2020 Ford F-150 engine problems
139 of the 730 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Ford F-150 name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 69 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 of the 139 reports a crash · 3 a fire · 2 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 7 · 2021: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2023: 18 · 2024: 23 · 2025: 38 · 2026: 25
Half of the 62 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 12,000 and 82,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
730 complaints in all about the 2020 Ford F-150, 25 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Ford F-150 engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Vehicle was slowing at an intersection with foot on brake. Lifted foot off and moved to accelerator to turn right onto the main road. Engine shut off and there was no response on acceleration. Dashboard chimed and gave the warning "auto startstop shift to p, then restart engine." managed to pull the vehicle off to the side of the road.
My 2020 Ford F-150 5.0l v8 has an excessive oil consumption problem. The day I took it to get it's very first oil change (january 2021), before I drove it to the dealership to get changed, I checked the oil level and it was low. It only had 5k miles on it. They changed the oil and topped it off.
Eight days after new purchase, with 416 miles on the odometer the engine failed from a currently undiagnosed defect. Large amounts of white smoke from the exhaust covered the highway, potentially affecting visibility of other drivers. The vehicle lost all power, after pulling off from highway the engine would not start.
Vehicle in motion pulled up to a stop light (with start/stop disabled via the button) the light turned green before coming to a complete stop but the truck shut off. Then I was greeted with a window that displayed "auto start unavailable shift to p to restart". I put the truck in park, restarted it, and it drove fine after that
My new 2020 F-150 with 5.0 v8 truck over consumes oil, adding a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Brought to dealer every week after about 500 miles and they add at least a half query or more every time. I bought in october 2020 and in the first month I went through 4 qts of oil
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications69 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2020 Ford F-150 names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2020 Ford F-150
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 356 complaints
- electrical problems 86 complaints
- visibility and wiper problems 63 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2020 Ford F-150?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 139 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (19% of everything owners filed about it), and 69 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2020 Ford F-150?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 11 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2020 Ford F-150?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 59,100 miles; half of them between 12,000 and 82,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.