2020 Ford Explorer UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The rear differential axle bolt on my vehicle has broken. There was no impact or collision prior to this failure. The vehicle suddenly made a loud noise and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road while I was driving with my [XXX] daughter in the car. This created a serious safety hazard. Although my VIN does not currently appear under an active recall, I am aware that there have been prior recalls issued for this specific issue on the same vehicle. I am requesting that this matter be reviewed promptly for safety concerns and potential coverage, as the failure occurred without warning and placed my family at risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Catalytic converters and flex pipes cracking
Sun roof sun shade malfunctions and the shade sags down unable to see out of rear of vehicle, or rear view mirror. Also sags down on rear passengers and children and could cause your passengers to stop breathing from covering your face. Very dangerous.
My Explorer has the optional double moonroof with an electric sunshade that opens or closes with a button. A week ago when I tried to retract the sunshade I noticed that the driver side of the fabric started drooping. After trying a few more times the roller failed to retract the fabric completely. So when I try to open the sunshade the fabric just hangs from the roller and impedes my view out the rear window, thereby creating a safety hazard
Sunroof clip broke and fabric sags which can affect visibility.
Sagging sunroof shade.
Transmission oil cooler leaking transmission fluid cooler inlet and outlet leaking.
The panoramic sunroof sunshade assembly on my 2020 Ford Explorer Limited failed when the sunshade suddenly came off the guide track during normal operation. Prior to the failure, the sunshade operated normally with no warning signs, messages, or indicators. Once detached, the sunshade hung down into the rear window area and obstructed rearward visibility while driving, creating a safety hazard during lane changes, merging, and reversing. An authorized Ford dealer inspected the vehicle, confirmed that the sunshade had come off the track, and quoted approximately $1,500 for repair. The component remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request.
The panoramic sunroof shade broke and hung down obstructing my view out of my rear view mirror. It is dangerous for me to be driving without being able to see behind me when my sunshade or sunroof are open. It is available to inspect. I brought it to a repair shop and they said it is a very common issue with Ford Explorers and an expensive repair. The vehicle wasn’t inspected by the manufacturer or police and there were no warning lamps. Ford is well aware of this issue and needs to fix it
Panoramic Sunshade Problem (Roll Back Issue)
The panoramic sunroof cover is not functioning properly. When it is open, it’s supposed to spool up in the back, but it is not working and the cover just drops back into the backseat, obscuring the view to the rear of the vehicle. It’s a very unsafe situation and upon doing some research, I have found this to be a very common problem with this car. No recall has been issued, but it is very clearly a manufacturers defect.
The sunroof fabric is sagging and partially obstructing my view through the rear view mirror
THE BACKUP CAMERA COMES ON WHEN STOP AT A RED LIGHT/STOP SIGN ALL THE TIME. WHEN BACKING UP SOMETIMES SCREEN WILL SHOW PICTURE OF BACKING UP AND OTHER TIMES SCREEN WILL BE BLUE. DANGEROUS WHEN IN PARKING LOT AT GROCERY STORE AS PEOPLE DO NOT PAY ATTENTION. ONGOING FOR OVER 6 TO 8 MONTHS NOW.
Somehow the sun shade for the sun roof has started sagging. It’s like it suddenly popped out of its tracks and it can block the rear view which is very unsafe
The dash at the bottom of windshield and where the dash meet is coming up.
The sunshade that covers the sunroof when not in use has separated from the track. I am told (via several forums) this is a very common issue that affects most ford explorers in some cases multiple times even after replacement. When the shade opens, rather than retract as intended it drops down into the cabin of the vehicle obscuring visibility via the rear-view mirror as well as falling on any passengers in the second row of the vehicle. This is a definite safety hazard when driving.
The power retractable fabric sun shade / sunroof cover came out of the rails while retracting this while driving, causing the fabric to hang down in my baby's face and cause loss of rear mirror visibility.
The electric sunroof/moonroof shade malfunctioned and pulled off the track, with part of the shade falling into the car compartment and obstructing the driver's view out the rear, including obstructing the rear view mirror. The dealer looked at it and stated that a spring had broken, but that the entire sunroof shade assembly needs to be replaced —a $2100 repair. In my opinion, this is a safety issue due to obstructed driver views, not just a cosmetic or convenience issue.
Panoramic sunshade droops and sags creating obstructed rear view
THIS RECALL HAS BEEN REMEDIED AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I NEED THIS RECALL MARKED TAKEN CARE OF SO THAT I CAN CONTINUE RENTING IT. PLEASE REMOVE THIS CARE OFF THE UNREPAIRED LIST ASAP!!!!!
Panoramic sunroof shade came off track causing it to sag.
The sun shade for my 2020 Explorer has now joined the list of many others, where the sunshade drops and as it is now, I can’t see out my rear view mirror. Very dangerous!
Interior driver door handle - coating is metal, it partially peeled off. Several times it has cut my finger when I open the door (paper type cut). Due to fast paced life, I forget to open door is a way to avoid the metal flake and tend to always cut my finger which is scary if I touched it when vehicle was in motion, there is a quick second of shock/pain from cut. Ford has this common problem as we had the window openers replaced when it was warrantied, same issue. I think it's a safety issue and should be replaced by Ford. They want to charge me over $300 for the repair, I'm not going to give them the satisfaction. Driver side is more affected because it is used 3x as much and other doors.
Dashboard has separated, leather is rolled back from windshield area and has bubbled and raised on entire dash, this impedes part of my vision via the lower part of the windshield.
Sunshade - Bought the car 2 years ago. Hit the button to close the sunshade and it stopped closing. Turns out the frame cracked on its own. No accident, no one pushing or pulling on the sunshade, the frame just cracked on its own. This is a 2020 model so I find it very hard to believe it is "wear and tear", this is definitely a defective part or Ford used too cheap of a product on a expensive vehicle. This issue can cause health concerns as my family is being cooked by the sun, not to mention the potential for skin conditions/sunburn that could develop as a result of this.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2020 Ford Explorer has 110 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.