VehicleVerdict

2020 Ford Ranger transmission problems

The 2020 Ford Ranger has 43 transmission complaints filed with NHTSA — 29% of the year's total, and down from the prior model year.

43

Transmission complaints

29%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Transmission complaints by year

Related recalls

20V197000TransmissionApril 3, 2020 · 55,158 units

Defect

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 by the driver.

Consequence

If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.

What owners report

On the freeway cruise control at 75 mph, truck started down shifting in to 7th gear, then back up and continued to do this several times until i reached my destination. Took it out of cruise control and still did it. It did it again about 3 days later. I took it to ford dealership, they test drove…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · May 9, 2025

Common questions

How many transmission complaints does the 2020 Ford Ranger have?

NHTSA has 43 complaints about the 2020 Ford Ranger transmission — 29% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2020 Ford Ranger transmission?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the transmission: 20V197000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.