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2020 Ford Explorer Fuel System Problems

15 owner-reported fuel system complaints from NHTSA data

15
Complaints
2
Recalls
Jan 2024Aug 2023
Date Range

Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.

Fuel System Recalls (2)

RECALLCampaign #19V859000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. Over time, the protective sleeve on the vapor fuel line may chafe through the plastic liquid fuel line and cause a fuel leak.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a longer protective sleeve on the liquid fuel line, as necessary, free of charge. Ford issued owners and interim notification on January 29, 2020. Recall began March 23, 2020. A second notice will be sent once parts are available, expected to be late in the first quarter of 2020. A renotification letter was sent on July 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S49.

RECALLCampaign #20V730000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer vehicles equipped with 2.3L engines and 19 gallon fuel tanks. The fuel tank inlet check valve may not be fully welded to the fuel tank shell.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank shell, free of charge. The recall began December 8, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S68.

Owner Complaints (15)

mediumFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Filed: Jul 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was inspected using a scanner and provided an error code for the fuel pump module. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the high-pressure fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA #: 11675837
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jul 2025

There is hesitation when coming from a stop to accelerating there is a delay of power. This problem has been going on since we have had the car. It is safety issue especially when we accelerate to get onto the highway. It is very inconsistent. We recently took it in and found that an error code of P0496 the evaporator purge valve to be a problem. Not sure if this is a problem with other Fords like ours. So I thought you could investigate it for me. Thank you.

NHTSA #: 11675126
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Apr 2025

Fuel does not pump in correctly and causes spit back. The car has been taken into ford numerous times without a solution & parts have been replaced. The problem still exists. This causes gas to leak at the gas station as it doesn’t flow fast into the tank even on the lowest flow possible. You are also unable to move the nozzles around, in or out to make it work.

NHTSA #: 11654747
mediumFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Filed: Jul 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware of an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a relative who became aware that one of the fuel hoses was fractured. A local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

NHTSA #: 11605521
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jul 2024

Muffler tailpipe separated at the wield of the muffler

NHTSA #: 11600828
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jan 2024

Adding gas to my FORD EXPLORER 2020 Limited EcoBoost 4WD, is almost impossible. We just purchased this vehicle used in November 2023. No matter what gas station we use, no matter how slow we fill, the nozzle continuously clicks off every few seconds. We use the funnel that came with the vehicle & the gasoline consistently spills out along the side of the vehicle. The only way to get gas in the tank is with the funnel at the slowest fill possible. When the tank is on the fuller side, it sloshes around incredibly loud & there’s also a knocking sound on the driver side under the steering wheel area. I’ve looked online & have seen so many others that have these same issues. Took the car back to the dealership, they attempted to fill up the tank themselves and were just as confused as I was on how difficult it was to fill the tank.

NHTSA #: 11564819
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Aug 2023

Fuel gauge on electronic instrument panel shows empty at all times. Driver can run out of gas without warning. Vehicle OBDC shows fuel sensor fault, local dealer claims a faulty instrument cluster with very costly repair. No warnings before this happened. Just Fuel light coming on, check engine light coming on and fuel level showing Zero.

NHTSA #: 11536882
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jul 2023

There have been a few times when the gas pedal (accelerator) isn’t responsive. I have pressed the accelerator to the floor a few times and there has been a long delay in response from the engine and when it did respond it was at a lower rpm then expected when the pedal is to the floor. It has occurred when the vehicle is at a stop and the accelerator is pressed to hard. This has occurred multiple times.

NHTSA #: 11535225
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Mar 2021

WHEN STOPPING, MOVING SLOW OR PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT OR GARAGE YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE FUEL IN THE TANK SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS AT LEAST 1/2 FULL AND IS VERY NOTICEABLE BUT SEEMS TO GO AWAY WHEN FUEL IS UNDER 1/2 TANK.

NHTSA #: 11403968
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Feb 2021

WHEN PARKING VEHICLE OR BACKING OUT OF GARAGE SLOWLY, YOU HEAR FUEL SLOSHING UNDER THE FRONT SEATS LIKE THERE IS NO BAFFLE IN THE TANK. VERY VERY NOTICEABLE AND ALSO MENTIONED ON THIS SITE FROM OTHER FORD OWNERS. A TSB SHOULD BE ISSUED BY FORD IMMEDIATELY AS THEY DID FOR THE SAME ISSUE WITH TSB 18-2378. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL CONDITION AND IT'S A COP OUT FOR FORD NOT TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE HAD IN OTHER FORD PRODUCTS AND THIS ONE NOW AS WELL!!

NHTSA #: 11397819
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Feb 2021

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE BANK AND PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT AND WHILE I WENT TO THE ATM I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING I WASN'T AWAY FROM THE CAR FOR MORE THEN THREE MINUTES AND WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE CAR IT STARTED SPUTTERING AND THEN JUST SHUT OFF. I TRIED TO START IT BACK UP BUT UPON DOING SO THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T TURN OVER. THE ENGINE SOUNDED LIKE IT WANTED TO TURN OVER BUT WOULDN'T. I TRIED THIS A BUNCH OF TIMES UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED( ABOUT AN HOUR) BUT EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE STILL WOULDN'T TURN OVER. JUST CONTINUED TO MAKE THE ENGINE NOISE THEN WOULD SHUT OFF.

NHTSA #: 11394729
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jan 2021

VEHICLE WILL NOT START WHEN PARKED ON DRIVEWAY W/ NOSE FACING STREET IF THERE IS LESS THAN ABOUT A QUARTER OF A TANK OF GAS IN IT. WHEN TRIED TO MANY TIMES THE DASH READS CRANKING LIMIT EXCEEDED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP - 2021 LOANER WAS PROVIDED AND THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED. DEALERSHIP ALSO ADVISED THEY HAD ANOTHER CUSTOMER WITH A 2021 EXPLORER HAVE THE SAME ISSUE A WEEK PRIOR. WAS TOLD TO PARK MY CAR IN STREET AND NOT USE DRIVEWAY OR TO ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN A QUARTER TANK OF GAS. THESE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS

NHTSA #: 11389731
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Feb 2020

WHEN STARTING AT INTERSECTIONS OR STOPPING YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE FUEL IN THE TANK SLOSHING BACK AND FORTH. I'VE TAKEN MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE NOISE AND DOCUMENTED IT. THEY REACHED OUT TO FORD WHICH SAID THEY KNEW OF THE ISSUE AND AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO FIX.

NHTSA #: 11310542
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Feb 2020

FUEL TANK SLOSHING AND CLUNKING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS. THE VEHICLE FUEL TANK DESIGN LOCATES A PORTION OF THE GAS TANK UNDER THE VEHICLE AND BELOW THE SEATS. WHEN THE GAS TANK IS ABOVE HALF FULL, YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE GAS MOVING IN THE TANK, ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEED, DURING TRAFFIC WITH FREQUENT STOPPING. NOT SURE HOW SAFE IS TO FEEL THE GAS MOVING INSIDE THE FUEL TANK AND THE NOISE WHEN THE GAS IMPACTS THE GAS TANK WALLS. WHEN THE TANK IS FULL AND YOU BRAKE, THE FUEL SLOSHES FORWARD AND MOVES SOMETHING INSIDE AND SLAMS AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE TANK.

NHTSA #: 11308257
mediumFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Feb 2020

DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERS LIKE PARKING AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE FUEL SLOSHES LOUDLY AND CAN BE HEARD INSIDE THE VEHICLE. IT SLOSHES MOST NOTICEABLY WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL IS ABOVE 3/4 FULL. THE FUEL MOVES SO MUCH IT SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING HITTING THE FLOOR UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER SEAT OR A DRIVELINE ISSUE.

NHTSA #: 11307917

Other 2020 Ford Explorer Issues