2020 Ford Expedition: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
397 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2019 and 2020 Expedition, which score 42 and 41 on 481 and 397 owner complaints, both led by Power Train at 211 and 252. Buy a 2015, which scores 89 on 164 complaints with no safety-critical campaign, or a 2023 to 2025, which score 79, 73 and 73 on 71 or fewer complaints each; the 2018, 2021 and 2022 are CAUTION at 55, 63 and 65. Read the full note on the model page. 2020 specifically: this is one of the years the note above says to approach with care — 397 complaints on record, verdict AVOID.
Read the guide
Used full-size SUVs: Expedition, Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade years to avoid, including 2020 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 397 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 66.17
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Ford has a recall out for the Parking Prawl. I have experienced my car rolling forward after shifting into park. The vehicle proceeded to move about 5 feet before I hit the brake and the vehicle shut down. I restarted the vehicle, reversed back into my parking space, kept my foot on the brake until the vehicle was shut down. I have been using the Parking Brake ever since. Before this incident occurred, I have been no…
While highway driving, the transmission drops into neutral when accelerating and then jumps back to gear. This poses a huge safety risk when attempting to pass a vehicle because the car completely loses power. Dealership has looked at the transmission and acknowledges it is a “known issue”, but because it only happens sporadically, not a fix.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission attempted to shift into park but downshifted from third gear into first gear instead. No warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the parts to complete the recall repair were not available. The contact stated that the…
Recalls: 12 campaigns (5 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 20V197000 | 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 in a different gear than the gear shift position selected… |
| 20V262000 | Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with camera-only Pre-Collision Assist feature. Vehicles built with the optional radar-plus-camera Pre-Collision Assist system are not affected. |
| 24V852000 | 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. |
| 24V099000 | Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend. |
| 23V420000 | Equipment:Other:Owners/Service/Other Manual | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. |
| 22V250000 | 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. |
| 20V217000 | Seat Belts | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Expedition vehicles. The front passenger seatbelt buckle's Belt Tension Sensor (BTS) may malfunction and may result in the seat occupant being misclassified. |
| 25V197000 | Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a full-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 19 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,250
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Power Train252 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other54 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Engine51 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System35 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Seat Belts31 complaints · typical job: Pretensioner or retractor replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$800
- Structure17 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
Other Ford Expedition years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Ford Expedition?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (252 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2020 Ford Expedition a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 41/100, computed from 397 NHTSA complaints and 12 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2020 Ford Expedition's most common problem?
252 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2020 Ford Expedition sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2020 Ford Expedition cost to run per year?
About $6,017 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $30,085 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2020 Ford Expedition have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Ford Expedition, 5 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 03/04/2020. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other fullsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2020 Ford Expedition really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Strong evidence — 397 complaints, 12 recalls on record
- 397 NHTSA complaints on record (66.2/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (37.5/yr)
- 12 recall campaigns, 5 touching safety-critical systems