general problems of the 2018 Ford F-150 - part 1

Nhtsa complaint statement (2018 Ford F-150, 10r80 transmission – cdf drum issue) I am filing this complaint regarding the automatic 10r80 transmission installed in my 2018 Ford F-150. This transmission suffers from a well-documented defect involving the cdf drum, which is a critical component for clutch engagement and shift control. The defect causes a variety of unsafe conditions, including erratic shifting, gear slippage, harsh engagement, hesitation on acceleration, surging between gears, and sudden or complete loss of drive power. These failures occur unpredictably, placing both the driver and others at risk. In my experience, and in the reports of many other owners, the transmission will sometimes delay engagement when pulling into traffic or attempting to merge, leaving the vehicle vulnerable to collision. At other times, the truck surges forward without smooth control when shifting, or drops into neutral-like conditions, preventing acceleration. This behavior is not only inconvenient but represents a serious safety hazard that could easily result in an accident at highway speeds or in intersections. Ford motor company has released multiple technical service bulletins related to the 10r80 transmission and its harsh shifting behavior, yet none provide a lasting repair for the cdf drum defect. In most cases, the only available remedy is costly transmission replacement or complete rebuild, often well before expected service life. This is clearly not normal wear-and-tear but a design or manufacturing flaw that compromises safe operation. Given the widespread reports, repeat failures, and the safety implications of a transmission that can suddenly fail, I respectfully request that NHTSA open an investigation into the Ford 10r80 transmission and specifically the cdf drum issue. A recall or mandated corrective action is necessary to protect vehicle owners and the public from the risks created by this defect.

Shortly after I purchased my 2018 f150 in April of 2018 I brought it back to my dealer in June stating that it was shifting hard in and out of 5th gear. My service advisor at that time said his f150 was doing the same thing. They plugged it into their computer and stated that there was no problem. Subsequent trips back for the same problem resulted in the same answers. Now in September of 2025 on the 26th, with 56k miles on the truck the transmission is lunging so hard at stops that it feels like I was hit from behind.

This truck has been in the shop 4 different times due to the transmission shifting erratically, jumping between gears, loss of power, and hard shifting. Ford knows this is a problem with the 10r80 transmission, you know this is a problem with the 10r80 transmission. Yesterday while driving 55mph the truck shifted itself into 1st gear, the truck momentarily jerked, the rpm’s shot up to 5000 and then the truck just lost all power like it was in neutral and wouldn’t move. After almost getting hit by the car behind me and the car coming at me, I drifted off the road and it took ten minutes before it would go into gear correctly, at which time I drove it slowly home with the flashers on. Now I have to take it back to the shop for the 5th time for this same dangerous problem. I am aware as I know that you are too of the numerous class action lawsuits around the country against Ford for this issue with millions of vehicles. Yet you sit on your hands not ordering Ford to issue a recall. Do your job!.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission temperature became elevated. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road to restart the vehicle, but the transmission failed to shift into gear as intended. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where metallic debris was found in the transmission fluid. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

I have 114,000 miles on my truck. Without warning, my truck shifted from 10 gear down to 1st while driving 70 miles per hour. The force of the downshift caused the wheels to lock up and I almost lost control of the vehicle. I took the vehicle to the dealership and the repairs was over $10k. There are countless issues detailed on the internet with transmission failures for this vehicle but yet, Ford has not owned up to the defect.

Auto start stop. This has happened on several occasions where I will be traveling at highway speeds and my 2018 F-150 10 speed 10r80 transmisson with a 5. 0-liter motor has died while traveling. I have talked to Ford engineering reps, and they say they have never heard of this. I have done research into the subject and there have been hundreds of reports of the same issue. I have an appointment scheduled for Ford to look into the issue.

Transmission: delayed shift/hesitation at low speed after take-off. Risk of loss of motion while crossing traffic. Consistently happens at low speed shift change, doesn't matter if on flat or incline. A lot of other owners complaining of same exact issue, Ford has yet to acknowledge that there's a flaw in the drivetrain.

Transmission will either get stuck in a gear and won't accelerate or will shift down on its own and cause the car to jump and buck.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle jerked abnormally and unintendedly upshifted. The “service transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal transmission failure and a fractured valve cover. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,700.

I bought the truck new in 2018. In 2020, the transmission was rebuilt twice, and then a new one was installed. The automatic 10-speed transmission changes gears roughly and now I'm having the same problem with the transmission just abruptly switching gears up and down. It's a serious concern for me when I am cruising at 70 mph on I-95, and all of a sudden, the gears start randomly shifting, dropping to 3rd gear from 10th and then up to 7th, and then repeatedly shifting gears up and down.

The cam phase shifters and timing chain have failed with only 83k miles resulting in a $7,500 repair. This is unacceptable. I would completely understand if it had 250k miles but this is a baby as far as mileage. Looking at F-150 forums this appears to be a common problem and Ford has actually changed the design of the cam phase shifters so they know they are defective. Request you loook into this issue please.

Transmission started shifting very erratically, skipping, and hanging in gears. The rear end would lock up and the tires would screech. On the highway, during downshifts, the vehicle would hang and shift hard, jerking the vehicle in heavy traffic. Could not maintain safe speeds.

I own a 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3. 5l ecoboost. It started having idling issues that eventually required the cam phasers to be replaced. While that was frustrating and costly enough, the bigger issue came with the 10r80 transmission. Despite performing all services on schedule and maintaining the truck properly, the transmission failed. After doing research, I found that this isn’t an isolated incident. On Ford forums and owner groups, it’s clear that the 10r80 transmission has been a widespread, ongoing issue for years. Thousands of Ford owners have been forced to spend thousands of dollars to repair or replace these transmissions—something that Ford should have addressed long ago with a proper fix or recall. It’s disappointing that a company with Ford’s reputation hasn’t taken accountability for a known defect that affects so many loyal customers. Something should be done to make this right for owners who trusted Ford to deliver a reliable truck.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 15 mph and while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over to the right side of the roadway and turned off, and then restarted the vehicle but the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The “wrench” symbol was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

While driving my truck mostly when raining but not always the wrench light will come on and the truck will lose all power and not shift. I then shut my truck off left it set for about 15 minutes and when I start it back up everything will be fine light would be off run's fine for about 1 to 2 months or if it rains again then it will do the same thing again.

The 10r80 transmission still jerks when putting in drive or reverse as well as hard shifting causing the vehicle to shake and not grab a gear. No smooth shifting.

My truck only has 61,000 miles and it started skipping gears and down shifting suddenly and I loose power and it stalls out in intersections. When it shifts it goes into neutral and my motor races making it extremely dangerous on the highway. I had a transmission tuneup done for $500 but it didn’t help. It got worse over a weeks time and I took it back to the mechanic because a wrench came up on my dashboard. He ran a check and 4th gear was shot. So now I need a new transmission. 2014 f150 had a recall. Several people I know with the same year as mine 2018 have the same problem.

My Ford f150 truck with 63,000 miles began jerking, almost stalling, missing gears on approximately 8/7/2025. I thought perhaps I purchased bad gas but just got worse in next week until the wrench icon appeared. Took it to dealership immediately after wrench icon appeared. It may have caused injury had the truck stalled and caused a crash! long story short, $6300 later we had the transmission replaced. We are elderly and on a fixed income, huge expense for us. While having vehicle repaired I read about Ford knowingly selling cars with bad transmissions, there are class action suits because it has happened to too many people to count. Not only that but often occurs very close to the warranty of 60,000 miles, unconscionable. Ford is not acting in good faith, this issue is on them and no the consumer.

Reporting this because I'd like to add to the several other claims on this transmission. 80,000miles and transmission all the sudden started stalling out of first and between 3rd and 4th gear. No accidents, but nearly got rear ended several times after I pulled out in traffic and it stalled between gears. A couple of weeks later the transmission started downshifting from 9th and 10th gear all the way to first gear. Again, luckily no accidents, but it could have been very bad. Took truck into Ford dealer service center. They inspected and said the transmission was "trashed" inside and would need to be replaced. It only has 80,000 miles!!.

While attempting to pass another vehicle from middle lane to passing lane, I stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle shuddered, slowed down (gear wouldn't catch). I manually downshifted to gain acceleration and avoid being rear ended by an 18-wheeler! I successfully maneuvered around and back into the middle lane but the vehicle was (and still is) having problems changing gears. It is an extremely unsafe to drive this vehicle.

The transmission is hard shifting and staying in 6th gear most of the time. And when I pulled into my driveway the transmission was shifting back down to first and rolling backwards before shifting back to 6th gear allowing me to make a couple feet of forward progress at a time. . .

2018 Ford F-150 lariat truck 10 speed automatic transmission is a failure. 81k miles and it shifts in and out of gears, hard shifting, potential to lose control while driving down highway. Ford says it's common and has no recall or assistance. Transmissions from Ford are said to last at least 150k miles.

F150 had a sudden complete transmission failure on the highway, rendering it unable to move. I was lucky to make it off the road safely. 10r80 transmission has known defects. $11,000 to repair.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the gear shifter shifted independently, and the message "vehicle heisted gear ten error" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA to file a vehicle safety complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 52,742.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted to neutral. The vehicle eventually caught the gear. The vehicle lost motive power. The wrench symbol was displayed. Additionally, the electronics and lights failed to turn off. The contact checked the VIN for recalls. The contact stated that his warranty had expired. The contact located other complaints and lawsuits regarding the failure. The body control was previously repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 84,019.

I have 2018 f150 with the 10r80 transmission. At 140k it started to neutralize and hard jerk back into 9th-10th gear at 60mph or highway speed. Sometimes when driving from a complete stop and then proceed forward, it would rev the rpm’s up to 5k and hard jerk into first gear. I took it to Ford, they confirmed they knew about the issue it was a bad design on the bushing and that there was technical service bulletin about it. I called Ford corporate and they said they could not help and it was on me, even for a bad design. So for something they knew was a bad design and instead of recalling and fixing the issue I had to fork out like 4500 for the transmission to be rebuilt with the new bushing.

The transmission randomly drops out of gear while driving. Most cases its a 2-3 shift or 3-4 shift. But its almost caused me to be rear ended twice. Its random and shifts normal most of the time. After doing research on the 10r80 I've seen muiltiple complaints on the issue. Its a valve body defect or design flaw. Also other issues leading up to this problem lots have had happen. But its a safety concern when your truck randomly drops gear and you loose control of your truck moving forward. I had the transmission serviced when bought the truck and since went as far as having it done again with best fluids and filters avalable. Nothing makes it better or worse. I like the truck and just disapointed in Ford for not doing a recall or updates to address these 10 speed problems. I was having troubles around 70k and now at 90k its more of a common thing. It can happen twice a week or twice a day. Its scary when your in traffic and it just drops gear. Then let off hit gas and back to gear it goes. Some cases it will take 5-6 seconds to come back. And basiclly your in the lane hoping traffic wont hit you. Im sure im not the first to report the troubles. Maybe enough people get in a collision we can get something done.

10r80 automatic transmission. Randomly hunts for gears, often suddenly switches to neutral before slamming into gear, sometimes loses gears on the highway, after a stoplight/sign or in the middle of intersections leading to a temporarily stalled vehicle in high traffic areas. Transmission behavior is unpredictable and inefficient. When brought to Ford for an oil and transmission fluid change; the vehicle threw a code, after diagnostic, they state that the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of over 9000 usd. Vehicle information states that the transmission is supposed to be good for 150000 miles. New vehicle warranty is 5 years or 50000 miles. There's a massive discrepancy between those numbers. My vehicle started showing symptoms at 60000 miles and full blown issues at 100000. There are no vehicle warnings other than when the dealer was testing post transmission fluid change a "wrench" light came on. Now the vehicle cannot "find" reverse gear.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

While driving on the interstate with the cruise control set at 70mph the vehicle's transmission, while climbing a small hill, started slipping badly. There was a loud klunking sound and an immediate substantial increase in rpms. As a result I immediately slowed the vehicle down to around 60mph. Additionally I moved over into the slow lane. The yellow wrench light activated on my dashboard indicating a power train issue. The transmission continued having slipping issues while driving it home. I took it to my local Ford dealership and they informed me the the ten speed transmission was failing, and needed to be rebuilt. The truck only has 75,000 miles on it. I've read that Ford has had a lot of issues with these 10 speed transmissions, especially in the early years like my 2018 f150, and that a recall hasn't been issued. I feel as though an incident such as mine could cause an accident, especially at freeway speeds, that could result in injury or loss of life especially on a snow covered or icy road. The only symptoms I had prior to this incident was a slight amount of transmission slipping which I put off as the typical odd shifting pattern of this 10 speed transmission. As far as I know there have been no inspections done by Ford, and there was no inspections done by the police or my insurance provider.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into first gear. The contact stated that the gears were jumping. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated to 45 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the wrench symbol was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 139,600.

Complaint is regarding transmission issues on a 2018 Ford f150, 10-speed transmission 10r80. Ford safety bulletins, recalls and transmission part replacements have failed to fix and resort transmission to a normal working condition. Transmission is now downshifting and delaying acceleration in the middle of the road. These unresolved issues with the 10r80 transmission are creating a hazardous situation for my family. Vehicle is unpredictably failing to accelerate at stop sign and red lights, preventing the flow of traffic. Vehicle is failing to accelerate in an appropriate and safe way while merging into the highway. Vehicle is downshifting unpredictably while in motion creating imminent danger to my children. The trade in and resale value are severely affected by the issues created by the 10-speed transmission. Bbb auto line program case: frd2511990. Complaint is in regard to Ford lack of substantial help in resolving known issues with the 10r80 transmission.

The 10r80 10 speed transmission in this vehicle down shifts at highway speeds into first gear locking up the rear tires and making this vehicle a hand full . The problems are well documented with this transmission. How many people will have to be hurt, permanently disabled or even killed before the nhtsafetya does something about all of these transmissions ???.

My truck has been having shifting problems. Hard shifting going into gear. It hesitates and I have zero power then slams into gear. Unsafe to drive. I have had it serviced and zero luck.

2018 Ford f150 XLT twin turbo 4wd. Since the day I bought it. Nothing but problems with lurching jerking at stops. Clunking when truck is on and off. We have video of it. Pushing gas pedal and truck hesitates before it jumps forward always the transmission been to every Ford dealer in our area they refuse to help or say they dont hear the knocking or feel lurching all lies we have had at least 3 close calls avoiding accidents and 2 days ago the truck would not stop the transmission skipped and I hit a deer. My bull bar absorbed most of the impact. The 10 speed transmission is the issue and no one wants to hear it but Ford wants $10,000 for a new transmission after I paid $48000 for this truck and it’s been in the shop half the time.