2020 Ford Expedition · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 148owner reports
- 60,000median miles
- $5,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
261 of the 416 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 148 of those describe transmission shudder, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2020 Expedition.
Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (86 reports) · Transmission slips (50 reports) · Transmission hesitates when accelerating (27 reports)
Tick what matches of 148 reports
Transmission shudder on other Expedition years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2026.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the transmission (16 reports), the clutch (4 reports) and the valve body (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
2 recalls on the transmission and drivetrain cover the 2020 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.
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 by the driver.
All 18 recalls on the 2020 Ford Expedition, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the transmission and drivetrain on the Expedition
Unexpected transmission downshift. Closed oct 22, 2019, led to recall 19V-075.
None of these investigations covers the 2020 model year.
What owners paid
8 of the 148 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,000 to $9,859.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 35,000 and 80,000 miles, from the 46 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 8 service bulletins or notices for the 2020 Ford Expedition that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2017-2020 F-150, 2018-2021 Expedition/Navigator/Mustang, 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 10R80 transmission may exhibit a harsh/delayed engagement and/or harsh/delayed shift, an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic ...
Some 2017-2023 F-150, 2018-2023 Expedition/Navigator/Mustang, 2019-2023 Ranger, 2020-2023 Explorer/Aviator/Transit and 2021-2023 Bronco vehicles equipped with a 10R60/10R80/10R80MHT transmission may exhibit a harsh/delayed engagement and/or harsh/delayed ...
Some 2017-2020 F-150, 2018-2021 Expedition/Navigator/Mustang and 2019-2023 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 10R80 automatic transmission may exhibit a harsh engagement/harsh shift/delayed shift.
Some 2017-2020 F-150, 2018-2022 Expedition/Navigator/Mustang and 2019-2022 Ranger vehicles equipped with a 10R80 automatic transmission may exhibit a harsh engagement/harsh shift/delayed shift.
4 more on the 2020 Ford Expedition page.
What owners wrote
“A 2020 vehicle with 80K miles is in need of a new transmission, after having hard shifting problems a few months previous. Rarely used for any towing. Appears to have a defective transmission.”
Filed Apr 14, 2025 · 80,000 miles
“I was driving on the highway and suddenly it felt like a hard shift and the vehicle was in what seemed to be neutral (I was pushing the gas, engine revving) but no forward motion. At 70 miles an hour in traffic, it was very dangerous. I have 70k miles so I would not expect problems of this nature. There was no warnings prior to this.”
Filed Mar 20, 2024 · 70,000 miles
“I was traveling on the interstate at a rate of 75 mph. I signaled a lane change and pressed the gas pedal. I heard the engine respond and the rpm surged. The drive train went dead. There was no power at all. I checked it was in drive and it was. The car began to slow and I began trying to get off the road. Suddenly with a bit of a jerk, it drove normal.”
Filed Mar 13, 2023
“The transmission in the car is not functioning properly. Shifting is not happening correctly and there is slippage. The shift between gears is significantly impacting the car while in motion. The lurch between gears skips the car ahead. Further, Ford Dealers are so backlogged with transmission issues that they are refusing to diagnose and service vehicles due to lack of technicians and parts.”
Filed Feb 3, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 148 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 62 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 40 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 40 reports
- Transmission drops into neutral or downshifts on its own 35 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 26 reports