Unexplained downshifting

- Bealeton, VA, USA

1st safety problem is while accelerating, there is a rough shift in gears despite being an automatic transmission. While attempting to gradually and safely accelerate, vehicle causes an abrupt deceleration where rpms drop and vehicle occupants are thrown forward during the process. Vehicle was brought to Ford Dealership for repair. They noted a known issue with transmission and completed a software restart/update. Vehicle gear shift improved slightly for short period of time but eventually resumed and is noticeably worse in colder months. This problem has been noticed while turning, resulting in near misses with oncoming traffic and is concerning when entering/merging with traffic at highway speeds. There were no dashboard warning light indicators at any point. Battery was in good condition. 2nd concern: Engine fire ups up on start but stalls while idling when shifting out of park as well as in stopped traffic. "Auto startstop, shift to P, then restart engine" notification presents on gauge display. This requires multiple attempts to get vehicle restarted with following notification instructions and shutting off/restarting engine. Disengaging auto startstop on startup is inconclusive about remedying the situation. Battery was tested as good but replaced anyway due to age to rule out battery related concerns. Contacted Ford dealership service department and they replied, "they have never heard of it happening." They denied knowledge of any TSB, CSP or recalls/complaints about the issue. However, it appears this issue is well documented on multiple Ford models and various production years. Other than instrument/gauge display of "Auto startstop, shift to P, then restart engine" occurring after the fact, there is no warning light indicators. Safety is at risk due to stoppage of traffic and loss of power/ability to accelerate or maneuver vehicle in traffic situations to include clearing intersections with oncoming traffic while turning at low speeds/idling.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

Transmission is slipping. Into 3/4 & 7/8

- Ocklawaha, FL, USA

Transmission holds shifts and shifts erratically. Vehicle will stall and not excellerate leading to dangerous situations. CDF drum failure.

- Chipley, FL, USA

Transmission shifting drags out in some gears and shifts very hard, and slips at times. The truck has died while shifting three time on the highway, once in heavy traffic. The gear indicator has went from 10th gear to 1st gear while slipping on the freeway.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

My 2019 Ford F150 XLT, began having transmission issues in June of 2024 around the same time the cam phasers failed in the engine (~57K miles). Because the cam phaser failure was the more pressing and unavoidable issue, the dealership focused on the cam phaser repair and ignored my complaints about the transmission shifting hard between 2nd and 4th gear. Within that same month I also had the transmission fluid flushed ~40K miles before recommendation to see if that would resolve the hard and inconsistent shifting issue. It did not, and the dealer stated they could not replicate the problem. Unfortunately the problem became worse, including inconsistent shifting between multiple gears, the transmission "stalling" while it tried to determine which gear to shift to, along with extremely hard "whiplash-like" shifting into gears. These driving conditions resulted in me almost being rear ended several times while trying to enter onto the interstate as cars were accelerating behind me on the on-ramp, while my truck begins a quick deceleration due to missing gears, downshifting and even spinning in a "neutral-like" state while it tries to figure out what gear to shift into. After a couple more visits to the dealership, in which their scanners could not replicate my issues, I was sent on my way to keep driving an unsafe vehicle until either it caused an accident or my transmission completely failed. Fortunately for others, it was the latter situation in which my transmission failed (1st time a warning light appeared) in a hospital parking garage on March 6, 2025, versus me causing an accident. However, all of this could have been avoided if Ford and my local dealership addressed the known issues with the 10R80 10-speed transmission in the 2017-2020 Ford F150 and many other models. The $13K repair bill now that Ford pushed me beyond my powertrain warranty aside, this Ford transmission is EXTREMELY dangerous to the driver and the general public.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

The 10 speed transmission failed at 30k miles and they replaced it. Now at 70k it is failing again. It is available for inspection now. My families safety was at risk when the shifting fails while crossing an intersection or when violently downshifting while cruising at 40mph. The problem has been reproduced by the dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than Ford dealership and my mechanic. At 70k there have been no warning lights or messages displayed on the console.

- Jurupa Valley, CA, USA

A year ago we took our Truck in because it was knocking, we were told it was dry starting and they had to repair it, it was 5200. A couple weeks ago we-??re driving and it started shifting funny and jerking, had no get up and go, we limped to the nearest dealership. Told our transmission went out and it will cost 11k.

- Richland Center, WI, USA

I have a 2019 f150, 5.0 w/ 10r80 trans. The vehicle will slip from 7 gear to 1st. 10th to 2nd, and some times just finds itself in neutral with no propelling motion. This happens. While driving, when taking off from a stop. Causing hard jerking and extreme discomfort to me and my passengers. Ford says no recall and to replace the trans. Seeing 100s and f complaints (I-??m sure it would be more of people understood hot to report) and NHTSA says they don-??t see an issue or need for a recall is unacceptable. Does it take a major accident or someone to get hurt from FORDs outright disregard to fix the issue. Built ford tough is long gone and forgotten. NHTSA is now letting down the consumer, and the people on the road for the disregard for safety and holding these car manufacturers accountable. Do better, recall the 10r80 and make ford pay. Or is ford paying the NHTSA to disregard this multi million dollar fix.

- Dumfries, VA, USA

Vehicle shuts off randomly when the StopStart feature is disabled/turned off via button in dashboard. The instrument panel displays message on dash saying: -??Auto StopStart, Manual Restart, Required-?? And -??Auto StopStart, Shift to P, Then Restart engine-?? This often happens in the middle of an intersection where I risk being hit by another vehicle. This has happened on multiple occasions. Dealership was unable to recreate problem so unfortunately nothing was repaired. There are many online forums discussing this very same problem.

- Beachwood, NJ, USA

The 10R80 transmission on a 2019 F150, with 56,000miles failed on multiple times. It would slip out of gear especially in the lower gears. It has even shifted from 10/9 gear into neutral and then back into 4 gear and stall on the highway. The transmission, make noise, grinds through t the gears all the time. The engine warring lights are on. The vehicle is unsafe to drive with transmission failure and stalling in intersections, while passing and even shifted to low gears or neutral while driving on the highway at 65+ mph. Additionally it causes the engine to race at a high rate of speed or quit. The vehicle is currently at the local Ford Dealer, . The vehicle has been assessed and problem has been identified. The recommended bulletin actions completed. The repairs failed and the vehicle returned due to its unsafe condition. Dealer still has the vehicle and recommended that the transmission be replaced. Dealer filled a claim with my Extended Warranty, who is aware of the problem.

- Reno, NV, USA

Transmission slips and misses gears so bad it has almost caused 3 accidents in the last month. Ford knows of this problem with the 10r80 transmission but will not fix the problem. I've contacted ford and they say there is no recall for my truck.

- Vinton, LA, USA

My transmission suffered the CDF drum failure which resulted in it downshifting into first gear while doing over 55 mph. The failure was confirmed by the Ford Dealership after taking it in. The truck now needs a $9000 transmission replacement to replace the drum and clutches that were destroyed.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

Faulty transmission

- Houston, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

- Braintree, MA, USA

The transmission has been slipping on multiple occasions between 3rd and 4th gear, changing gears very harshly and sometimes forcing the vehicle to speed up rapidly and unexpectedly. It has also caused the vehicle to slow down rapidly, trying to find a certain gear then shifting back down to 1st gear randomly while driving in traffic. I barely have 70,000 miles on the truck.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

Hard up shifting and downshifting. When rapid deceleration at highway speeds transmission harshly downshifted and caused rear tires to skid during icy conditions. Hard/erratic down shifting conditions during icy conditions caused rear end to break loose during uphill climbs. Truck would downshift with loud clunk and drop from 9th gear into 4th or 5th gear and jump RPMs to 3k or more and then shift back to normal over drive gears. Truck is current on ford 23-2250 TSB

- Olathe, KS, USA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, there was an abnormally loud thumping sound coming from the transmission, with the RPM increasing abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle failed to properly shift from first, to second, or third gear, and abruptly shifted into fourth gear. The contact stated that the transmission briefly lost power, before slamming into gear. The contact stated that the failure had become a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Coal Valley, IL, USA

I leased a new 2019 Ford f150 xlt sport package in the fall of 2019. During the first year, I experienced some "choking" of the engine when I would accelerate. Nothing big, but noticeable. I mentioned this experience to the dealer at regular checkups and they informed me that it was "normal" and that if anything was wrong, the computerized monitoring system on the truck would identify the problem. I bought the truck after a 36 month lease. The choking continued to be a regular occurance, especially for the first few miles of a new drive. Around 30k miles, I noticed the issue getting more pronounced. I again asked the dealer about it and they provided me the same answer as before and didn't offer to explore the issue. Between 30K and 50K miles, the issue became more frequent and would impact the truck whether it was warm or cold. But now I experienced a hard shift between 1-3 gears and sometime 3-5-- jerking and slowing and struggling to move to the next gear. It will also bog down at times when changing into the higher gears with no telling when this would occur. Again, I asked the dealer about it, and becuase there was no safety light, they wouldn't do a thing. Over the past month or two, at over 50K miles, the frequency was several times on every drive. It started to jump from 8-1 and back up to 8. It would jerk and slow in high traffic situations, and finally it just would not move into gear at a stop sign at rush hour. I had to drop it into low gears and move to the side of the road after 10 minutes of stoppage; then the check engine indicator finally flashed, after an incident that could have caused harm to me or others. I slowly drove it to my destination. Since then, I have not allowed anyone to drive the truck because it is dangerous to operate. I took the truck to the dealer and they informed me that it needs a new transmission which will be ~$5k

- Bryn Mawr, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunctioned and the vehicle would not properly shift from first to, second and third gear, and abruptly shifted into fourth gear. Later, while driving, the transmission failed to shift properly, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 94,000.

- Grafton, WV, USA