2020 Ford F-150 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
886 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2020 Ford F-150, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 20/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 59,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2020 Ford F-150 has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2020 sits among all F-150 years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle decelerated with an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
“Backup camera fails to work within days of truck purchase. Driver's side door lock does not engage with remote. Works only with key to access or lock. Estimated repair times given are weeks vs days. Unacceptable.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
“The power tailgate opened and dropped down, on its own, while driving the truck, approximately 45mph.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V250000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
“Truck had two error messages. 1. Front camera malfunction service needed 2. Forward collision error”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 F-150
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 267 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 40,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 6,650 and 79,600 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully…
Fix: ,Dealers will reprogram the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…
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 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 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 F-150 vehicles. An incorrect attachment nut may have been used to attach the battery positive (B+) power supply cable to the starter motor, possibly affecting the electrical conductivity, resulting in…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the starter motor B+ power supply attachment nut, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
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 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number…
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 rim.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the spare tire, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for…
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 (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the…
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
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 F-150 reliable?
The 2020 Ford F-150 drew 886 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 20/100, scored against the model's worst year (1997).
What are the most common 2020 Ford F-150 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2020 Ford F-150 are transmission & drivetrain (337 complaints), engine (135), and electrical (87).
At what mileage do 2020 Ford F-150 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2020 Ford F-150 problems around 40,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 6,650 and 79,600 miles.
Does the 2020 Ford F-150 have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2020 Ford F-150. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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.