2020 Ford Expedition Problems, Recalls & Reliability
519 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2020 Ford Expedition, alongside 18 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 61,500 miles.
Typical
Where 2020 sits among all Expedition years
What owners report
“Transmission shifts from 3rd to 5th gear very hard and downshifts from 10th to 8th very hard also.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Expedition
“I was driving my Expedition and the sunroof exploded out of nowhere. I had the screen closed so no one was injured.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Expedition
“Transmission is slipping & failing. Why is this happening on a vehicle that is 4 years old”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Expedition
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and stalled, but independently regained motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Expedition
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V197000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Expedition
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 120 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 60,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 35,000 and 88,476 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (18)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Expedition vehicles. The chrome plating on the center console may bubble and peel, resulting in sharp edges.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the center consoles as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 16, 2026. Additional letters will be sent…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. A short circuit within the battery junction box can cause an engine fire while driving or parked.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary,…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023…
Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition and Navigator vehicles that were repaired incorrectly under recall 20V262. The Pre-Collision Assist features, such as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, are not functional…
Fix: Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these…
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract…
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions…
Fix: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
Fix: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus and Corsair vehicles. Due to a poor electrical connection, the rearview camera…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Remedy became available on February 1, 2021. Owner notification letters…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition vehicles. The seat belt tension sensor may incorrectly classify a child occupant as an adult.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The attachment bracket for the driver's side second-row seat headrest may not have been sufficiently welded to the seat frame. As such, these vehicles fail…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began July 8, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with camera-only Pre-Collision Assist feature. Vehicles built with the optional radar-plus-camera Pre-Collision Assist system are not affected. Due…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram software for the Body Control Module, Antilock Braking System, Instrument Panel Cluster and Headlamp Control Modules, and reset the Tire Pressure…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition vehicles. The front passenger seatbelt buckle's Belt Tension Sensor (BTS) may malfunction and may result in the seat occupant being misclassified.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle, free of charge. The recall began May 11, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
On September 23, 2020, Ford Motor Company (Ford) filed a noncompliance recall report under 49 CFR Part 573 (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-575), recalling 620,246 Model Year (MY) 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus…
Model years named: 2020
Led to recall campaign 25V197.
Technical service bulletins
176 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2020 Ford Expedition. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2020 Expedition TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2020 Ford Expedition reliable?
The 2020 Ford Expedition drew 519 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2020 Ford Expedition problems?
The top reported problems for the 2020 Ford Expedition are transmission & drivetrain (248 complaints), other (57), and engine (53).
At what mileage do 2020 Ford Expedition problems show up?
Owners most often report 2020 Ford Expedition problems around 60,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 35,000 and 88,476 miles.
Does the 2020 Ford Expedition have recalls?
18 recall campaigns apply to the 2020 Ford Expedition. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.