2020 FORD EXPLORER — Complaint #1868937
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK filed January 28, 2023
NHTSA complaint #1868937 (ODI reference 11504175) concerns a 2020 FORD EXPLORER and was filed on January 28, 2023. The owner reports the failure occurred on January 12, 2023. The report was geocoded to Illinois based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as latches/locks/linkages:hatchback/liftgate:lock, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD EXPLORER cohort independently describe similar latches/locks/linkages:hatchback/liftgate:lock failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2020 FORD EXPLORER shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The rear hatch opens unexpectedly with no command given. It happened twice while in Drive pulling out of my garage. There was no audible or visual warnings the hatch was opening. The hatch impacted the garage door frame causing the glass to shatter and denting the metal. First incident was 4/2022 the second was 1/2023. Both were reported to my insurance provider and the Ford dealer. I also contacted Ford directly for reimbursement of my deductible and other expenses and they paid. See attached. Please see SSM 49015 - 2020 Explorer/Aviator â Partial Power Liftgate Opening And/Or False Anti-Theft Alarm Activation â Liftgate Ajar - Built On Or Before 17-Feb 2020. The problem is not resolved and I no confidence the hatch won't open whie I am on the road. If it does and something falls out this would be a major safety issue.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1868937 |
| ODI Number | 11504175 |
| Date Filed | January 28, 2023 |
| Failure Date | January 12, 2023 |
| VIN | 1FM5K8GC4LG |
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Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.