too high of a liability and that Ford knows about this issue but chooses to ignore it.

NHTSA ID

11698662

Incident

Aug 28, 2025

The push button start stopped functioning and the car could not be started, leaving me stranded late at night. This problem was inspected by Tamiami Ford, Naples, Florida in April, 2025 and the dealer could not determine the cause or fix it. Meanwhile, the intermittent problem is now frequent and the car is totally unreliable.

NHTSA ID

11698218

Incident

Nov 4, 2025

Is cutting out when going, camera is failing, heated mirrors are not working, 10 codes are showing up on mechanics scan tool. Took to ford dealership they disregarded my concern and only changed differential fluid for a weird sound concern that is already on a recall but didn’t include this vin and didn’t check for any other diagnosis. Been to 3 shops nobody is figuring it out.

NHTSA ID

11697101

Incident

May 2, 2025

With no warning signs, I put my 2020 Ford Edge into Drive, but it didn't move; so, I put it into Reverse and it wouldn't move. After a minute, I was able to drive it. The next day, I was able to drive it ~1/4 mile when this sandy, gritty noise happened and the Wrench light came up on the dashboard. I pulled over, then the Check Engine Light came on, so I turned off the car. I turned it back on, and when I put it in Drive, it didn't move, so I put it in Reverse and it didn't move. I had the car towed to a Ford Dealer, who after diagnosis, told me the transmission needed to be repaired @ $8600. My car had 136,000 miles on it when this happened; I always maintained it, including a tune up, with full fluid flush, per the recommended maintenance @ 100,000 miles. I was told by the mechanic that the planetary broke up and went through the entire system, ruining it.

NHTSA ID

11696478

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

TORQUE CONVERTER NOT WORKING RIGHT AND IS DAMAGING THE TRANSMISSION. CAUSES SHUDDERING WHILE ACCELERATING AND JUMPING MOTION. IT JUMPS SO HARD AT TIMES THAT IT SEEMS LIKE ITS NOT GIVING ANY POWER TO GO AND ALMOST LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL AND CAUSE A WRECK. HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM BEING STOPPED OR SLOWED DOWN. THEY HAD ME REPLACE THE DUAL PRESSURE EGR SOMETHING THAT COST ME $690 THAT DID NOTHING AND MADE IT WORSE IT SEEMED LIKE

NHTSA ID

11683775

Incident

Jul 12, 2025

Have felt an issue with the transmission under 40k miles. Around 50-55k miles I got the transmission checked. Ford dealership/garage said it was the PCM that needed updating. After that, just under 60k miles I took it back for same issue and they ended up rebuilding the transmission. It has been driving fine but after another 20k miles (currently at 80k miles) it is starting to have the same issue. This is a problem because when trying to start to move forward, it will almost "stall" or "stutter" and has almost left me stuck in oncoming traffic while trying to turn. It has also caused issues while trying to accelerate on the highway too that have almost caused rear-end collisions. Looking through forms, it seems that most 2019+ Ford Edges have a problem with their transmissions and it's a common part that needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11681090

Incident

May 6, 2024

Vehicle is sputtering and shuddering when driving. No warning lights are present. Dealer did a diagnose test and found bulletin service messages relating to the vehicles concern TSB 25-2154 and the vehicle has an open campaign for this issue. Test drove my car and verified the shudder events were an issue for the torque converter slippage of 220 RPMS. The estimate to fix this issue was $4500.00.

NHTSA ID

11679646

Incident

Jul 31, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, while driving 35-45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle choked and stalled. The driver was able to coast to the side of the roadway. The contact had since switched to premium fuel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

NHTSA ID

11674068

Incident

Jul 16, 2024

Mileage

54,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had overheated due to coolant intrusion into the engine and the head gasket was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 111,400.

NHTSA ID

11673716

Incident

Jul 13, 2025

Mileage

111,400 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,157.

NHTSA ID

11672466

Incident

Apr 10, 2025

Mileage

48,157 mi

My Ford Edge only has a little over 37,000 miles on it, it’s an 2020 model. Electronic throttle body went out. The car lost all power, when trying to mash the gas peddle , the power was decreasing, the engine was missing and running extremely ruff.I barely was able to get off to the side of the interstate safely. The brakes went out , my car issued 7 different power failures involving powertrain, restraints, anti-lock system , hill start, pre-collision , 2 repeated the same warning. These warnings only came on after the car lost power, not before. I had to have it towed. Since I have AAA, I had them tow it to their repair shop since it was only a few miles from where I was stranded. They replaced the throttle assembly. I tried to find out if there was a recall , no recall, but there has been class action suits against Ford for this same reason.

NHTSA ID

11664938

Incident

Jun 2, 2025