Problems · NHTSA complaints
2020 Ford F-150 problems
Owners filed 562 complaints about the 2020 Ford F-150 with NHTSA between May 2020 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is power train (242).
Complaints
562
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
19
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
17
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train242
- Engine103
- Electrical system72
- Visibility38
- Visibility/wiper21
- Forward collision avoidance21
- Structure19
- Service brakes16
- Vehicle speed control13
- Back over prevention13
- Engine and engine cooling11
- Suspension10
- Latches/locks/linkages10
- Fuel/propulsion system10
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
47
65
61
89
124
120
56
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 47 |
| 2021 | 65 |
| 2022 | 61 |
| 2023 | 89 |
| 2024 | 124 |
| 2025 | 120 |
| 2026 | 56 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
242 reports6 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“Transmission has hard/harsh shifts and delayed gear engagement that began around 56,000 miles and have become much worse at 68,000 miles. The delay in engagement when accelerating from a stop, pulling into traffic or merging is a safety concern. A Ford dealer performed a transmission adaptive relearn and software update, but the symptoms continued. The dealer did not verify hydraulic leakage or perform the full diagnostic described in Ford TSB 25-2126 (MC-11016931-0001, harsh/delayed shifts on 2017-2020 F-150), and the only recommendation was to replace the entire transmission at roughly $5,000 after the powertrain warranty expired at 60,000 miles. The incident date entered is today because the symptoms are ongoing and progressive: they developed gradually since about 56,000 miles and are heading toward ultimate transmission failure. Safety concerns: hesitation and delayed engagement when pulling into or merging with traffic, the truck possibly rolling back when engaged on hills, and loss of reliable power on hills.”
Engine
103 reports3 fires
“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 an accident. I got it diagnosed by truck works garage and they confirmed that the shifting was all over the place with random high rpms. The dealership quoted me $2500 just to diagnose the problem so i had it diagnosed at truck works garage for $160 to confirm the issues matched the tsb's and recalls that they wont acknowledge my VIN for. The failure 1st appeared 5 years ago when i was under warranty, i took it in (and have the work order still dated 10/22/202) for hard shifting and they brushed me off and sent me away with false information about the cause. 5 years ago (25 days before i brought it in for the hard shifting) there was a tsb 21-2315 published for the exact issue on my truck, They ignored it and sent me away without fixing anything or addressing the issues.”
Electrical system
72 reports1 crash1 fire2 related recalls
“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.”
Visibility
38 reports1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, rainwater leaked into the cabin of the vehicle from the sunroof assembly because the sunroof failed to properly close. The vehicle to taken to the local dealer who removed debris from the sunroof tracks. After retrieving the vehicle, the contact discovered that rainwater was still leaking into the vehicle from the sunroof. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who advised that the sunroof assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under the Manufacturer's Extended Warranty coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.”
Visibility/wiper
21 reports
“I have noticed that my turn signal lights work sometimes, and sometimes they give me the rapid-fire warning light indicating that one of them is out (front or back). The outage may or may not last the entire duration of when the turn signal is deployed - sometimes it fixes itself, and other times it remains out. Sometimes, it even fixes itself and goes back out in the same signal instance. Additionally, I have noticed that one or both of the headlights will sometimes fail. I have learned to turn on the fog lights in order to ensure some sort of light remains working to illuminate my path forward. I've not yet experienced the fog lights going out as they seem to be unaffected by the intermittent outages. If it wasn't for this, I would have stopped driving at night altogether. I have already begun limiting my time on the road after dark, and attempting to handle anything that requires transportation earlier in the day. Please feel free to reach out with any additional questions, as I'd like to ensure this gets resolved for myself and any others ASAP!”
Forward collision avoidance
21 reports2 crashes
“After starting my 2020 Ford F150 for the last few months on the dash 2 warnings comes up, Front Camera Malfunction Service Required and Pre Collision Assist Not Available. These come on every time I start my truck. I did go to my local Ford dealer and told them these were coming on and they told me they never heard of that. I did have a mechanic do a scan on the truck and he came up with code 4300-49- AF which he said is an internal electronic failure. I have read that people have been having this same issue with their 2020 Ford F150s. I feel this is a safety issue that Ford should address. When system is not working it could lead to accidents which is why this would of been installed on vehicles. I have not had the issue fixed due to the fact the dealer told me they had never heard of this issue and would have to put it on a machine to see if they could even figure out the problem which could run into hundreds of dollars plus repairs and I am on a fixed income. Vehicle is available about any time to check this out.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.