2020 Ford F-150: problems, recalls and reliability
11 recalls and 711 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (48% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 26 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jun 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 711 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Transmission shifts from a higher gear to 1st when going over 60, also transmission has a hard time shifting skips 2nd, 4th, and sometimes 6th gear.”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2026
“Transmission failed. Truck jerks at stop. Transmission went out at 68,000 miles. My dad has a 2019 with same problem and went out at 72,000 miles. Someone needs to hold ford accountable for this. Extended warranty didn't want to pay the full price. Now I am out of pocket $1,800. Going to file a lawsuit against Ford and the extended warranty company”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“My transmission hard shifts from 1st to 3rd. It really switches in 2nd gear. It also hard shifts into 5th and 8th gear. Sometimes it misses the gear almost like I'm in neutral. This happens when I'm in 7th or 8th gear. Plus, if I'm on the highway and I need to accelerate, I feel a hard clunk while changing gears. This started in May.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“This vehicle has occasional issues where the vehicle camera freezes and blacks out when backing up. This vehicle has a similar issue to another recall that was issued on a newer vehicle in our fleet, which was a 2022 Ford F-150 and was included in the NHTSA Recall 25V315/Safety Recall Notice 25S49. This vehicle has been regularly serviced and inspected by the Dublin City Shop.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jun 2026
“Engine shut off at 60mph on mountain road. No warning, noise or other indications. Warning appeared once engine shut down; instructed to stop and restart vehicle. All temps and pressures were in normal operating range at time of shut down. wrestled vehicle to a stop, towed home (midnight) and then towed to dealership next morning. Safety at risk with vehicle shutdown at 60mph, fortunately no traffic and shoulder was available. Motor is available at the dealership, has been inspected and diagnosed as complete engine failure, engine seized with no know/visible cause without extensive teardown.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
“My 2020 Ford F150 was diagnosed by a shop to have the well known CDF drum issue. This issue is very expensive to repair and have experienced several safety concerns while conducting daily drives to and from work or other locations nearby. The transmission will not allow you to accelerate while on the freeway making it impossible to merge safely out of the way or even just get up to speed safely. The truck will flare up in RPM but will not accelerate or shift into the next gear. Once it does it will do it very violently.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“Driving on freeway 10 speed transmission failed - hard knock and jerk, almost got in an accident. Gears 6-9 dead. Apparently this 10-speed transmission is a known issue, with many technical service bulletins issued, class action lawsuits, and angry customers. Ford refuses to issue a recall and the NHTSA refused to hold them to account. Something is broken - how can Ford make such a known, terrible important component to a vehicle that fails regularly - yet get away with it? I thought the NHTSA was supposed to protect us from these unsafe vehicles?”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“CDF drum failure on transmission causing transmission to miss shifts, rough shifts, and caused catastrophic damage to transmission, at just over 100K miles. It was out of warranty, but considering the number of complaints surrounding this issue, this needs to be a recall, and there needs to be financial reparations made by Ford to vehicle owners who have experienced this issue, necessitating a transmission replacement. Totally unacceptable.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“At about 15000 mile (under warranty) I had to take it to the dealer for hard shifting. At around 58000 mile and still under warranty I started to have intermittent hard shifting and searching for gears. At 63000 (out of warranty) I had complete transmission failure with gear lockouts occuring on 2nd and 7th gear and hard shifting. Applied for to FORD for after warranty assistance and was told to keep driving the truck while they worked it out with Customer Service Assistance. AI is reflecting to STOP driving the vehicle immediately as it is a known safety issue from FORD. WTH!”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
“Due to cd drum known issue with these transmissions, they are unsafe to drive, pulling into traffic truck will not accelerate while it searches for gears. I can not drive this truck with this known issue, it's to dangerous.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 19 of these complaints and injuries in 16 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 11 campaigns
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."
Remedy: 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.
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."
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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."
Remedy: ,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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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 and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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 required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2020 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact F-150 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Ford F-150 reliable?
NHTSA has 711 owner complaints and 11 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Ford F-150. The most complained-about area is power train (48% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Ford F-150 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 42,000 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Ford F-150 have open recalls?
11 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.