Complaint volume
506 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Ford F-150 Complaints
506 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Ford F-150, grouped by component category.
506 Total complaints
17 Crash reports
3 Fire reports
11 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, engine, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 17 crash reports, 3 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 211 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 45,377 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, engine, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Ford F-150?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Ford F-150
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Ford F-150 complaints?
17 Crash
3 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
22 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Ford F-150 complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 160
ENGINE 55
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 35
VISIBILITY 32
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28
VISIBILITY/WIPER 15
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 14
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 7
STRUCTURE 7
SUSPENSION 7
506 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | TRANSMISSION STALLED INTO FIRST, WOULDNT ALLOW YOU TO PUT VEHICLE INTO GEAR UNLESS YOU TURNED VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON. FORD SERVICE CENTER VERIFIED CONCERN IN PARKING LOT. VEHICLE STARTS IN FOURTH GEAR AND LUNGES VERY ROUGH. NO DTC. FLUID LEVEL FULL BUT VERY DARK WITH FINE METAL CONTAMINATION PRESENT. PERFORM CDF TEST. RESULTS FAIL. CDF BUSHING HAS SLIPPED COMPLETLY BLOCKING FLUID PORTS. ALSO SUSPECTED HUB BASKET HAS WORN GROOVED FROM F CLUTCH APPLICATION CAUSING FINE METAL IN FLUID. OVERHAUL NEEDED FOR REPAIR Safety concerns: my truck stalled in an intersection which put me, my pregnant wife, and our [XXX] daughter at risk of being hit by another vehicle. After speaking to multiple services centers (both Ford and 3rd party), I was told by *all* of them that they've been replacing 10-speed Ford transmissions like crazy these past few months. My vehicle is currently at a certified Ford dealership pending repair. Currently contesting a denial in financial assistance considering the vehicle is within the 5 year powertrain warranty (the vehicle had an initial 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty and my truck is at 72,200 miles). No warning lamps or messages occurred until the moment the problem occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Driving at highway speeds and my truck began to shake violently and very loud banging sound. Slowed down to pull over on the highway. Found driveshaft broken in half with gas dumping out of the fuel tank. Broken driveshaft damaged heat shield for gas tank, punctured gas tank and dented/broke clips on exhaust. Very lucky back driveshaft didn’t hit pot hole and leaking gas didn’t start a fire. Stranded on side of road for hours. Sent my vin to the dealership and they said my was not under the recall #21S56 even tho it was built after known driveshaft issue and clearly the insulator caused the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 94,000 |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | I am writing to report a serious safety issue with my Ford F-150. On March 15th, 2025 while driving on State Route 167 - 410 in heavy rain, my vehicle experienced an intermittent engine shutdown while in motion. Second time happened to my wife while leaving the neighborhood on March 18th, 2025. Specifically, the engine completely shut off while driving at 40 mph. This occurred despite the Auto Start-Stop feature being manually disabled. Upon the engine shutdown, the Driver Information Center (DIC) displayed the message, "Auto StartStop Shift to P, then Restart Engine." The car did not lost power and I needed to do a full stop, shift to P, restart and switch back to D to continue driving. This malfunction occurred under hazardous conditions, specifically during heavy rain on a freeway. The sudden loss of engine power created a highly dangerous situation, placing myself and other drivers at significant risk. I am deeply concerned about the potential safety implications of this issue. The fact that the engine shut down while driving, even with the Auto Start-Stop feature disabled, suggests a critical malfunction that requires immediate attention. Despite having an extended warranty and the serious nature of this safety concern, the service department from Sunset charged me money for an unsuccessful diagnosis after two days, with service advisor unable to identify or replicate the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Transmission engages and disengages periodically as i slow down or come to a stop. Shifts erratically while driving from 6 gear to 4th gear , and when accellerating it hesitates from 2nd to 3rd gear, then shifts hard to 4th gear where i have to press on the brake to stop it. My concern is when it down shifts hard while in traffic, almost got rear ended one time. Just not safe to drive, ive have this truck for less than 5 months now. Preowned with less than 100k miles, just doesnt make sense.. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | *Engine failed - Rattle was detected and after dealership took a look at the vehicle, it was determined that the engine needed replaced because the truck was consuming oil at a high rate and there was metal found in the manifold. *If I continued to drive a truck with low oil, a failure of engine/engine fire could have occurred (oil was changed 2 weeks prior to inspection). *Confirmed by dealer *Vehicle was inspected by dealership *No warnings, just a very subtle rattle at low speeds that was concerning. Engine ran fine otherwise. Rattle first appeared around $45k miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Truck shifts don’t unexpectedly and causes the vehicle to loose traction and went into oncoming traffic. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated had received notification of Manufacturer Recall Number: 24E12. The contact stated that the vehicle had not experienced any failure; however, the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the PCM module was updated as per the recall. The contact stated that 15 hours after the repair, the check engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 126,000 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | My 2020 Ford F-150 transmission is very bad. Since I bought it used, the transmission has shifted very hard, lurched, delayed engagement and gear slippage. I was told by Ford to bring it in and they would replace or repair for over $6000!! Everything I'm reading online is that Ford knows about this situation and won't do anything about it. I dont have a spare 6-8 thousand dollars that the dealership said it would take to "possibly" fix this issue! Something needs to be done and as a retired Atlanta Police department whos driven alot of Fords, this one is the worst ive ever experienced and I cant do anything about it. ITS NOT RIGHT. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the wrench symbol displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No additional information was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 80,000 |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the transmission shuddered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that a tune-up was needed. The tune-up was performed; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall and the PCM was reprogrammed. The unknown recall repair was performed the day prior to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,400. | Crash: No Fire: No | 90,400 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 130,000 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving the vehicle going approximately 35 mph in heavy traffic the vehicle shifted to neutral without driver input as evident by +8000 rpms (bottomed out) and swift deceleration. No warning lights or indicators. No response when driver input to acceleration pedal. Vehicle would not shift into gear. After breaking to approx 15 mph Vehicle shifted VERY roughly w/no accelerator response and return to normal rpms. After waiting in neutral on the side for a minute accelerator response returned. hard and delayed shifting remained. Vehicle is currently being serviced by a ford dealer in Florida who relays no warning or trouble codes found - but recommended a transmission rebuild reference black fluid w/o leaks. Fluid was initially a quart and a half low. Transmission has an extended warranty and is getting replaced. 10r80 10 spd transmission with the EXACT same issue for the recent recall of a different year/ transmission model # by ford. Coincidence- I think not. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the contact became aware of a significant loss in fuel economy. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the catalytic converters had failed. The contact was informed that the catalytic converters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100,000 |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | f150 EQUIPED WITH 4r80 10 SPEED TRANSMISSION. Starting several months ago, the vehicle started experiencing up shifts with hesitation during upshift, typically the mid gears. Starting from a stop, the shift from 1st to 3rd is very harsh and stutters. Condition has progressively gotten worse. While upshifting, I am now experiencing more exaggerated pausing/delays during mid gear upshifts. While entering a freeway, accelerated to merge with traffic and the transmission downshifted and there was an approximately 2 second delay in the shift which caused the vehicle to bog down substantially, nearly causing a following vehicle to impact my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Transmission random acceleration, harsh downshifting, and banging coming to a stop. 3 to 5 gears and during emergency stop. Downhill acceleration without throttle while braking, overtaking brake control | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was hesitating and downshifted unintendedly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that he had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was advised that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated while the transmission was downshifting. The contact had taken the vehicle to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the long block and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but advised the contact that the vehicle was over the mileage for the warranty and not covered. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 72,000 |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | On the afternoon of [XXX], my son and his fiancé were driving home from college (Lamar University) when my sons 2020 Ford F-150 suddenly downshifted from 10th gear to 1st gear. This sudden unexpected downshift through them both violently forward in the truck and almost caused them to be rear ended by an 18-Wheeler. They immediately pulled off to the side of the Interstate ([XXX]) to gather their thoughts and inspect the truck. My son notified me of what had just happened and that he received a service engine warning on the trucks instrument cluster along with a notification on his cell phone of a Powertrain Malfunction. I suggested he try turning the truck off and restarting it to see if it would resolve the issue. He resumed driving home and experienced the same unexpected sudden down shifting from 10th gear to 1st gear multiple times as they continued their drive home. Fortunately, he was able to limp his truck back into town and immediately took it to Cook Ford in Texas City where we had purchased the truck. I met them at the dealership and my son reported the problem they had experienced on their drive home to the Cook Ford Service person and we left the truck with them to be diagnosed. On Wednesday March 26th 2025, Cook Ford called to inform my son and informed him that he needed a new transmission and that both his catalytic converters needed to be replaced for a cost of approximately $11,500. He asked them if these items were covered under warranty and they acknowledged an error in their quote and that the catalytic converters would be covered, but not the transmission. During the conversation the Ford Service person did acknowledge knowing of issues with the 10 speed transmission (10R80) but said there were no current recalls, nor were there any Ford Customer Satisfaction Programs for the trucks transmission. We are now waiting for a response back from Cook Ford with an updated and formal breakdown of costs for the trucks needed repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission has hard shifts between 2-3 and 4-5. Transmission occasionally has unexpected hard down shifts. Truck has done it since purchase and has progressively gotten worse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | DURING MAINTENANCE PRIOR TO THE MAIN ISSUE STATED TO FORD, CUSTOMER NOTICED SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH TRANS AND MECHANIC REPORTED IT WAS FINE AND DIDNT SEE ANYTHING ON THEIR COMPUTER AND THAT THE CUSTOMER COULD WAIT UNTIL 90K MILE UPCOMING MAINTENANCE. CUSTOMER STATES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND THE TRUCK WAS SHIFTING ROUGH / WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP THE TRUCK WOULD REV UP AND NOT GO FORWARD THEN DELAYED ENGAGEMENT / ALSO WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE TRUCK HAS DIFFICULTY ACCELERATING SMOOTHLY IN PASSING GEARS VERIFIED THE CONCERN. PERFORMED SELF TEST AN FOUND P07F7 INCORRECT 10 GEAR RATIO. PERFORMED TEST DRIVE AND FOUND THE SHIFT FLARE EXCEEDING 290RPMS AN SPEC IS 0-10RPMS. ALSO FOUND THE TORQUE CONVERTER SLIPPING OVER 270RPMS DURING LOCK UP. MONITORED LINE PRESSURE TEST AN FOUND IT IS WITHIN SPEC. INSPECTED FLUID CONDITION AN AN FOUND EXCESSIVE SIGNS OF METAL DEBRIS PRESENT. DUE TO INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE RECOMMEND REPLACING UNIT AN RETEST. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | While traveling 65 mph on highway, truck shifted from 10th gear to 5th causing truck to jerk to a slower mph and raising rpms | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | POWER TRAIN | This truck when shifting from 4th to 5th will snap your neck! sometimes it just slips in gear., when I back up ity will stop like its in neutral and then bang into gear. sometimes you pull out on the road and it will not go just sit in neutral then bank in gear and take off. This is totally unsafe with this 10 speed trans. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |