Reliable Auto DB

2020 Lincoln Navigator reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator has 32 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Navigator years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 13 recalls on file, including Automatic transmission, Pretensioner, and Engine.

2012 Lincoln Navigator
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

32

Per year

1

Recalls

13

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (18 of 32), then Electrical system (4) and Engine (3). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Navigator has 80 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2021 has 33 complaints, 4 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Lincoln Navigator. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (13)

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2026-06-24 · NHTSA campaign 26V402000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2026-05-27 · NHTSA campaign 26V344000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Engine 2025-09-19 · NHTSA campaign 25V628000
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.
Remedy 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 (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 23, 2025.
Recall back-over prevention, software 2025-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 25V442000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall electrical system, body control module, software 2025-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 25V346000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2025-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 25V197000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Labels 2024-11-08 · NHTSA campaign 24V852000
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."
Remedy 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.
Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2024-02-09 · NHTSA campaign 24V099000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2023-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 23V598000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall Owner's manual 2023-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 23V420000
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."
Remedy 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.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper, linkages 2022-04-14 · NHTSA campaign 22V250000
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.
Remedy 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.
Recall seats, middle or rear assembly 2020-06-23 · NHTSA campaign 20V366000
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."
Remedy 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.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2020-05-08 · NHTSA campaign 20V262000
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.
Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (32 total)

Powertrain
18
Electrical system
4
Engine
3
Seat belts
3
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Lane departure
1
Seats
1
Speed control
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 3 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

2202112022420237202472025112026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V402000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-21
  • "On August 20, 2026, I was driving my 2020 Lincoln Navigator and came to a complete stop at a traffic light. While I was sitting stationary at the light, with no collision, impact, sudden braking, or other event, I…"
    Seat belts · filed 2026-08-21
  • "On August 20, 2026, while traveling about 45 MPH, I accelerated to merge onto a highway while passing a slow-moving semi, with traffic approaching from behind. The transmission unexpectedly disengaged and the vehicle…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-20
  • "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…"
    Seat belts · filed 2026-07-21
  • "CDF Drum Failure is a known issue to Ford. They have issued a technical service bulletin (TSB 22-2428) to replace poorly designed components that have since been redesigned. The failure mode can cause violent gear…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-05-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Lincoln Navigator EL SUV 2WD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2020 Lincoln Navigator EL SUV 4WD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2020 Lincoln Navigator SUV 2WD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 3 stars
2020 Lincoln Navigator SUV 4WD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Navigator two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 16 22 19 MPG $3400
Navigator four-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 16 21 18 MPG $3600
Navigator L two-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 16 21 18 MPG $3600

Specs and fitment

U554 generation, 2018–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (3.5L EcoBoost V6) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 285/45R22 (common Black Label)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 22V-250 covers certain 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles, along with other Ford trucks and SUVs: the windshield wiper arms may break. Dealers inspect and replace the wiper arms if needed.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Lincoln Navigator Next year 2021 Lincoln Navigator See every Lincoln Navigator model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Lincoln Navigator reliable?

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator has 32 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Navigator years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 13 recalls on file, including Automatic transmission, Pretensioner, and Engine.

What are common problems with a 2020 Lincoln Navigator?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (18 of 32), then Electrical system (4) and Engine (3). Those filings include 2 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2020 Lincoln Navigator more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 Navigator has 80 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2021 has 33 complaints, 4 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Lincoln Navigator been recalled?

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator has 13 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Lincoln Navigator?

Owners have filed 32 complaints about the 2020 Lincoln Navigator with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Lincoln Navigator get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Lincoln Navigator is 18.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Lincoln Navigator take?

U554 Navigators with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 use 0W-20 full synthetic; capacity is about 4.5 quarts with filter.

What does recall 22V-250 cover on the Navigator?

Certain 2020-2021 Navigators (with other Ford trucks/SUVs): windshield wiper arms may break. Dealers inspect and replace them if needed.

What tire size is common on Black Label Navigators?

285/45R22 is a common Black Label fitment; confirm the door placard for your trim.