2020 Ford F-150

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Ford F-150 has 842 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 10.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (36% of all complaints), specifically: after 6 weeks of ownership and 1000 miles of usage, i had a few examples of potential transmission issues. first i had a couple of examples of clunks when beginning to drive immediately after start up. a couple days ago i had the worst experience yet. after pulling into a parking spot to wait for a . ⚠️ 5 fire reports filed.

5 fire reports 18 crash reports 15 injuries

842

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

10.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

307 complaints

36%

• AFTER 6 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP AND 1000 MILES OF USAGE, I HAD A FEW EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION ISSUES. FIRST I HAD A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF CLUNKS WHEN BEGINNING TO DRIVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER START UP. A COUPLE DAYS AGO I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE YET. AFTER PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO WAIT FOR A
• THE GEAR WILL NOT GO INTO PARK AND ALLOW ME TO START. ALSO, THE DISPLAY INDICATES I AM IN THE WRONG GEAR DISPLAY SHOWS NEUTRAL BUT TRUCK IS IN DRIVE, DISPLAY SHOWS REVERSE BUT THE TRUCK IS IN NEUTRAL. THIS ALL HAPPENED AFTER BACKING THE TRUCK UP IN REVERS, STOPPING AND SHIFTING TO DRIVE TO PULL FOR
• RATCHETING SOUND ON DECEL WHEN ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION ARE COLD. SOUND OCCURS WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW SPEED BETWEEN 800-1500 RPMS ON IMMEDIATE DECEL. TSBS EXIST FOR PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS WITH THE 10 SPEED TRANSMISSION BUT NOT THE 2020.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 7 crashes

“AFTER 6 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP AND 1000 MILES OF USAGE, I HAD A FEW EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION ISSUES. FIRST I HAD A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF CLUNKS WHEN BEGINNING TO DRIVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER START UP. A COUPLE DAYS AGO I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE YET. AFTER PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO WAIT FOR A ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

129 complaints

15%

• DRIVE MODE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE APPEARS IN MESSAGE CENTER. VEHICLE CANNOT CHANCE DRIVE MODES, SUSPENSION STIFFENS UP, AND ENGINE WILL GO INTO LOW POWER MODE OR COMPLETELY STALLS. MESSAGE HAS RANDOMLY APPEARED ABOUT 6 TIMES NOW. FIRST ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP AT 118 MILES.
• ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 AT ABOUT 2:30 PM I WAS TOWING A CAMPER APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES WITH THE AUTO START STOP DISABLED BY THE BUTTON ON THE DASHBOARD. I MADE A LEFT TURN FROM A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. WHEN I TURNED THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND A WARNING MESSAGE CAME ON THE DASHBOARD THAT SAID 'AUTO STAR
• OIL CONSUMPTION ON THE 5.0 LITER V8 ENGINE. THE ENGINE IS CONSUMING OIL WITHOUT EVIDENCE OF AN OIL LEAK. FORD HAS A TSB FOR THIS 19-2365 WHICH COVERS YEAR MODEL 2018-2020. THERE ARE OTHER TSBS FOR OLDER YEAR MODELS WITH THIS SAME ENGINE. FORD SAYS LESS THAN 1 QUART OF OIL CONSUMED IN 3000 MILES

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

“DRIVE MODE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE APPEARS IN MESSAGE CENTER. VEHICLE CANNOT CHANCE DRIVE MODES, SUSPENSION STIFFENS UP, AND ENGINE WILL GO INTO LOW POWER MODE OR COMPLETELY STALLS. MESSAGE HAS RANDOMLY APPEARED ABOUT 6 TIMES NOW. FIRST ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP AT 118 MILES. ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

87 complaints

10%

• THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR
• DROVE FROM NEW JERSEY TO BROOKLYN, OVER THE VERRAZZANO PARKED AND GUESS WHAT... TAILGATE WAS OPEN WITH MY TOOLS EXPOSED? HEADING HOME NICE DRIVER IN TUNNEL MADE ME AWARE THE TAILGATE WAS OPEN. FINISHED DRIVING THROUGH TUNNEL, PULLED OVER TO CLOSE TAILGATE FOR THE THIRD TIME ON ONE DAY. *TR
• FORD TONNEAU TRUCK BED COVER CAME APART AT 75 MPH ON I-10 IN LA. REAR THIRD SECTION WEIGHING 10-20 POUNDS COMPLETELY SEPARATED, LUCKILY STAYED ON THE TRUCK BED. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT GO AIRBORNE AND STRIKE THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. COVER WAS FLIPPED IN ONE SECTION UP, NO SECUREMENT IS AVAILABLE AT THI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

80 complaints

10%

• BOUGHT TRUCK ON 05/25/2020 . TODAY'S 05/30/2020 . MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 355.7 MILES AND HAS A WARNING ALREADY ' CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICES NOW' . I BEEN DRIVING FROM GALVESTON TEXAS TO WEBSTER TX. AND THE WARNING KEEP POPPING OUT DRIVEN AND EVEN ON FULL STOP. *TR
• BACKUP CAMERA FAILS TO WORK WITHIN DAYS OF TRUCK PURCHASE. DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK DOES NOT ENGAGE WITH REMOTE. WORKS ONLY WITH KEY TO ACCESS OR LOCK. ESTIMATED REPAIR TIMES GIVEN ARE WEEKS VS DAYS. UNACCEPTABLE.
• MY TRUCK IS 5 MONTHS OLD AND HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES TO HAVE THE FRONT CAMERA FIXED. THEY FINALLY REPLACED THE FRONT CAMERA AND IT STILL DOES NOT WORK. THE TRUCK HAS A FRONT CAMERA SIDE CAMERAS AND A REAR CAMERA. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT DIFFERENT CAMERAS NOT WORKING AND FORD

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“BOUGHT TRUCK ON 05/25/2020 . TODAY'S 05/30/2020 . MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 355.7 MILES AND HAS A WARNING ALREADY ' CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICES NOW' . I BEEN DRIVING FROM GALVESTON TEXAS TO WEBSTER TX. AND THE WARNING KEEP POPPING OUT DRIVEN AND EVEN ON FULL STOP. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

VISIBILITY

63 complaints

• THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR
• TRUCK IS BRAND NEW, ODOMETER READS 310 MILES. WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR BROKE FIRST TIME I WAS TRYING TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN. MOTOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, VISIBILITY WAS EXTREMELY LIMITED. THIS WAS SUPER DANGEROUS DUE TO DRIVING CURVY COUNTRY BACK ROADS. *TR
• THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS OTHERWISE REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE, WAS DELIVERED FOR LEASE WITH AN INOPERATIVE BACKUP CAMERA ON AUGUST 24, 2020. THE CAMERA IS ON BACK ORDER FROM THE MANUFACTURER. IT WAS DISCLOSED TO ME THAT MULTIPLE VEHICLES FROM THIS MANUFACTURER WERE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS BUT WERE STILL BEI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 842 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: AFTER 6 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP AND 1000 MILES OF USAGE, I HAD A FEW EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION ISSUES. FIRST I HAD A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF CLUNKS WHEN BEGINNING TO DRIVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER START UP. A COUPLE DAYS AGO I HAD THE WORST EXPERIENCE YET. AFTER PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO WAIT FOR A
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: DRIVE MODE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE APPEARS IN MESSAGE CENTER. VEHICLE CANNOT CHANCE DRIVE MODES, SUSPENSION STIFFENS UP, AND ENGINE WILL GO INTO LOW POWER MODE OR COMPLETELY STALLS. MESSAGE HAS RANDOMLY APPEARED ABOUT 6 TIMES NOW. FIRST ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED ON FIRST DAY OF OWNERSHIP AT 118 MILES.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE BACK RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THE TRUCK WAS SITTING PARKED AND LOCKED. IT SHATTERED AND BOWED OUTWARD FROM THE CABIN. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: BOUGHT TRUCK ON 05/25/2020 . TODAY'S 05/30/2020 . MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 355.7 MILES AND HAS A WARNING ALREADY ' CHARGING SYSTEM SERVICES NOW' . I BEEN DRIVING FROM GALVESTON TEXAS TO WEBSTER TX. AND THE WARNING KEEP POPPING OUT DRIVEN AND EVEN ON FULL STOP. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)