2020 Ford Transit Connect Owner Complaints

Transmission failed with only 17,000 miles (mostly highway) on the car. The car did not move forward from a parked location. It only moved in reverse. It had to be towed to the nearest dealership and when they examined it, it did not move in reverse either. Even though it is under warranty, the dealers are taking a long time to repair the car.

2/14/2022

Three summers in a row now the transmission "overheats" causing warning lights and errors to pop up while driving, then going away. Sometimes disabling vehicle power altogether. When control does come back, transmission gear changes happen at the wrong rpm , stuttering the vehicle and making erratic driving behavior. Ford ignored my requests to investigate for two years, and now that it's out of warranty, tell me I need to pay them to install a brand new transmission

8/8/2022

AFTER THE DRIVER I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AFTER GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY, HE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THERE WAS BARELY ANY POWER. THE VEHICLE HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING AND WAS PUTTING. THE DRIVER PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE, WHICH WAS FINE, AND THERE WERE NO BLINKING LIGHTS INDICATING ANY MALFUNCTION. THE DRIVER THEN PROCEEDED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL PUTTING. AFTER PASSING THE NEXT INTERSECTION, THE DRIVER SMELLED AN ODD FUME. THEY PULLED OVER AND SAW SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AS THEY PARKED THE VEHICLE, THE SMOKE TURNED BLACK. THE DRIVER THEN HURRIEDLY GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOW ON FIRE AND THE DRIVER BELIEVES THEY SAW SOMETHING WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. A BYSTANDER CALLED 911 AND FAIRLY QUICKLY, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE FIRE.

10/25/2019

FAILURE WITH THE TRANSMISSION WITH ONLY 8000 MILES

3/10/2020

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the windshield was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility) but the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was unable to locate a mechanic to compete the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 31,122.

2/7/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation leaking from the top of the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,000.

11/22/2024

At highway speeds (55-70), light brake pressure resulted in major frontend vibration and front left caliper seized. After pulling off the road, the front left wheel rim was too hot to touch. Vibration and seized caliper could result in loss of control of vehicle while braking, especially at highway speeds. Repair shop initially replaced the caliper and overhauled the brakes. Problem was not resolved, and same symptoms recurred after less than 100 miles. Mechanic determined that Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) Module had failed. No warning lights, and no inspection by anyone but my mechanic. Replacement ABS module from Ford Dealer was installed by independent mechanic and problem is resolved. Ford Dealer reported two other ABS module replacements same week as mine and internet search identified others with same problem (ABS module failure). My vehicle is four years old and has around 40,000 miles. It seems to be a premature ABS module failure causing collateral damage (e.g. caliper) with multiple reports of same problem.

10/9/2024

The left front wheel locked up. The dealership first replaced the brake line. When that didn’t repair the problem they said they’d need to replace the ABS Module. The vehicle has less than 30,000 miles. Online it appears that ABS Module failure is a common problem in Ford vehicles with the 2.0 four cylinder engine dating back to 2010.

2/6/2025

ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2020, ME AND MY WIFE DROVE A CAR AFTER WORK AROUND 6:30PM. THIS FORD TRANSIT CONNECT HAS BEEN DRIVING A MONTH SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. WHEN WE TOOK ON THE ROAD WITH AROUND 30MILES SPEED 10MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT, SUDDENLY A WARNING MESSAGE CAME UP SAID THAT "PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE". AS WE SAW THE MESSAGE WE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE, WE SLIGHTLY REDUCED A SPEED BELOW 25MILES AND KEPT DRIVING. WE SLOWLY PUSH AN ACCELERATOR TO SPEED UP AGAIN, HOWEVER SUDDENLY WE HEARD CLUNK SOUND, AND THE CAR SHOOK BACK AND FORTH. RPM INDICATOR MOVE ABNORMALLY. WE TRIED TO FIND A RIGHT PLACE FOR PULLING OFF A CAR, HOWEVER WE COULDN'T FIND IT IMMEDIATELY. AROUND 3 MILES DROVE, WE PULL OFF A CAR AND TURNED ENGINE OFF. AFTER A WHILE, TURN IT ON AGAIN. A WARNING MESSAGE IS STILL ON. A CAR STILL SHOOK BACK AND FORTH WHILE WE DROVE AND RETURN TO HOME.

8/2/2020

ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE DASH INDICATOR STATED AS FOLLOWS: "PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE". WHEN THIS ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS, THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO FLUCTUATE BETWEEN GEARS, AND THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE, AND THE VEHICLE SEEMS AS IF THE PRE-COLLISION ALERT IS ENGAGING OR ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE, BUT DOES NOT HOWEVER, STOP THE VEHICLE, RATHER, THE VEHICLE HESITATINGLY OR HALTINGLY WILL NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ON BOTH OCCASIONS , I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE LOCATION, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON AGAIN. IT SEEMS AS IF THE COMPUTER MODULE IS RESET UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AGAIN, IN BOTH INSTANCES, THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED. HOWEVER, THE MOST RECENT INSTANCE OF THIS PROBLEM, UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE BACK ON, THE ERROR MESSAGE DISAPPEARED, AND THE ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT THE YELLOW ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON, UNTIL RESTARTING THE VEHICLE THE NEXT DAY.

12/24/2020

ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE DASH INDICATOR STATED AS FOLLOWS: "PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE". WHEN THIS ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS, THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO FLUCTUATE BETWEEN GEARS, AND THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE, AND THE VEHICLE SEEMS AS IF THE PRE-COLLISION ALERT IS ENGAGING OR ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE, BUT DOES NOT HOWEVER, STOP THE VEHICLE, RATHER, THE VEHICLE HESITATINGLY OR HALTINGLY WILL NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ON BOTH OCCASIONS , I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE LOCATION, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, AND TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON AGAIN. IT SEEMS AS IF THE COMPUTER MODULE IS RESET UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AGAIN, IN BOTH INSTANCES, THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARED. HOWEVER, THE MOST RECENT INSTANCE OF THIS PROBLEM, UPON TURNING THE VEHICLE BACK ON, THE ERROR MESSAGE DISAPPEARED, AND THE ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT THE YELLOW ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON, UNTIL RESTARTING THE VEHICLE THE NEXT DAY.

12/24/2020

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the braking system erroneously activated causing the front driver side and the rear passenger side brakes to overheat and the vehicle to decelerate. The contact stated that after his wife exited the vehicle, she discovered smoke coming from the front driver’s side wheel well. Additionally, during the failure the Forward Collision Avoidance system warning light activated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 28,000.

9/9/2024

While traveling at highway speed the vehicle suddenly and without any warning lost propulsion and died forcing the driver to pull over. As a result of how sudden the failure was the driver was just barely able to find a safe place to pull off the road. The vehicle would not start or run leaving the driver and his passengers stranded in the hot weather. This very easily could have resulted in an accident as the vehicle was going up hill on a mountain road with many curves. After taking the vehicle to the Ford dealership it was determined that the throttle body had failed suddenly and without warning. There were never any service lights that illuminated when the problem occurred. We are reporting so that there is a record in case this becomes a common issue with other vehicles of this type.

9/27/2022

Powertrain fault Transmission torque converter clutch is not operating as expected. Transmission not shifting properly. Fixed many times and still same issue, now it needs new transmission.

3/1/2024

ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2020, ME AND MY WIFE DROVE A CAR AFTER WORK AROUND 6:30PM. THIS FORD TRANSIT CONNECT HAS BEEN DRIVING A MONTH SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. WHEN WE TOOK ON THE ROAD WITH AROUND 30MILES SPEED 10MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT, SUDDENLY A WARNING MESSAGE CAME UP SAID THAT "PRE-COLLISION ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE". AS WE SAW THE MESSAGE WE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE, WE SLIGHTLY REDUCED A SPEED BELOW 25MILES AND KEPT DRIVING. WE SLOWLY PUSH AN ACCELERATOR TO SPEED UP AGAIN, HOWEVER SUDDENLY WE HEARD CLUNK SOUND, AND THE CAR SHOOK BACK AND FORTH. RPM INDICATOR MOVE ABNORMALLY. WE TRIED TO FIND A RIGHT PLACE FOR PULLING OFF A CAR, HOWEVER WE COULDN'T FIND IT IMMEDIATELY. AROUND 3 MILES DROVE, WE PULL OFF A CAR AND TURNED ENGINE OFF. AFTER A WHILE, TURN IT ON AGAIN. A WARNING MESSAGE IS STILL ON. A CAR STILL SHOOK BACK AND FORTH WHILE WE DROVE AND RETURN TO HOME.

8/2/2020

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

3/1/2022

Three summers in a row now the transmission "overheats" causing warning lights and errors to pop up while driving, then going away. Sometimes disabling vehicle power altogether. When control does come back, transmission gear changes happen at the wrong rpm , stuttering the vehicle and making erratic driving behavior. Ford ignored my requests to investigate for two years, and now that it's out of warranty, tell me I need to pay them to install a brand new transmission

8/8/2022

Three summers in a row now the transmission "overheats" causing warning lights and errors to pop up while driving, then going away. Sometimes disabling vehicle power altogether. When control does come back, transmission gear changes happen at the wrong rpm , stuttering the vehicle and making erratic driving behavior. Ford ignored my requests to investigate for two years, and now that it's out of warranty, tell me I need to pay them to install a brand new transmission

8/8/2022

While traveling at highway speed the vehicle suddenly and without any warning lost propulsion and died forcing the driver to pull over. As a result of how sudden the failure was the driver was just barely able to find a safe place to pull off the road. The vehicle would not start or run leaving the driver and his passengers stranded in the hot weather. This very easily could have resulted in an accident as the vehicle was going up hill on a mountain road with many curves. After taking the vehicle to the Ford dealership it was determined that the throttle body had failed suddenly and without warning. There were never any service lights that illuminated when the problem occurred. We are reporting so that there is a record in case this becomes a common issue with other vehicles of this type.

9/27/2022

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the windshield was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility) but the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was unable to locate a mechanic to compete the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 31,122.

2/7/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the brakes locked up. After releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle began to shake abnormally. While driving, the power steering became inoperable. The Hill Assist, traction control, and steering assist became inoperable. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact is a former mechanic and determined that the ABS module hydraulic pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. When the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, there were no codes displayed. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer and the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

5/9/2024

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the brakes locked up. After releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle began to shake abnormally. While driving, the power steering became inoperable. The Hill Assist, traction control, and steering assist became inoperable. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact is a former mechanic and determined that the ABS module hydraulic pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. When the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, there were no codes displayed. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer and the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

5/9/2024

Water leaking through front windshield. Internet shows there is a recall for improper adhesive of windshield on 2020 Transit Connect but when my 2020 Transit Connect VIN Nm0ls6e25l1446922. Was taken to Ford dealership they are advising there is no recall on my vehicle.

12/22/2025