2020 Ford Expedition Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while depressing the lock panel with the numbers on the driver’s side door, the seat unintendedly moved forward, and the seat belt retracted, and the driver was squeezed in the seat. The contact turned off the vehicle and seat belt to returned to the original position. The contact stated that coolant was added to the coolant reservoir; however, the vehicle was leaking coolant. The contact was unsure if the cap was positioned correctly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V344000 (Seat Belts) and 26V368000 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and remained for five days. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the seat needed to be adjusted. The dealer informed the contact that the coolant reservoir tank needed to be inspected. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 106,920.

NHTSA ID

11744803

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

Mileage

106,920 mi

Hard shifting when at high speeds

NHTSA ID

11743801

Incident

May 1, 2025

We have recurring safety issue with our car that has not been fixed despite multiple service visits to both Grieco Ford and Sawgrass Ford. They keep sending it back as “cannot duplicate”. We have contacted Ford Corporate and they also will not assist. We purchased this car used from Sawgrass ford and purchased an extended warranty with the car. The car issues include: Slipping into Neutral: The transmission unexpectedly loses gear engagement while merging or accelerating on the highway. • Hard Shifting/Clunking: Violent gear changes that cause the whole vehicle to jar physically. • Gear Hunting: The car hesitates and shifts up and down erratically instead of holding a gear. • Limp Mode: Sudden, dramatic loss of power where the car refuses to accelerate properly in traffic. These are serious safety hazards that put our family in harm's way. These failures happen consistently with our children in the car, and they have happened to our teenage son while he was driving. We purchased this car used from Sawgrass Ford. The earliest service documentation I currently have readily accessible showing that this vehicle was brought to Ford for transmission-related concerns is from February 2024—less than seven months after we purchased the vehicle from Sawgrass Ford. Since that time, there has been a significant service history related to this recurring issue.

NHTSA ID

11737008

Incident

Feb 20, 2024

Loss of Use due to unavailability of safety recall parts I am writing to formally express my extreme dissatisfaction and concern regarding the ongoing mechanical failures of our 2020 Ford Expedition Max. To date, this vehicle has undergone two major transmission interventions, yet it remains in an unsafe, undrivable condition due to a recurring powertrain defect and a high-risk safety recall. Our experience with this vehicle has been defined by persistent failures and significant loss of use: •April 2023: The vehicle was admitted to MOGF for transmission repairs, where it remained for three months for a complete teardown and rebuild. •May 2024: The transmission failed again with identical symptoms and required a full replacement. •Current Issue: We have now received a recall notice regarding an internal transmission bearing. The check engine light is currently active, indicating a powertrain fault. We have been informed that the necessary recall parts are unavailable, leaving us with a vehicle that Ford’s own documentation identifies as a "crash risk." The vehicle is currently affected by NHTSA Recall 25E-070 (Ford 25SB3) regarding a missing internal transmission bearing, which Ford identifies as a crash risk. Furthermore, the vehicle falls under the expanded NHTSA Recall 25V-628 (Ford 22S36) fire risk, which requires it to be parked away from my home. These cumulative risks make the vehicle unusable and constitute a failure of the manufacturer's duty to provide a safe product

NHTSA ID

11719963

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

The SUV was driving smoothly at 55mph speed, suddenly I hit the break and tried to reaccelerate and felt a hard transmission shift, felt like metal hitting metal, felt like it was forced to shift to drive mode from parking mode. After that I started using 93 octane rated gasoline, do not observe the problem too much. I will really scary and unsafe, the whole SUV shook hard for 2sec.

NHTSA ID

11699359

Incident

Oct 30, 2025

Ongoing problem already had 2 repairs done to transmission. Gears o not shift properly when the gears go from 3-4 and 6-7. If I am not careful when I press on the gas and try to accelerate it does not shift gears and gets stuck on and my truck will not move more than 5-10 mph while I am trying to get on the highway at times with trailers coming full speed ahead behind me. I have reported this issue many times. There has been no remedy. The gears get stuck and make a jerking motion and movement causing truck to slow and barely move. It is not just a one time thing so I cant give a specific date as it happens often.

NHTSA ID

11682958

Incident

Aug 20, 2025

Recall issue with Catalytic converters causing check engine light to come on. I took in for recall to reset check engine light. Repair did not do anything to vehicle as check engine light comes on for a few days and goes away for a few days and the cycle repeats up until this day it continues to happen. When they did the reset Ford let me know that they reset the check engine issue for recall but I would have to pay about $5k for getting new converters if I wanted to because light would still be one since it was diagnosed that converters were bad.

NHTSA ID

11682945

Incident

May 14, 2025

We own a Ford Expedition 2020. In 2023, we started noticing jerky, harsh, and aggressive “slips” when the vehicle was trying to change gears - upon multiple occasions. But, in 2024, we experienced three, major, different instances - all were extremely scary and it was miraculous they didn’t cause accidents, car pile ups, or worse! The first instance, the vehicle jerked and sputtered just as I was pulling out into a busy intersection. I thought it was going to die in the middle of the road. The second instance, several weeks later, it happened, again, as our family was driving in pouring rain down the interstate; it jerked so hard it felt like we hit a small wall. The third and final instance, we were on our way to vacation - 9 hours away with our family. It sputtered, jerked, and laid in 1st gear. Thank God, we were right at a hotel and able to pull in. We found a local mechanic to take the Expedition in and begin work on it. He was so kind to loan us his car to take on to PA to the Sight & Sound Theater so we wouldn’t lose our money on the tickets. We ended up losing 2 full days of our 4 day vacation; had to rent a vehicle to drive back home; and left our Expedition in VA for 6 weeks while they rebuilt a transmission and cleaned the catalytic converter. $12,160 to the mechanic + $1000 in car rentals. Here we are, now in August 2025, and there’s been a recall on the Powertrain Control Module and that’s being replaced. Lo, and behold, what does the PCM do? It acts as the vehicle’s main computer, managing and controlling various engine and TRANSMISSION functions (adjusting engine parameters like fuel injection, ignition timing, and transmission shift points) - imagine that!

NHTSA ID

11681820

Incident

Apr 3, 2024

On several occasions the engine has slipped/stalled. Vehicle has only 27k miles on it, single owner. When moving from a stoplight the engine "slipped", all lights came on "service alert" or something similar. Vehicle recovered but I am very uneasy as I am a [XXX] female usually [XXX] and often on a very busy section of [XXX]. (This has occurred multiple times) When increasing speed, as to pass a vehicle or otherwise, vehicle is unresponsive or lags. To be clear this happens at speeds of 40-50 mph. It is unpredictable when this will occur nor why. I will likely sell this vehicle due to this safety issue. I spoke with a service rep at the local ford dealership who was able to look into the vehicle computer remotely but there was no record of the "Alert" or otherwise. I took the vehicle to my local mechanic who drove it and was able to replicate the danger/slipping. I was advised to do "zip code" driving only. I believe this "engine slipping" is related to the Recall just issued except the 2020 Ford Expedition is not included in this recall. Others have noted this issue as well with NHTSA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11673694

Incident

May 1, 2025

The transmission is consistently hesitating to switch gears, very jerky gear shift, and will sometimes completely fall out of gear. You could so easily lose control if this happened on the highway. Thank goodness we weren’t on a busy street. This isn’t the first reporting according to a simple search online and there should be a recall for safety reasons. This could be life or death for someone driving on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11666925

Incident

Jun 14, 2025

Transmission has extremely hard downshifting which has required the tea be replaced. Vehicle will downshift so hard it feels like you have been rear ended. Vehicle has to be put into neutral and then back into drive. This is very hazardous.

NHTSA ID

11661261

Incident

Mar 4, 2025

This suv has 10 speed transmission that has faulty harsh shifting hesitation, acceleration problem when shifting on highway or in situations when you need to slow down and or accelerate. This has happened many times while trying to get on the highway and switching lanes. I have almost been run over because it stalled someone is going to get killed. I have had the Powertrain control module pcm reprogramed twice and it keeps happening. Ford is aware of this. They need to get this trucks off of the road!

NHTSA ID

11660492

Incident

May 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle at start-up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective cam phaser. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle for the failure and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ID

11657918

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

Mileage

97,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact returned the vehicle to the same dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a hose on the transmission had not been installed correctly. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred two more times, and the vehicle was returned to the same dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

NHTSA ID

11647916

Incident

Oct 11, 2024

Mileage

99,000 mi

While driving on a highway at approximately 70mph, attempted to pass a slower vehicle. I accelerated and the vehicle dropped down in gear, started shuddering, lost power and the MIL light started flashing. I pulled to the side of the road and the vehicle shifted into another gear and seemed to operate normally. Vehicle is currently at the Ford dealership, where they say that I need a new transmission, due to the CDF drum failure.

NHTSA ID

11642385

Incident

Feb 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed catalyst converter. The contact was informed that the catalyst converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred on three separate occasions and the catalyst converter was replaced by the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11632736

Incident

Oct 7, 2024

Mileage

20,000 mi

On Monday, December 16, 2024 I brought my vehicle in for diagnostic services due to a 'metal on metal' noise causing a vibration in the gas pedal, and loss of power when vehicle reached 2000 rpms. This vehicle is hazardous to drive and leaves the vehicle behind me without any indication that my vehicle is experiencing a loss of power and is slowing down abruptly. The vehicle began hard shifting at approximately 30-40k miles, and the dealership stated they were unable to duplicate the problem and did not document my complaint during my inquiry at oil changes. Although there is a technical service bulletin to address this concern, as an individual with Master of Science in Engineering Management educated in Safety, and currently serving as a volunteer of the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team, I am requesting a thorough investigation of the vehicle's performance in this current condition as well as any other previous vehicle crashes that may have occurred as a result of this issue.

NHTSA ID

11632644

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

Frequently when driving my 2020 Ford Expedition max the transmission slips out of gear causing it to go into neutral and put me in a position when i am unable to accelerate my vehicle. This happens mostly on the freeway when we are driving 65 MPH and greatly endangers the safety of my family. Reading several on-line forums indicates this is a common problem and should be fixed via a recall. Also, my dashboard viewing screen often turns black for no reason when using or simply does not turn on.

NHTSA ID

11630489

Incident

Dec 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH, the transmission was shifting hard and unintendedly shifted to various gears continuously. The power train warning light was illuminated. The message "Power Train - Engine Failure - See Owner’s Manual" was displayed. Additionally, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the transmission assembly. The message "Reduced Engine Power“ was displayed, and the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The temperature gauge displayed 285 degrees. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission yoke was replaced; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to Red McCombs Ford (8333 I-10, San Antonio, TX 78230) and to Griffith Ford Seguin (1880 I-10, Seguin, TX 78155); where the transmission was replaced and rebuilt several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the transmission was shifting hard and was continuously shifting from high gear to low gear. The check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Another driver honked and drew the contact's attention. The contact noticed a trail of white smoke and that there was smoke coming from the engine bay. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was taken back to the first dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could no longer assist in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11621494

Incident

Mar 15, 2021

Mileage

20,000 mi

I was driving 70mph when suddenly a red alert on the dashboard said coolant alert 402 degrees the car was not heating up at all before that. I pulled to the side of the road right away. Smoke started coming out trunk ran and in less than 2 minutes the car was on fire.

NHTSA ID

11619598

Incident

Oct 13, 2024

I read that there is a recall on 2021/2022 Fords with Eco Boost but not the 2020. I have had my vehicle into the dealership multiple times due to misfires and loss of all power which has almost caused multiple accidents on the interstate. I accelerate to get into the left lane and lose all power and do not get power back until my vehicle decelerates down to around 40 mph/or a lower gear, causing semi’s and other vehicles to have to slam on their brakes so that they do no run into the back of me. It idles very roughly and overall has been the worst vehicle mechanically that I have ever owned. The dealerships always say they cannot find anything wrong with it or cannot reproduce it but it happens on a daily basis and keeps getting worse. I have had the transmission updated, changed the cool packs, and changed the plugs which has not helped at all. I want to know why the 2020 Expedition is not included in this recall? This is the most expensive vehicle I have ever purchased and I would expect it to run smoothly with no issues and I am very disappointed. Not only disappointed in the vehicle, but in Ford itself for not acknowledging this issue. I have read many complaints from other customers experiencing the same issues and unable to find a fix for it. I would like some answers and for Ford to make things right with my Expedition. I am not able to trade it in or sell it due to having all the issues that it has and frankly I’m not sure I trust Ford anymore or if I’ll ever buy a Ford product again and we have been faithful Ford owners for years. Thank you for your time and I’ll be looking forward to hearing back from you soon regarding this issue. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11618650

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

On multiple occasions, our car has lurched out of gear going at fast speeds on the highway. It slips out of gear and the car shakes and then it lunges back into gear. On a few occasions, the gas pedal was also inoperable while the car was "finding the right gear". This has been extremely scary for my family when this has happened. The first time we took it to the dealership and they reprogrammed the transmission. Then, it happened again about 6 weeks after the fix, and this time the transmission valve had to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11611107

Incident

Aug 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jerked and hesitated, prompting thee contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The service engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11608246

Incident

Aug 13, 2024

Mileage

105,000 mi

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 ID

11605577

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

Mileage

83,000 mi

Less than 74,000 miles and coolant hoses split. According to service department they have had an increase in hoses rupturing indicating a fault in the hoses.

NHTSA ID

11604538

Incident

Jul 25, 2024