What owners reported to NHTSA about the 2020 Ford F-150, its recalls, and what to check before you buy one.

Owners filed about 55% fewer complaints than a typical F-150 year. The area owners reported most is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 59,000 miles.
Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other F-150 years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
Owners have filed 745 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Ford F-150. The most reported problem area is the transmission and drivetrain (363, 49% of complaints), followed by the engine and cooling and the electrical system. That ranks 10th of 13 F-150 years from 2012 to 2024 for complaints. It has 11 recalls.
8 of these complaints came from Utah owners.
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Start my car searchProblem areas ranked by how many complaints mention them. One complaint can name more than one area. Open an area to see what to check on a 2020 Ford F-150 before you buy.
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 59,000 miles.
It will lose all power sometimes during 1-2 or 1-3 shift and not complete the shift causing you to be powerless in front of oncoming traffic while turning left on green across traffic. Then eventually slams into gear violently. This last time was not the first but two of my kids were in the truck this time. I have not had it to the…Owner complaint, filed 2026
I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2020 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly lost power engine revved up and started to buck . This occurred while I was going down the coastal range pass while towing my boat, creating a…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 55,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after the check engine warning light illuminated on two occasions, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the catalytic converters were replaced under warranty. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken back…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 30,000 miles
Brought my 2020 Ford F150 2.7L EcoBoost in for mandatory emissions recall 24E12. Vehicle had zero dashboard lights or performance issues prior. Immediately upon completion of the PCM flash, the check engine light activated. When the truck was scanned I am now receiving a P0420 and P0430 catalytic converter efficiency codes. The…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 4,000 miles.
Passenger side and passenger side rear door sensors say the door is a jar even though it’s not. Opened and closed doors numerous times to make the warning message go away. Seems water or something gets in the sensors, causing the faulty sensors to go off doors will not lock and makes the alarm system go off randomly.Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable, and the audible alerts failed to operate as needed. The start-of-trip and seat belt chime failed to operate while the seat belt was unbuckled. Additionally, there was no chime while the key was in the ignition or while the door was opened. The vehicle…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 176,792 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 20,000 miles. Parts named most: Sun / moon roof assembly (6).
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.Owner complaint, filed 2025
Windshield wipers not working properly. Wipers barely move, then seize up. No warning. Requires manual help/ movement by hand to get them to return to the bottom of windscreen. Was pouring rain and could not see out of windshield on the highway. I have not taken the vehicle to service yet - but this appears to be a widespread complaint…Owner complaint, filed 2025
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 42,000 miles. Parts named most: Warnings (19), Adaptive cruise control (7), Automatic emergency braking (6).
This vehicle has occasional issues where the vehicle camera freezes and blacks out when backing up. This vehicle has a similar issue to another recall that was issued on a newer vehicle in our fleet, which was a 2022 Ford F-150 and was included in the NHTSA Recall 25V315/Safety Recall Notice 25S49. This vehicle has been regularly…Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V442000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen or occasionally failed to activate while shifted into reverse(R). The…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 91,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 12,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (14).
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed water leaking from the top of the vehicle located near the microphone and the sunroof control area. The contact noticed water leaking from the area while it was raining. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 100,963 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon attempting to enter the vehicle he found the driver's side door nearly impossible to open. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the driver-side door actuator. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 40,000 miles
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 30,000 miles.
I put my truck in reverse to get out of a driveway and it kept going and accelerating...the brakes did not work. I ended up goign through a fence at the end of the street and into a shed and my truck finally stopped. I have significant damage to my truck as well as to the homeowners property...the Police classified it as equipment…Owner complaint, filed 2026
The brake line on the front passenger side was rubbing and failed. We were put at risk because the brakes lost fluid. We have had 4 identical vehicles with the same issue, 3 failed and 1 was replaced before failure. Not to my knowledge has it been inspected other than a dealership and tech. There were no warning lights.Owner complaint, filed 2026
Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 23,000 miles.
While overtaking another vehicle on a 2-lane highway, the accelerator pedal broke and would not allow me to accelerate. Shortly after this, the vehicle I overtook had caught up, and I was forced to move back behind them in heavy traffic as there was also oncoming traffic. With no accelerator, I had to pull off to the side of the highway.…Owner complaint, filed 2025
The Transmission has failed. Hard shifting, random gear switching while driving at any speed. i put it in reverse and it went forward while in reverse. it slows itself down while on the highway. it acts like it wants to turn off while running, its a matter of time before I'm driving down the road and it decides to stop suddenly and cause…Owner complaint, filed 2026
Noticed significant gasoline leak under fuel tank when the engine was running. From the ground, looked up and saw that fuel was leaking from a black fuel hose originating at the top of fuel tank and directed going toward the engine. The fuel hose had dropped below the top of the truck frame and chaffed against a frame mounting point…Owner complaint, filed 2023
On 8/26/22 I smelled gas after parking 2020 F150 with ~ 33,000 miles. I had filled the tank the previous day ( <20 miles driven since that time). I was in a marina parking lot at that point and dismissed the smell as perhaps someone spilling some fuel from a portable gas tank. Upon arriving home I again smelled a strong odor of gas and…Owner complaint, filed 2022
My [XXX] son was at a stop light and when the light turned green he started to turn left. As he was turning left, the steering wheel started to pull left to the point that he couldn't steer it back, almost as if it was stuck and kept pulling left. He fought with it and tried to press the break. This caused him to hit the center median of…Owner complaint, filed 2026
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…Owner complaint, filed 2025
On XXX, while the vehicle was parked and not in use, the passenger-side front coil spring abruptly fractured, causing the front passenger side of the vehicle to drop onto the tire. The failure also damaged additional components. The vehicle and failed component are currently located at Hines Park Ford in [XXX], and are available for…Owner complaint, filed 2026
2020 Ford F-150 Raptor supercab with 47,500 miles. Front right coil spring broke into several pieces while sitting in the driveway. Rust on one half of the piece that fell on the driveway indicates rust coating failed and caused the initial break in the coil spring. The way the coil spring broke and the vehicle lost ride height could…Owner complaint, filed 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the front driver’s side air bag cover was cracked along the seem of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the horn was honked, and the front driver’s side air bag cover fractured. No warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the air bag cover on the steering wheel was cracked. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the cover was replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that…Owner complaint, filed 2023
I have inflatable seat belts on the rear seats. The buckles fall down into the seat making it difficult to fasten the seat belts. They were replaced under warranty for this concern. After a week they started to fall into the seat again.Owner complaint, filed 2023
My 2020 ford f-150 crew cab xlt with 38000 miles had a seat failure on may 05, 2021 when I hit a pothole on I-75 near lexington ky while traveling 70 miles per hour. I could eaisly see over steering wheel with my 5'2" height since our purchase of this family hauler vehicle many months ago. At the impact of small pothole the seat dropped…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the local dealer for routine maintenance and tire rotation, the mechanic discovered that the lug nuts on all four wheels had swollen and could not be removed from the wheel studs. The contact was informed that the lug nuts needed to be removed from the…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the lug nuts on the vehicle were frozen. The contact was informed that the base was swollen, preventing the lug wrench from being able to remove the lug nuts. The contact stated that…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 57,023 miles
Compare the 2020 with other years before you choose one. Tap a year to see its problems.
Each car is rated against its own other years, since popular models always get more complaints than rare ones.
| Car | Vs. its other years | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Ford F-150 | One of the better years | 11 |
| 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | About average | 12 |
| 2020 Ram 1500 | One of the better years | 14 |
| 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 | About average | 12 |
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 bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
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 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
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 vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
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.
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 may intermittently display a blank or distorted image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
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 excess heat and electrical arcing.
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 seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
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 Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
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.
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 such as instrument panel displays and braking or steering assist. The engine could also stall.
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 front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
The most reported problem areas on the 2020 Ford F-150 are the transmission and drivetrain (363 complaints), the engine and cooling (139 complaints) and the electrical system (89 complaints).
One of the better F-150 years. Owners filed about 55% fewer complaints than a typical F-150 year. The area owners reported most is the transmission and drivetrain, which half of owners reported by about 59,000 miles. Based on owner complaints to NHTSA, compared with other F-150 years from 2012 to 2024. A good year can still be a bad car, so check the one you are looking at.
NHTSA lists 11 recalls for the 2020 Ford F-150. The most recent, from Jun 2026, covers the headlights. Recalls cover the whole model year, so check the VIN of the car you are looking at to see which are still open.
Half of the owners who reported a problem with the transmission and drivetrain gave a mileage of about 59,000 miles or less. Half of the owners who reported a problem with the engine and cooling gave a mileage of about 55,000 miles or less. Plenty of cars have these problems later or never, so ask for service records.
The F-150 years with the most complaints compared with the rest are 2013. Years with clearly fewer complaints are 2020 and 2021. Years from 2022 on are too new to rate fairly yet.
These problems are for the model year as a whole. Here is how to find out about the one you are looking at.
We inspect the car with a scan tool and paint gauge, read the history report and tell you whether it is worth the asking price, before you hand over any money.