10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 9 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 13 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 22,481 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
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
The transmission on our 2018 F-150 with Ecoboost had harsh shifting into 3rd gear and had difficulties with delayed shifting from 6-7, 7-8, and 8-9, with some occurrences of the transmission downshifting to 1st gear. Most noticeable when leaving a stopped intersection or merging on with traffic entering the highway. Cars behind do not expect when our vehicle slows down, resulting in close call accidents. Our truck has been to Ford multiple times and they said this is normal. In February 2025, the truck was returned to a Ford dealership. The service department stated our truck will need the transmission replaced for $11,000. I inquired about this being a known issue. They stated yes but Ford corporate has not acknowledged any issues. I contacted Ford corporate, who acknowledged to assist but then said no due to the mileage being greater than 107,000. The truck was moved to an independent repair facility, and they agreed and provided a cost of $9,500. Currently, I am waiting for the truck to be repaired.
- Monroe, OH, USA
While driving in manual mode on the road vehicle seemingly came out of gear and then slammed into a lower gear causing me to be slammed forward in my seat and nearly wrecked my vehicle, it then unprotected went to 1st then to 9the gear all while still in manual shift mode. Vehicle also dose not always fully engage park when P is illuminated.
- Copper Center, AK, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from tenth gear to fourth gear. After the contact had experienced the failure, the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure in the cluster gears. The contact then towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and the part was purchased. The vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000. The VIN was not available.
- Evansdale, IA, USA
The transmission was shifting hard and went from 10th gear to 1st gear all of a sudden, almost like slamming on the brakes. Also when stepping on the gas to pass someone, wouldn't downshift correctly to speed up. Also, when turning, wouldn't select a proper gear to roll smoothly, would downshift hard and make a loud bang and vibration.
- Kissimmee, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during cold starts, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the cam phasers were faulty, and a software update was needed. The software update was performed, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that shortly after the software update, the transmission started experiencing hard shifting. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced by an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 56,000.
- Kissimmee, FL, USA
When my truck shifts, your be going down the road and then it downshifts and RPM going up, then it goes in between gears..
- Leesburg, FL, USA
Throttle cuts out unexpectedly and truck seems to rapidly decelerate. Sometimes when this happens my transmission slams into another gear and tires chirp.
- Fort Worth, TX, USA
- Alexander, NY, USA