10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 11 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 13 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 22,070 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
Know CDF drum issue starts with hard shifting but now when driving at highway speeds the gear shifter will show it goes from 10th gear to first gear to second gear. Sometimes the engine will actually down shift for a moment. Secondly at low speeds the truck will shift from 3rd to 1st gear causing the truck to lurch forward.
- Longwood, FL, USA
1. Cdf drum issue 2. Transmission will suddenly down shift into 1st when going 60mph and will jerk the truck very hard and it slips when going into 4th gear. 3. Truck was looked at by independent service center 4. No warning light and mechanic said there were no faults on the transmission
- Eatonton, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced an unexpected transmission downshift. The RPMs increased to 5,000 and then decreased significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure occurred temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had overheated. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to partially cover the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
- Coshocton, OH, USA
The CDF drum bushing in the 10R80 transmission is able to spin and slide inside the housing causing extremely harsh and delayed shifts, momentary neutral, downshift of gears from 7th to 1st gear causing excessive engine reving, shutter shifts in gears 1-6. Ford didn-??t redesign the CDF drum until the 2021 model-??s, effecting thousands of vehicles with the 10R80 transmission. Does this not meet the safety requirements for a recall?
- Wahiawa, HI, USA
Rear wheels locked up on highway causing a skid. Vehicle was on fire when came to a stop. Vehicle was towed to a repair shop where the entire rear axle assembly was replaced.
- Indianapolis , IN, USA
There have been no warning lamps and the issue has been confirmed by my local Ford dealer. I am having a hard shifts slamming down in gear abruptly. In addition between seventh and eighth gear either the computer or transmission doesn-??t know which one to be in and the truck begins to shudder sometimes violently. This occurs when attempting to pass at hwy speeds. When you-??re next to another vehicle it has led to Multiple near costly incidence. I don-??t have confidence passing in this vehicle or towing. The gears slamming down are painful as a passenger.
- Farmington, MO, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced unintended hard transmission downshifts from 9th gear to 5th gear. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving 60 MPH, causing the wheels to lock up temporarily. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced hard shifts from 3rd gear to 5th gear. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing erratic transmission shifts while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who referred the contact to a transmission specialist. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist, where the computer was reset; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
- Alexander, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle experienced unexpected transmission downshifts while the RPMs revved, nearly causing a crash. The contact stated that upon shifting to neutral(N) and shifting back to drive(D), the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing hard shifts between 3rd and 4th gears, and the vehicle was shuddering while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to shift to 10th gear. The contact stated that the failures also occurred while driving on the highway. The power train warning light recently illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
- Haleyville, AL, USA
10r80 transmission not wanting to get out of second or just slamming gears from 10 back to 1 and not driving
- San Antonio, TX, USA
Vehicle shifting to lower gears while driving at any speed. Vehicle not engaging into higher gear when accelerating and then slipping out of gear completely. Vehicle remaining in high gears like 7 or 4 when completely stopped.
- Everett, WA, USA
Catastrophic transmission failure at 44,690 miles.
- Everett, WA, USA
Transmission slams gears, downshifts hard, takes some time to get into gears if cold. Skips gears (for some reason, not sure if it-??s supposed to but it isn-??t good for the transmission). Overall, the 10r80 is very jumpy, slams into gear, etc.
- Maggie Valley, NC, USA
The doors do not close when cold i have to use the seatbelt to rap around doors to keep them shut. I have brought to ford multiple times no fix. The transmission erratically shifts through multiple gears and downshifts into low gears when at high rate of speed. Which i have been told is due to a faulty cdf drum in transmission that ford wont take responsibility for. It is a very dangerous vehicle
- Woburn, MA, USA
The transmission on my 2018 Ford F-150 has been experiencing severe and dangerous malfunctions that compromise vehicle safety. Starting around 50,000 miles (currently at 75,000 miles), the truck began exhibiting violent and unpredictable transmission behavior, including: Sudden, uncommanded downshifting from 9th or 10th gear down to 1st or 2nd gear while driving at highway speeds. This causes the engine to redline instantly, the rear wheels to lock momentarily, and the truck to jerk violently, which has forced me to swerve or take evasive action to avoid collisions. Harsh shifting, gear hesitation, and occasional failure to engage gears properly during normal city driving. These issues occur intermittently but frequently, with no warning lights or messages, and the problem persists regardless of driving mode or conditions. I took the truck to a Ford dealership, who dismissed the issue as "normal behavior" for the 10-speed automatic transmission. They quoted a very high fee just to inspect it, with a lead time of several months before they could even look at it. No diagnostic trouble codes were found, and no fix or acknowledgment of the safety risk was offered. After researching the problem online, I found numerous other F-150 owners reporting identical symptoms. This appears to be a systemic failure affecting a wide population of vehicles with the 10-speed transmission. This transmission defect poses a serious safety risk not only to me but to other drivers on the road. Uncommanded downshifting at highway speeds can result in loss of control or a high-speed crash. I believe this issue warrants a formal investigation and recall. The vehicle is available for inspection if needed.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
Transmission downshift without warning
- Saint Cloud, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 5-70 MPH, the transmission was shifting hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. On a separate occasion, the transmission was shifted from drive to reverse and shifted very hard. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but not diagnosed, and the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.
- Taylor, MI, USA
While driving at highway speeds in my 2018 Ford F150 with 3.5 liter engine and 10-speed transmission when I would need to accelerate to pass or going up a hill the transmission downshift (as expected), but would "jerk" repeatedly until I let up on the accelerator. During light acceleration the transmission still "jerks", but not as bad. No "check engine" light illuminates.
- Buchanan Dam, TX, USA
The same problem that is highlighted with the 1.3 million Ford F-150 truck investigation for the 2015 - 2017 models has happened to me. In 2024 my Ford F-150 would switch from 10th to 3rd gear without warning. This has lead to the transmission completely failing. I had to personally replace the transmission myself. I had just went over the warranty mileage. The incident was reported to Ford but nothing was done about it. At the machenic repair shop there were 2 other Ford F-150 that had the same problem.
- Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 15-?"20 MPH, the transmission independently downshifted into first gear, the vehicle jerked, and lost automotive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over onto the shoulder and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The vehicle was taken to AAMCO, where the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but declined to provide assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
- Saratoga Springs, UT, USA
- Chickasha, OK, USA