Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Ford F-150 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 22 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
The brake line on the front passenger side was rubbing and failed. We were put at risk because the brakes lost fluid. We have had 4 identical vehicles with the same issue, 3 failed and 1 was replaced before failure. Not to my knowledge has it been inspected other than a dealership and tech. There were no warning lights.
On March 3, 2026, I went in for two oil leaks. I received a call saying my truck was ready. I went to pick up my, drove off into the freeway. Everything was running smoothly until the anti-braking system turned on, cutting off power to my brakes. I was in the second to the last lane, luckily I was able to get to the last lane. I was almost hit and almost caused a huge accident. The dealership has offered to review the truck again. I paid close to six thousand dollars and it wasn’t for my brakes. I want my money back.
i AM RECEIVING ALERTS ON MY FORD APP STATING THAT IT IS A PARKING AID ALERT BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL ISSE WITHIN THE VEHICLE. ALSO STATES TO SERVICE ENGINE SOON ALERT BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL ISSUE HAS BEEN DETECTED WITH YOUR VEHICLE. THIS MAY CAUSE THE ENGINE START/STOP FEATURE (IF EQUIPPED) TO NOT WORK. CHECKING ON THIS I FOUND 0 ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR RECALLS. WITH FURTHER CHECKING I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL TO BE DONE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I CAN GET THIS REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL. I ALSO NOTICE WHEN STARTING MY VEHICLE IN THE MORNINGS THAT IT SMOKES OUT OF BOTH TAILPIPES AND LASTS APPROXIMATELY ONE TO TWO MINUTES. [XXX] [XXX] . THANK YOU. MY EMAIL IS ALSO [XXX] ADDRESS IS [XXX] , EDNA, TEXAS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The passenger side front brake overheated while driving at highway speed. We stopped the truck after smelling the burning odor. The rotor was blue and radiating heat. The driver's side appears normal. Inspection revealed the lower caliper piston was stuck. The piston boot was removed and significant corrosion was found. Truck has 60,000 miles. We are the original owners.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Parking Brake On" remained activated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the message that the rear driver’s side door was ajar was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the instrument cluster, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 76,620.
Cruise control was set at approx. 62 mph driving on the Interstate. An exit was taken and coming down the off ramp the truck would not slow down. It seems the brakes did not disconnect the cruise control. Brakes were both pumped and firmly depressed. No response when the gear shift was placed in a lower gear. The electronic system did not shut off after the ignition was placed in the off position. An inspection is warranted, expected and welcome. This was a Sudden Unintentional Acceleration (SUA) incident/accident!!! Numerous other vehicles were placed in danger while crossing a major intersection. Two fire trucks responding to an emergency were passed at 50 miles an hour. Many other occupied vehicles and individuals at an apartment complex were in danger of being killed or injured. As of right now the vehicle has not been inspected by the insurance claims adjuster, so right now it has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center (but is welcomed to be done). The vehicle or components have not yet be inspected by the manufacture, police or insurance representative (but I would be willing to allow it). There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. It was totally unexpected and a complete surprise.
I was in an accident and the automatic braking sensor did not kick in even though there was a vehicle directly in front of me. As a result, my collision warning never sounded and the active braking feature of my vehicle never engaged.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The check brake emergency warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the ABS and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle started jerking. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated while driving 4 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the vehicle started shaking violently. Additionally, the vehicle was unable to shift into reverse(R). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and going uphill, the parking brake engaged inadvertently, causing the contact to sustain injuries to the chest, shoulder, and face. The contact stated that during the failure, the seat belt failed to function as designed and the contact struck the windshield. The contact received medical attention at the emergency room. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Not one check engine light has ever come on. Bought this truck new off the lot, now to almost 60,000 mi. Every single component on this truck, immediately failed. Bucking/ jerking/ chugging on acceleration and maintaining speed while inclining. Incorrect gear selection 90% of the time. Going 5 mph with no foot on the gas, it up shifts and takes off down my driveway. Sudden down shifts causing violent decreases in speed. When braking the truck may rail on the brakes and "assist" you to stop or it may decrease reading of the pressure of your braking. Tire pressure sensors don't read accurately. Digital and analog speed read differently. The truck nudges itself side to side on the road. Truck will change the steering tension going around corners, so the driver must react to stay on track. Not going around corners the steering tension will change. Almost 2 in of play in the steering at times while sometimes one side is more responsive than the other. If not wearing a seat belt and the alarm goes off while the blinker is on, the blinker will slow down until the alarm stops then pick back up again. The RPM gauge doesn't respond at all or accurately. It will stay at 1,500- going up hill, accelerating, braking. The RPM's read inversely while down shifting. For 2.5 years SYNC update wouldn't install, a month after last attempt, it connected to my WIFI and updated itself. For 6 months, I dropped calls every time in one spot. Then I unplugged my phone from the center USB and I never dropped calls there again, unless I chose to have my phone plugged in charging. No start, couldn't find fob. No unlock. Unlocks on own. Heated seat and steering wheel turn on without the button. Burning smell coming from the motor <5,000mi. A/C never cold and heat never hot. Both sound like they are blowing hard, but the vents could barley rock a face mask back and forth. USB plugs don't have great power. The AC outlets have never had enough to charge anything. My BIL phone treated as key fob.
1. The start/stop function will not restart at some long stop lights. I have to restart the vehicle. 2. The wiper will come on without being turned on. 3. The brake have started to grind like, the brake pads are bad. The brake will grind sometimes when coming to a stop. They have been checked and a recent service also. The brakes do this even during the day. The dealership found the brakes to be working in perfect order. 4. Transmission issues have been resolved to a point. 5. Service department great, however; the can duplicate issues with vehicle.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the electronic parking brake erroneously activated causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. The contact stated that the parking brake message was displayed after the failure occurred. After stopping and restarting the vehicle the failure reoccurred. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Park brake limited function. Service required. Says my brake light is on. Drains my battery. Is this the same Recall for 2021 & 2022??
Brake fluid leaks. Stopping has become difficult
While approaching an intersection at approximately 40 mph, I attempted to stop my truck for a red stop light. Without warning, my brake pedal went to the floor and my truck did not slow down. Thankfully there was no one in front of me and there was no cross traffic as I rolled through the intersection. As I began to analyze the situation, I started repeatedly pumping my brakes but the pedal kept going to the floor and my truck was not slowing. Thankfully it was an open roadway and I was eventually able to put the truck in neutral and coast to a near stop, at which time I realized that I did have minor braking ability, but only at approximately 10 mph or less. Any faster than that and the pedal would go to the floor. Once stopped in a parking lot, I exited my truck and noticed a large amount of brake fluid beneath it. I immediately called for a tow truck and they towed it to my local dealer. They confirmed that the master cylinder had failed, which also caused the brake booster to fail, resulting in the loss of brake fluid and brake pressure. I should note that while repairing the previously mentioned parts, they also found a hole in the left front brake line, which they also replaced. It is not known if the issues are related. I should also note that in my attached photos, the fluid leaks photos were taken in 2 separate locations because employees of the store requested I moved my truck after I initially stopped.
I have had problems with the truck since I purchased it. The first week I had it went a trip with my daughter to Oregon. As we were headed back to Montana my crash assist starting going off and there was no other cars or objects around. I took it to Helena, Ford when I got back. The cameras are constantly going out and the crash assist has been failing. My truck will be back in the shop after it gets out of the shop in missoula, Mt. It will be back at Helena Ford for another camera that has gone out which isn’t allowing me to parallel park and may be affecting the crash assist again. My truck is in the shop constantly for the transmission or cameras. I have been constantly telling them my truck is shifting hard. It’s also been having brake problems which they can’t figure out. The brakes have been making a horrible loud sound. I have had transmission problems since I have purchased this. It has been shifting hard and I’ve taken it in for this again and again. They did something each time to the transmission. They also did a recall fix on it. It still continued to shift hard. All information is at Helena Ford, Helena Mt. I had a tow system installed on my truck to tow behind my motor home. I had the system installed by a Professional at Speciality Iron Works in Great Falls, Mt. I had them hook it up to my motorhome and we went through the whole set up according to Fords manual to put it in tow mode to tow behind the motorhome. It said tow mode enabled. When I got to my destination that day it had messed up my transmission and they( Ford Lithia, Missoula, Mt) are saying tow mode was not enabled. Before even looking at my truck they said to be prepared to pay out of pocket because Ford has not been doing anything about these situations. I have a witness that it was in tow mode. He is the manager at the shop that installed my tow system Gary Adams 4064523672. Ford said they couldn’t accept him as a witness because he doesn’t work at a Ford dealership.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked due to an unknown electrical door lock malfunction. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would inadvertently roll forward while stopped without input from the driver. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred while the vehicle was stopped and the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact stated that after exiting the vehicle, the vehicle rolled forward, struck, and ran over a passenger before coming to a stop. The passenger suffered head injuries and sought medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a defective gear shift indicator. The contact was informed that the gear shift indicator needed to be replaced. The contact was unsure if the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE BRAKES LOCKED UP ON ITS OWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE BRAKES UNLOCKED AND THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOR THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE WITH NO ISSUE. HOWEVER THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN THIS TIME THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH IN THE SNOW WHEN THE BRAKES LOCKED UP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLIDE, HIT AND GO OVER A GUARD RAIL. NO ONE WAS INJURED. NO MEDICAL TREATMENT WAS NEEDED AT THE SCENE AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER ROMEO FORD OF KINGSTON (128 NY-28, KINGSTON, NY 12401) WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BUT COULD NOT DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE HOWEVER THE FAILURE PERSISTED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.
JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK. I TOOK IT TO THE STORE, THEN AROUND TOWN. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN DOWN A SIDE STREET, I PUSHED THE BUTTON FOR THE HEAT, TO TURN IT OFF. I HEARD A WEIRD BUZZING NOISE. MY BREAKS STOPPED WORKING FULLY. NO BREAKS AT ALL. NO POWER BREAK, SINCE IT'S ELECTRICAL OR SOMETHING. NO WAY TO STOP THE TRUCK. WHEN I TRIED TO PUSH THE GAS TO MOVE. THERE WAS NO POWER TO THE TRANSMISSION AT ALL. WHEN I FINALLY STOPPED. I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE ISSUES. SWITCHING SEVERAL OPTIONS AND MODES TO TRY TO FIND THE SOLUTION. CALLED A MECHANIC. NO CODES WERE GIVEN ON THE SYSTEM. HAD TO WAIT 2 HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK. I'M A DISABLED VET, HAD TO WALK BACK TO MY HOUSE TO GRAB MY OTHER CAR, SINCE I DIDN'T KNOW IF THIS TRUCK WAS JUST GOING TO DECIDE TO TAKE OFF WITH ME IN IT. THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS ELECTRICAL AND BUGGY. SURE ENOUGH. BEFORE THE TOW TRUCK GOT THERE, I WAS WITH ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAD A SIMILAR FORD F150. HE WENT THROUGH SOME OPTIONS. WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR, THE TRUCK STARTED TO REV UP. WE QUICKLY WENT TO THE ENGINE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. IF THAT TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE ACTIVATED IT WOULD HAVE SMASHED INTO SEVERAL PEOPLE, CARS AND HOUSES. THEN THAT'S WHEN I LOOKED UP THE RECALL FOR THE 2020 F150 AND FOUND ALL THE INFORMATION I WISH I WOULD HAVE SEEN BEFORE THE PURCHASE. 365 MILES ON THE TRUCK. HAD IT LESS THAN 14 HOURS. DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 20 MINS. NOTICED PREMATURE RUST UNDERNEATH, BUT DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH OF IT. A LOT OF PARTS WERE RUSTING AND HAD NO PROTECTION.
FORD TEAM, ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 24TH I HAD A MAJOR SAFETY MALFUNCTION WITH MY 2020 F-150 I BOUGHT THIS PAST SUMMER IN MENOMONIE WI. DESCRIPTION ON THE INCIDENT: I PULLED MY TRUCK OUT OF MY GARAGE TO PULL MY ATV TRAILER OUT. ONCE THE TRAILER WAS PULLED OUT, I STARTED MY TRUCK BACK UP AND PROCEEDED TO PULL IT BACK INTO THE GARAGE. WHILE COASTING IN, I PRESS THE BRAKES TO STOP THE TRUCK AND THE ABS KICKED IN AT THE REAR TIRES KEPT DRIVING MY TRUCK FORWARD. I ENDED UP SLAMMING INTO MY WORK BENCH WHICH IS ATTACHED TO MY BACK WALL. I REMEMBER LOOKING DOWN AT MY PEDAL AND WONDERING WHY THE TRUCK WAS STILL DRIVING FORWARD WHEN THE BRAKES WERE PRESSED. I HAVE PULLED INTO MY GARAGE HUNDREDS OF TIMES AND THIS TIME WAS NO DIFFERENT. I KNOW WHAT THE ABS FEELS LIKE AND THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. THE TRUCK TRIED TO OUT POWER THE ABS AND DIDN'T STOP UNTIL I HIT. I HIT SO HARD THAT THE GARAGE SHOOK AND ITEMS WERE FALLING OFF MY SHELVES. THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE I INCURRED WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS JUST COASTING INTO THE BENCH. TALKING TO A CO-WORKER HE STATED THIS HAD HAPPENED TO HIS DAD IN THE PAST AND SAID THERE MIGHT BE AN ERROR IN THE CODE, SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT STILL BEING IN HIGH IDLE AND THE ABS KICKED IN. IF THIS ERROR CANNOT BE DIAGNOSED I'M NOT SURE I FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS TRUCK ANYMORE. MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF ONE OF MY KIDS WERE IN FRONT OF ME. PLEASE TROUBLE-SHOOT THIS ISSUE AND FOLLOW UP WITH THE CAUSE AND HOW MUCH DAMAGE AS BEEN DONE. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
PRE COLLISION ASSIST (W/AEB) THE DISPALY SHOWING IT IS ON BUT IT DOES NOT WORK IN EMERGENCY SITUATION. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS ON A CITY STREET GOING 25 MILES PER HOUR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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