2018 Ford F-150 complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving in 8th and higher gears, the transmission was shifting erratically, shifting hard, slipping, and shuddering. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the re-manufactured transmission needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E070000 (Power Train); because the transmission currently exceeded 8,000 miles. The contact stated that the required mileage was not stated in the recall notification, and the recall remedy was not available when the failure initially occurred. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The re-manufactured transmission failure mileage was approximately 8,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Did Ford PCM recall, 2-3 days check engine light failed ignition coils $500, filed complaints with dealer and ford now o have another check engine light with faulty catalytic converter a recall for a faulty part from Ford should be all inclusive in its repairs it’s unfair for me to be out of pocket $2500

The master cylinder has failed causing the brakes to fail similar to a previous Recall 25S37.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered intermittently and had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

COMPONENT; likely the transmission SAFETY revs went to almost zero on highway. Transmission seemed to stop the truck. Then intermittent on and off transmission. Seriously struggled to get the truck off the highway momentarily no ability to control speed: then on and off with the acceleration. Very scary! sudden drop in speed on the highway could have caused an accident with no brake lights on Problem been reproduced: Not to my knowledge. its at a dealer now. Not safe to drive BEEN INSPECTED: At dealer now Prior warning - lamps etc: NONE WHATSOEVER Oil lamp came on, then the check engine light came on well after the initial scare.

Transmission down shifted from 10th gear to 1st gear while traveling at 80mph on XXX. Truck then continued to shift randomly throughout gears and occasionally not shift at all. Clutchs are all burned up and the fluid is now burnt as well. Had to be hauled 2 hours home from an army installation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I purchased my 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor in October 2017. On December 27, 2019, at 27,775 miles, the cam phasers were replaced under warranty using Ford part numbers beginning with HL3Z. In June 2026, at 74,665 miles — fewer than 47,000 miles after that repair — I began experiencing the same cam phaser symptoms (rattle/knock at cold start and idle) that led to the original repair. At no point was I notified by Ford or my dealer that the HL3Z parts used in my 2019 repair were known to have the same defect as the original phasers, despite Ford having since transitioned to an updated part (ML3Z) referenced in its own Customer Satisfaction Program documentation (CSP 21N03 and Supplements #1–4). I contacted Ford Customer Service in July 2026 requesting assistance with the recurrence and was told no help would be provided. I am concerned this failure can progress to loss of engine power or a more serious failure while driving, based on the known failure pattern of this component. The repair is labor- and parts-intensive, creating a significant cost burden for a defect Ford appears to have known was unresolved by the original repair parts. Reference documentation: SSM 48272, TSB 20-2191, TSB 20-2315, CSP 21B10, CSP 21N03 (and Supplements #1–4), TSB 23-2143.

Transmission slips, cdf drum must likely the culprit, clunks to the point that the adaptive learning isn’t able to compensate for the cdf failure. Recently while driving at freeway speed there was a failure in the cdf drum That caused the transmission to go into limp mode almost causing an accident. Luckily I didn’t and after shutting down the truck and restarted it I was able to make it home very slow. It’s been parked ever since.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission slipped and jerked. Additionally, when shifting into gear, the vehicle intermittently surged forward. At other times, the vehicle failed to move when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure occurred repeatedly. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated that a new transmission was needed. Repairs were pending. The contact had not notified the dealer or the manufacturer about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

The transmission will shift from whatever gear it is to a random lower gear usually 1-4

I believe this was a CDF Clutch Drum failure on the 10R80 transmission. Caused me to loose power midway through a signalized intersection. It is currently at the shop being diagnosed, but may be available for inspection upon a timely request. This issue put me and my family at risk because it caused my vehicle to stop in the middle of the road. No warning lamps, but the truck will no longer shift past 2nd gear.

Transmission not shifting right and back up camera not cutting off while driving

When cold: - delays in shifts, sometimes up to a few seconds, hard jolt due to revs being too high once it finally shifts (really bad in 2nd gear, pretty bad in 3rd) - slight delay in overdrive gears sometimes (7th, 8th, 9th, 10th) after warming up: - delay upshifting into 4th and 5th almost always, even in manual mode - slight jolt downshifting into 6th at random: - gearbox gets confused and defaults to downshifting to 1st. this happens when accelerating. has happened upshifting to 4th, 8th, 9th. when this happens, it will actually downshift to 1st when attempting to upshift to 4th. when this happens while attempting to upshift to overdrive gears, it does not actually downshift (money shift) to 1st, luckily. - might be slipping a bit in 3rd or 4th gear

My vehicle was shifting erratically until a repair was made. Ford acknowledges there is a issue and will not place a recall even though they manufactured a part to fix the issue with the CDF drum in the 10R80 transmissions not seating correctly.

The Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT) Phasers on my 2018 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost have failed, resulting in violent, un-commanded camshaft movement within the engine. The vehicle is currently in my possession, and the failed components are available for inspection upon request. This failure puts my safety and the safety of surrounding motorists at extreme risk. The internal locking pins inside the cam phasers have degraded, which introduces excessive slack and erratic force against the engine's timing chain. If the timing chain jumps a gear or breaks due to this violent movement,a known consequence of ignored phaser rattle.The engine will suffer catastrophic internal damage. This will result in an immediate, sudden loss of motive power at highway speeds, leaving the vehicle completely stalled and un-drivable in moving traffic without warning. The problem is actively reproducible on every cold engine start, characterized by a harsh, metallic rattling noise lasting several seconds until oil pressure builds. Approximately two weeks ago, I contacted Ford Corporate Customer Relations to escalate this issue. During that call, Ford informed me that these exact cam phasers were already replaced in 2021 at Liberty Ford of Fayetteville, NC. The fact that a critical engine timing component has failed twice on the same vehicle indicates a deeply flawed, inherently dangerous design. Ford's prior attempts to remedy this through Customer Satisfaction Programs 21B10 and 21N03 clearly did not pr

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious and ongoing transmission safety concern with my 2018 Ford F-150 3.0L diesel. The vehicle has repeatedly exhibited unsafe and unpredictable transmission behavior, including harsh downshifts at highway speeds, delayed gear engagement, slow transitions between gears, and abrupt jolting that can forcefully move occupants forward. These issues create a safety risk because the vehicle does not shift predictably during normal driving, including at highway speeds and during acceleration or deceleration. The vehicle was previously taken in for service due to these transmission concerns. At that time, the transmission fluid was found to be approximately 75% low. The dealer performed a software update; however, the transmission problems have continued and may have worsened since that repair attempt. Today, the vehicle displayed a transmission-related error stating: “The transmission control module has detected a concern when trying to shift to 4th gear. A failsafe logic disables 4th gear for the remainder of this key cycle.” This warning indicates that the vehicle’s transmission control module detected a fault during operation and disabled 4th gear as a protective measure. This is a significant escalation from rough or delayed shifting, as the vehicle is now entering a failsafe condition that removes a gear while the vehicle is being driven. The condition presents a safety concern because the transmission may downshift unexpectedly, hes

Ford F-150 have a known transmission failure problem which causes them to have to be replaced with low mileage due to the CDF drum. This causes the transmission to hit hard while the operator is driving which could cause them to lose control. Ford is aware of the problem and has refused to fix it.

Consistent shudder in transmission. Downshifting at odd intervals and vibrations when at driving speeds. Taken to dealership and told that is just how it does. Transmission temp abnormally high on longer trips and transmission slips when hot.

Transmission went out on me at 100,653 miles. 10 speed transmission. Would stay in gear for a long time in 1st through 3rd. Shift super hard from 5th to 7th. At times going down highway it would say it’s in first gear and I would have no throttle for 5-10 seconds until it would show it was in 10th gear again, vehicle would be in “coast” mode on the freeway. Sudden harsh shifts when not warranted causing erratic driving conditions. Resulting in a $6429.58 remanufactured transmission replacement. As I came online to check issues with these I found a mountain of complaints with these same transmissions. Ford needs to offer a recall with the amount of cases on the 10r80 transmission failures, plain and simple. Absolutely wrong for a truck with 100,653 miles to lose a transmission.

My 2018 f150 downshifted to first and scuttled across the road because it downshifted so hard. I almost wrecked because of this! It messed with my transmission ability !

When you go to take off and pull into traffic the transmission will stall and not move. The transmission will shift into gear in about 5 seconds afterwards. Then it shifts erratic.

Vehicle: 2018 Ford F-150 3.0L Power Stroke Diesel I am submitting this complaint because my vehicle's transmission exhibits repeated and potentially dangerous operating behavior that has not been corrected despite service by a service shop. The transmission unexpectedly downshifts while driving at highway speeds without driver input. It is also consistently slow to shift into appropriate gears during normal acceleration, causing delayed power delivery followed by abrupt and harsh gear engagement. The transmission frequently shifts aggressively, resulting in severe jolts that force occupants forward in their seats. The shifting behavior is unpredictable and significantly impacts safe operation of the vehicle. I brought the vehicle to an authorized mechanic for diagnosis and repair. During the inspection, I was informed that the transmission fluid level was approximately 75% below the proper level. The diesel automotive shop performed a transmission software update and returned the vehicle to me. Despite these repairs, the transmission problems have continued and appear to have become more severe. The ongoing symptoms include: - Unexpected downshifts at highway speeds. - Delayed gear engagement and hesitation before shifting. - Harsh, abrupt shifting accompanied by violent jolts. - Unpredictable transmission behavior that reduces driver confidence and control. These conditions create a significant safety concern, particularly at highway speeds, where unexpected downshifts or de

UNKNOWN Transmission jerking at low gears. Transmission randomly enters neutral when in traffic at low speeds when accelerating causing dangerous safety issues. Transmission randomly downshifts causing safety hazard. No warning lamps or messages. Started about 1 year after purchase and has progressed to more often

The truck suddenly downshifts hard and the truck slows down significantly, without warning. When it goes back into gear, the whole truck jolts and the transmission shifts hard. It has always shifted hard, but the dealer blames the 10 speed transmission “just does that”. They don’t know why. This report tells me to enter a single date, but it happens about every 1 in of 5 times we drive it, and has for a few years now. Again, the dealer tells us nothing is wrong and they can’t recreate it.

Transmission is failing. Up shifting it misses gears and slams into random gears. It has sent me off the road buy at 50 mph in 7th gear it randomly shifts to first gear locks the rear tires up and spins the truck out. The problem can be reproduced anytime you start driving the truck after its been off for a while. But that doesn't mean it can't start up at any time. no warning light. problem started around 78k miles. THIS IS DANGER

I think that ford needs to a recall on these 10r80 transmissions, I was driving a week ago and suddenly I went to limp mode. Went to gear one now transmission is hesitating

Subject: Safety Defect Complaint – Sudden 10R80 Transmission Failure in 2018 Ford F-150 Dear NHTSA, I am reporting a serious safety issue with my 2018 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission. The transmission failed completely at only 93,000 miles, well before Ford’s first recommended fluid change at 150,000 miles. While driving, the transmission suddenly shifted from 3rd gear directly to 7th gear, skipping intermediates. This caused severe loss of power (“gutless”) or abrupt deceleration nearly to a halt. The erratic behavior created multiple dangerous close calls in traffic. I was able to get it to a Ford dealer. They confirmed total transmission failure and referenced a Technical Service Bulletin identifying a known component (CDF clutch drum/hub) that commonly fails due to excessive heat and inadequate durability. Replacement was quoted at approximately $10,000. I contacted Ford Customer Service, described the safety risk of sudden unpredictable shifts, cited the known defect in their technical documentation, and requested assistance. Ford declined any support or remedy. This premature failure, combined with erratic shifting and loss of vehicle control, poses a clear risk of crashes. I urge NHTSA to investigate the 10R80 transmission issues in 2017–2020 F-150s and require Ford to issue a recall or extended remedies to protect public safety. Thank you for your attention. I have provided repair records, dealer notes, and further details below. Sin

Transmission failure

- Master Cylinder leaking into booster Pump. ~Lost brakes going 65MPH, had to drive into a grass area to slow down. No warning lights until I lost all brakes. - Transmission hard shifting and unreliable gear selection ~ This truck has missed gears when passing intersections and has almost caused a wreck multiple time. Transmission is unsafe for users to drive with.

On 3 separate occasions while driving at highway speeds, the transmission has rapidly moved from 10th gear to 1st resulting in a rapid decline in speed. Additionally, this vehicle loses power between 3rd and 5th gear, resulting in hesitation that has nearly caused accidents on two occasions.

This vehicle received a PCM update performed in strict accordance with Ford service procedures, per TSB/SSMO No. 24E12, on 1/02/26. At the time of the update, no stored or pending diagnostic trouble codes related to catalyst efficiency were present, and the vehicle was operating as designed. Pre- and post-update scan data has been retained and is available upon request. Approximately 100 miles after the recalibration, the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was returned for service within 500 miles, at which point a DTC P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) was confirmed as a mature two-trip fault. This condition was not present — and had not been detected — during the vehicle's prior 134088 miles of operation, which includes no history of catalyst-related codes. The immediate onset of this fault following the PCM recalibration strongly indicates that the updated calibration altered system monitoring thresholds in a manner that directly triggered this code. This presentation is inconsistent with an ordinary mechanical failure. The most reasonable conclusion is that the fault is either calibration-induced or that the prior calibration's monitoring parameters were insufficient to detect a borderline condition that the updated calibration now flags. In either case, the root cause is directly traceable to a Ford-mandated software update — not to customer neglect, abuse, or normal wear.

Truck has reoccurring issue of shifting from 10 to 1 at highway speeds causing me to shift into neutral as to not WRECK. No check engine light or trans light, which makes proving it to dealer is impossible. Only happens once every few months. Through forscan I can see the OSS speed sensor drops voltage briefly then regains voltage. This is a very expensive yet very dangerous truck and ford needs to be held accountable before someone dies....

This safety concern is related to the rear backup camera which sometimes goes dark, blank, has funny colors and fails to operate which could lead to backing i to something or someone.

While driving at 55mph in normal traffic, the transmission downshifted from 10th to 3rd gear, then shifted to neutral, then back to 10th gear. While the transmission was hunting I had to brake and pull onto the shoulder to keep from getting rear ended. Once the transmission figured out what gear to be in, I continued to drive the truck home. It has remained parked in the driveway since due to unknown reliability.

I have incidents where my vehicle will downshift or upshift erratically causing my truck to jerk and cause unsafe road conditions. For example when going somewhere or driving in traffic, I can come to a stop and the truck will downshift so quickly and jerk to the point to where it increases idle and I'm worried it's going to cause me to hit another car on the road and cause an accident. Very unsafe

Vehicle stalls, slams into lower gear causing truck to slam to a stop. Vehicle will go into neutral and not change gears while going down the hwy at hwy speeds

My vehicle stutters and hesitates as I accelerate up to 55moh. This occurs constantly not only during first startup.

The transmission in my f150 sometimes will down shift harshly when coming to a stop causing a sudden jolt that is very alarming. This does not happen very often. What is very consistent are these two symptoms. During acceleration it shifts very hard going to 3rd to 5th, skipping 4th all together. When accelerating up to highway speeds and merging the shift from 7th to 8th is delayed, and the engine RPMS spike. The inconsistency in the acceleration makes me wary that an unalert driver may rear end me.

Purchased my F 150 2017 King Ranch New from Auto Nation in Ft Worth Texas. Started having transmission problems and dealer did several computer updates. Moved in 2020 to Caldwell Texas and problems continued. Very hard shifting between gears (loud bang and jerking of vehicle). Then twice while traveling at about 60 miles per hour the transmission appeared to shift to much lower gear and engine RPM jumped to red line on tack. Required emergency move to shoulder because speed was also reduced. New Ford Dealer in Caldwell was unable to duplicate problem but recommended I take to a transmission expert (Oliver Brothers Transmission, Bryan Texas). Had dealer change fluids in transmission and rear differential before taking to Oliver Bros. Oliver Brothers believed the transmission may have a bad valve body. At that time I was afraid of transmission down shifting at the wrong time and causing me to wreck. Took back to Ford Dealership in Caldwell and told them to replace transmission. They replaced complete transmission and the hard shifting went away and so did the down shifting, this was 06/2023. I later traded in the truck for a new 2024 F 150.

Made an appointment with a Ford dealership to take a look at my 2018 Ford F-150 10 speed transmission on 12th May of 2026 they said everything checked out. I brought it in because the transmission was slipping and shifting very hard .they said everything checked out and was fine on the 12th of May and two days later my truck didn't want to start up. I had a notification from Ford on my Ford app saying I had a malfunction powertrain or transmission issue and a wrench symbol lit up on my dash. I took it back to Ford dealership on the 14th and they took a look at it and they could not get anything to come up on their History check so they did a hard reset after they had it for about a week .I got it back on the 19th of May and it was still continually slipping and shifting hard so I made an appointment with a local transmission shop and they inspected it and told me to transmission was shot so they installed a rebuilt transmission. At that time this said transmission only had 42,668.8 mi on it and truck does not do any towing or hauling

Transmission began shifting very hard into 3rd gear. Later the transmission got stuck in 4th gear and would not shift out of it, even at a complete stop. Was able to manually shift down to 3rd gear after a few minutes, then it started to shift normal. Lately the transmission has shifted from 7th gear to 1st gear and back to 7th gear, from 8th gear to 1st gear back to 8th gear, and twice it has shifted from 10th gear to 1st gear back to 10th gear. This happen while on a major roadway going 30-50 mph. I lose all throttle response for a few seconds during this process. It is a frightening experience. Not being able to control the speed of the vehicle or being able to accelerate is not safe. Many times at stop signs/crosswalks the vehicle will lunge ahead abruptly while shifting up gears. The truck is currently at the Ford Dealer, they say that it needs a new transmission. They said the Ford 10 speed transmission is known to have issues and they are backed up with this type of work. No warning lights or messages ever appeared. The hard shifting into 3rd gear started in the late fall, but the other shifting issues began early spring.

10r80 transmission failure. Ford dealer told me that ford is aware of the defective components in the 10r80 pre 2022, issued guidance on what updated components they designed to replace defective ones, and never issued a recall. Said this is very common but company won’t take responsibility or assist with the $10K repair.

The transmission failed at 108,000 miles, no warning, no lights, nothing. It cost me $10,000 on a vehicle I paid $32,000 for, less than 14,000 miles earlier. Neither Ford directly or the dealership were any help. Ford customer service told me, if it was one mile less than 100,000 miles they would have replaced it at no cost. I also found many other things wrong with the vehicle that the dealership misrepresented to get their top dollar.

Shifting vary hard

Master cylinder leaked and got a low brake fluid level warning and within one mile lost brakes with pedal depression all the way to the floor. Ford has a current recall for other makes and models which appears to be a manufacturer defect. My truck is currently in the dealership getting repaired

This vehicle was purchased from toothman and sowers Ford in west Virginia as certified pre owned. It has never run correctly. The transmission has a cdf drum failure which causes it to lurch forward randomly with several near miss accidents. It is completely unsafe to drive. It hangs up on gears and accelerates on its own with no press of the accelerator. Ford says it's $10000 to fix it but they know about it, created a tsb and never recalled. These trucks are a hazard and should not be driven until fixed. I don't drive the truck anymore and definitely won't put my toddler in the truck since it lurched and almost wrecked in an intersection. More near misses in that truck because of this failure than I care to keep track of. Now, it sits. It runs and looks pretty, but transmission is garbage and a hazard.

I previously had an issue with my 10 speed f150 transmission shifting into first gear at highway speeds and locking into first gear. It was taken to the dealer and had a tail shaft speed sensor replaced. It had been issue free for a few years now, but the issue happened again this weekend while towing a loaded trailer almost causing a loss of control and crash. It was completely unexpected and required the vehicle to be stopped and restarted to get the truck out of first gear

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and hauling a trailer, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact drove the vehicle into a ditch to stop it. The message "Low Brake Fluid" was displayed, and the brake warning light was illuminated. The front driver's side tire was damaged from the ditch. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained, and no police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. 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. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

Within the past three years of owning I have had an unfortunate circumstance where my transmission twice now; once at 90,000 and now at 110,000. My vehicle has decided to unexpectedly shift WITHOUT my input from 10th to 1st resulting in the transmission needing to be serviced due to the fact it will dump transmission fluid (a quart or two) and reach temperatures of 215 to 230 degrees Fahrenheit while driving at high speeds for example both instances have been on the interstate doing 75mph. I will loose all power of my vehicle but I still am in control of it. This to me is a huge safety concern due to the fact I am driving at a high rate of speed. Yes I understand it has been twice in three years but this is not a normal circumstance. I have had a local shop take a look at it and both times they have found nothing major except a loss of a quart of fluid. Due to the fact there is multiple information available out there on this similar event so it is not a fluke I believe it is more a coincidence with the 10r80 transmission by ford. I am reporting it because in my personal opinion this is NOT normal or typical behavior for a transmission, I only have 110,000 on my odometer so yes I can definitely see high mileage being a factor but if that is the case why has my transmission not finally given out yet? There is practically an impending doom feeling every time you sit down and put it in drive, you don’t know when or if this can happen again

My 2018 Ford F‑150 experiences harsh shifting, sudden downshifting, gear hunting, delayed engagement, and shuddering during normal operation. These issues occur regardless of weather, temperature, or driving conditions and present a serious safety concern when accelerating or maintaining speed. Detailed Description of the Problem: The transmission consistently behaves unpredictably, including: Abrupt and harsh upshifts Sudden, unexpected downshifts (including multi‑gear drops) Gear hunting at steady speeds Shuddering or vibration during light acceleration Delayed engagement when shifting from Park or Reverse These symptoms occur every time the vehicle is driven, whether accelerating from a stop or maintaining a constant speed. The behavior is unpredictable and creates a risk of loss of control, especially when merging, crossing intersections, or driving in traffic.