2018 Ford F-150 complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the steering wheel cover covering the driver’s side air bag was cracked. The dealer was contacted and stated that a special engineer was needed for the repair because the crack was located on air bag housing. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

I was required to complete the recall 24E12 on my 2018 ford F 150 2.7L eco boost XLT. Upon completion the check engine light comes on. I looked into this and this is an ongoing problem with the emissions recall . I scanned for a code and P0430 is coming up. (Catalyst System). I contacted the dealership and ford corporate and they will not help assist in resolving this issue. I explained my vehicle was working fine until the mandatory emissions recall was completed and that under the good will assistance I should be covered for Some compensation fixing this vehicle. I was denied any additional help. I as a loyal customer for many years don’t believe that it is my responsibility to pay a full bill for a new converter when it was their recall that caused the issue on an already perfectly fine vehicle.

Truck will not shift into 7th gear, will down shift to 1st gear once it reaches 6th gear around 40mph. Causing the vehicle back tires to brake and skid and lose control of vehicle.

While driving home from a work appointment in Rockwall, Texas, I entered an intersection with three lanes of uncontrolled cross traffic traveling approximately 35-45 mph. As I accelerated my Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 transmission, it started into the intersection and then began sporadically hunting for a gear. The truck suddenly lost nearly all acceleration and slowed to an almost complete stop while I was in the middle of the intersection. Vehicles were approaching me from the driver side, leaving me with almost no ability to get out of their path. I was extremely fortunate that I was not T-boned. This is the second time this truck has experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of acceleration, the first was with a 4th gear slip on an on-ramp. Neither incident was preceded by a warning light or other dashboard indication. I understand Ford has been aware of problems involving the CDF clutch drum in the 10R80 transmission and that the design was subsequently revised in later versions. My vehicles issues are textbook CDF Drum problems. Meanwhile, the known 10R80 problems have significantly reduced the vehicle's value, leaving me owing more than I can reasonably recover by selling it. This is not simply a reliability issue. A transmission that can unexpectedly eliminate a vehicle's ability to accelerate without warning is a serious safety hazard. Twice, this defect has put me in a situation where I could have been killed by cross traffic. I am asking NHTSA to investigate

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to trade in the vehicle, there was a mileage discrepancy discovered. The vehicle was a private sale. The mileage at the time of the purchase was approximately 93,000 miles, which was displayed on the odometer; however, the trade-in dealer informed the contact that the vehicle history report listed the mileage at over 190,000.

I believe there’s an ongoing lawsuit against Ford regarding these truck models, specifically their gearboxes, which are failing and slipping gears. After the initial recall for the new software gearbox mapping, my gearbox has started slipping, causing issues during downshifting, acceleration, and upshifting. There are frequent loud bangs

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle lost motive power, and the brakes became inoperable. The drivetrain and wrench symbol were displayed. The ABS warning light was illuminated and DTC: U100 (Failure of Communication for Engine and Transmission) was displayed. The codes were cleared after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a communication error with the engine and transmission computer. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The transmission upshifted from first gear to seventh. After a while, the vehicle resumed normal operations, but then the vehicle drove abnormally. The RPM increased to high, and the temperature gauge was at HOT. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and was diagnosed with complete transmission failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,513.

My 10R80 transmission has failed at 79000 miles. This tranmission has been problematic during the life of this truck. Hard shifting, delayed shift, clutch flutter. Ford refused to honor my extended warranty that covers the power train beyond the 5/60000mile base warranty.

Truck starting missing gears when pulling onto highway. Rpms jumped high and truck wouldnt shift. Thankfully we made it across before the oncoming traffic or we would have been hit. Finally got it to go but it was missing gears causing it to drive sluggish. No prior engine lights warning me. When the incident happed I got a notification of a power train malfunction/ reduced power.

10R80 transmission will jerk and hard shift randomly at times. Also appears to get stuck in gear and/or downshift at inappropriate times.

Transmission shudders until it gets warm, then it slips when accelerating after it's warmed up. Sometimes it goes completely out of gear. I've had the recall update done on the TCM and it made it worse. It has been confirmed by a service center. There are no messages or warning lights and it started slipping 6-8 months ago and has gotten worse. I cannot drive it currently.

While driving, the automatic transmission started to act up. The truck would attempt to go into 3rd gear but would bypass it to 4th, similar action around 7/8th gear. When pressing the accelerator at times, the truck would not switch gears or increase speed. A warning light did appear on the dashboard, indicating a problem. A code reader indicated two possible issues related to the transmission. These issues made the truck unsafe to drive in any traffic since I wasn't sure the truck was going to continue moving and was concerned about being either being stranded or being rear-ended. The truck was taken to a repair shop that my extended warranty works with. The shop was able to reproduce the issue. The shop indicated that there was an issue with the transmission. A warranty company technician came to the shop to run a diagnostic on the truck. After review of the technicians analysis, the warranty company approved the transmission repair and shop is waiting on parts.

Around 108018 miles started to experience rough, harsh, slamming shifts and skipping gears from 1 to 4 or 3 to 6 and then from 8 slamming to 1st gear at times very unsafe and erratic and through my research this transmission has been a big problem on Fords. I took to a local transmission repair shop they drove and confirmed the shifting issues and said yes the valve body/shift solenoids need replaced and also the CDF drum/cylinder is going bad they also dropped the oil pan and confirmed metal/aluminum shavings in the bottom of the pan. I was quoted $8,800 to repair and this is a huge expense that Ford knows of the problem and needs to be held accountable. there needs to be a recall to replace these bad transmissions with new updated units.

Vehicle was traveling at highway speeds when the transmission decided to shift from 10th gear into 1st gear at 70mph. Had vehicle at dealership and the transmission had to be replaced. Could have destroyed the motor or caused massive accident on highway shifting into 1st gear at 70mph.

I have 40,000 miles on this truck and the torque converter shutters when towing, the transmission is slow to shift fome 3-4. No one has looked at it. Since its out of warranty I am just going to run it until it fails.

The internal mechanical failure of the Ford 10r80 transmission due to design fault causes unsafe driving conditions as the transmission stalls (fails to power at request) or lunges (powers forward without driver input) causing unsafe conditions for vehicle occupants and nearby vehicular & pedestrian traffic. My vehicle exhibits two well known and documented conditions; stalling and lunging forward. The most common failure is that the transmission fails to shift from 1st to 3rd gear in a low speed condition (e.g. navigating parking lots amongst pedestrians). Upon the failure to shift, the vehicles computer system senses this, overrides by raising the vehicle RPMs significantly without driver input to do so, the vehicle then hard shifts and jerks forward several feet in an uncontrollable manner. Anticipating the jerk and overriding with the brakes fails to stop the vehicle from lunging forward. The second most common failure is the transmission totally failing to provide drive. A common scenario would be sitting at a traffic light waiting to make a left turn. Upon the opportunity to make a safe left turn, the vehicle at times will roll slightly forward (in its first gear), it will then attempt a shift while the vehicle may potentially still be in cross-traffic, and the vehicle at times will fail to drive, without any inputs (brake, gas, manual shift) getting the vehicle out of the no-drive condition, and leaving the vehicle subject to a dangerous potential for collision or safe

Cdf drum went bad had to have transmission replaced because of how hard it was shifting

When shifting from 3rd to 4th gear, the trucks RPM jumps and then downshifts into first gear. This happens around 40 mph and has almost caused two accidents for me.

I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2018 Ford F-150 XLT equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly lost power and failed to engage into gear causing hesitation in the middle of driving. This occurred while in stop and go traffic, creating a potentially dangerous situation because the truck did not respond as expected when I needed predictable acceleration or propulsion. I believe this incident may be related to the known 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve problem. Ford technical information identifies axial movement of the CDF sleeve that can cause hydraulic-circuit leaks and harsh or delayed engagement and shifting. This condition can result in slipping, RPM flares, delayed engagement, unexpected gear changes, harsh downshifts, lurching, or loss of propulsion. This is a safety concern, not merely a transmission quality or reliability issue. Unexpected loss of propulsion or unpredictable shifting while merging, accelerating into traffic, crossing an intersection, turning, or traveling at highway speed can create a collision hazard. Because I personally experienced this unexpected transmission event, I request that NHTSA investigate the 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve condition in Ford F-150s. Please review Ford warranty claims, dealer repair records, transmission replacements, consumer complaints, and field-failure data to determine whether this is a safety defect requiring a recall.

Truck downshifted to a gear too low for the travel speed, caused the rear tires to briefly lock up, very lucky to have kept control. Unsure why the truck did it, it’s happened twice now at 89,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the message "Brake Fluid Level Low" was displayed. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brakes failed to work properly. The contact drove to Walmart and purchased brake fluid to add to the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The contact added more brake fluid, but the failure recurred, and the engine made a knocking sound with smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 114,089.

10r80 transmission CDF Failure. Had repair completed though still has issues with 4/5th gear. Truck will lose power while accelerating until it finds the gear it wants to go. Multiple re-learning processes completed with no solution. V6 ecoboost - cam phasers repaired twice. 1st time by initial owner but that was not relayed to me. 2nd time by me after multiple trips to the dealership where they couldn't reproduce the issue. Took videos and finally brought the truck in with the check engine light flashing. Required entire engine rebuild.

Hello, I have a concern with my trucks transmission. I haven't had it diagnosed by Ford but am an independent tech myself. I believe the cdf drum is failing. Here are the problems I had. The biggest is the safety. I was pulling out on busy street and I accelerated. Truck moved and the transmission delayed in shifting causing truck to slow down and then slamming into gear. Oncoming traffic got very close. It has done it numerous times. I don't know when it will do it and when it won't. Transmission has also gone from 3rd gear to 8th and back to 2nd on its own.

The 10 speed transmission will downshift unexpectedly at unsafe speeds. The CDF drum issues make this vehicle unsafe.

When driving my vehicle, it severely downshifts and whiplashes/jerks you. We no longer drive it and have parked it and no longer feel safe. No lights came on dash to give us any type of warning.

The transmission is failing. It is a known issue. 2018 Ford F150 Lariat. The transmission shifts very hard; it's slipping out of gear. It is getting stuck in gears and not shifting as it should. It is flaring when shifting gears. My safety is at risk because I never know when the vehicle is going to move if I am stopped. It could happen in the middle of an intersection; it could go out when I'm going at highway speeds. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by a Ford dealer. The component has not been inspected by anyone on my personal vehicle except by the Ford technician at a local dealership. There were no warning lamps or messages. At first, when you would pull out for the first time of the day, it would have a little trouble shifting through 3rd and 4th gear for the first few minutes, then it was fine the rest of the day. Now it is slipping out of gears, shifting hard, missing shifts, banging when shifting gears, flaring when shifting gears, getting stuck in gears. I did not know this was an issue before buying the vehicle. After it started occurring, I looked it up, and this is a VERY widely known issue with this Ford 10R80 transmission in multiple models of their vehicles, and they REFUSE to recall them. This is an incredible safety issue, as the vehicle can slip out of gear or randomly change to the wrong gear at any time and make the driver lose control of the vehicle.

While engaging my brakes at a traffic light, suddenly the brake pedal went to the floor. Once I was able to safely park the vehicle (because there was no brake function), I inspected around the tires, brake fluid, and brake calipers. I noticed a puddling of brake fluid around the front passenger tire. Upon removing the tire, and inspecting this brake hose, I noticed the brake hose was visibly ruptured. I went to a local Ford dealership to purchase the replacement part, and fix this issue.

I have had my 2018 10R80 transmission get hung in gear and not be able to take off in traffic and also downshifting on its own and loosing a few gears while driving vehicle on highway. I see where Ford did a CDF drum change on newer model transmissions but nothing has been done on 2018???? To me this is a safety issue that needs to be resolved!!

Harsh downshifting in transmission. Drops down from 10 to 1 then back to 7 then to 1 and then it fine for awhile and the repeats

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated, decelerated unintendedly, and the transmission was slipping. The check engine and the WRENCH Icon warning lights were illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the extended powertrain warranty coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

I live on a busy road on top of a hill. When leaving the truck will often hesitate leaving me with a heavy loss of acceleration. I’ve I been in numerous situations were I was almost rear ended! The truck will also jolt you when it shifts like hitting a wall.

I am reporting a severe safety hazard regarding my 2018 Ford F-150, which is equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission. While driving, the transmission suddenly lost its selected gear, slipped, and failed to engage. This event was accompanied by violent shifting, severe RPM flaring, and unexpected, harsh downshifts.This dangerous failure occurred during critical driving maneuvers—specifically while accelerating and attempting to merge onto a highway—creating an immediate collision hazard. The truck failed to respond to throttle input, depriving me of predictable acceleration and propulsion when I needed it most to match the speed of oncoming traffic.I believe this incident is directly related to the well-documented 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder sleeve defect. Ford’s own technical documentation acknowledges that axial movement of this sleeve causes internal hydraulic leaks, leading to erratic shifting, slipping, and sudden losses of propulsion.This is fundamentally a safety defect, not a minor quality issue. An unexpected loss of power while merging or traveling at highway speeds places occupants at extreme risk of a rear-end collision. Because I have personally experienced this terrifying failure, I request that NHTSA open a formal investigation into the Ford 10R80 CDF clutch sleeve defect before it results in severe injuries or fatalities. Owners should not have to wait for a catastrophic transmission failure to receive a remedy.

Truck will flare on lower gears of the 10 speed transmission. The 10R80 to be exact. The CDF drum was engineered incorrectly and ford has made an updated part but they didn’t make it till 2023. So that leaves years 17’-22 to have transmission problems and catastrophic transmission failures because of a bad design. It’s very dangerous for a transmission to lose power on the roads and or react in a way that can make you lose control of vehicle. Ford has acknowledged the issue but not for the affected years. People have spent millions out of pocket and or if they had warranty coverage they spent have spent lots of unnecessary time with vehicles in and out of dealers and shops.

Truck will flare on lower gears of the 10 speed transmission. The 10R80 to be exact. The CDF drum was engineered incorrectly and ford has made an updated part but they didn’t make it till 2023. So that leaves years 17’-22 to have transmission problems and catastrophic transmission failures because of a bad design. It’s very dangerous for a transmission to lose power on the roads and or react in a way that can make you lose control of vehicle. Ford has acknowledged the issue but not for the affected years. People have spent millions out of pocket and or if they had warranty coverage they spent have spent lots of unnecessary time with vehicles in and out of dealers and shops.

Shifts from a high gear to a low gear at high speeds. Locks up back tires and is very unsafe. Revs up over 7000rpm in low gears and then shoots me forward. Have almost had several accidents due to these issues. Less than 60000 miles on truck. Feels very unsafe to me, my passengers and others around me when driving. Out of warranty specs.

The OEM LED headlights will not adjust, causing excessive glare to on coming drivers. This issue is 300 times worse than the miniscule amount of light that the daytime running lights emit, but somehow the running lights get a recall, but the headlight adjusters do not! I'm completely flabbergasted at such an absurd and unjust oversite to such and important issue, please record this protest in the appropriate file, thanks. I constantly get offended drivers flashing their lights at me.

Transmission stopped gearing into 2nd gear because of known transmission issues with 2018 F150’s. This happened before 60,000 miles on the truck, but was outside of warranty because was not reported until after the 5 year mark. Causes truck to jerk and transmission to deteriorate.

This vehicle has been into the Ford dealer multiple times for transmission slipping type issues. From before the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty ended and after. The dealer said the only thing needed was an update and reset. Today a different Ford dealer has informed me that during the transmission flush, there are tiny specks and slivers of metal. The engine issue in regard to cam phaser repair recall/customer service bulletin has been leaking due to issues with proper sealant. The rear camera goes out and screen turns white at times.

On XXX at approximately 5pm my passenger and I were traveling west on the XXX from [XXX] to [XXX]. While driving at highway speeds with cruise control on at approximately 75/80 miles an hour, my 2018 F150 3.5ecoboost with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission suddenly without any input from myself, the transmission jerked out of gear causing the rear end to shudder violently. The vehicle briefly went into limp mode, after I pulled over and stopped, I turned the vehicle off and let it sit. When I turned it back on the limp mode went away but the transmission felt like it was slipping gears. My vehicle has only had light city and highway driving and never towed anything. With the known issues and on going class action lawsuits against Ford Motor Company regarding the 10R80 transmission, evidence shows my vehicle is also suffering from the known dangerous 10R80 10-speed transmission issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine dies out then on then out during any speed. Will not accelerate, Will not start. Dies out on the interstate and in town. Each repair by the dealer has not fixed my truck. I see Ford has recalled this model of F150’s but not mine. It needs to be.

Multi-component engine failure while being operated under normal driving conditions. ​Despite rigorous, routine, and fully documented preventive maintenance performed in accordance with manufacturer specifications, the vehicle suffered an instantaneous breakdown of its core mechanical systems. A diagnostic assessment confirmed that a sweeping array of vital engine components—including the cam phasers, turbocharger, lifters, timing chain, and associated valvetrain assemblies—all failed simultaneously. ​Rather than a progressive wear-and-tear issue or a failure caused by neglect, this unprecedented, all-at-once collapse points to a massive, systemic mechanical breakdown. This has rendered the engine entirely non-functional and requires a complete overhaul or engine replacement.

Approximately four months ago, my truck started shifting hard going into second gear, then it quickly became jerky shifting in other gears with slippage, dangerous hesitation and engagement problems. It was so bad that I was almost rear-ended 3 times. Then the hesitation happened more often and a few times lost all power to transmission, and I had to stop in moving traffic for the transmission to find a gear. Very dangerous situation! A few weeks later, sudden downshifts for no reason were happening. I am the second owner of this truck that had 24,000 miles when I purchased it, and now it only has 49,500 miles with major transmission issues that are unsafe for me and my passengers, and the vehicles around me. The Ford dealer in my area has had my truck for a week, and nobody has called me, only making things worse. Hesitation or delayed engagement Sudden downshifts Clunking noises Occasional loss of power

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission failed to shift properly, the RPM revved abnormally, and produced uncontrollable power to the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was stated to the contact that the transmission fluid was discolored and needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

All lights in the rear of the truck failed working at once, turn ,brake and back up lights, bulbs are good, fuses are all good, checked all the connects and they are also good, this is the second time this has happened,. The first time it happened after going through the fuses and bulbs and finding nothing they started working again, that was in the beginning of June and now again in July.

The vehicle has gotten stuck in 7th gear before, it also has almost completely stopped, wouldn't accelerate and shifted down and up. It is not drivable now with only 58500 miles on it. I am afraid to drive it by myself and I would never take my family anywhere in it as it poses a safety hazard / danger.

Typical 10r80 transmission problems you’ve guys seen a million times and have yet to force ford to issue a recall . I can’t even make it through an intersection without it stopping suddenly and putting me in danger . Please do something. This is gonna cost me a lot of money to fix .

When starting the truck on XXX, the transmission was stuck in 7th gear and would not reverse. It was one day out of the 5 year warranty period. Had it towed to Kendall Ford in [XXX]. They "found TSB 22-2428" and suspected an issue with the cdf cylinder. They determined that it was more cost effective to replace the transmission with a reconditioned one instead of repairing it. The total cost was about $9700. Because it was just out of warranty the dealership did give us a great discount, but we still ended up paying $2655 out of pocket. I also have a 2018 Mustang with the same 10 speed transmission. For the Mustang, I received a letter from Ford regarding Special Field Action 25L02 that provides a 7 year/70,000 mile warranty for similar transmission issues. I contacted Ford and they told me that there is no Special Field Action or Customer Satisfaction program for the F-150 transmission. I'm reporting this in the hopes that more people reporting problems with the 10 speed transmission will result in financial aid from Ford to cover the cost of transmission repairs on more vehicles than Mustangs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Intermittent P0420 and P0430 catalytic converter efficiency code. The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) will turn on for a while and then turn off for a while.

I have been experience very hard shifts, lunging, and unexpected downshifting when driving. It happens every time I drive the vehicle. It happens at differenent speeds especially up on take off.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the tailgate unexpectedly opened while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V983000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.