Just took home a 2020 ST Street Pack with 36K miles. Anything to check?

[Badgerfan79]

I picked up a 2020 ST Street Pack. Also has the technology package with the (mostly) worthless portrait screen. I will say the stereo is a significant upgrade from my wife's 2021 Limited with the 12 Speaker B&O setup, so there's that.

Are there any maintenance things I should think of? I know the last gen explorers had PTU issues (not to mention the dreaded timing chain issue on the 3.5 EB which hit me on my 2013 Sport). I still have a year and change on the powertrain warranty and I plan on getting a used car extended powertrain warranty from Granger Ford right before that expires, but I'd obviously like to stay ahead of any issues. Drivability thus far is great. I haven't noticed any issues. Of course I've only put about 50 miles on it lol. Thanks in advance for any wisdom anyone can provide. The manufacture date is October 19, btw.

 

[Cajun Heat]

I picked up a 2020 ST Street Pack. Also has the technology package with the (mostly) worthless portrait screen. I will say the stereo is a significant upgrade from my wife's 2021 Limited with the 12 Speaker B&O setup, so there's that.

Are there any maintenance things I should think of? I know the last gen explorers had PTU issues (not to mention the dreaded timing chain issue on the 3.5 EB which hit me on my 2013 Sport). I still have a year and change on the powertrain warranty and I plan on getting a used car extended powertrain warranty from Granger Ford right before that expires, but I'd obviously like to stay ahead of any issues. Drivability thus far is great. I haven't noticed any issues. Of course I've only put about 50 miles on it lol. Thanks in advance for any wisdom anyone can provide. The manufacture date is October 19, btw.

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum.

We have just over 30k miles on our '22 with no real issues to speak of, beside the stupid infotainment thing.

 

[Chamorro85]

Congrats and welcome!

I think as long as you stick the main schedule you're as good as can be expected outside of any modifications you're going to do.

 

[Badgerfan79]

Oooh, I love that gray color. I do like the red on mine but that gray is awesome. But a local dealer had this for 40,999 and I was able to talk them down to 40 even and get a decent trade in so I couldn't say no. I haven't been able to get a sniff at an ST with Street Pack and Technology package with under 40K miles for less than $43-44K so I felt I had to jump on it. My wife has a red limited so we look like we have "his and hers" Explorers, like mountain bikes in a Price is Right showcase lol. The Carfax was pretty solid with regular oil changes and maintenance. It was a lease vehicle so usually those are well taken care of mechanically. The only issue is the paint was gritty. I hit it with Meguiar's Compound on the orbital and then finished it with Meguiar's Ultimate Wax with the orbital so now it's shiny but still gritty. So I found a local detail shop that is going to touch up some paint chips and then clay bar and polish it up next week for me.

 

[Blue Beast]

I picked up a 2020 ST Street Pack. Also has the technology package with the (mostly) worthless portrait screen. I will say the stereo is a significant upgrade from my wife's 2021 Limited with the 12 Speaker B&O setup, so there's that.

Are there any maintenance things I should think of? I know the last gen explorers had PTU issues (not to mention the dreaded timing chain issue on the 3.5 EB which hit me on my 2013 Sport). I still have a year and change on the powertrain warranty and I plan on getting a used car extended powertrain warranty from Granger Ford right before that expires, but I'd obviously like to stay ahead of any issues. Drivability thus far is great. I haven't noticed any issues. Of course I've only put about 50 miles on it lol. Thanks in advance for any wisdom anyone can provide. The manufacture date is October 19, btw.

Welcome to the forum

 

[mcfarlrm]

Issues I've had with my 2020.

Leaking CV axle
Cracked catalytic converter
Worn flex pipes
Blue back up camera
Transfer case failure
"Possessed" automatic lift gate

 

[Chamorro85]

Oooh, I love that gray color. I do like the red on mine but that gray is awesome. But a local dealer had this for 40,999 and I was able to talk them down to 40 even and get a decent trade in so I couldn't say no. I haven't been able to get a sniff at an ST with Street Pack and Technology package with under 40K miles for less than $43-44K so I felt I had to jump on it. My wife has a red limited so we look like we have "his and hers" Explorers, like mountain bikes in a Price is Right showcase lol. The Carfax was pretty solid with regular oil changes and maintenance. It was a lease vehicle so usually those are well taken care of mechanically. The only issue is the paint was gritty. I hit it with Meguiar's Compound on the orbital and then finished it with Meguiar's Ultimate Wax with the orbital so now it's shiny but still gritty. So I found a local detail shop that is going to touch up some paint chips and then clay bar and polish it up next week for me.

If you were talking about me, thanks I appreciate it. Only color I would want!

 

[KNTRDR]

Issues I've had with my 2020.

Leaking CV axle
Cracked catalytic converter
Worn flex pipes
Blue back up camera
Transfer case failure
"Possessed" automatic lift gate

Out of curiosity, which CV axle leaked for you? My left front just got replaced for that very issue, out of warranty unfortunately.

 

[hbalek]

Also don't let your gas get tank get below 70 miles to empty. If you do and park or drive on an incline the fuel pump will not get enough fuel and either burn up like mine did after stalling on a hill or you won't be able to start on a downhill driveway. This happened twice around 1/8 tank or 60-70 miles to empty on a cold day.

Check your rear glass defrost element. Mine peeled at about 2 years old so the window needed to be replaced. The first new glass was already peeling in the box and the second seems to be fine so far after using for one winter.

My driver's window swtich chrome peeled recently. There is a recall on that but haven't had it done yet.

My battery was replaced at about 19 months or 17K miles. So far so good with the new battery after 2 years.

Backup camera was replaced after software update, also about 22 months old. So far the camera works almost every time. Once in a great while like a few times a month, I have a brief blue screen for a couple seconds, much better than before.

Also had drivers side catalytic converter, seat panel, half-shaft speed sensor and both CV booots replaced in recent months. All were either under 36 month or powertrain warranty.

Last but certainly not least, the transmission was rebuilt at 27 months or 25K miles. The TSB was to replace the A clutch after I experienced very harsh 6-7th gear shifts.

I've had an ESP from Anderson & Koch Ford (best price by far on the internet) since December and have yet to use it. All of the above were covered without deductible. The Sync 3.4 version 22251 fiasco has gotten to be unbearable for me. No new software available from Ford.

 

[Badgerfan79]

Welcome to the forum

Also don't let your gas get tank get below 70 miles to empty. If you do and park or drive on an incline the fuel pump will not get enough fuel and either burn up like mine did after stalling on a hill or you won't be able to start on a downhill driveway. This happened twice around 1/8 tank or 60-70 miles to empty on a cold day.

Check your rear glass defrost element. Mine peeled at about 2 years old so the window needed to be replaced. The first new glass was already peeling in the box and the second seems to be fine so far after using for one winter.

My driver's window swtich chrome peeled recently. There is a recall on that but haven't had it done yet.

My battery was replaced at about 19 months or 17K miles. So far so good with the new battery after 2 years.

Backup camera was replaced after software update, also about 22 months old. So far the camera works almost every time. Once in a great while like a few times a month, I have a brief blue screen for a couple seconds, much better than before.

Also had drivers side catalytic converter, seat panel, half-shaft speed sensor and both CV booots replaced in recent months. All were either under 36 month or powertrain warranty.

Last but certainly not least, the transmission was rebuilt at 27 months or 25K miles. The TSB was to replace the A clutch after I experienced very harsh 6-7th gear shifts.

I've had an ESP from Anderson & Koch Ford (best price by far on the internet) since December and have yet to use it. All of the above were covered without deductible. The Sync 3.4 version 22251 fiasco has gotten to be unbearable for me. No new software available from Ford.

Yikes. I did notice the chrome on the window switches. I figure I will ask about that when I have my next service. As far as the tranny issues, is that a recall or just a TSB? I do still have about 16 months and over 20K on the powertrain warranty. I am planning on getting an ESP some time next year, since mine would be a "used" ESP and the max you can do is five years from purchase of the ESP itself so I'd like to get at least 6 years out of this vehicle with coverage and I'm mostly concerned about powertrain stuff anyway.

Also....the tranny seems fine on the road but shifting from Park to drive is a bit...I dunno...harsh. I wouldn't have thought twice about it until I've read about all these tranny issues. My wife has a 2021 Limited AWD (2.3 but same transmission) and there is no "clunk" when shifting into park. I figured I would also mention that when I get service in a few months.

The only issue I have with the SYNC system is that mine just seems slower than my wife's Limited. I have the tech package with the larger screen and it just seems to load up slower. Are there any hardware differences between 2020 and 2021? It doesn't bother me that much, other than I just have to wait a few extra seconds to pull up music and stuff before I take off. But on the road it's responsive enough, I guess. I drove an Infinity rental and that thing's infotainment was abysmal. I also rented a 2020 Mercedes from Turo while on a trip out west a few months back and that was way worse than my Explorers as well, so I don't mind SYNC that much. I still can't believe the poor utilization of that big screen, though. But it's not a deal breaker. The difference in the 14 vs 12 speaker system in that package for me is worth it. I know it's only two extra speakers and 200 more watts but the amp must be much higher quality because it just sounds more crisp than my wife's Limited. And it bumps.

 

[hbalek]

Yikes. I did notice the chrome on the window switches. I figure I will ask about that when I have my next service. As far as the tranny issues, is that a recall or just a TSB? I do still have about 16 months and over 20K on the powertrain warranty. I am planning on getting an ESP some time next year, since mine would be a "used" ESP and the max you can do is five years from purchase of the ESP itself so I'd like to get at least 6 years out of this vehicle with coverage and I'm mostly concerned about powertrain stuff anyway.

Also....the tranny seems fine on the road but shifting from Park to drive is a bit...I dunno...harsh. I wouldn't have thought twice about it until I've read about all these tranny issues. My wife has a 2021 Limited AWD (2.3 but same transmission) and there is no "clunk" when shifting into park. I figured I would also mention that when I get service in a few months.

The only issue I have with the SYNC system is that mine just seems slower than my wife's Limited. I have the tech package with the larger screen and it just seems to load up slower. Are there any hardware differences between 2020 and 2021? It doesn't bother me that much, other than I just have to wait a few extra seconds to pull up music and stuff before I take off. But on the road it's responsive enough, I guess. I drove an Infinity rental and that thing's infotainment was abysmal. I also rented a 2020 Mercedes from Turo while on a trip out west a few months back and that was way worse than my Explorers as well, so I don't mind SYNC that much. I still can't believe the poor utilization of that big screen, though. But it's not a deal breaker. The difference in the 14 vs 12 speaker system in that package for me is worth it. I know it's only two extra speakers and 200 more watts but the amp must be much higher quality because it just sounds more crisp than my wife's Limited. And it bumps.

There's no recall just TSB. They do the repair but in some cases I've heard people had transmission replaced.

 

[Badgerfan79]

There's no recall just TSB. They do the repair but in some cases I've heard people had transmission replaced.

Gotcha. But does "shifting slightly hard into drive from park" sound like a symptom of a bad transmission? I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced that particular symptom as a harbinger of major problems. Or could it be something else? Because otherwise it seems to drive great.

 

[mcfarlrm]

Out of curiosity, which CV axle leaked for you? My left front just got replaced for that very issue, out of warranty unfortunately.

Front passenger side.

 

[Dram789]

Out of curiosity, which CV axle leaked for you? My left front just got replaced for that very issue, out of warranty unfortunately.

My front left leaked too

 

[hbalek]

My front left leaked too

Both of mine were replaced under powertrain warranty at 40K miles.

 

[Badgerfan79]

So does anyone have an answer for the "shifting hard with a clunk and physical shift in the car" when going from Park to Drive? Is that a common problem with the transmission issues? I can't seem to find an answer to that question anywhere...

 

[Dram789]

So does anyone have an answer for the "shifting hard with a clunk and physical shift in the car" when going from Park to Drive? Is that a common problem with the transmission issues? I can't seem to find an answer to that question anywhere...

My st only does that when parked uphill, but all my cars do that

 

[Badgerfan79]

It does it on flat ground. And it is intermittent. Sometimes it is smooth as silk and other times it clunks and the car almost feels as if it's going to lurch forward. And my 2021 Limited doesn't do it. I still made an appointment because I have noticed some jerking when shifting to a lower gear (like when I am slowing down from highway speed to make a turn). Maybe it's not the actual transmission but something in the 4wd or something. And I need the window switches replaced as per the recall and I have had the blue camera issues a couple times. I guess we will see.

 

[hbalek]

It does it on flat ground. And it is intermittent. Sometimes it is smooth as silk and other times it clunks and the car almost feels as if it's going to lurch forward. And my 2021 Limited doesn't do it. I still made an appointment because I have noticed some jerking when shifting to a lower gear (like when I am slowing down from highway speed to make a turn). Maybe it's not the actual transmission but something in the 4wd or something. And I need the window switches replaced as per the recall and I have had the blue camera issues a couple times. I guess we will see.

As many of us first year owners of the 2020, Ford never really finished R&D on this generation and rushed it to market. They cut too many corners so customers like yours truly have had to have a lot of major parts repaired or replaced under warranty fortunately, on what was supposed to be a brand-new car. So many things wear and tear in less than half the normal mileage for other cars I've owned. In some cases things that should never break or wear are breaking early.