Power Train Problems of Ford F-150 - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford F-150 🔎.

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. '.

I was driving on the freeway when all of a sudden my rear tires locked up and my truck started down shifting erratically. Luckily the road condition were good and I was able to bring the truck to a controlled stop. Restarted and truck is back to normal. Im having it repaired. Shop said its a known issue: transmission molded lead frame. Ford said not covered. I think I is a huge safety issue. I felt lucky I didnt crash.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford F-150 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the contact heard an abnormally loud booming sound. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle. Upon inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact noticed that the driveshaft was fractured and damaged. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the heat shield had rubbed on the driveshaft, and the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v986000(power train, structure); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

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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.

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.

Four times in the previous two weeks, while driving between 20 and 50mph, the transmission has downshifted from 6th to 1st gear, locking the rear tires. Speedometer reads zero, airbag warning light illuminates, and odometer/mpg shows dashes instead of numbers. Ignition must be turned off and on to recover. Trusted private mechanic performed diagnostic: removed transmission pan, changed filter, checked electrical, and replaced fluid. Cost: $700. The issue was not resolved. Internet search suggests a known "lead frame" issue and recall. Valencia autonation Ford suggests having their technicians diagnose at a cost of approximately $350. I was quoted roughly $5500 to rebuild/replace the transmission. I reported this issue to Ford corporate "customer satisfaction" (case cxh-06529440-c7d1j5), but was offered no assistance. This complaint appears over 200(!) times in the NHTSA database just for 2013 Ford F-150 trucks. My family cannot drive this dangerous vehicle, and I cannot sell it in this condition.

I own a 2019 F-150 XLT truck with only 56,000 miles. I bought the truck brand new in 2019 and now it only has 56,000 miles! the transmission just failed and is not under warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles and it's frustrating Ford doesn't have any recalls for this truck. This truck is unsafe and needed a new 10 speed 1080r transmission. Incident #1-I was on the freeway at 65 miles an hour and the truck downshifted into 2nd gear! it abruptly, slowed down and I had to pull over on the side of the freeway, luckily no one was close behind me. I then had to re-start and make it back home. Incident #2- I was turning right at a light and had to merge into traffic and speed up to merge and the truck transmission went into neutral and would not shift into gear. I immediately pulled to the side of the road with cars slamming on their breaks behind me, honking! incident#3- I was at a red light waiting to turn left and when the light turned green the truck transmission would not go. . It was stuck in neutral and after a few seconds shifted and slammed into gear! the car behind me was using their horn to get me moving. A big wrench warning light came on the dashboard and then I decided to fix the issue. I took the truck to the local Ford dealer and was told to get in line because there were 70 vehicles in back all waiting for the same issue. The dealer gave me an estimate to fix the transmission was $12,000-14,000 dollars! and could take a couple months before they look at my truck. So frustrating because I need a vehicle to get to work. I took it to a local transmission shop and he inspected the transmission and stated I needed to order a new one from Ford. I paid $9,800 for a new 10 speed transmission for my 2019 Ford truck. I was without my truck for 1 week and caused a big inconvenience to my family.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford F-150 🔎.

While in 6th gear driving on the highway at 70 mph the truck downshifted to 3rd and drastically decelerated. When this happened the instrument display went from having all 6 gear numbers viable to only 1 - 3. It had to be put into manual mode and shifted into 6th manually. This happens twice in the same trip.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford F-150 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v512000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. In addition, the contact later received a second recall notification that parts were now available for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not available. The contact stated that the situation needed to be investigated if the parts were not available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

See all problems of the 2025 Ford F-150 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud banging and grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 25v729000 (visibility), 25v455000 (fuel system, gasoline), and 23v896000 (power train); however, parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the left and right rear axle shaft assemblies and hubs had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available and estimated that parts would be available in or around October 2026. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

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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.

Transmission problem . 10r80. Vehicle would not move from stop in 1st or 2nd gear.

While driving ~70mph on I-80 in central wyoming, my truck suddenly and unexpectedly downshifted to a low gear, causing rpms to spike to 8000+ and making me swerve and nearly go off the road. No warning lights or cautions appeared. I pulled over, turned off the ignition, and checked my engine compartment to see if I could find any issues but everything appeared normal. I resumed driving and everything felt normal. Approximately 100 miles later a check engine light appeared. No other cautions or messages appeared. My transmission and engine oil temperature gauges showed readings in the middle of the normal range. I was 10 miles from the nearest town and immediately stopped at a mechanic shop to diagnose the issue. After several days trying to diagnose the issue, they told me that my transmission had severely overheated, was near failure, and needed to be replaced. I had a regular transmission service less than 12 months prior at a Ford dealership and no issues were noted. I am writing this because I am aware of many other F-150 owners experiencing similar problems and I believe Ford needs to address this clearly systemic issue with the 10r80 transmission.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford F-150 🔎.

10r80 transmission failure at 67,000 miles. My wife drove the vehicle with our 6 month old daughter in her carseat. The vehicle would not shift out of 3rd gear while getting onto the highway. Two days later, I was driving and it would not shift out of first gear. Extremely dangerous and will (not if) lead to injuries and death. Dealership confirmed the entire transmission will need to be replaced.

The transmmission down shift when going 60 mph.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford F-150 🔎.

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.

I was driving about 55 mph when suddenly my 2013 truck down shifted to either first or third gear and I barely was able to control it to get off the road. The truck just bowed up and the vehicle behind me almost hit me. The speedometer stopped working and a wrench icon appeared. I tried to take off and the truck was stuck in third gear. Ford dealership said they would fix it if it was the oss sensor. I paid to have it towed and they charged me over 2,000. There was a safety recall 24s37 on the 2014 with the 6r80 transmission the same kind my truck has. My 2013 did exactly the same thing as the 2014 and I believe it should have a safety recall. There was a extended warranty or something either 10 years or 150,000. My truck has 130,000. I talked to Ford customer satisfaction but they have done nothing. I told them I was going to report it.

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.

Dec of 2022 I took my truck into the dealer (under warranty) because I felt the transmission would slip when trying to get it into gear while cold. They said they could not replicate it. The slipping and clunking into gear persisted when you started it in cold weather only. Last weekend (Dec 2025) in a snow storm in rural michigan we put it into four wheel drive. It kept slipping and clunking but finally would not stay in gear. Then the warning light went on that we had a 4-wheel fault. We have never seen that before. It was very scary because we were in the middle of farmland with blowing snow and we had a difficult time even finding a place to turn around. We eventually got it to the dealership which said we needed a new transmission. I have seen this issue raised on social media and found this. Nhtsa (national highway traffic safety administration): there are 124 official complaints specifically filed for the 2019 model year. I complained to Ford which said they could not help me. My case number with them is cxh06499734.

-10-speed 10r80 transmission in 2019 f150 it felt unsafe (jerking, loss of power) -takes a long time for truck to get up in speed after making a stop -vehicle has been inspected by a shop -truck has not showed any warning lamps.

While decelerating from approximately 80 mph to 65 mph under very light throttle, the transmission in my vehicle unexpectedly shifted into 1st gear for a brief moment at highway speed, without any driver command. This caused a sudden and severe deceleration event and created a loss-of-control safety risk, especially in traffic. The transmission immediately corrected itself, however after the event the vehicle avoided normal downshifts and remained in higher gears (5th and 6th), indicating abnormal transmission behavior following the incident. No warning lights or messages were displayed at the time of the event. The vehicle is a 2016 Ford F-150 5. 0l equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission (6r80). The vehicle has approximately 91,100 miles. The automatic transmission was serviced at approximately 80,000 miles, including fluid and filter replacement only. No transmission flush was performed. The vehicle has a new agm battery, properly programmed to the vehicle. The vehicle was originally sold in canada and is currently operated in the united states. The defect occurred during normal on-road driving and presents a serious safety concern due to the possibility of unintended wheel lock or loss of vehicle control at highway speeds.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal clanking and rattling noise. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(d), the vehicle failed respond; however, upon engaging 4-wheel drive(4wd), the vehicle moved forward at a slow speed. The contact's husband drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who advised that the failure could be related to the rear axle hub bolt. The contact's husband drove the vehicle to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 23v896000 (power train). The dealer confirmed that the rear axle hub bolt had fractured; however, the part to complete the recall repair was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Transmission shifted from 10th gear to 1st gear at highway speed. Transmission was rebuilt by Ford, and is again exhibiting poor/harsh shifting.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford F-150 🔎.

In June 2025 and again in December 2025, when my truck stopped at a red traffic light and I applied my brakes to stop the vehicle, my two rear wheels/tires started to spin rapidly non-stop for 60 seconds or the duration of the traffic light, causing a great deal of smoke and noise. My truck acted like a "drag racing" machine on a short track revving its engine and spinning its tires for a very short burst of speed down the track. Cars behind me kept their distance and I thought my truck would bolt forward at any time causing a serious accident. I applied my brakes as firmly as possible, praying my truck would not lose control and bolt forward into the lane of traffic. In June, my mechanic thoroughly inspected my vehicle for four hours, going on a test drive, pulled off all the wheels and checked every pertinent component, ran 3 diagnostic code assessments and found nothing. When it happened again on December 11, 2025, I contacted another mechanic who told me he could not address the issue since it was a known Ford issue and to contact NHTSA and Ford (pe25-002). Finally, there were no warning lights on my dashboard when it happened during these two incidents.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to properly shift gears. The check engine and power train warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the Ford customer satisfaction program: 19n01 and NHTSA campaign number: 19v075000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The cdf drum bushing slipped, which seems to be a constant problem on the f150's, causing my truck transmission to fail while on the freeway. Looking online, several of these instances have occurred to other truck owners. The cost to repair this is astronomical and if Ford has been aware of the problem for so long, they should have recalled the trucks and fixed the problem.

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.

2019 F-150 2. 7l ecoboost, 10-speed. Intermittent unintended acceleration: while coasting or braking at low speed (10–25 mph) the engine suddenly revs to 3–4k rpm with a strong lurch forward against the brakes. Requires hard braking and shifting to neutral to stop. Happens year-round, warm or cold, no warning lights. This is a known issue covered by TSB 19-2135 and ssm 49240 this problem started in 2020 at about 10k mileage. Has occurred about 10 times since with about 82k mileage now. The service dealer at acton Ford tried to reproduce the problem a couple years ago by driving it, but acceleration problem didn’t happen. The problem occurred today, Dec 6, 2025 while braking for a stop light when I had to stomp on the brakes and shifted into park. This could be dangerous if I pulled through the red light into cross-traffic.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The mobile app indicated a failure related to the power train and to reduce power. The contact's son drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road and turned off the vehicle. While the contact's son was attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination, which was approximately 30 minutes away. The following day, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that several days later, the 4wd low warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure and a diagnostic test was scheduled for the following week. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in customer satisfaction program: 23s65/NHTSA campaign number: 23v896000 (power train). In addition, the contact had not received notification of the customer satisfaction program or recall. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Ford has refused, on multiple occasions and at multiple dealerships, to address the NHTSA recall number 23v896 (mfg. Recall number 23s65) issue with the wheel end hub bolt in the rear axle. Well, this weekend, the bolt on the passenger side rear axle broke off, rendering the vehicle undriveable. I brought it in to the lithia Ford dealership (who's online information said they were open) to get it addressed. They were closed, no one was there, and they won't even give me a loaner vehicle while the F-150 is inoperable. This recall has been out for two years now and they still won't deal with it. Absolute neglect of their obligations and an unsafe practice!.

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.

Transmission is stalling, jerking, skipping gears and slipping. I have talked to the dealership several times about the transmission slamming really hard in 4th and 8th gear. They would tell me it’s just trying to find the right gear to be in, your battery is causing it or it needs to be reprogrammed. There has never been any warning lights. This truck has spent over 4 months in the shop for drive train issues. New rear end, new drive shaft and a vibration that has never gone away.

While taking my daughter to a friend's birthday party, we were traveling at a speed of ~50 miles per hour when the transmission downshifted from 5th or 6th gear directly to first gear for no reason. The back tires locked up when the rpms drastically increased, and the truck went into a skid. I believe my limited experience working on cars gave me the instinct to throw the shifter into neutral while applying the brakes. I was able to gain control of the vehicle prior to it fully going off into the ditch. After researching the issue, it became apparent this was a common problem with the 6r80 transmission that Ford knows about. I read numerous stories of the safety issues owners have had with this 6r80 transmission in the 12th gen f150. I brought the truck to my dealer, and they confirmed it was from the "lead frame" that Ford provided an extended warranty on. I was told the warranty didn't cover my vehicle (10 year/150k mile). This vehicle was purchased from the Ford dealership new in 2013 and has been in the family ever since. It currently only has 65k miles on it and has never had any work done to the transmission expect for a program flash at 26k miles in an attempt to prevent this exact issue. Outside of being disappointed that Ford was not willing to help with the expensive repair, my mind went to the safety aspect of what's going on. I believe Ford made the decision to not classify this as a safety recall to prevent paying for the replacement of the plastic lead frame on all 6r80 transmissions. While I understand this is costly to an auto manufacturer, I can't help but think of what the result of this safety issue would have been if my wife or an unexperienced driver was under control of this vehicle that day. I reached out to the Ford customer service rep and explained my safety concerns. I was told she would file it under safety and that I may or may not get a call. This confirms their lack of concern; hence I'm reaching out to the NHTSA.