NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
My family and I were merging onto the highway when without warning, the automatic transmission bucked, making a loud thump sound, then it lost power nearly causing a severe accident. The transmission then began to hunt for gears, seemingly confused. It even cycled through 1st gear, my heart dropped, but luckily it did not engage 1st gear since that would have caused havoc at highway speeds. Afterwards, the vehicle regained some power but was suddenly limited to only two gears (5th and 9th). I immediately drove home, when entering my driveway the transmission could not engage reverse. Therefore I had to roll it in using forward momentum. I just had the vehicle serviced a few days ago because this issue happened before (not as severe). However, I was told the vehicle was operating fine and a leaky transmission pan was the culprit. After the transmission pan was replaced, I picked up the vehicle just yesterday (4/11/26), and this incident occurred today,(4/12/26). Please help, this transmission was rebuilt by Ford under warranty (60k mile powertrain warranty) just two years ago due to the notorious defects that have been ongoing. I contacted Ford corporate but they've refused to provide any help. This problem was confirmed by Ford corporate and the dealer, which led to the initial transmission rebuild (in 2024). However I fear this defect may not be repairable since the issue has returned and is more severe. I believe Ford was aware of this defect and did not disclose this information to me prior to buying. If I had known, I wouldn't have purchased this vehicle. Thank you for any support you could provide on this matter.
Transmission gear shifting isn’t smooth. This has been occurring for 50k miles. Often going into one low gear to the next will hear a “clunk” sound.
The vehicle has less than 95,000 miles on it. The vehicle was purchased with around 83,000 (11/15/2024) started having issues with the transmission around 85,000. The truck will go from 6th to 3rd or it may go from 10th to 1st while running a good speed down the highway or it pulls out fine then goes to neutral. This is a safety issue. There needs to be a recall made on this vehicle before it causes one of us to get hurt. Please have someone to investigate. We need this matter corrected and I do not feel it should be out of our pocket to correct it. Yes, we could trade it but we do not want someone else to get hurt. Seeing as how the dealership sold it to us knowing this was an issue I'm sure they would not fix it to sell it. No incident has occured at this time. I'm trying to be proactive in preventing that.
As I was driving my truck down the highway at 60 miles an hour, it tried to downshift to first gear several times. During that same time it lost several gears in the transmission. Ford is now replacing the transmission which is going to cost me a significant amount since the vehicle is just barely out of warranty. The truck did not have any prior warning lights or codes. It was hesitating to shift between gears occasionally for the last few thousand miles. This was an unsafe situation because the tires could have locked up and caused me to slide off the road at a high rate of speed. The dealer called after the diagnostic and essentially said "there's no way around it, this truck needs a whole new transmission and parts related to the transmission replacement.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
The vehicle just downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear on the freeway nearly causing a accident and it caused a blown transmission.
My transmission unexpectedly jumps gears and down shifts. My car just stopped getting any sort of power on the highway. All this with my children in the car. I was able to pull over safely, but it was extremely scary. I put the truck in park and then put it in drive and it started driving again. My ford f150 has under 80,000 miles on it. In my opinion this is a huge safety concern. A wrench popped up on my dash indicating that service was needed, but it has since gone away.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly slipped while changing gear, with the power train warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The transmission shifted unexpectedly from highway speed to first gear. The back wheels felt like they locked up and my passenger asked if we had been hit.
On March 3, 2026, I went in for two oil leaks. I received a call saying my truck was ready. I went to pick up my, drove off into the freeway. Everything was running smoothly until the anti-braking system turned on, cutting off power to my brakes. I was in the second to the last lane, luckily I was able to get to the last lane. I was almost hit and almost caused a huge accident. The dealership has offered to review the truck again. I paid close to six thousand dollars and it wasn’t for my brakes. I want my money back.
TRANSMISSION AT VARIOUS TIMES HAS A VERY HARD DROP TO A LOWER GEAR, TO THE POINT WHERE IT WILL DROP FROM A HIGH GEAR TO A LOWE GEAR SKIPPING THE MIDDLE GEARS AND THE TRANSMISSION/DRIVESHAFT SERIOUSLY BANGS WHEN IT DOES THIS.
My truck down shifted from seventh gear all the way down to first, making rev really high and slow down all the sudden. I was doing 50 mph
The vehicle transmission is slamming when the vehicle decelerates. I can feel the jerking in the vehicle. I am concerned the transmission will fail while operating the vehicle resulting in a crash. This is the second time I have had this issue. It was repaired once by the Ford dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone for this occurrence. It has in the past for the same occurrence. There were no warnings prior to the occurrence. This is the second occurrence in several years. The current occurrence began on February 16, 2026.
2020 F150 with only 63000 miles has a failed transmission. The truck doesn't shift gears properly, gets stuck in gears, loses power suddenly. This is a huge safety risk as the vehicle just stops accelerating or working when driving. This clearly endangers me and other drivers. Ford refuses to pay even though their check engine light gave a TRANSMISSION/POWER FAILURE alert and the Ford dealership inspected it and their diagnosis is: REPLACE COMPLETE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. HAS INTERNAL CDF DRUM BUSHING FAILURE. This is an ongoing issue with these 10 speed transmissions on these F150s. There are several class action lawsuits against Ford over these 10R80 transmissions. Ford is not only refusing to recall these dangerous vehicles but also refusing to pay to cover the repairs on transmissions they've known are defect.
I bought a 2020 Ford F150 XL with 83,000 miles on 27 JAN 2026 from a local Phil long Kia dealership. I started to notice that the shifting was very harsh immediately after buying the truck and that the transmission was dropping the gear when I was driving at stoplights and even when I was entering an intersection almost causing an accident. I notice the issue more at slow speeds and in lower gears. Today is 19 FEB 2026. I brought the truck to a local ford dealership and they told me that the transmission needs to be replaced.
I was driving to work at 5am on Friday, and my back window blew out for no reason. Sounded like a gun shot. Knocked me right off the road. Noone was near me and nothing hit it. The power window box looks burnt, but when I took it to the dealer, they said no without even going out to look at it, but from looking at all of the complaints there have been multiple complaints with this. Please help me with this situation, I have the premium package warranty, but it doesn't cover it. I paid over 4,000 dollars for the premium package, Thank you [XXX] [XXX] 6105132864 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving my F-150 I made a turn and when I went to accelerate again, the truck acted like it was in neutral - would not go. Engine continued to run but would not accelerate. A second car was directly behind me and almost rear-ended me when truck failed to move. Pulled over, tried low gear and reverse and nothing happened. Transmission is shot. Currently in for a rebuild. This is the Ford 10-speed trans, which has been known to fail. I only have 33,000 miles on the vehicle. Could've been much more dangerous had I been on the freeway when it failed.
There is a terrible noise during startup and it appears to be the same cam phaser issue that many Ford F150 owners are experiencing. I think it's been going on for awhile but I generally remote start it so it can warm up a bit before I jump in and go. Within the last week I remote started it when I was close by and the noise is not good. It sounds like the motor is ready to blow for a few seconds then goes away.
While driving the truck automatically down shifted. If I drove move 20 MP it would shift. The truck would not go into reverse, the gear was stuck. I had to turn if off and then turn it back on then It let me shift the gears. On the dashboard the wrench and other indicators lit up on the dashboard.
Back up camera is defective. Known issue of poor solder joints. Camera is now inoperable. Began as an occasional disconnect. Then camera works. Ford claims no issues however it’s know to be a problem on this series within owners group.
Transmission has hard shifting, skips 2nd gear and sometimes will downshift out of 10th gear.
Vehicle was purchased certified pre-owned from dealer at around 35k miles. Currently around 65k miles. Complete loss of power at 45 miles an hour. Truck shifted from 7th gear to 1st in a split second and brought the truck to a complete stop. Luckily able to pull onto shoulder to avoid getting rear ended from car behind. Decent maintenance records with dealer, no prior issues with transmission other than some rough shifting before this issue. Vehicle was dropped at dealer on 2-5-26, have not received any type of feedback or updated since dated 2-8-26. I know there is a current TSB on these transmissions, I believe they are defective based on other reports and my personal experience. Complete safety danger, 45 to 0 in under 2 seconds.
Transmission erratic shifting causes unsafe vehicle handling characteristics. Vehicle will not properly accelerate under certain circumstances. Occasionally in parking lots, vehicle will accelerate on its own after throttle is released under certain conditions. Transmission has been replaced several times, and issue persists in all units. Problems are reported in TSB’s sent out by dealerships.
The blinkers, when you're making a turn does not turn off, it actually turns the blinker onto the opposite side.
I am writing to provide supplemental information regarding my existing safety complaints (IDs XXXand XXX). This update concerns a documented failure by Ford’s authorized dealer network to perform mandated Customer Satisfaction Programs (CSPs) that directly correlate to the catastrophic powertrain failures I have experienced. Timeline and Documentation of Failure: • August & September 2025: As previously reported, my vehicle suffered sudden "Reduced Power" malfunctions while in motion (P0734/P07F7), leading to a full transmission replacement. Discovery of Non-Disclosure: My records now confirm that on November 11, 2022—just weeks before I purchased this vehicle as a Ford Blue Advantage Gold Certified unit—CrossRoads Ford (Dunn, NC) documented that 21N03 (Cam Phasers), 21N08 (PCM Reprogram), and 21M06 (Tailgate) were outstanding. • Breach of Duty: Despite this knowledge, the dealership sold me the vehicle on December 3, 2022, without completing these safety-related service actions. Furthermore, as the registered owner, I never received the required notification from Ford Motor Company regarding the 21B10 program or its supplements. Safety Implication: The failure to apply the 21B10/21N08 updates directly contributed to the mechanical failure of the cam phasers and transmission. This resulted in the vehicle entering "Limp Mode" during highway operation, creating a severe risk of rear-end collisions due to the sudden loss of motive power. I request that these facts be added to my existing case files. The lack of manufacturer oversight regarding "Certified" vehicle standards has resulted in a vehicle that was represented as safe and fully maintained while actually harboring known, unaddressed mechanical defects.INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Wiper blades are going very slow/failing like other model years/recalls.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate as intended. After a while, the vehicle accelerated, but the acceleration was delayed. The wrench warning light illuminated, and the contact received a notification from the Ford App with the message “Powertrain Power Reduced”. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,244.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to shift into third gear, the vehicle started shaking abnormally, and the gear shift was difficult to engage, causing the transmission to shift hard. The contact stated that at faster speeds, while attempting to shift into seventh gear, there was a delayed response. The powertrain fault warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 23-2123 (Harsh/Delayed Engagement And/or Harsh/Delayed Shift); however, the VIN was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.
The transmission exhibits violent, harsh shifting, sudden and unpredictable deceleration, and most alarmingly, abrupt downshifting from 10th gear to 1st gear while driving at highway speeds. This is not a minor drivability issue — it is a severe safety defect that places my life, my passengers, and other drivers at risk.
Front passenger door lock will not function. the lock does not lock or unlock with the key fob or the interior door lock controls.
Transmission (10r80) down shifts hard and shifts hard between 3-4 and 7-8 gears. And front differential makes a noise.
Transmission shifted from 10th gear to 1st gear at highway speed. Transmission was rebuilt by ford, and is again exhibiting poor/harsh shifting.
Transmission is stalling, jerking, skipping gears and slipping. I have talked to the dealership several times about the transmission slamming really hard in 4th and 8th gear. They would tell me it’s just trying to find the right gear to be in, your battery is causing it or it needs to be reprogrammed. There has never been any warning lights. This truck has spent over 4 months in the shop for drive train issues. New rear end, new drive shaft and a vibration that has never gone away.
I HAVE OWNED THIS TRUCK AT AROUND 38000 MILES UNTIL NOW AT ~63,000 MILES. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE TRUCK ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION BEING UNPREDICTABLE. AT AROUND 50,000 MILES I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SHIFTING POORLY, NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR, JUMPING GEARS. THEY LOOKED AT IT, SAID IT HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSFER CASE BUT NOT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY REPLACED A COUPLE PARTS. THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY. I CALLED AT AROUND 59,000 MILES ABOUT SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION NOT GOING INTO GEAR AND JUMPING GEARS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV. BY THE TIME I BROUGHT IT WITH THEIR SCHEDULE, MY 60,000 MILE WARRANTY HAD RAN OUT. I'M NOW AT 63,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION IS WORSE THAN EVER, AND FORD WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP BLAIMS THE 10 GEAR TRANSMISSION WITH HOW IT IS ACTING, BUT MY ISSUES ARE MUCH WORSE THAN JUST A TROUBLED TRANSMISSION SERIES. WHILE DRIVING TO THE POST OFFICE TODAY, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE POST OFFICE, DRIVING ON THE ROAD, IT SHIFTED FROM ITS GEAR INTO A STEADY NEUTRAL ALL WHILE I WAS PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV AND WHEN IT FINALLY SLAMMED INTO THE NEXT GEAR, CAUSED THE TRUCK TO ROCKET FORWARD. IT QUICK ACCELERATION WITH THE NECK BREAKING JERK WAS DISTURBING.
10 speed TREMIC transmission, the same one covered by NHTSA #24V-208. Transmission hunts for gears, and has dropped from a high gear to first gear without warning. The advisory says that it could drop out of any gear to first gear without warning possibly causing a crash. For some reason, my vehicle with the same transmission and same problems is not covered by the recall.
Vehicle is showing symptoms similar to common reported problems from people who owned Ford F-150 with Eco-boost. Symptoms such as: Engine had difficulty starting Transmission shifting Rattling noises coming out from the engine compartment Oil leaks coming out the tail pipe Gauge is showing engine is over heating Turbo is having a hard time accelerating
My truck is a 2020 F150 3.5 eco-boost four-wheel-drive, 41,000 miles I’ve owned the truck since November 20th 2021, the mileage at time of purchase was 28,211. Less than 30 days later I had taken it to the Ford dealership to have the IWE’s replaced and wheel bearings, which is the four-wheel-drive locking hub assembly. It took them over six months to fix it. Now, December 1, 2025 the same problem has returned the IWE’s have failed, when they fail metal shavings goes into the wheel bearings. Mind you this is less than 13,000 miles since the first repair. Upon picking my truck up from Ford on a Friday afternoon at 5 PM, January 9, 2026. Upon start up now, my cam phases are rattling.. I even asked Ford. I lost over seven months of driving my pick up and not being able to use my warranty because it’s set up the dealership for so long. Now it’s out of warranty and I’ve left looking at over $6500 to fix the cam phaser issue that they knew was bad and they didn’t recall them. So as of today, January 11, 2026 my truck has 41,000 miles on it. I have driven it less than 13,000 miles in five years. And I’m not looking forward to having to fix the transmission as well because it has a major issue and that should’ve been recalled as well. Ford is leaving us hanging out there with these trucks that cost over $50,000 and in the end it’s gonna cost us another 20 to 30,000 to fix them. Ford still hasn’t fixed the recall that is presently out as well for the sync and back up camera.
Problematic transmission shifting with lower gears causing significant hard shifting and jerking motion while driving. The problem was confirmed by my local Ford dealership on 11/26/2025, who recommended an overhaul to the transmission and tear down to determine if further damage is present or if a new transmission is needed. There were no warning lamp indicators showing any earlier related matters.
The transmission has the potential to shift erratically most recently when crossing a divided highway, trying to get in them median, the truck switched gears, causing the truck to stop blocking oncoming traffic. It was only momentarily and shifted back to the correct gear. It has the potential to hard shift pretty consistently.
transmission unexpectedly downshifting to first gear at speed. It sounds like shift cable locking clip problem.
Transmission failed. Pulling into traffic the transmission failed to shift from first gear into second, instead not going into any gear at all, putting my entire family at risk of being struck by oncoming traffic! Engine revved and truck would not move. Then suddenly shifts into third gear jerking violently. Currently in shop for transmission replacement. After a bit of research I found that this is a common issue with the transmission.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH on the interstate, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated to 2 MPH. The messages to “Schedule Maintenance” and “Powertrain - Reduced Power” were displayed on the instrument panel and the Mobile App on the cellphone, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and researched the failure. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the dealer would be contacted, and then the contact would receive a callback. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
Once the vehicle is in Drive and starts shifting through the gears, the truck losses all acceleration for 3-5 seconds and then experiences a harsh shift into gear. This causes the vehicle to "stall" in intersections and other hazardous locations if it does not shift properly. The 2020 F150 3.5 ecoBoost has been serviced at local Ford dealerships since bought. Most recently, it was taken into a Ford dealership for routine oil change, transmission fluid change, spark plugs and coils, and 100K inspection due to the vehicle being at 94K miles. I advised the service technician of the concern for the shifting issue that started between the last oil change, which got significantly worse during day-to-day operation.
Extremely loud electrical POP followed by loud static
Oil consumption takes several quarts of oil before next oil change. Erratic and harsh shifting and sudden hard downshifts.
Three separate times vehicle shuttering and jerked, and wouldn’t engage into certain gears left my son and I stranded on the freeway. Unable to drive, it started and drove fine hours later after it cooled. Weeks after this happened leaking fluid, overheating, and unable to shift into gear. Shop said it fried 3 gears. Currently having to replace the entire trans which costs half of what the vehicle is worth.
Truck was traveling at 30 mph and slowing down for stop sign and shifted from 4 th gear to 3rd gear so hard the trucks engine turned off and had to come to a stop and shift into park to turn truck off and back on again. Truck was traveling at 30 mph and slowing down for stop sign
At around 61,000 miles my transmission started having a shuttering noise and had a harsh jerky shift from 3rd to 5th when vehicle was recently started up for the first time of the day. multiple TSB's on Ford's website for this issue including the latest TSB 25-2301. It appears that the interior drum has failed which has been a known issue. Dealer states $6219.87 to repair the transmission. CDF TSB, replace the valve body, and reprogram the PCM.
While driving, my 2020 Ford F-150 suddenly displayed a warning on the dashboard that read “Steering Assist Fault – Service Req’d.” Moments later, the truck completely lost power steering, and the steering wheel began to lock up while the vehicle was still in motion. I, (the owner of the vehicle), was able to muscle the steering wheel just enough to safely get us off the road and home. Had he not had the physical strength and experience to manage the vehicle manually, this could have resulted in a major accident or fatality. The truck was towed to Duval Ford on October 13, 2025, where it was diagnosed as needing an electronic power steering rack replacement, with a total repair estimate of $4,049.70. The vehicle is not under warranty, and Ford has informed us there is no recall currently associated with this issue. This is a critical safety failure of a steering system and should not be happening at any mileage. We are reporting this incident to request a formal NHTSA investigation into this issue, as it could easily lead to severe injuries or death in other cases.
My rear back up camera all of a sudden does not have a clear view when backing up, the view is very grainy, and you cannot see anything behind you, Ford has recalled 1.4 million back up camera's and is tell me my truck is not affected, but the same year trucks are also affected by the recall.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026