The rear-drive redesign year that launched with 31 recalls — only buy one with the driveline and park-safety recalls documented.

The new ten-speed automatic is the gen-6 Explorer's frequent pain point. An independent mechanic describes valve-body and torque-converter glitches roughly between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, addressed by Ford software updates and recalls. The federal file backs it up: hard 7-to-6 downshift jerks, hesitation, and outright failures — one owner's transmission 'failed at 72,000 miles under normal driving,' another at 83,000 — past the powertrain warranty and on the owner's dime. On a test drive, feel for a jerk on deceleration or a shudder; get a diagnostic scan before buying, and price transmission risk into a high-mileage example.

On the base 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder, an independent mechanic reports turbocharger failures or coolant leaks on higher-mileage examples 'often costing $1,500 to $3,000 to repair.' Ford also ran a launch-year delivery-hold Customer Support Program (19B24) inspecting the 2.3L balance-shaft and oil-pump assembly on 2020 cars. And recall 19V-687 covers a wiring harness that can rub the A/C pulley and short against battery power — a fire risk on 2.3L/3.3L cars. Watch for coolant loss and confirm 19V-687 was completed.

The launch year drew two fuel-system fire recalls: a protective sleeve that can chafe through the plastic liquid fuel line (19V-859, on Explorer and Aviator), and — on 2.3L cars with the 19-gallon tank — a fuel-tank inlet check valve that may not be fully welded, which could leak fuel in a crash (20V-730). Both are free repairs. Verify both by VIN; they are the kind of thing a used-car listing never mentions.

The 2020 sits under a long, repeatedly re-issued rearview-camera recall (20V-575, 21V-735, 23V-022, 23V-342, and later re-remedies) for cameras that display a blank or distorted image — several of which superseded each other, so a car 'fixed' once may need the newer remedy. There is also a motor-mount fastener recall (20V-788) where loose fasteners could let the axle disconnect from the engine. All free. Confirm the latest camera remedy and the motor-mount fix were applied, since earlier repairs were sometimes reopened.