general problems of the 2018 Ford F-150 - part 2

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.

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.

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 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. The issue has not yet been repaired, but inspection and repair are being scheduled. No manufacturer inspection has occurred at this time. At the time of incidents, there were no consistent warning lights or messages indicating a transmission failure. No persistent diagnostic warnings have been observed. Symptoms were limited to delayed or harsh shifting and delayed acceleration response. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The 10r80 transmission has shifting shutters and loses what gear it is in and causes loss of throttle, hanging in gear and sudden downshift at road speed causing control issues. A faulty drum in transmission is to blame is my understanding and Ford is aware of this problem for model year, replacement cost is over 10,000 dollars for a poor design. Reading online forums this is a common issue Ford is aware of.

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 10r80 transmission on my 2018 Ford F-150 XLT failed. It started having delayed engagement from gears 1-5. The motor would increase in rpm with no transmission engagement then suddenly slam into gear. I had to have a full rebuild on the motor. This failure put me into danger when pulling out into an active road from a side street. The vehicle would start to move forward then have delayed engagement and not move. Putting me and my family in great harm.

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.

There's already a recall for gear down shifting for this model truck but cuts off as manufactured 8/17. My truck is doing the same thing. It's manufactured on 10/17.

The 10r80 transmission has failed at 86k miles. Very erratic shifting especially when cold. Complete loss of power coming out of 3rd gear. It would shift from 3rd to 7th then back to 1st then back to 3rd and repeat this behavior. I had a complete loss of power trying to go uphill and had to hit brakes before rolling backwards. Shifting upper gears extremely slow and causing excessive revving between shifts. It would stay in a higher gear when coming to a stop and I would have to press gas hard to get it to shift and it would slam into 1st. Very unsafe driving. I know this is the cdf drum failure but didn't know how unsafe it would be when it started failing.

My 2018 Ford f150 only has 30,500 miles on it. There is a well known issue with the 2018-2022 Ford 10 speed transmissions, where the cdf drum fails and causes many transmission related issues. I started to show symptoms of this failure, very rough shifts from 1-3 gear, transmission would hesitate and not shift into the next gear, sometimes it would even aggressively downshift while just maintaining vehicle speed. The symptoms quickly got worse. I ended up stuck at a light because after it turned green, my vehicle wouldnt move, and I notcied it was stuck in 7th gear. I tried to manually downshift, but it wouldnt, as cars behind me were honking at me as I held up traffic. Eventually I started to accelerate from a stop in 7th gear, and then the transmission slammed into 1st gear. I brought my truck to Ford the next morning and they diagnosed it as a failing transmission with internal issues that needed to be replaced for over $13,000 dollars, reduced to $9800. This is at just 30,000 miles. I called around to other transmission shops and found a shop that would rebuild the transmission for $5000. I picked the truck up from the dealer to bring the the transmission shop, and it was just plain dangerous to drive. It downshifted from 4th to 1st going around a turn overrevving the engine,constant delayed shifts and rough shifts. I felt very unsafe driving this vehicle in this condition. All of these symptoms are amplified when the weather is cold and the transmission is still warming up. Ford knows about this issue, and has many technical service bulletins related to the issue and how to diagnose it. Most recent is 25-2126 which is from March 31st 2025, I actually found it on the NHTSA website. Surprisingly there were no warning lights or anything that showed up, but I know others with the same issue have received warning lights. Ford would not provide any asssistance with the repair as my vehicle was less than 2 months out of my extended warranty end date.

Engine is ticking and whistling. Drive train issues cam phasers was told beginning of the problem.

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.

Ford has issued multiple tsbs regarding the defective 10r80 10-speed automatic transmission, particularly in F-150s (2017+). The issue is around the cdf drum in Ford F-150s (and other vehicles with the 10r80 transmission) is a known issue where an internal bushing can slide, causing significant fluid pressure loss, erratic shifting, and potential transmission failure, especially in models from 2017-2023. Ford was aware of this because they released multiple bulletins, and they even redesigned the cdf drum with jl3z-7h351-b to fix the problem, but never issued a recall notice. I was leaving my house, and my truck did not move. It revved up to 5 thousand rpms, and then a loud bang noise happened, and then the truck moved. I took it to the dealership, and they said the cdf drum failed, and now they quoted me $7,000 to fix the known issue. When I called Ford to ask for some sort of assistance, they responded that I should have purchased the extended warranty. This is not right that they knowingly have a defective part and are refusing to issue a recall or offer some sort of financial assistance. I drive a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT 5. 0l that has no mods or ever been tuned or modified; mileage is roughly at 121,000.

Ford consumer affairs was sent a letter with this information, too. My 2018 f150 truck had issues with the 10 speed transmission. It’s been jumping, skipping gear, down shifting for no reason. Yesterday, 12/28/25, we were returning home from a holiday trip on I-95’s left lane of the highway when the truck down-shifted from 10th gear to around 3rd or 4th gear spiking the rpm to over 5,000 rpm’s for no reason on 3 different occasions. We had to move to the right lane after the 3rd time due to the wrench light coming on and the transmission temperature gauge maxed out at super hot and turn on the hazards due to only doing 50 mph in a 70 mph highway until we could exit. This was dangerous in so many ways due to the volume of traffic on the highway. Downshifting that much instantly was like slamming on brakes with no break lights. We were verry lucky not getting rear ended and causing a possibly tragic situation. Thankfully, we did not get into an accident. There were a lot of cars on the road, as many families were returning home. This is happening all over the USA with the 10 speed transmission and may eventually cause a tragic accident on the road. We took it to the cocoa Ford dealership on 12/29/25 and the diagnostic paper states they 'performed a koeo self test and found pq7f7 for gear 10 incorrect ratio. Verified fluid vented out of top of transmission. Tech rec overhaul. All one time use parts and rear main seal. Trans cooler. Due to parts/labor cost recommend assembly replacement. '.

On December 24, 2025 at around 2:00 pm while driving my 2018 Ford F-150 from hidalgo, texas to ciudad victoria, tamaulipas, mexico, a distance of approximately 220 miles, my vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous transmission failure that placed myself, my family, and other motorists at significant risk. For the first approximately 130 miles, the vehicle operated normally with no warning signs. While traveling on a two-lane highway, I attempted to pass an 18-wheeler. During the passing maneuver, the transmission began harsh and jerky shifting, slipping, and delayed gear engagement, followed by an immediate and significant loss of power and acceleration. As soon as I completed the pass, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly and lost power, leaving me exposed in a dangerous situation with limited ability to increase speed. Because the road only had one lane in each direction, this created a high-risk scenario involving oncoming traffic. Within seconds, the 18-wheeler I had just passed rapidly approached from behind, forcing the driver to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. This put the truck driver, surrounding motorists, and my family at serious risk of a major accident. The failure occurred without warning and during a critical maneuver where reliable acceleration was necessary. The sudden loss of power made it impossible to respond safely, demonstrating a serious safety concern. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had approximately 72,000 miles, is well maintained, garage-kept, and has never been used for towing, heavy-duty work, or commercial purposes. Given the mileage and normal use, this type of transmission failure is unexpected and unsafe.

A few months ago I heard a rattle coming from somewhere below the Ford f150, and ever since then the gear changes have been acting strange, from hard gear shifts when vehicle is cold to sudden downshifts from high gears (7,8) all the way down to 1st gear. Sometimes, the gear gets stuck in a high gear when I am completely stopped, and lose all the power. Rpms can get very high before it changes gear. Thankfully nothing catastrophic has happened, but now I feel unsafe to drive it. An independent service center tested and confirmed that, based on peoples experience with the 10 speed transmission, what I heard at the beginning was the cdf drum failure, and that the transmission was on the way to total failure at 68,000 miles. No lights appeared on the dashboard, and computer hasn't registered anything.

The truck had a horrible shift from 3-5 that makes it hard to even get up to speed correctly and when getting up to around 2. 5k-3k rpm it seems to slip makes a loud bang and the catch again and continues to go. It makes the truck annoying to drive and also feels like it’s just going to completely give out one day.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon returning to the residence in another vehicle, the contact became aware that the vehicle was missing. The contact's son soon became aware that the vehicle was in the woods by the residence. Upon locating the vehicle, the contact noticed that the doors were locked and that the vehicle was still in park(p). The contact stated that the vehicle had shifted out of gear and had rolled backwards into the wooded area. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle diagnosed by a dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and after a diagnostic was performed, the dealer discovered no defects with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Ford f150 10 speed transmission failure. Trying to cross intersection and transmission failed. I avoided an accident. Transmission had to be replaced at dealership. No warning lights or messages. Vehicle worked perfect until time of failure.

Driving the vehicle when it tries to reach the 7th gear it loses power then drops to 1st gear and won’t pass 6th gear the check engine light came on and the maintenance light. Took the vehicle into the dealer to learn that the transmission is bad and I need a new one. Solenoid stuck position a. P0752.

Truck has a lag then hard catch going from 7th to 8th gear and sometimes skips gears causing burnt transmission fluid and lower rear seals along with water pump seals all seals and gaskets are bad being Ford used plastic gaskets that year and Ford recommends changing to more current seals and gaskets but don't want to cover costs , my truck is sitting in a shop with 4,900. 00 in repairs do to Ford parts for that year faulty.

At 50k miles the transmission started to have a hard time finding a gear at low speeds, often “in neutral” - between gears for 1-2 seconds and on occasion up you 5-7 seconds. During this “neutral”, the engine could still rev freely and often built revs too high for the next gear, causing a hard ‘jerking’ motion when the next gear is engaged. This proved to be moderately dangerous when merging into traffic with propulsion being cut. At 52000 miles, 10th gear would have trouble holding at highway speeds and would disengage for that same 5-7 second gap, only to eventually resort to 9th gear. Being left powerless on the highway can be extremely dangerous if you are caught traveling up a steep grade or passing another vehicle. At 53000 miles, the above mentioned 10th gear symptom arose at a steady 70 mph, and when 9th gear was engaged the dashboard illuminated a wrench icon with a message that said “maintenance required”. I could tell that the truck was operating at reduced power at this point. After researching the issue, I discovered the problem to be the cdf drum failed - an internal component that requires a full transmission rebuild. This problem appears to be an issue that plagues not some, but all 2017-2023 10r80 at some point in their life cycle. An extremely costly fix at that.

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.

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.

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.

I have a 10 speed transmission in my 2018 f150. I started noticing harsh shifting and came to fine out it is from the known issue that Ford has acknowledged. The cds clutch drum slipped do ti fault parts. I contacted Ford and they refused to help and said that my vehicle was out of warranty even though they acknowledged the service bulletin they stated that there was no recall at this time. I had to pay over $8,000 out of pocket and be without a truck for over a month.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-40 mph, the vehicle started jerking and shifting abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to dtc: p076f/10r80, and the dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no recall coverage for the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

Several times in the last few years when taking off from a stop about 4 seconds into travel the transmission disengages and the engine races. If I was expecting to get though an intersection while traffic was coming into my path of travel I would be in their way and possibly struck. It happened again today. Thankfully I had full right of way and not in anyones path of travel. I had to let the engine wind down, shift to nuetral and back to drive to get going again. I was in the middle of a left hand turn and behind other vehicles that were all traveling about about 5 mph.

Transmition issues: hard bumping going into gears, loss of power to move the truck, loss of power can happen anytime the transmition seems to shift into neutral causing a dangerous issue when trying to pull out to moving traffic. Stopping at intersections and then the truck wont go forward until there is a hard bump that feels like your getting rear ended. When diving at speeds above 45 the trans is constantly looking for gears. The truck only has 103000 miles on it. Incident occurs 3 out of 5 times I drive the truck.

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission warning light illuminated, and the message to "see owner’s manual" was displayed. The contact coasted the vehicle to the dealer, who determined that the transmission had failed. The transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Driving at 50 mph, and attempting to accelerate - vehicle lost all "power". Pedal was "to the floor' and no response from the truck. Could not accelerate to get up to interstate speed. Multiple attempts were made, with big hesitations then hard, surging engagements, as truck attempted to shift. More than once the accelerator was applied with no response. Rpms didn't even rev, just nothing from the vehicle. Had to slow down to get the truck to engage into a gear, eventually catching and able to hold 50. Slower acceleration over time and was eventually able to get up to freeway speeds.

My truck only has 26000 miles and the transmission started acting very funny, shifting erratically, then it was stuck in 5th gear limp mode. There is some kind of bushing that comes loose in these 10 speed transmissions. It cost me $7597. 48. And $150. 00 towing.

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.