2020 Ford Expedition Brakes Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving over 10 MPH with her husband inside the vehicle, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated, and the brakes independently engaged. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the battery was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that a software update for the rearview camera was performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact stated that the dealer refused to provide the telephone number for the manufacturer. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (POWER TRAIN); and the VIN was included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11755462

Incident

Apr 15, 2026

Mileage

117,000 mi

The vehicle has experienced repeated critical transmission failures and currently has four active Federal Safety Recalls with no available remedy. The transmission has failed four separate times, requiring four transmission assemblies within approximately 68,795 miles. The latest failure produced DTC P07F7 (Gear 10 Incorrect Ratio) and was confirmed by the Ford dealer and an independent inspector as an internal transmission failure. Symptoms included harsh engagement, delayed shifting, hesitation, slipping, and repeated powertrain malfunction messages. The vehicle was out of service for 26 consecutive days during the most recent repair. A NHTSA VIN lookup shows four active unrepaired recalls: a transmission rollaway hazard affecting the parking system (26S48), two seatbelt pretensioner recalls involving inadvertent deployment or failure to retract (25S31 and 26S34), and a chrome trim recall involving sharp edges (26S38). All four recalls currently have no remedy available, with estimated repair dates extending into late 2026 and 2027. These defects affect critical safety systems including the power train, seat belts, and parking system. The rollaway hazard recall indicates the vehicle may move unexpectedly even when shifted into Park, creating a serious risk of injury or collision. The seatbelt pretensioner recalls involve components that may deploy without warning or fail to retract, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. The chrome trim recall involves sharp edges that may injure occupants. Combined with repeated transmission failures, these issues create multiple simultaneous safety risks. The problems have been confirmed by the Ford dealer and an independent inspector. Warning symptoms occurred before each failure, including harsh shifting, slipping, hesitation, and powertrain alerts. The combination of unresolved Federal Safety Recalls and repeated transmission failures makes the vehicle unsafe to operate.

NHTSA ID

11747617

Incident

May 27, 2026

Failed Component & Availability: Ford 10R80 10-speed transmission (Power Train). Available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: My family is put at extreme risk in two ways. 1) Sudden loss of motive power, slipping, and violent engagements at highway speeds create an imminent rear-end collision risk. 2) This exact vehicle is now under Safety Recall 26S48 (NHTSA 26V402) for unintended vehicle rollaway. Ford explicitly states a remedy is not available until Q2 2027, forcing us to drive an unfixable, inherently dangerous vehicle for another year. Confirmation & Inspections: Yes, reproduced and confirmed by Tomball Ford. The latest catastrophic internal failure was physically inspected and confirmed by an independent Old Republic Auto Warranty inspector. The Tomball Ford technician explicitly documented the cause as "outdated internal components" aligning with TSB 25-2476. Warnings & Symptoms: Violent shifting, delayed engagement, and "Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power" dash warnings. The latest catastrophic failure triggered hard fault DTC P07F7 (Gear 10 Incorrect Ratio). Cause Summary: Chronic manufacturing defect inherent to the Ford 10R80 / 10R60 transmission family. This vehicle has required FOUR (4) transmission assemblies in under 70,000 miles (repairs in Nov 2022, Feb 2023, and June 2026). During the most recent failure (May-June 2026), the vehicle was out of service for 26 consecutive days. Despite 4 failed transmissions and an active unfixable safety recall, Ford Corporate just denied our request for a replacement vehicle, abandoning my family in a documented rolling hazard.

NHTSA ID

11747151

Incident

May 27, 2026

The driver's side front brake line is positioned too close to the steering column at manufacturing. This is causing the steering column to wear a hole in the metal brake line tube ultimately causing a loss of brakes.

NHTSA ID

11634520

Incident

Jan 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked violently. The brake warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was a burning odor emanating from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,550.

NHTSA ID

11603084

Incident

Jun 30, 2024

Mileage

104,550 mi

Car was fine yesterday and today my breaks don't work have to push the pedal all the way to the ground popped the hood and the break fluid is gone took it to a auto store for help they could not find a leak anywhere told me there is a recall possibly for this problem it's a 2020 never had a problem and recently took it to Kendall for a oil change so it just happened

NHTSA ID

11513819

Incident

Mar 26, 2023

Driving on a 4-lane highway when a box truck directly ahead stopped quickly due to a stopped car ahead of it. The forward collision warning flashed and beeped, but when forcefully applying the brakes, the brake pedal only pulsed (like anti-lock brakes) but didn't slow the car even enough for the driver or passenger to feel any inertia moving forward in their seats or with their heads. The automatic emergency braking also didn't work, leading to a rear-end collision forceful enough to push the box truck into the car in front of it, apparently injuring the driver of the front car who was transferred by emergency personnel to a nearby hospital to seek medical evaluation/assistance. After impact, a message appeared on the dash stating "Pre-collision assist not available", but the forward collision warning worked, there was no prior warning of issues for the pre-collision assist, and the warning message was after impact, which significantly damaged the front portions of the vehicle (estimated damages exceed $24,000). There was a recall for the same model and year of this vehicle for pre-collision assist features/software not working properly, but it either didn't apply to this specific vehicle or was already addressed by the dealer, and the details aren't quite the same as what was experienced in this collision.

NHTSA ID

11480016

Incident

Aug 5, 2022

The contact's husband owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 65-70 MPH on cruise control, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted, skipped a gear, and lurched forward several times. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle would skip from 3rd gear to 5th gear whenever she would depress the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, upon picking up the vehicle from the dealer and driving home, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle inadvertently decelerated instead. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the RPM of the vehicle was jumping between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who test drove the vehicle but was unable to diagnose it. The dealer reset the adaptive learning of the vehicle; however, the failure persisted, and the vehicle would make abnormal clunking sounds while shifting into drive. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly and significantly while driving. Additionally, the driver’s side rear brake had an abnormally strong burning odor. The vehicle was taken to Lebanon Ford (770 Columbus Ave, Lebanon, OH 45036) who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer notified the manufacturer of the failure. The manufacturer's field technician advised the dealer to replace the brake light sensors. The contact stated that the brake light sensors were replaced; however, upon picking up the vehicle, the start button was depressed but the vehicle failed to start. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a buy back. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 7,400.

NHTSA ID

11444706

Incident

Jun 28, 2021

Mileage

7,400 mi