2020 ford explorer issues

[KMB505]

On my way to work this morning and had multiple safety feature failures, all at the same time. Hill descent, Hil start, Advance Trac, Collision assist and ABS all failed. A little snow failing and wet roads. If this car can't handle this weather, we've got a problem. Going into the shop tomorrow for this and recalls.

It was a small piece of steel stuck to the ABS sensor magnet. Not problem with the actual vehicle. The service manager suspected this because of they've seen it with the security team Explorers at the local steel plant. If it happens again, they'll put a shroud to protect the sensor.
My Explorer didn't have any issues with the recalls. All good.

 

[Kevin Berube]

Anyone have issues with the transmission mine holds 2nd gear till 4500rpm and shifts to 3rd you get a nice whiplash. Happens every drive mode till the engine reach 4 bars on the engine temp

 

[ProudestMonkey]

Mine's done something similar only once. When it happened, car had been on the road for 10-15 minutes and was warmed up. I went through a restaurant drive-thru and when pulling back onto the highway, the Explorer held a low gear for way too long (could have been 1st or 2nd, not sure). I switched the transmission to manual mode, then immediately disengaged it. Shifts were normal after that.

 

[EBS270]

Has anyone else noticed a high pitched sound coming from the front right interior? I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s not wind noise, it sounds electrical. It doesn’t matter if the radio is on or off. It’s not a constant noise, it sounds like Morse code. It only happens when going over 50mph. My husband can’t hear it, but the kids and I can. I just got back from a road trip and it about drove me crazy.

 

[CoolDude919]

Has anyone else noticed a high pitched sound coming from the front right interior? I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s not wind noise, it sounds electrical. It doesn’t matter if the radio is on or off. It’s not a constant noise, it sounds like Morse code. It only happens when going over 50mph. My husband can’t hear it, but the kids and I can. I just got back from a road trip and it about drove me crazy.

Are you sure its not wind noise? There have been many other comments regarding passenger mirror area wind noise.

 

[Michael Lopour]

Just posted today. Not new information but more bad press of course.

 

[bjarnold1]

My wife had a 2019 GMC Acadia which was bought back as a lemon. We decided to go with a new 2020 Explorer XLT built in 10/19 and now I'm not sure if I made the right decision. It is 5 months old with 2200 miles and so far I have noticed the following issues :

1. Transmission shifts roughly
2. Sandstone cloth seats are already discolored and no food/drinks have ever been in the vehicle. Just getting in and out has worn the color off
3. 225 miles per tank of gas. My 2019 F150 5.0 went over 600 miles per tank. Is it just the small V4 that has poor fuel economy?

Has anyone else experienced similar issues?

Thanks

 

[edwx]

There is a Field Service Action 20B19 for a rough shifting transmission. You might have gotten a notification on Fordpass.

FSA 20B19 Transmission Shift Hesitation

I see that my 2020 Explorer has a Field Service Action: 20B19, "Transmission Shift Hesitation" Anyone have any insight as to what this is about?

www.explorerforum.com

Can't speak t the other issues.

 

[peterk9]

I have a 2020 XLT built in 10/19. It's primarily my wife that drives it and this weekend I drove it for the first time in a couple months. It has just over 2k miles and have noticed the following issues :

1. Transmission shifts roughly
2. Sandstone cloth seats are already discolored and no food/drinks have ever been in the vehicle. Just getting in and out has worn the color off
3. 225 miles per tank of gas. My 2019 F150 5.0 went over 600 miles per tank. Is it just the small V4 that has poor fuel economy?

How did you figure out your mileage. Saying 225 miles per tank indicates that you practically run it dry. What is the mpg? Base on the tank holding 17.9 gallons, your MPG is 12.6. My 3.0L Ecoboost has averaged 17.8 mpg over 1400 miles. That should increase slightly with the warmer weather.

Peter

 

[BrynBailey]

So I'm about 260ish miles in to my ST (still on the original full tank of fuel) and I'm about a 1/4 tank maybe left before E. I haven't exactly been puttin' around town in ECO mode either lol

So yesterday was my first day having 5 passengers, so we flipped up the rear seats and when I got home the left 3rd row seat is now unresponsive. Will not go back down using the left button or the R&L button.......bummer the first time using the power 3rd row and its broke already!

 

[Rapid Red Rocket]

My wife had a 2019 GMC Acadia which was bought back as a lemon. We decided to go with a new 2020 Explorer XLT and now I'm not sure if I made the right decision. It is 5 months old with 2200 miles and so far I have noticed the following issues :

Rough transmission shifting
Color is already coming off all of the seats. She wanted the beige cloth but now it seems like the Ebony would hold up better
2.3 is only getting 220-225 miles per tank of gas. This is mostly a short commute less than 2 miles from home

Has anyone else experienced similar issues?

Thanks

Yes. Sometimes the transmission shifts a little rough when cold. It doesn't bother me and it just seems to be what these vehicles do. And the mileage for city driving and idling is about what I've been getting. So far, I love the beige cloth interior on mine, no issues. The age and miles driven on my XLT is almost identical to yours and I'm not quite sure what you mean by the "color coming off all the seats." Are they fading from the sun? Is the color coming off on your clothes? Sounds weird.

 

[Zwood]

I bought a brand new 2020 Explorer Limited 4WD (2.3 L Ecoboost) about 2 months ago. Shortly after getting it, I noticed 2 strange noises:

1. There is a whining noise when driving at low speeds and/or coasting. The noise seems to change with gear shifts.
2. When accelerating, there is a loud fan noise (almost like a wheezing sound) that is most prominent between 2700-3200 RPM.

I noticed both noises seem to stop when I turn the A/C off. Everything operates like normal (A/C, driving, etc.) but there are just these unusual and annoying noises. I took it to the dealership, where a tech rode with me and confirmed neither noise sounded normal. After leaving my vehicle at the dealer for 3 days, I was told the air compressor needed to be replaced. Fast forward a month (compressor was on backorder due to covid), I picked up my Explorer with a newly replaced air compressor only to find both sounds are still occurring. I immediately took it back to the dealer and was given another loaner while they continue to look at my vehicle. The loaner I got today is a Limited 4WD exactly like mine and I immediately noticed the whining noise just like in my vehicle. It is not making the loud fan noise when accelerating like mine though. The loaner I was given a month ago when I initially took my vehicle in was a RWD XLT that did NOT make either noise.

Has anybody else experienced noises like these?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
There are a few threads on unexplained noises. I'm not sure if the engine cooling fans run at a higher speed when the A/C is on. If they do, perhaps that might be the "loud fan noise" that you are hearing.

Peter

 

[bjarnold1]

I bought a new 2020 XLT back in November and just traded it in due to the issues I was having and Ford's response as well as the dealer. It shifted rough on downshifts/up shifts/ skipping gears and shift hesitation. The dealer confirmed these problems and said it's widespread throughout Ford's vehicles and is a design flaw with the transmission. Every vehicle with the 10 speed including F150's, Ranger's and Explorer's. I was told by the service writer to just drive it until it fails completely then warranty would replace it. I was given a loaner Explorer for a week and the shifting was not nearly as rough as mine. I also noticed a chemical smell coming from the air vents which was confirmed by the mechanic. Ford's response was it is a new car and it's probably just glue or something that should wear off. If it doesn't bring it back later. I paid a repair shop that specializes in A/C repairs and they used a freon sniffer and found that refrigerant was being released into the cabin of the vehicle and had discolored all the interior fabric surfaces. At the end two dealerships and Ford all said the vehicle is fine. Ended up trading it in last week. Ford really screwed up on the 2020 models

 

[blwnsmoke]

Best of luck with your new vehicle.

 

[peterk9]

I hope the new vehicle performs better for you.

Peter

 

[Kookoonest]

The ones that have issues are the ones vocal on here (and for good reason). However, there are lots of us out there that have had no issues and love the vehicle. Just be optimistic and address issues if they occur. I would bet you will be pleased. From what I understand, vehicles have been shipping direct for quite a while now with no "fixing" trips.

I’ve had my 2020 ST in for service so far with just over 5000 miles, keep in mind this year is a new design model there is going to be some issues I am sure Ford is working to fix them after al unhappy customers is the quickest path to failure. So far I’ve had issues with rain sensor for wipers replaced, passenger heated seat wasn’t working but when I took it in for service it had a mind of its own and started working for the technician, lol. Back up camera needs to bu either replaced or software updated ( large screen small picture, and fuzzy) all on order for the next visit to dealer. With that being said I’ve owned a 2013 Explorer and the two are totally different animals. The 2013 is a turtle, under powered. While the 2020 ST is a rabbit with lipstick lol. It is definitely a drivers car especially if you like gadgets and technical equipment. The wheels, brakes, and over sized rotors on the street package adds tremendous braking and handling needed for the power it puts out. The active steering is good but once again you have to love gadgets and be slightly technical to get the full benefit of it. The window motors are a huge improvement they are not strictly up and down they actual know when it is close to the end of travel to slow down and make a soft seal, good work to the engineers for this once.
Engine: the power of the engine is awesome with twin turbos, one minor draw is the “tapping” I was told by the dealer that it was because of the high performance engine injectors.
All in all I am very happy with my 2020 ST.
Now I am looking for black mud flaps with the red ST on the back of it, and I am weighing what would be better a hood deflector, if I can find one with the Explorer lettering already installed or a 3M front wrap to protect the hood from chips. My older hood I had it repainted from poor aluminum manufacturing as it bubbled from the inside out. I don’t think the 2020 will do it but nevertheless want to protect it.

 

[peterk9]

Just curious as to what the issue was with the rain-sensing wipers?
As for the camera, there is a service bulletin on that; List of Useful Threads - 6th Generation Ex and Aviator Recalls, TSB, FSA and SSM

Peter

 

[Nurse Goos]

Hi all. About a month ago I purchased a 2020 explorer limited. A couple days after I took it home I noticed a clink sound in the passenger side front wheel. Took it back to dealer and after a week of having my car they decided the noise was a strut. So they replaced that. Fast forward a couple weeks and the powertrain malfunction light comes on. And alerted my ford pass. Now I literally walk in the door after just having driven the car and I get an alert on ford pass saying deep sleep mode activated. I'm getting frustrated!

I've had to had my struts replaced too. I had to tell them the problem as they didn't figure out on my first service. Very frustrating

 

[peterk9]

I've had to had my struts replaced too. I had to tell them the problem as they didn't figure out on my first service. Very frustrating

Welcome to the Forum.

Peter