2020 Ford F-150 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (330) · Engine (81) · Electrical System (37)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford F-150 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
235 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (11)
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2026-06-09 · campaign 26V373000 · 91,198 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Daytime Running Lamps that do not dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: ,Dealers will reprogram the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C28. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.
Back Over Prevention:software 2025-06-27 · campaign 25V442000 · 200,237 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Equipment:other:labels 2024-11-08 · campaign 24V852000 · 27,678 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.
Visibility:windshield Wiper/Washer:linkages 2022-04-14 · campaign 22V250000 · 652,996 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2020-09-23 · campaign 20V575000 · 620,246 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles. Due to a poor electrical connection, the rearview camera may intermittently display a blank or distorted image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: Reduced rearward visibility can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Remedy became available on February 1, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C19.
Electrical System:starter Assembly 2020-08-10 · campaign 20V467000 · 431 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 F-150 vehicles. An incorrect attachment nut may have been used to attach the battery positive (B+) power supply cable to the starter motor, possibly affecting the electrical conductivity, resulting in excess heat and electrical arcing.
Risk: Electrical arcing can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the starter motor B+ power supply attachment nut, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S40.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (Prndl) 2020-04-03 · campaign 20V197000 · 55,158 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
Risk: If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2020-02-21 · campaign 20V097000 · 166,196 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices
Risk: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.
Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire 2019-12-18 · campaign 19V903000 · 33 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 F-150 trucks equipped with 17-inch spare tires. The spare tire could have been damaged when it was installed on the rim.
Risk: The damage can cause the tire to rapidly lose air pressure or detach from the wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the spare tire, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S55.
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery:cables 2019-11-12 · campaign 19V805000 · 135,725 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 F-150 vehicles. The fastener securing the Power Distribution Box (PDB) 12V cable and Battery Monitoring System (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems such as instrument panel displays and braking or steering assist. The engine could also stall.
Risk: Inoperative vehicle systems or an engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. Reduced braking and steering efforts increases the risk of a crash. This condition could also create a resistive short, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the fastener, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S40.
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly 2019-08-28 · campaign 19V633000 · 639,137 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl
Risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
Service bulletins (247)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-08 · SSM 55228 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2020-2026 aviator/explorer/f-150/bronco/ranger vehicles equipped with a 2.7l or 3.0l (non-diesel) engine may need the front engine cover removed and reinstalled for various reasons. the workshop manual (wsm), section 303-01 engine > removal and installation > engine front cover service procedur
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-30 · 25E10-S1 · Other
25e10-s1 owner letter
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-02 · 25E10-S1 · Emissions
new vehicle delivery hold - emissions recall 25e10 - supplement #1 certain 2018-2020 model year f-150 vehicles with 3.3l engines and 2016-2019 model year explorer, taurus, and flex vehicles with 3.5l engines powertrain control module (pcm) reprogramming
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-29 · 25H05 S1 · Other
harvest program 25h05 – supplement #1 certain 2011-2021 model year vehicles software verification harvest program
Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection 2026-04-02 · SSM 54720 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
various 2020-2026 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with blind spot information system (blis) may experience an inoperative blind spot monitoring with a "blind spot system fault" message displayed in the instrument panel cluster (ipc). this may also be accompanied by diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs)
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-25 · 25N17 · Other
advance notice – customer satisfaction program 25n17 certain 2015-2025 model year multiple vehicle lines rear view camera replacement if required after dealer evaluation
Showing the 6 most recent of 247 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Electrical System“passenger side and passenger side rear door sensors say the door is a jar even though it’s not. opened and closed doors numerous times to make the warning message go away. seems water or something gets in the sensors, causing the faulty sensors to go off doors will not lock and makes the alarm system go off randomly.…”
2026-10-25 · Power Train“transmission has hard/harsh shifts and delayed gear engagement that began around 56,000 miles and have become much worse at 68,000 miles. the delay in engagement when accelerating from a stop, pulling into traffic or merging is a safety concern. a ford dealer performed a transmission adaptive relearn and software update, but the symptoms continued.…”
2026-10-23 · Suspension“on xxx, while the vehicle was parked and not in use, the passenger-side front coil spring abruptly fractured, causing the front passenger side of the vehicle to drop onto the tire. the failure also damaged additional components. the vehicle and failed component are currently located at hines park ford in [xxx], and are available for inspection upo…”
2026-10-21 · Power Train“while driving on the highway, my 2020 ford f-150 equipped with the 10r80 transmission experienced a sudden and catastrophic loss of power. the transmission failed to shift slipped gears, and left the vehicle completely neutralized in traffic. this sudden loss of propulsion created an extremely hazardous situation on the road, nearly causing a seve…”
2026-10-21 · Power Train · 90,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with children inside the vehicle, the transmission shifted erratically and began shuddering. the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. the manufacturer and the dealer we…”
2026-10-19 · Vehicle Speed Control“the transmission has failed. hard shifting, random gear switching while driving at any speed. i put it in reverse and it went forward while in reverse. it slows itself down while on the highway. it acts like it wants to turn off while running, its a matter of time before i'm driving down the road and it decides to stop suddenly and cause an acciden…”
2026-10-12 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“i put my truck in reverse to get out of a driveway and it kept going and accelerating...the brakes did not work. i ended up goign through a fence at the end of the street and into a shed and my truck finally stopped. i have significant damage to my truck as well as to the homeowners property...the police classified it as equipment failure and i di…”
2026-10-08 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:catalytic Convertor · 30,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 ford f-150. the contact stated that after the check engine warning light illuminated on two occasions, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the catalytic converters were replaced under warranty. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. the vehicle was taken back to the deal…”
2026-10-07 · Power Train“i am writing to formally report a severe and dangerous safety defect regarding the 10r80 10-speed automatic transmission in my 2020 ford f-150. while driving, the vehicle routinely experiences a complete "neutral-out" or severe shift flare when attempting to transition out of 1st gear. instead of engaging 2nd or 3rd gear, the transmission completel…”
2026-10-06 · Unknown Or Other“it had been raining hard for a few days. husband was taking truck down hwy 98 to a drs appointment an hour away. driving 50 when the steering wheel starting going in and out, the seat started moving forward and back, running boards going in and out, lights flashing on and off and horn blaring and the 2020 f150 sputtered, almost stopped in the middl…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.