Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. 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. 83 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.
The 25 most recent of 83, in the owner's own words
Camshaft had to be replaced a couple years ago, followed by cam shaft sensor. Then another $6,300 of "critical" issu3s to be fixed. The vehicle is 5 1/2 y/o. Absolutely ridiculous that this amount of money is required for such a young vehicle.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable, and the audible alerts failed to operate as needed. The start-of-trip and seat belt chime failed to operate while the seat belt was unbuckled. Additionally, there was no chime while the key was in the ignition or while the door was opened. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed Audio Control Module (ACM) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,792.
Windshield seal failure. Water intrusion into the electrical system. The horn does not work and intermittent starting problems. Water intrusion caused mold in numerous components. Truck was checked over at local Ford dealer. Waiting for parts to make repairs. Repair quote available if needed.
Issue Description: The radio/infotainment system intermittently cuts out and produces loud static noises while driving. The issue occurs without warning and happens repeatedly. Safety Concern: The sudden loss of audio and loud static creates a distraction while driving and can interfere with hearing important external sounds (traffic, emergency vehicles, etc.). The unpredictable nature of the problem increases driver distraction and could contribute to unsafe driving conditions. Conditions: Occurs while driving (various speeds) Happens intermittently No clear trigger
I was driving and slowing down for a stop sign and the engine shut off by itself while still moving at appx 10-15mph. The display had several warning lights appear, and the message "Auto Start Stop, Shift to P, Then Restart Engine". I have the Auto Start Stop disabled on my vehicle, so there was no reason for my engine to shut off while decelerating. I searched online for potential causes and discovered that there are numerous incidents of this happening (engine shutting off while moving) to drivers that have deactivated the auto start stop on their vehicles. See link: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
* This complaint concerns a catastrophic failure of the transmission in my vehicle. This defect was first reported to a Ford dealer while still within the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty (Jan 3, 2023, at 58,679 miles; Invoice #XXX). * The condition worsened. Between July 2024 - Jan. 2026, I received 7 digital "Service Engine Soon" warnings via the Ford App. My dealer advised that the vehicle was "OK to drive" as long as the light (which never stayed on) was not flashing. I was told diagnostics could not be made unless the light was active at the dealership. Jan 16, 2026, the light came on; I was able to take the truck to the dealer. A fault code was finally captured, but the dealer reported a two-month service backlog. I could not wait that long. *Feb 2026, I established a clean engine baseline. I spent $833.15 to replace O2 sensors (EJ’s Automotive) to rule out engine−related performance issues. During this service (at 103,431 miles), an inspection confirmed metallic clutch material contamination in the transmission fluid only 10,248 miles after a 2nd professional flush. This failure occurred despite a total maintenance investment of $11,533.80 across 21 service visits. * This failure resulted in a dangerous Loss of Motive Power, creating a collision risk. The vehicle is currently grounded and completely inoperable. The dealership verbally designated the vehicle as VOR due to the confirmed diagnosis, only to contradict that status by claiming it was "driveable" after I declined a $15,000 quote for a teardown to diagnose the issue. * Since the truck can no longer tow, 2 third-party transports for a horse and a trailer relocation are necessary. The failure has also resulted in a total parasitic battery drain. The tailgate latch and door locks are inoperable, suggesting the transmission fault is interfering with module communication. This is consistent with the root cause Ford has acknowledged in TSBs 24-2101 and 25-2126 involving the CDF clutch drum sleeve. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF
My truck down shifted from seventh gear all the way down to first, making rev really high and slow down all the sudden. I was doing 50 mph
Back up camera is defective. Known issue of poor solder joints. Camera is now inoperable. Began as an occasional disconnect. Then camera works. Ford claims no issues however it’s know to be a problem on this series within owners group.
Front passenger door lock will not function. the lock does not lock or unlock with the key fob or the interior door lock controls.
Extremely loud electrical POP followed by loud static
The power running boards are malfunctioning continuously, I have fallen out of the driver side twice and now have injury to my right shoulder trying to stop myself using the arm rest. They will either not come out or will retract while trying to step up or will not come out at all, making it extremely difficult to get into the truck without them deployed. Also, will start to deploy and stop mid-way. I will attach a photo taken today.
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 contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon attempting to unlock the doors of the vehicle with the key fob, only the front driver's side door unlocked. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to manually unlock the tailgate, the tailgate failed to unlock as intended. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure could be related to an unknown actuator recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
There is an existing recall for 2020 ford f150's NHTA 25V442 Ford 25S72. Pertaining to the sync 3 malfunctioning as Ford put it "Ford says that an error in the SYNC infotainment system could cause a blank image to be displayed while reversing, or the rear-view image may remain on display even after a driver has stopped reversing." My vehicle is and has been doing this for a very long time. Sa.e problem. However, my vehicle VIN is not included in the recall. Will it be added at a later date?
I have 2 problems with my vehicle that have been going on for a while now. First there is an existing recall for 2020 ford f150's NHTA 25V442 Ford 25S72. Pertaining to the sync 3 malfunctioning as Ford put it "Ford says that an error in the SYNC infotainment system could cause a blank image to be displayed while reversing, or the rear-view image may remain on display even after a driver has stopped reversing." My vehicle is and has been doing this for a very long time. However, my vehicle VIN is not included in the recall. Though it should be since it is the exact same problem. The other safety issue I have is the front facing camera. It has completely stopped working quite some time ago. I asked ford about it, and they told me they would have to charge me to look into it. I don't have the money to throw at problems that should be fixed under recall because they are safety issues. This camera not working shuts down the pre collision assist which is very dangerous. It also controls the auto hi and lo beam for seeing at night, and last but not least the cruise control doesn't work without it.
Tailgate came open events, while no one in the truck previous recall fix did not work as Google is stating the original recall fix did not work.
My gears shift hard when slowing down or when letting go of the gas pedal. The infotainment center blacks out. I took it in to Ford Dealership and was told the transmission needed to be replaced. I don’t drive fast nor abuse my truck. I don’t use my truck for construction; I simply drive to work and home. I have 67K miles and bought the truck in 2020, brand new. It’s very concerning that at 67K the transmission needs replacement. The cost for replacing the transmission is $8,000.00 dollars.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed instrument cluster. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the original instrument cluster two years prior to the failure. The contact stated that the repair was covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
When clicking lock and unlock on the key fob or door panel, all doors lock and unlock EXCEPT the driver door. It does not move no matter what you do. Replaced the fuse and that did nothing. This truck is approx 5 years old and should not have electrical failing like this.
Got into my truck as normal and closed the driver side door, only to find the notification on the dash that the driver side door was still ajar. While driving, the alert just keeps sounding off and the dome lights will not go off. It appears that the door latch sensor is faulty, or at least that seems to be the consensus from the dealership. But I've also read that it could potentially be the wiring harness. Safety is at risk because this creates many distractions while trying to drive. The lights stay on, there is constant alerts going off on the dash, and notifications pop up every time I stop or slow down, and I have to manually set my dash back to the odometer so I can see how fast I'm going. 3 separate distractions all from 1 issue. The dealership just wants to replace the door latch because the sensor is built in. But they state it is a common occurrence, and there are plenty of instances just like this online. I am taking my truck to the dealership tomorrow to have them look and potentially replace the door latch because I can't handle the constant alerts while driving. There was no prior indicators to this issue. I drove my truck to work just fine, parked it, and went to get in it at lunch and then the problems began. Out of nowhere.
When the vehicle is cold, and the transmission has not yet warmed up, putting the truck into gear results in a significant jerk. Specifically: Initial Gear Engagement (Drive/Reverse): When shifting into either drive or reverse from park, especially when the engine is cold, there is a noticeable delay before the gear engages. This delay is followed by a harsh "jerk" or "thud" as the gear finally engages. Reverse to Drive Transition: When shifting from reverse to drive, a similar delay and jerk occurs before drive engages. Hard Shifting: In addition to the initial engagement issues, the transmission exhibits delayed and harsh shifting for several minutes when cold. Shifting is not smooth and seems delayed then shifts very hard and aggressively when driving during the warm up period. Clunking Noises: While driving, I intermittently hear clunking noises when the transmission shifts gears. This occurs at [ Mention the specific times or driving scenarios when you observe this - e.g., "low speeds," "during upshifts/downshifts," "when accelerating," etc. ]. These problems are most pronounced when the engine and transmission are cold and seem to gradually improve (though not completely disappear) as the vehicle warms up. I am concerned that these symptoms indicate a serious problem with the transmission. I have asked a Ford Dealer to look at this and they state that there is NO RECALL for my VIN #. They have always appeared since I purchased this truck.
dash screen went blank while driving engine has a sound like lifters rattling vehicle lost all electrical connectivity and then it finally came back on no other instances
On [XXX] I took the truck to Ford dealer after noticing the front floor passenger side carpet was wet and door locks and electronic tire pressure indicator failed to operate correctly. Ford service dept found a/c drain was letting water back into passenger compartment and caused body control module (bcm) failure. Bcm was replaced after 2 1/2 months in the service dept. Returned on 8/26/24, 9/18/24, and 10/22/24 for same water intrusion problem. Different repair done on 10/22/24 to remedy problem. Service dept contacted Ford national office and learned this was considered a design flaw by Ford. Expected a recall will be issued. Remedial treatment for mold was applied because I had been smelling a vinegar smell in the truck cab which is typical smell for presence of mold. This is the primary safety issue I believe exists, but failure of body control module could cause other safety problems. . No recall issued yet.
The driver door doesn’t lock or unlock unless opened from the inside. The actuator is more than likely the issue but ford dealership told me it was $185 to diagnose then the total would be around $500 if the actuator is the issue. My truck only has 50,000 miles on it and I can’t get in it without crawling over the seat to open the door.
The rear view camera turned black, sometimes purple, the image is distorted. I googled it and it says 700,000 F150's were recalled for this problem but when I called the Ford where I live they said it didn't have a recall
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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