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2020 Ford Explorer: Transmission Complaints and Repeat Recalls

The 2020 Explorer, the first year of the redesign, draws far more transmission complaints than the years around it. As of October 29, 2026, 300 NHTSA complaints for 2020 describe shifting problems or transmission failure, 24.1% of all its complaints, against 6.3% for 2019 and 7.5% for 2021. Its rear-axle bolt recall has also been reissued twice, so check every campaign on the VIN, not just the first.

Published · Data checked · By CarTold Editorial Team · Methodology

On this page
  1. Key findings
  2. The evidence
  3. The details
  4. What to check before buying
  5. Limitations
  6. Sources and methodology
  7. Related reports and tools
  8. Sources

Key findings

  • 300 transmission complaints for 2020 and 34 for 2021, against 19 for 2019.
  • Of the 334 for 2020-2021, 104 (31%) say the transmission was replaced or rebuilt, or that a shop said it needed to be. 51 (15%) describe a sudden loss of drive or the transmission slipping into neutral.
  • 38 2020 reports describe a hard downshift while slowing, a few naming the 7-6 shift that Ford's bulletins describe for early-built 2020 models.
  • Half of these reports (165 of 334) were filed in 2025 or 2026, so many failures are surfacing at higher mileage.
  • The rear-axle bolt fix has gone through four recall numbers from 2022 to 2025. 42 separate complaints for 2020-2021 describe axle-bolt or driveshaft trouble.

The evidence

YearReportsShare of all complaints
201919 of 3006.3%
2020300 of 1,24624.1%
202134 of 4557.5%

The rear-axle recall chain, as described in NHTSA's recall records (paraphrased):

FiledRecallWhat changed
Apr 202222V-255252,936 2020-2022 Explorers: rear axle mounting bolt may break and let the driveshaft disconnect. Depending on version, dealers replaced the bushing and axle cover, or updated parking-brake software
Mar 202323V-199674 vehicles: the software update done under 22V-255 left out the automatic parking-brake feature
Oct 202323V-675238,364 2020-2022 Explorers: dealers replace the subframe bushing and bolt and inspect the axle cover
Mar 202525V-1664,247 vehicles repaired incorrectly under 23V-199 or 22V-255: new PCM update

Transmission recalls and bulletins for the 2020 Explorer:

DateDocumentWhat it covers
Aug 2019Recall 19V-575Some 2020 Explorers left the factory in factory mode or without the manual park release cover
Sep 2020TSB 20-23052020 10R60 built by May 19, 2020: harsh 7-6 downshift from a dislodged snap ring; replace front support and A clutch
Nov 2020TSB 20-2403Harsh or delayed engagement and shifts from sticking valve-body valves; Ford says most improve within the first 5,000 miles
Feb 2023Recall 23V-0693,674 2.3L 10R60 Explorers: a PCM reset while moving can damage the park system
May 2023TSB 23-2120Momentary neutral-out in Drive from a park valve circuit leak; new separator plate
Jun 2023TSB 23-21762.3L 10R60: delayed reverse engagement; PCM reprogram
Jun 2026Recall 26V-4022020-2021 Explorer included: park pawl may engage while moving; remedy pending as of the interim letters

The details

A launch-year story. Ford redesigned the Explorer for 2020, its first full redesign since the 2011 model year, switching from front- to rear-wheel drive with new engines and transmissions (AP). Ford's bulletins identify those transmissions as the 10-speed 10R60 and 10R80. The 2019 is the last of the old design, and its transmission complaint share is a quarter of the 2020's. By 2021 the share is back near the 2019 level, which points to early-production problems rather than the design as a whole.

Ford's bulletins track the complaints. Several bulletins set a build-date cutoff in 2020. The 7-6 downshift bulletin covers trucks built on or before May 19, 2020. Owners describe the same things in the same order: clunky downshifts while slowing, delayed engagement, then in some cases a sudden loss of drive. Some name the snap ring or the bulletin number their dealer gave them.

Recall work that needed redoing. Under the first rear-axle recall, some versions got a hardware repair and others a parking-brake software update. The software update was found incomplete on some vehicles in 2023. A second hardware campaign for the subframe bushing and bolt followed later that year, and in 2025 Ford recalled vehicles whose earlier repairs had been done incorrectly. We read the axle-bolt complaints that mention earlier recall work, and at least four describe a bolt or related failure after the repair.

What to check before buying

  1. Prefer a later build or a later year. If you are set on a 2020, check the build date on the door-jamb label. Several bulletins cover only cars built by May 2020.
  2. Check all four axle recalls on the VIN. NHTSA's lookup shows open recalls. Ask a Ford dealer for the completed list too, because a car can show 22V-255 as done and still need 23V-675 or 25V-166.
  3. Ask about 26V-402. It covers 2020-2021 Explorers, and its remedy was still pending when the interim letters went out in July 2026.
  4. Get the transmission history in writing. Valve body, snap-ring or A-clutch repairs, or a replaced transmission, are worth knowing about.
  5. Test drive for the known symptoms. Coast down from about 45 mph and feel for a bang on the downshift. Shift from Park to Reverse and Drive and time the engagement. Accelerate from a stop several times.
  6. Listen at the rear. A clunk from the back when pulling away can point to the axle mounting. Ask a mechanic to inspect the bolt and bushing on a lift.

Limitations

Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed defects. We read 60 randomly chosen matched 2020-2021 reports by hand. 56 (93%) described a genuine transmission problem. That sample came after we tightened the pattern on an earlier sample. The replacement tag was right in 13 of 15 sample reports that had it, and the loss-of-drive tag in 8 of 10. The 7-6 downshift tag was not hand-checked. The 2019 and 2020 Explorers are different designs sold in different volumes, so the comparison is a signal, not a failure rate. Recall unit counts are Ford's estimates as filed with NHTSA.

Sources and methodology

Queried from CarTold's copy of NHTSA complaint, recall and manufacturer-communication records on October 29, 2026. A complaint is counted when it mentions the transmission, shifting or gears with a symptom such as harsh, delayed or erratic shifting, slipping, neutral, a hard downshift or a failed transmission. Reports mainly about the rear axle, backup camera or a seat-belt extender are excluded and counted separately. Each complaint is counted once, by its ODI number.

Accuracy check. A first sample of 60 showed too many axle and recall-notice reports, so we split those out. A fresh sample of 60 then scored 56 correct. Recall details come from NHTSA's recall records and bulletin details from Ford documents published by NHTSA.

Sources