2018 Ford F-150 complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while towing a camper at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle occasionally hesitated to upshift in gear while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds with cruise control, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and restarted the vehicle, which was later taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The parts to repair the vehicle were ordered, and the vehicle was left at the local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

See attached document for complaint. In November 2024 I received a letter regarding a transmission recall related to my truck. This came almost 1 year after I had to have my transmission replaced for the reason stated in the recall letter. I have now reached out twice to the Ford Motor Company to try to receive reimbursement for the out-of-pocket expense I incurred to replace the transmission without any response from the company. I’m not sure where to go from here and am requesting assistance from the NTSA. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions. As you can see, I paid an initial $7000.00 to order the transmission. The total amount after installation was $9425.38. Please see all attached documents.

Approximately 3 months ago the transmission started shifting rough and slipping going into 4th gear.It also got stuck in 4th gear when I came to a complete stop.Took it to a ford dealer,they reprogrammed the transmission,drove it home and parked it.The next morning started it up to leave and 1st gear had no power and immediately jumped to 4th.They came and picked it up,reprogrammed the transmission,and it has not fixed the problem,so now it sits in my driveway because I cant even drive it now.Also,there were no warning lights or engine light that came on.I had a certified transmission specialist tell me its the cdf drum.6,500$ to rebuild it and 4,000$ for a remanufactured one and I cant afford either. 2018 F150 XL 79,500 miles

[XXX] Noticed hard shifting while ascending a 13% grade at [XXX] , while ascending for a brief period I lost forward power, throttle was unresponsive. I noted the shift dashboard fluctuating between various gears as though confused as to which gear it should be in. [XXX] Hard shifting between 3rd-4th and 3rd-5th becoming more consistent and noticeable. [XXX] I've been driving this vehicle a lot less but today while driving to my storage room with items loaded in my bed (should be noted, the items were not a weight concern) on the 10 freeway west bound at highway speeds, the truck throttle became unresponsive and once again, seemed to fluctuate between 1st and 10th gear. I found myself in between several big rigs, I was in the #1 lane passing a semi to my right, in between 2 more semi's one in front, one to my rear. The truck slowed down on the freeway, throttle became unresponsive. For that moment, my drivetrain was completely unresponsive. Roughly 20-30 seconds later the transmission decided to land in 7th gear with a loud "thunk" noise accompanying a sudden shudder in the vehicle as I applied the throttle to resume highway speeds. Although at that point, I was very tender with the truck, for the rest of the trip I experienced no further issues other than the 3-5 hard shift. On or about [XXX], I moved the truck from the old house to my new house, approximately 30 miles away. For most of the trip the transmission only exhibited the 3-5 hard shift but at the last mile or two,

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, shifted into neutral(N), and restarted the vehicle. The message "See Owner’s Manual" was displayed, and the transmission warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission skipped from fourth gear, slammed into tenth gear, and then stalled. The contact switched the vehicle from Automatic to Manual Mode to accelerate normally and drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. DTC: P20703-00 and P2704-00 were retrieved, indicating the CDS drum and clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

In September 2025 while existing parking garage 2nd in line at stop sign. After 1st car pulled out I accelerated to pull up to stop sign and truck missed gear and engine revved up then gear engaged caused hard shift and throwing me through stop sign into incoming traffic. No issues until Feb 2026 when transmission started shifting hard. Again at stop sign but first in line. When accelerated through stop sign truck transmission missed gear with engine revving and went into gear causing truck to jump across road. Im being told defect is under ford tsb 22-2428.

Late shifting, transmission will get stuck in a gear, and rev at high rpms for long periods. And real jerky shifting in general. Also door locks freeze in winter, and doors wont latch so i need to hold my door while driving

Failed cam phaser. Brought truck to dealership regarding loud rattling noise on cold starts. Prior to inspection, service technician mentioned it could be the cam phaser because they have had reported problems. Ford did not issue a formal recall but issued a Customer satisfaction program 21B10 to extend warranty coverage due to the known issue but only extended through 2022. I did not have a rattling noise at that time and did not qualify. The noise started recently and there were no warning lights or messages. Only a rattling noise. After the dealership inspected the truck they deamed it unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 18 MPH in a storm, the driver’s side windshield wiper blade arm disconnected from the vehicle, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the round gear of the wiper arm had sheared off. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the same failure had been recalled for certain Canadian model vehicles but did not include the U.S. Market vehicles. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 88,000.

2018 Ford F-150 Platinum. Issues with the 10R80 10-speed transmission. Harsh shifting such as rough and jerking shifts or delayed shifts, jerking, shuddering, and occasional loss of power. Delayed Engagement when shifting from park to drive. Hearing clunking or grinding sounds during gear changes.

My 2018 Ford F-150 has experienced delayed engagement, harsh/erratic gear shifting in low to moderate speeds, extreme hesitation resulting in loss of power in the 10R80 transmission. I took my truck to a Ford dealership for a diagnosis. The service technician immediately stated a new transmission was needed at 71,000 miles. I have maintained regular service and have all service records. The dealer installed a new transmission for $10, 458.67. Truck also has a moldy smell in the cabin after it rains. Service technician said this is a common issue and to spray Lysol and turn the heater on to kill the mold and to evaporate any standing water in the evaporation system.

Tried to open door to put my 2 year old in her car seat and it wouldn't open, assume this was due to the extreme cold. So I took our other vehicle, few days later when it warmed up I again went to leave with my daughter and this time the door opened but will no longer latch shut. Tried toggling child lock messing with lock mechanism on top of the door Tried both interior and exterior handles but it will not latch no matter what I do. Now all my lights are staying on and door ajar light and icon are on and won't go off. I currently have the door ratchet strapped inside the vehicle to hold it close and I cannot drive it due to the safety concerns if the strap let's loose and the door flings open... There is a recall for frozen door mechanism my vehicle falls in this range and I was notified previously I qualified for the recall. Now that it actually happened it shows my vehicle isn't listed and the dealership wants to charge me for a safety recall that should be covered.

My 2018 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission is experiencing severe slipping, delayed engagemen (1-2, 3-4), and erratic shifting. Upon inspection, I found significant gold glitter-like metal shavings in the transmission fluid/oil pan, indicating internal wear or failure of components. These symptoms create safety concerns including hesitation or loss of power during acceleration, potential sudden surges or jerks, and risk of the vehicle not responding properly in traffic or when merging, which could lead to crashes, injuries, or being stranded. I have not repaired this yet but will be replacing the transmission soon.

Tailgate opened

10 speed transmission started to have hard shifts and dead spots. Some shifting issues happened at low speeds(1 thru 5 speeds) and then others showed at highway speeds; downshifts from 10 to 8 gears. Issue with transmission stated at around 142,000 miles but became very problematic at around 145, 000 miles. At this point I had to get a new transmission; cost was approximately $10000.00. This was a remanufactured transmission with 3 years or 100,000 miles. Note - I really like the truck but the Ford recall plans are terrible; I've already had the cam phaser replaced, front wheel bearing, and internal water pump. This probably cost another $7000.00. A lot of money for a truck that has pretty limited miles.

I started the truck including the rear and front window defroster. After about 5 minutes, I heard a loud "pop." I looked around the vehicle and noticed that back window was broken.

Replaced cdf drum, cdf support in transmission, torque converter at 87,143 miles on odometer

I was driving in town, less than 35mph, slowing down to stop at a traffic signal, when my engine stopped and a message came up on my dashboard that said something to the effect of "auto stop start, place transmission in park and restart engine". I did so and it cranked and ran fine. Hasn't happened again.

Front Driver and Passenger side Wheel Bearing Failure 2 Separate incidents on same vehicle described below Hello, We have a 2018 F-150 Ford Limited and at approximately 50k/60k miles our front passenger Wheel Bearings went bad causing a loss of brakes and then proceeded to catch a fire within the brakes as a result. At approximately 80k miles we are now replacing the driver side Wheel Bearings as they are now currently at risk of failing. We have owned many vehicles and have not had to replace Wheel Bearings on any of them regardless of how we used them, the age of the vehicle and the type. We find that it is oddly unusual for this type of failure to occur let alone on both Wheel Bearings. The only indication of the second failure has been a grinding sound that can be easily mistaken for brakes or rotors needing attention. At the time of the first failure while the truck was in motion on the freeway exceeding 65mph, there was no indication of the failure other than loss of brakes and smell from the fire. The problem was seen by a licensed mechanic for the first failure who did confirm the Wheel Bearing failed. We have a scheduled appointment for 2/23/26 to confirm the same issue for the driver side. We did not maintain and keep the first component that failed however we will request to keep the failed parts upon replacement. This failure absolutely put my life at risk, my passengers lives at risk and those that were on the roadways during the time the failure occurred.

Vehicle is experiencing hard shifts pretty regularly in various gears. Look up and read several other owners experiencing the same issue regarding the hard shifts.

I own a 2018 Ford F-150, with the Cougar V-8 and a turbocharger. A few years ago, while on the expressway, I had to accelerate to clear a dangerous situation. A message came up on the instrument cluster saying that I was seriously low on oil. I pulled off on the shoulder and shut the engine off. I checked the oil level and it was almost empty. The truck only had about 10,000 miles on it at the time. I had checked the level prior to leaving and it was full. Luckily, I carry extra oil on long trips, a habit I got into back when I used to drive beaters. I had enough oil to fill the engine back up with oil and proceed on my way. I have not had any oil loss since then, although I rarely drive the truck, except to pick up lumber or other large loads, and it currently has about 23,000 miles on it. A few years ago, I read about an F-150 whose driver tried to pass a slow moving vehicle on a mountain road and was hit by an oncoming vehicle. Everyone in the truck was killed. When I read that article, I thought back to what happened to me. Luckily, I had room to pull over. I believe that when I did that hard acceleration (as the driver on the mountain road must have done), a large amount of engine oil must have been sucked out through the turbocharger, emptying the crankcase. If this happened to the driver in the article, he would have been left with no engine power and no way to complete the passing maneuver. This is all speculation on my part, but an emergency hard acceleration should

My 10R80 transmission shifts very hard then goes into limp mode when im driving in 4th gear scared its gonna cause me to get in a wreck and injury myself or other drivers this has been an issue with all these transmission and this should be a recall where customers shouldn’t have to pay to get this fixed Ford should get this fixed ASAP

We were driving on the interstate and suddenly the truck increased RPMs rapidly with no acceleration when pressing the gas. The vehicle began to decelerate quickly on its own. We turned on our flashers to warn drivers around us. The truck suddenly gained back some acceleration, enough for us to move to the right, and lost full power again, and we coasted to the shoulder. If the vehicle had not gained back some acceleration after the initial deceleration, we may have been rear-ended. We had it towed to the nearest Ford Dealership. They confirmed the transmission had a total failure. They quoted around 4500 for a rebuild, or 9500 for a new transmission. The truck has only about 53,000 miles on it. I wanted to report this concern because I’m now aware there are many reported issues with this 10-speed transmission, and the sudden complete loss of power as we were driving was extremely dangerous for us and the people around us. We did sometimes experience slightly rough shifting when the truck was “cold” upon starting, however we noticed this since we bought the truck new, and we thought this was normal for it. The failure itself was sudden and unexpected.

While cruising on the highway at 55 to 60mph, the transmission will suddenly and without warning rapidly downshift resulting in unstable and dangerous conditions. This has occurred multiple times on icy or frosty roads and the vehicle becomes difficult to control. My safety and that of oncoming traffic was compromised. A "wrench" light comes on in the dash following the event. Once the vehicle is power cycled, the wrench disappears.

Hard clunks when shifting Hesitation or delay when accelerating RPM flares between gears Jerking when slowing down or taking off Slipping or feeling like the truck goes into neutral Shuddering

My 2018 Ford F-150 experiences harsh, erratic, and unpredictable transmission shifting. The truck frequently hesitates during acceleration, followed by sudden and violent gear engagement. It also makes abrupt downshifts while driving, causing unexpected deceleration that can be dangerous in traffic. The truck will shift from 8th, 9th, or 10th gear down to 1st at highway speeds. This causes abrupt deceleration and significant loss of speed on the highway. On multiple occasions, the transmission has delayed engagement when shifting from a stop, creating hesitation when entering intersections or merging, followed by a sudden surge of power. This creates an unsafe driving condition and increases the risk of rear-end collision or loss of control. The shifting behavior is inconsistent and unpredictable, occurring during both in traffic and highway driving. The problem is worsening over time. Given the frequency and severity of these events, I believe this transmission behavior represents a significant safety defect that should be investigated for potential recall or corrective action.

With only 70000 miles on vehicle, complete failure of the 10speed automatic transmission. Transmission shifts extremely rough and between 2 and 3 gear it loses engagement while driving for several seconds and then reengages. Vehicle has also downshifted from 4th gear to 1st gear unexpectedly.

My truck would drop from 10th gear down to 2nd or 3rd on the highway. Then it would shift rough and jerk my truck hard. Started losing gears and having lots of transmission issues. Ended up taking it to a shop and had to get a new transmission

The vehicle intermittently experiences delayed gear engagement and hesitation during acceleration, most noticeably when the transmission is cold. During several incidents, when pulling out from a stop onto a main road and attempting to accelerate into traffic, the vehicle failed to shift or engage power normally. The engine remained running, but the vehicle did not accelerate as expected, creating a temporary loss of forward momentum. After a delay, the transmission would suddenly engage and the vehicle would accelerate normally. This condition creates a safety risk because when entering traffic from a stop sign or side road, other drivers expect normal acceleration. The hesitation or delayed engagement creates a risk of being struck by oncoming traffic. The issue occurs most frequently when the vehicle is first driven after sitting for several hours, especially in colder temperatures. After the vehicle is fully warmed up, the condition is less noticeable or may not occur. The problem has been experienced multiple times over this winter season. The behavior is intermittent but repeatable under similar cold start conditions. The condition appears to be gradually becoming more noticeable and occurring more frequently over time. Occasionally, once the transmission begins operating and partially warms up, the transmission may shift harshly or abruptly during upshifts or downshifts. The vehicle has been discussed with independent service shops familiar with this transmission model

At about 70,000 miles, my truck's transmission began to shift extremely hard in the low gears, between first and fourth, and at times of sudden acceleration (from a stop sign or on ramp) the transmission would fail and I would need to put the vehicle in neutral then back into drive. This happened a few times before I had to have my transmission replaced at a cost of about $9,000. I read that there is an investigation into this issue but the investigation does not include 2018 trucks. The investigation should include 2018 to 2021 models as well.

Recently noticed sharp downshifting of auto transmission. Usually going up or down grade when I take foot off accelerator. Last week someone behind me needed to brake hard and change lanes in an emergency manner. The transmission change it hard and drops two or three gears. Very scary.

MY TRUCK RANDOMLY DOWNSHIFTS AND ABRUPTLY SLOWS VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING

About the safe issue I have the transmission when you wanna have the throttle you wanna pass a car the transmission had don’t go down and make a limp control and I scanned the transmission. It’s no code. It’s not safe when you in the highway you want a best truck or best car and switch down shift to limb control.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted before slamming into gear. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The transmission was rebuilt; however, the failure persisted. Most recently, while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission downshifted unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

At around 68K miles, we started experiencing rough shifting and aggressive clunking into gear while driving. On getting the transmission checked, we were told we would require a new transmission in the near future. At this time, however, no codes came up on the reader, and no warning lights were on. Dark fluid and metal shavings were found by the transmission professional's inspection at both a Ford dealership and a private transmission shop. On driving home from the shop, the rough shifting and bucking became so severe, we felt unsafe completing the drive home and turned back to the shop. There were still no warning lights on, however it was determined that the transmission had failed completely and the truck was no longer drivable. This resulted in a new transmission having to be installed with the truck only having 68K miles on it.

While driving this truck with just 113000 it will occasionally go into neutral.while in the drive position and causes a big safety concern while pulling out into traffic or even while going down the road and I'm afraid of being in or causing an accident. Multiple times this has happened.

The transmission shuffles between gears and while driving down the road it will shift from 4th to 1st to 8th back to 4th gears the shift to 5th gear and it is a hazard driving this truck down the road. I can’t even drive this vehicle because I am worried when it’s going to go out and cause a accident and possibly cause severe injuries to me or someone else

In cold weather all four vehicle doors would open randomly when driving, forcing occupants to manually hold them shut. Owner found recall 18N03 was active for vehicle and took the vehicle to Ford dealership for service of recall. The issue continued after service and the owner inspected vehicle following the recall procedure distribution from NHTSA to discover the dealership partially and incorrectly completed the work listed. Additionally, recall 18N03 refers to recall 17S33 for the rear doors in super cab models. This vehicle has water shields from 17S33 installed but the rear door latches are still unreliable in cold weather.

Vehicle was having issues with acceleration. It started subtle where I could tell it was taking a little more time to catch or switch gears as I accelerated. It quickly progressed as I drove it more (within weeks of noticing the issue) that I could not safely turn on to higher speed roads from a slowed or stopped speed. For example if I turned on to a high way, whether merging or from a stop sign, I could not accelerate in a timely fashion to safely merge at high way speed and had to pull over on the shoulder to let other cars pass until the truck could accelerate. I did take it to a Ford dealership to be diagnosed and fixed. There they discovered the issue was the CDF clutch. They replaced the CDF clutch and found that a valve body had some damage as well so that was also replaced.

Once Transmission get at a hot temperature, the Transmission have a hard time shifting and down shifting. I have taken my trust a Transmission shop and I was told everything looks good and suggested I just get service. And I also was told that it could be a sensor problem. And the mechanic really didn't understand because I only have 147,000 miles and having Transmission problems.

10-Speed Transmission went at 53,000 miles.

I have a 2018 Ford F150 with a windshield wiper linkage that is seizing up. It is available for inspection upon request. I was driving down the highway after the snow last night and with all the salt and snow coming off the highway, I couldn't see and the wipers just stopped mid swing. This appears to be the same issue that Canada users are experiancing too (24S77). The dealer said they were out of the part due to many instances of this issue. It was inspected and the motor appears to still work but the linkage is seizing up and stopping. There were no warnings. It just stopped working.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while in fourth gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle jerked abnormally with the “WRENCH” warning light illuminated, and the "See Owner's Manual" message displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and DTC: P0734 (CDF Drum) was retrieved. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure, and an estimate was provided for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Action Number: EA26001(Power Train) and associated the failure with the NHTSA Action Number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Sudden down shift at high speeds. It put it self park while driving. Skip gears while driving.

Vehicle is at 88k miles. Vehicle has hard shifting/delayed shifting between 1-3 and 5-7 gears. At highway speeds, vehicle tries to downshift from top gear. Have lost rpm's while driving-lasting about 3-5 seconds before engaging the gears again. Took to a dealer, was informed it was a "known" issue and would need the transmission replaced. Extended warranty will not cover since it is a known issue. No warning lamps or messages in the display center. The loss of rpm's and delayed shifting issues could cause stalling and put me and others at risk with possible loss of power/motion while moving. Especially while driving on the highway.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door failed to properly latch and, on several occasions, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the door erroneously opened. The contact stated that the failure only occurred during extremely cold weather days, and a heat gun was used to defrost the latching mechanism. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.

Ford installed parts into transmissions that are the reasons for certain years 2017-2022 models with the 10R80 transmission to fail. Ford has since remanufactured the same parts to prevent this problem with models after 2022. Ford refuses to admit it was their manufacturing defect, but will repair your transmission at a hefty cost to you when Ford vehicles with the affected transmissions fail. There are numerous TSBs (technical service bulletins) stating that Ford is aware of the problems that occur with these faulty transmissions. Ford will only post these TSBs on its website and not mail them out to consumers; the consumers have to find them for themselves. There are videos online clearly explaining the problem. I am leaving links to both of them. https://youtu.be/4SQjPinDAm0?si=k14FHcC-VV3WHelg https://youtu.be/H1Rl97OUOa4?si=wO1KmxWX2jNStXmV

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started in the morning and shifted into drive(D), the vehicle hesitated and then jolted into gear. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was also slipping out of gear. While driving 45 MPH, the transmission downshifted to 1st and the vehicle slowed down unexpectedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the engine was making an abnormal clattering sound. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced, and stated that the cam phasers were possibly causing the engine to make an abnormal sound. The transmission was replaced; however, the engine failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E070000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was informed of the transmission failure and advised the contact that no support would be provided for the repair prior to receiving the recall letter. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

According to repairman, water made it into the rear tail light, shorting out a module that controls all lights, windows, a/c and heating controls.

Sync screen, music, and charging are all dead. I think it’s the apid