Ford4 independent sources
2020 · Pickup (Regular Cab, SuperCab, SuperCrew)
2020 Ford F-150
The final model year of the thirteenth-generation F-150; the fourteenth generation began with 2021. Ford's 2020 engine chart prints the same engines at the same ratings as 2019, and Cars.com described the truck as having no mechanical or capability changes to distinguish it from the year before. What did change is equipment: blind spot warning, a lane-keeping system and automatic high beams became standard on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum.
Photo coming
Power250–395 hpTorque265–470 lb-ftEPA comb.19–24 mpgTows up to13,200 lbs
Against 2019
What changed for 2020
- No mechanical or capability changes from 2019 - the engine chart, the ratings and the tow rating all carry over.
- Blind spot warning, a lane-keeping system and automatic high beams became standard on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum.
- The blind spot system gained a trailer function that extends coverage over a trailer once its dimensions are entered.
- Final model year of the thirteenth generation; the fourteenth began with 2021.
Before you hand over money
Check before you buy
- Check the title status first — clean, salvage, rebuilt or flood. Even on the newest year of this generation, confirm it before anything mechanical.
- Identify the engine from the VIN rather than the badge, and confirm whether the truck has the six-speed or the ten-speed. Only the 3.3L uses the six-speed.
- On a Lariat, King Ranch or Platinum, check that the blind spot warning and lane-keeping system are actually present and working — they became standard on these trims this year, so their absence says something about the truck.
- Look for open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov. This model year carries 11 recall campaigns, and dealers fix open ones free.
Five engines offered that year
Engines
Which engine a listing has is the first thing that changes the answer.
| Engine | Power | Torque | Transmission | Drive | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3-TiVCT3.3L V6 | 290 hp | 265 lb-ft | 6-speed automatic | RWD or 4WD | 19 city / 25 hwy / 22 combined2WD |
| 2.7-EcoBoost2.7L V6 turbo | 325 hp | 400 lb-ft | 10-speed automatic | RWD or 4WD | 20 city / 26 hwy / 22 combined2WD |
| 3.5-EcoBoost3.5L V6 turbo | 375 hp | 470 lb-ft | 10-speed automatic | RWD or 4WD | 17 city / 23 hwy / 19 combined2WD |
| 5.0-Coyote5.0L V8 | 395 hp | 400 lb-ft | 10-speed automatic | RWD or 4WD | 17 city / 23 hwy / 19 combined2WD |
| 3.0-PowerStroke3.0L V6 turbo diesel | 250 hp | 440 lb-ft | 10-speed automatic | RWD or 4WD | 21 city / 29 hwy / 24 combined2WD |
EPA city / highway / combined, from fueleconomy.gov.
NHTSA public records
Complaints and recalls
Where the complaints land
POWER TRAIN209
ENGINE58
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM55
UNKNOWN OR OTHER45
VISIBILITY36
VISIBILITY/WIPER16
A complaint count is not a failure rate. It tracks how many of these were sold and how much attention a problem drew, so a popular car will always show more complaints than a rare one. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, retrieved 2026-08-11.
Against the rest of the generation: 0.59 where 1.00 is the average complaint volume per year on the road across the 6 model years written up here. Dividing by age is what makes the comparison mean anything; the raw counts alone favour whichever year is youngest.
Same car, different year
This year, or the one next to it?
The last year of the generation, and mechanically identical to 2019 - Cars.com described it as having no mechanical or capability changes to distinguish the two. The differences are equipment and record: blind spot warning, lane keeping and automatic high beams became standard on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum, and 2020 carries the lowest complaint volume of the six years at 0.59 against the generation average. It is also the newest, which is worth holding next to that figure rather than reading it alone.
Documented mechanisms
Known problems
Charging system: battery and alternator
The alternator charges the battery while the engine runs and powers everything electrical. Both are consumable parts with a service life, and on a used car at least one of them has usually been replaced already — or is due.
Air conditioning compressor failure
The compressor is the pump in the air conditioning loop. When it seizes it can send metal debris through the whole system, which turns a component replacement into a system job.
Suspension and steering noise
Bushings, ball joints, link rods and strut mounts are rubber and grease components that wear continuously. They rarely fail suddenly; they get gradually noisier and vaguer, which is why a test drive on a rough road tells you more than one on smooth pavement.
Turbocharger wear and failure
A turbocharger runs at very high speed on an oil-fed bearing, driven by exhaust gas. Its condition is tied directly to the engine's oil history, which makes service records more informative here than on most components.
Carbon buildup on intake valves
In a direct-injection engine the fuel is sprayed into the cylinder rather than at the intake valve. Nothing washes the back of that valve, so deposits from crankcase ventilation and exhaust gas recirculation accumulate there over time.
What it is good at
Strengths
Running it
Ownership and maintenance
Drivetrain
RWD or part-time 4WDTows up to 13,200 lbs (3.5L EcoBoost, properly equipped)Maximum tow and payload ratings depend on engine, cab, bed length, axle ratio and whether the truck has the tow package. The door-jamb sticker and the door label give the numbers for that specific truck; a range quoted for the model does not.
Parts
Common — parts and independent shops are easy to findThe best-selling vehicle in the US for over four decades. Both original and aftermarket parts are widely stocked and independent shops know the truck well. The exception is body repair: the aluminium panels need a separately equipped shop.
Transmission note
6-speed automatic · 10-speed automaticThe ten-speed drew shift-quality reports on this generation — harsh engagement, hunting between gears and a shudder at low speed. Ford addressed several of these through software recalibration. Ask whether the transmission control software is at the latest level before assuming the fault is mechanical.
Service intervals
Engine oil and filterPer the Intelligent Oil-Life MonitorThe interval is calculated rather than fixed. Turbocharged engines are less forgiving of a stretched interval than the naturally aspirated ones.
Transmission fluidPer the manufacturer's stated intervalThe six-speed and the ten-speed take different fluid specifications. Shift quality complaints are sometimes addressed with a software update before any hardware work.
Spark plugsPer the manufacturer's stated intervalNot applicable to the diesel.
Engine air filterPer the manufacturer's stated interval, shorter in dusty use
Diesel exhaust fluidRefilled as consumed3.0L Power Stroke only.
Cost items
Relative bands only. What a job costs depends on your region, the shop and where the parts come from, so a dollar figure written here would be wrong for most readers — and a wrong number costs more trust than a missing one.
HighCam phaser or timing chain workOne of the larger engine expenses on the EcoBoost engines, and labour is the bigger share of it.
HighTurbocharger replacementEcoBoost and diesel engines only.
HighAluminium body panel repairAluminium repair needs a shop equipped and certified for it, which is a smaller pool than for steel.
MediumTransmission service or software update
MediumBrakes and suspension wear itemsLoads and towing use shorten these intervals.