Also worth reading: 2011–2019 Ford Explorer Buying Guide, Ford Explorer Buying Guide and Ford Reliability Guide.
The 2020–2025 Ford Explorer covers the 6th gen generation from start to finish. Mechanically these years are the same car — same platform, same engine family, same failure points — so shop the individual car's condition and service history rather than chasing a specific model year. Avoid the 2020 recall lottery. 2022+ are better sorted; ST is the enthusiast pick.
The 2020 Ford Explorer is usable but it's the weakest year of the 6th generation. It's the launch year of the new rear-drive-based CD6 platform, and early-build cars drew a long list of recalls and software fixes. A 2020 with every recall closed out and a clean pre-purchase inspection is a fine used SUV; an undocumented one is not worth the discount.
On the 2020 Explorer, paperwork matters more than mileage — a documented car is a very different purchase from an undocumented one.
Bottom line: Recommended — a safe, defensible used purchase with the right pre-purchase inspection.
This generation launched in 2020: Back to rear-wheel-drive-based CD6 platform, 10-speed automatic, hybrid added. Mid-cycle updates landed in 2023, so later cars in the span pick up interior and tech revisions. Powertrain and core hardware carry over across the span, which is exactly why we cover the whole generation on one page instead of splitting near-identical years apart.
Across 2020–2025, reliability tracks the generation as a whole rather than any one model year. Early-build cars (2020–2021) carry the usual first-run risk, and late-run cars have had years of TSB and running fixes applied. The issues that actually decide whether a car is worth buying: Multiple early-life recalls (2020) — verify all completed; SYNC glitches on early cars; Some 10-speed shift concerns.
Bring this list to your pre-purchase inspection.
The 2020 problems buyers ask about most, and what to check on each.
2020 launch cars were subject to multiple recalls. Symptom: nothing obvious on a test drive — this is a records issue. What to check: run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup and have a Ford dealer confirm every open campaign is closed.
Symptoms: slow boot, frozen or rebooting screen, camera or phone-pairing dropouts. What to check: start the car cold and let the screen boot on its own, cycle the reverse camera, pair a phone, and confirm the latest SYNC software has been installed.
Symptoms: harsh or hunting shifts, a clunk on low-speed downshifts. What to check: drive from cold in stop-and-go and at highway speed; ask whether the transmission control software updates were applied, since they resolved most complaints.
Symptoms: interior trim rattles, misaligned panels, wind noise. What to check: drive a rough road with the radio off and inspect panel gaps and door seals.
The XLT is the volume 2020 Explorer trim and there are no XLT-specific reliability problems. It pairs the 2.3L EcoBoost four with the 10-speed automatic in rear- or all-wheel drive, the same hardware used across most of the range, so its reliability picture is identical to the rest of the 2020 model year: recall completion, SYNC software, and transmission software are what separate a good car from a bad one. Because the XLT skips much of the Limited and Platinum electronics content, there is simply less equipment to go wrong over time.
The 2020 Explorer isn't a carryover of the 2019 car — Ford moved it from the front-drive-based unibody platform used from 2011–2019 to the rear-drive-based CD6 architecture, with a new 2.3L EcoBoost/3.0L EcoBoost lineup and a 10-speed automatic. That's why a used 2020 has to be evaluated on its own terms rather than lumped in with the years on either side of it.
Nothing structural carries over. The 5th-gen problems buyers research — internal water pump on the 3.5L V6, PTU failures on AWD — do not apply to a 2020. Cross-shopping a 2019 against a 2020 means comparing two entirely different vehicles.
The generation itself has proven solid; the 2020 build specifically drew recalls and software revisions as Ford sorted out the new platform and 10-speed calibration. Being an early model year is a reason to check documentation carefully, not a reason to write the car off.
2022 and later cars were built after those running fixes, and the 2023 update brought further interior and tech revisions. If two examples cost nearly the same, the later one is the lower-risk buy.
It can be, at the right price. The 2020 Explorer is the first year of the 6th generation, so it carries launch-year risk that the 2022+ cars don't. Buy one only if the seller can show completed recalls and dealer software updates, the SYNC system behaves from a cold start, and the 10-speed shifts cleanly on a proper test drive. If that documentation is missing, spend the extra money on a 2022 or later example.
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Expect Explorer maintenance costs typical of the 6th gen generation. Engines: 2.3L EcoBoost I4 / 3.0L EcoBoost V6 (ST) / 3.3L hybrid V6 / 3.0L HO EcoBoost (ST). Transmissions: 10-speed automatic. Budget for the usual service intervals (oil, brakes, cooling, transmission fluid) plus preventative work on the known-weak items above. Parts for a 2025 Ford Explorer are cheap and widely available.
Focused on what tends to fail on the 6th gen generation.
Within 2020–2025, condition and maintenance history beat model year almost every time. Later cars in the span are typically the most sorted; earlier cars are the cheapest way into the generation. If a 2020–2025 Ford Explorer passes a pre-purchase inspection with the known weak points checked, it's a defensible used buy. Strengths in this generation: Fun ST trim, Refined highway ride, Good tech.
Best for: Buyers cross-shopping the whole 6th gen generation of the Ford Explorer rather than one specific model year.
The 2011–2019 generation is cheaper and simpler, with an older tech and safety package.
Across 2020–2025, reliability tracks the generation as a whole rather than any one model year. Early-build cars (2020–2021) carry the usual first-run risk, and late-run cars have had years of TSB and running fixes applied. The issues that actually decide whether a car is worth buying: Multiple early-life recalls (2020) — verify all completed; SYNC glitches on early cars; Some 10-speed shift concerns.
The 6th gen generation offered 2.3L EcoBoost I4, 3.0L EcoBoost V6 (ST) and 3.3L hybrid V6. Which one you buy matters more for long-term cost than trim level does.
The issues owners report most are multiple early-life recalls (2020) — verify all completed, SYNC glitches on early cars and some 10-speed shift concerns. Every one of them is checkable before you hand over money.
Within 2020–2025, condition and maintenance history beat model year almost every time. Later cars in the span are typically the most sorted; earlier cars are the cheapest way into the generation. If a 2020–2025 Ford Explorer passes a pre-purchase inspection with the known weak points checked, it's a defensible used buy.
Expect Explorer maintenance costs typical of the 6th gen generation. Engines: 2.3L EcoBoost I4 / 3.0L EcoBoost V6 (ST) / 3.3L hybrid V6 / 3.0L HO EcoBoost (ST).
Jump straight to the generation you're shopping.
Body-on-frame, revised suspension, refined V6/V8 options.
Unibody crossover, front-wheel-drive-based, EcoBoost V6 available.
Back to rear-wheel-drive-based CD6 platform, 10-speed automatic, hybrid added.
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