2018 Ford F-150 complaints

Transmission: sluggish upshift (vehicle feels like it is being pulled backwards), hard shifting and sudden downshifts at speeds in excess of 35 mph. Narrowly avoided getting rear-ended during rush hour traffic. I have not taken the vehicle to the dealership due to being afraid to drive it. No warning lamps, but symptoms started about two weeks ago but were very intermittent and easily resolved with a TCM relearn. Symptoms are similar to the known issues with the Ford 10R80 CDF Drum issues. I will be having the vehicle towed to the service center next week for a diagnosis and way forward. On 18 June 2025, I was traveling home from work. I stopped at a red light and waited for the light to turn green. The light turns green and the line of cars (roughly 20, with the lead car approximately 5 ahead of me) begin to proceed through the light. As I passed through the intersection and began to pick up speed, my vehicle shifted into 6th gear at about 40 mph. Less than 2 seconds after shifting into 6th, it shifted down to 1st gear, lost all power to the drivetrain, and almost caused a collision between me and the car behind me in a busy residential area. Pressing the accelerator only revved the engine. I turned my hazards on and shifted the vehicle to Manual and was able to get it going again but the same symptoms happened at my next stop and have persisted since.

Know 10 speed transmission failure, hard shifts lunging at red lights,load grinding noise. ford dealer diagnosis was need new transmission.

2018 Ford F-150 with transmission problem. 10 Gears- jerking and pause between automatic shifting of gears, down shifting. Brought to Ford- needs a complete transmission. This truck has 75,000 miles and is not "Built Ford Tough". Ford tells me this is not a recall and denied my claim. This is a safety issue and is a big, known problem for Ford. The dealership is replacing 6 of them per week that are not part of a recall. This should be a recall. Shame on Ford Motors.

SYNC seems to return to factory setting at every start and I need to answer the same series of initial questions to access it. It dumps all of my saved preferences when I turn the truck off. It freezes, particularly when I try a manual soft reboot. Back up camera comes on while I'm driving. I don't have access to audio, navigation, or hands free support.

I was parked in a parking lot when I heard a crack sound. I looked down and my steering wheel had a crack around the Ford emblem large enough that the part of the air bag could be seen. The truck is kept in a climate controlled garage and this incident happened when it was not hot out. I have contacted Ford and they have said that it is not a safety concern. I feel like this is a safety concern if the steering wheel can crack and I can see my air bag without there being any form of collision or contact with the air bag or the steering wheel at the time.

Cam phaser rattle, water pump & thermostat

The transmission slips from 3 to 4 and 7 to 8. Downshifts hard. Truck has been doing for no reason for a couple of months. Sometimes it accelerates itself.truck has 78k miles and no hard driving or tow has been done.

Just got off the Interstate on to a frontage road when I received a low brake fluid light warning. Instantly lost braking power. Was traveling approximately 40mph downhill toward a traffic light where cross traffic was going full speed. I had to activate my emergency brake to stop from running into the cross traffic. Got the truck into a gas station, checked the brake fluid reservoir & it was below the minimum fill line. Purchased brake fluid at the gas station, filled it up & drove and the parking lot. The brakes partially worked, but the reservoir drained quickly again. I was lucky that there was a brake service repair shop within a quarter of a mile, so I refilled the brake fluid to the max & drove slowly with hazards on to the shop & left it there. Today they told me it was a brake master cylinder internal failure that caused brake fluid to leak into brake booster resulting in loss of braking power. While my truck is not covered under an existing recall, there is a recall for this exact issue for the same make & model of my vehicle (but with a different motor). That is NHTSA recall # 25V-236. I believe this recall should apply to my truck.

While driving the vehicle it often shifts out of gear. It will hard shift change and not drive, which causes people behind you to have to unexpectedly stop or speed up on you because truck shifts out of gear. Very dangerous situation, and online people often complain about it

When accelerating, in gears 3-5, truck will intermittently jerk or hesitate. With transmission being erratic with acceleration, it difficult to steer when turning out of an intersection or corner or even changing lanes. This is a 10 speed transmission.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the transmission failed to shift correctly, causing the vehicle to jerk. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and was diagnosed and determined that the CDF drum on the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, stalled, and shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change and transmission fluid flush. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced at an unknown location, the contact was informed that the cam phasers and timing chain were defective. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine made an abnormal sound upon starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 69,500.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal revving sound and other unknown sounds while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the contact stated that the door and A/C and heating system actuator had failed. The contact stated that the rearview was inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the turbo, the air compressor and the 4-Wheel Drive system needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the actuator was unrepairable and was rigged by the mechanic. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,003.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while at a four-way stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the engine revved up, but the vehicle failed to respond. The brake pedal was released, and the vehicle lunged forward, almost causing a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while driving at various speeds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 162,000.

In November, dealership sends out a tech to perform a PCM Recall on my truck. 110,000 miles and never had a problem with it. After recall, check engine light comes on after less than 10 miles of driving. Tech returns, runs his program and says maybe this will fix it. Less than 200 miles of driving, check engine light comes on again. Third attempt with tech, runs program, says there is nothing he can do. Dealership says there is nothing they can do except run diagnostics for a fee. Contact Ford corporate, they give the same nothing they can do except run diagnostics for a fee. I refuse. No problems at all with my truck until they performed the PCM recall issued by Ford. Just so happens this problem is being reported on Reddit app by several other Ford owners, but “there’s nothing Ford can do.”

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the cam phasers were defective. The contact stated that a previous campaign (21B10) was performed on the vehicle to repair the cam phasers; however, the dealer acknowledged that the campaign had failed to repair the failure. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The contact was informed that there was no recall or warranty on vehicle. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 48,641.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer declined to reimburse the contact for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

In December 2024 I had a massive fuel leak in my system. I drove into my driveway and my neighbor said they could smell gasoline. I look and fuel was leaking onto the ground. If there was a spark It would have explodes into flames. I took it to my dealer and the diagnostic was a squirrel has chewed a hole in the fuel line because it is coated or made from a soy-based product, and it drawls rodents by its sweet smell and taste. I have spent over $3000 to replace the line because they didn't get it corrected the first time and had to replace the whole system again. I am eliminating the squirrel problem to prevent this happening again but it's not a guarantee and this fuel line material should not be make with a soy-based product.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered violently and made an abnormally loud rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer while it was under warranty coverage; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure had gotten progressively worse. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and became undrivable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the warranty coverage had expired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the transmission shifted hard, and the power train warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that parts for the repair were on back-order. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump, resulting in damages to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 137,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unstated recall; however, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running, the vehicle shuddered and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. Additionally, while driving in high gear, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the transmission lead frame was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake fluid warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, added brake fluid, and continued driving. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and added brake fluid to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Background: I’ve had my F150 for 7 years. For 6.x years though, the truck was operating with improper software in the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) that managed the Emissions system’s control and monitoring. This is according to the Ford Recall Notice in Feb 2025 (2E14) stating the above. To address the Recall, a Ford technician came to my house, performed the software recall update, and immediately afterwards, my check engine light came on. Days later, back at the Ford dealer, they charged me a $200 diagnostic fee, and concluded my Catalytic Converter was bad and needed replacement. And the $2000 repair would be my responsibility since my mileage was (now) over the Emissions Warranty limit. My question to them was: “when did the Catalytic Converter fail”? Dealer answer: Not sure. The old/incorrect software couldn’t detect when it went bad. My comment: So the Converter may have failed in year 1 ,2, 3, 4 or 5 (still in warranty term) and just not flagged it back then? Dealer Answer: It’s possible, no way to know for sure. Point is: There’s a good chance the part actually ‘failed’ during the warranty period. How can Ford logically assign responsibility to me when the software was ‘incorrect’ for 6 years?? I DON'T LIKE DRIVING A TRUCK THAT'S POLLUTING MORE due to a failed Catalytic Converter, but the dealer wasn’t able to explain why it failed AFTER the warranty period. I feel that Ford should replace the Converter at their cost since the point of failure was most likely durin

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving uphill with the cruise control activated, the transmission downshifted into first gear and the contact depressed the brake pedal, and the transmission shifted back into tenth gear. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not decided whether to pay for the repair. The manufacturer was notified on the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The contact was referred by the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

Transmission slips and goes into neutral while in heavy traffic. Ford says the cdf drum is bad and will need the updated one installed in the transmission along with a full rebuild and will not be covered under any recall or tsb.

Ford issued recall 24E12 for a PCM reprogramming for my 2018 Ford F-150 for an emissions issue. A dealership completed the recall on 4/15/25. Approximately one month later, check engine light comes on and dealership now says we need a new catalytic converter. Upon research, this exact issue has been happening with many others who did the reprogramming.

When driving my vehicle it would keep slipping out of gear and sometimes just stopping forward motion. Scaring the heck out of myself and my wife. I never knew when this might happen so I took it in and it was diagnosed and was told that it was jumping out of 2nd and 4th gear I believe. This vehicle only had approximately 45000miles onit. They told me I had two choices replace with rebuilt transmission or a new one I chose the new one . 8000. That was a shock considering I believe these should had covered it considering the mileage on it . Anyway that’s my complaint. Thank you

This vehicle has and co tones to have the back up display freezing while in reverse - it has been unsuccessfully addressed at dealerships on multiple occasions. The current recall on this issue needs to be added to more model years, this is not a new problem with ford

The transmission shifts from 10th gear to 1st when I’m going 70mph. Then it leaves me with no throttle control. If I get to 7th gear and approach a stop sign, it will stay in 7th gear and I can’t accelerate until it shifts down to 4th, to 1st, then back up to 3rd. It’s extremely dangerous, I can’t drive like it’s a normal car

Transmission started shuttering, driving jerky, and wouldn’t progress through the gears correctly. This was the third occurrence, the first two happened on the highway, this time was on a back road.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera image was reversed, and failed to display the image properly. The contact stated that the displayed image was distorted, flipped upside down, and the screen then went black. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 45 MPH, he attempted to avoid a slowdown on the highway. While attempting to avoid the slowdown, the contact's husband crashed into a parked vehicle on the highway. The air bags did not deploy upon collision. Due to the failure, the contact's husband injured his sternum and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The contact was treated for a broken sternum. A police report was filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechanic before the contact had the vehicle towed to a local Ford dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 137,447.

Oil pan leak. I was informed that this is a chronic issue with this engine due to material and sealant used during manufacturing.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the contact noticed a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with cam phaser failure. The contact was informed that the cam phaser and the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact referenced Customer Satisfaction Programs: 21N03 and 21B10; however, the contact was informed that both programs had expired. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,550.

Transmission starting to slip in 7th and 8th Gear when attempting to accelerate or hauling a load. I had this issue repaired once before where I was informed by the ford Transmission tech that this was so common that he had the parts list in the top of his toolbox. I am not the only F150 owner to experience this issue. There were no warning lamps. I have not returned to the dealership this time but am available if needed. This could cause loss of life, when I tried to pass another vehicle i was almost involved in a head on collision since the truck started slipping as i was trying to accelerate around and almost didnt make it in time. Thank you for your time.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the cam phasers had previously been replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,486.

Transmission is slipping at 54k miles, ford says it’s perfectly normal however it will jump from gear 1-4 and jerk extremely hard and occasionally make a noise as well. I took it to a mechanic they told me that fords of that year have an issue with the CDF drum slipping causing the transmission to wear down extremely fast.

Cam phaser rattling sounds starting the engine

In April 2025, my 2018 Ford F150 5.0 XLT 4x4 truck began harsh shifting from 1st to 4th and 5th gears. Then as I drive it awhile it will suddenly downshift from 8th to 1st gear causing a pause in driving. I was almost rear-ended by a car behind me. I took my truck to Clement Ford in O'Fallon Mo where they recommended a software update and resetting of the adaptive drive learning program. This cost $427.81 and has not fixed the problem.

We were driving on the highway when the truck starting jerking/shuttering and losing power. The wrench light came on, we put on the hazard lights and limped off the nearest exit.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Brake Fluid Level Low Service Now" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and brake fluid was added to the brake fluid reservoir; however, the failure returned within minutes. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Plastic two piece oil pan installed by factory with insufficient RTV resulting in a significant oil leak and possible fire potential as run back of oil reaches exhaust components. Vehicle is well kept and serviced regularly with less than 100k miles. Vehicle is out of warranty and down time is several days for a fix that results in using the same plastic oil pan with an estimate of $1200. Unfortunately this same oil pan will result in a similar leak in the future if fixed. Aftermarket aluminum options are available which result in a much better sealing surface. FORD please fix this issue. Oil leaking from pan first noticed during stops at red lights while idling and smelling burning oil thru vents. Ford dealer confirmed oil pan leak and suggested immediate replacement.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission intermittently slipped into another gear, and caused the vehicle to temporarily lose automotive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that several unknown parts in the transmission needed to be replaced. However, the dealer informed the contact that some of the unknown parts that needed to be replaced were discontinued. The contact researched and was became aware of an unknown NHTSA recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission intermittently downshifted into first gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the transmission. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 193,000.

The vehicle will cut off or shut down unexpectedly. This is a safety issue because I could be in traffic with other vehicles when this happens. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and they have quoted $6,000-$8,000 for repairs. No warning, it occured last week. I almost wrecked when it happened. The vehicle was riding rough and then it cut off.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while idling and while driving on several occasions, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the contact was informed that the rattling sound was normal. The vehicle was then taken to a independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain assembly needed to be replaced due to a cam sensor failure, and the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.