2020 Ford F-150: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
61%
323 of 543 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
61% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2020 Ford F-150 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 81% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE09/11/2024FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owned a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that his employees had driven the vehicle to a work site. While at the work site, the vehicle caught fire while the engine was off. An employee stated that flames appeared to have come from the vehicle's dashboard. An attempt was made to extinguish the fire with a…
POWER TRAIN06/15/20231 INJURED
My 2020 Ford F-150 with the 10R80 transmission has been involved in transmission failures on multiple occasions. The last 2 incidents nearly resulted in car accidents. I had complete power failure while moving through an intersection and was narrowly avoided by another vehicle that thankfully was able to steer clear …
SERVICE BRAKES,POWER TRAIN05/09/2022CRASH1 INJURED
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked due to an unknown electrical door lock malfunction. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would inadvertently roll forward while stopped without input from the driver. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle…
Three of 323 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (11)
TIRES:BEAD
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 r…
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
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 L…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
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 (B…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2020 Ford F-150
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
11 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 6 body styles NHTSA files separately.
