Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2020 Ford F-150: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 539 safety complaints about the 2020 Ford F-150 with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

539
Complaints
11
Recalls
4★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 17 crashes, 3 fires, 15 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 231 of 539 complaints, followed by Engine & cooling.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 41 of the 539 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 4 years after the model year (124 filed in 2024) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. One recall is a do-over. NHTSA records show recall repairs that were previously performed incorrectly — worth a VIN check even if you had recall work done.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2020 Ford F-150, power train / transmission issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 539 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
231
Engine & cooling
107
Electrical
69
Other / unspecified
64
Visibility & lighting
62
Driver assistance
35
Body & structure
30
Brakes & stability
20

"Transmission shifted from 4th to 1st while driving a steady 25 mph, then lost all forward drive, the transmission slips, then will slam into gear. I parked it for two weeks until I could get it to the shop. Driving it to the Ford dealer today (2 September 2026) I had to stop the vehicle twice because the transmission was doing the same thing. Currently have 70K miles on it."

Owner complaint filed September 2026 · Power Train · NHTSA ODI 11761679

"While driving I will get a wrench symbol with a bunch of codes pop up u0121:00:28 u0131:00:28 u0137:00:28 u0164:00:28 u0199:00:28 u0200:00:28 u0212:00:28 u0252:00:28 u0256:00:28 u1012:00:28 p0557:00:28 p1935:00:68 p193e:00:28 I have also had it jerk while driving ( went down into first gear) while having no power to my gauge cluster ac nothing"

Owner complaint filed August 2026 · Power Train,Electrical System · NHTSA ODI 11758824

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2020 Ford F-150 inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 4 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2020 Ford F-150
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
47
65
61
89
124
120
33
20212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2020 compares with other model years

Across the Ford F-150 model years we track, the 2013 has the most complaints on file (2,796); the 2020 ranks 12 of 12.

Total complaints by model year — Ford F-150
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
850
2,137
1,717
2,796
1,362
1,425
1,737
1,109
1,891
989
2020
539
997
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 11 recalls, including a do-over

11 recalls apply to some or all 2020 Ford F-150 vehicles. Note the flagged campaign: it covers vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Aug 201919V-633
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

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 i…

Nov 201919V-805
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery:Cables

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 bra…

Dec 201919V-903
Tires:Bead

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.

Feb 202020V-097
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

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 …

Apr 202020V-197
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

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…

Aug 202020V-467
Electrical System:Starter Assembly

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.

Sep 202020V-575
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

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 disto…

Apr 202222V-250
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Linkages

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.

Nov 202424V-852
Equipment:Other:Labels

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 …

Jun 202525V-442
Back Over Prevention:Software

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, 2021-20…

Jun 202626V-373Repair done incorrectly
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

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 …

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★☆
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2020 Ford F-150 have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 539 complaints about the 2020 Ford F-150 with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2020 Ford F-150 have?

The 2020 Ford F-150 has 11 NHTSA recalls on file. One recall reopens earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2020 Ford F-150 safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2020 Ford F-150 an overall crash rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.