KnownCarProblemsHome › Lincoln › Navigator › 2020
2020 Lincoln Navigator Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Lincoln Navigator, most often about the transmission (56% of complaints). It is 13th of 26 Navigator model years by number of complaints and has 13 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2020 Lincoln Navigator problems
Transmission
18 complaints · 56%Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving 50-55 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission shifted into neutral(n). The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving…
The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while at a complete stop, the vehicle shut off inadvertently. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted upon pressing the push to start button. The contact stated upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle jerked, was sluggish, and made an…
Electrical
4 complaints · 13%Engine
3 complaints · 9%Seat belts
3 complaints · 9%The contact owns 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, occupied with his wife in the vehicle, he heard a loud explosion noise coming from inside the vehicle, and as his wife leaning forward the seat belt deployed on his front passenger side of the vehicle causing his wife to sustain whiplash…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Lincoln Navigator recalls
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed july 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in april 2027. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26s48. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on june 26, 2026.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 navigator, expedition, 2020-2021 explorer, lincoln aviator, and 2021 f-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed june 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in august 2026. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26s34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24v099 and 25v197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Engine
Risk: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed october 3, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's numbers for this recall are 22s36 and 22s48. Vehicle identification numbers (
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020 expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. A short circuit within the battery junction box can cause an engine fire while driving or parked.
Backup camera: software
Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed september 4, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25s72.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 transit connect, 2019-2020 mkz, mkx, edge, continental, f-150, nautilus, fusion, 2019-2023 ranger, mustang, 2020-2021 ecosport, expedition, navigator, 2020-2022 escape, f-250 sd, corsair, 2020-2023 aviator, transit, 2020-2024 explorer, 2021-2024 bronco sport, and 2022-2024 maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
Electrical: software
Risk: Inoperative pre-collision assist features that fail to perform as expected can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed june 25, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25s56.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020 expedition and navigator vehicles that were repaired incorrectly under recall 20v262. The pre-collision assist features, such as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, are not functional due to a software error.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed october 22, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25s31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24v-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Equipment: labels
Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed december 19, 2024. Owners may call ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24c39.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 explorer, lincoln aviator, 2020-2024 escape, lincoln corsair, 2018-2024 f-150, expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement federal motor vehicle safety standard number 208, "occupant crash protection."
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend may fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on july 8, 2024. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24s06.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: Loss of the rearview camera image can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, and update the software and wiring as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed november 20, 2023 to lincoln owners. Ford vehicle owners notification letters were mailed march 4, 2024. Ford remedy parts are anticipated 2nd quarter 2024. Ford's number for this recall is 23s48.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 lincoln aviator, 2018-2021 lincoln navigator, 2022-2023 ford transit, and 2021 ford bronco vehicles. The rearview camera, or 360-degree view camera if equipped, may not display a rearview image when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
Equipment: owners/service/other manual
Risk: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will mail the owner's manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 21, 2023. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23c20.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 f-super duty f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 supercab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 202, "head restraints."
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on may 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on october 21, 2022. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22s26.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 f-150, expedition, 2020-2022 super duty f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, and 2020-2021 lincoln navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
Seats: mid/rear assembly
Risk: An improperly welded headrest bracket may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began july 8, 2020. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20c12.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020 ford expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles. The attachment bracket for the driver's side second-row seat headrest may not have been sufficiently welded to the seat frame. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard number 202, "head restraints."
Driver assistance: automatic emergency braking
Risk: If the driver is unaware that the pre-collision assist feature is not enabled, they may rely on a system that is not functional, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram software for the body control module, antilock braking system, instrument panel cluster and headlamp control modules, and reset the tire pressure monitor system, free of charge. The recall began may 26, 2020. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20s20.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2020 ford expedition and lincoln navigator vehicles equipped with camera-only pre-collision assist feature. Vehicles built with the optional radar-plus-camera pre-collision assist system are not affected. Due to incorrect coding of interfacing modules, the pre-collision assist feature is not enabled, and the driver cannot access the menu functions necessary to enable the pre-collision assist feature.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2020 Lincoln Navigator
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Lincoln Navigator?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (18 complaints); electrical (4 complaints); engine (3 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Lincoln Navigator have?
- 13 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 24, 2026 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Lincoln Navigator?
- It is 13th of 26 Navigator model years by number of complaints, with 32 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.