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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,112 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Ford F-150 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 4 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #299

Sep 012023

F-150

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while in seventh gear, the vehicle downshifted to first gear. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to move forward. The transmission also shifted hard from first gear to third gear. While accelerating, the vehicle unintendedly shifted into neutral. The power train malfunction and reduce power messages were displayed. The contact called the local dealer, who stated that the failure might be due to the valve body or the transmission. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

- Brownstown Charter Township, MI, USA

problem #298

Oct 132023

F-150

  • 71,600 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently down shifted from 5th to 1st gear with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a double clutch transmission failure. 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 advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 71,600.

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #297

Sep 152023

F-150

  • miles
When I first start driving the transmission does not seem to know what gear it should be in. It will start in first, jump to four and even at a stop with remain in fourth. As I start to move it will drop back to first and then jump to eighth. It will bounce between gears like this for the first half a mile or so then seems to settle back down. When it is jumping around gears the shifting is extremely hard and causes the truck to lunge, shaking the passengers and driver. I have started to notice over the last couple weeks it is getting worse and lasting longer into the day.

- Maricopa, AZ, USA

problem #296

Oct 162023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The transmission is failing on my truck. This is a known issue with my year model F150 where the 10speed transmission since I bought it brand new shifts terribly causing it to shutter and shake. It got worse over time and continued to bring it up to the dealership. Finally my last check up I said it is getting really bad and they said it was fine. Then driving it down the highway I almost get in an accident. Out of know where it downshifted from about 70 mph to almost 50 causing the car to violently jolt and the wheels squeeling. Then I couldnt accelerate again for a few seconds and luckily the car started accelerating again. Car behind me had to lock up the breaks and I honestly thought we were going to flip. Reverse stopped working and then all of a sudden after all of that a orange wrench light came on(never came on before that). When you turn the vehicle off the orange wrench goes away until you drive it for about 15 minutes. Brought it back into the SAME dealership and did a drive along with a mechanic and he said before we left the parking lot that he can tell it is the transmission and if he drove it when I brought it in before he would have known that was the issue. Even told by the mechanic that this is a known issue by Ford HQ for 2018 and 2019 models. It was fixed in 2020, but they have no real fix for my year vehicle and told me there is about a 50/50 chance that a new transmission would help. Very scary that they will not only not address it, but let people continue to drive these vehicles with this issue that could cause major accidents on the road. They now say I need a new transmission and not covered by warranty of course, pushing back on the issue so they don't have to pay is more important than my safety and the safety of my kids that were in the back. Absolutely horrible that they put $$ over safety on a well documented issue with this year vehicle. I have see hundreds of reviews out there reporting this same exact issue.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

problem #295

Sep 012023

F-150

  • miles
The transmission slips and jumps into different gears while driving. When applying the accelerator from a stop the truck will not move due to it being in 7th gear, when it finally decides to move it shifts hard jolting the truck. The electric driver seat moves around, it is not stable.

- Boulder City, NV, USA

problem #294

Sep 142023

F-150

  • miles
New transmission installed due to surging, -??thunking -?? and transmission failure light on. Approximately 300 miles after installation of new transmission while driving at 70 MPH there was another -??thunk-?? like the truck had been rear ended. The transmission gear indicator went from 10 to 1. There was no throttle response for 5 seconds. Truck decelerated rapidly causing a potential rear end accident. Wife following, along with other drivers, smoke coming from under the truck. Pulled off freeway when able. Was not able to determine issue. Drove another 100 miles to destination. Truck has been at dealer for 3 weeks as technician seeks a diagnosis. Ford needs to address the 10 speed transmission issues. A truck with 85,000 miles should not need a new transmission, then have a secondary dangerous failure 300 miles later. Truck has been at dealerships in Georgia and Florida for 2.5 months this summer/fall as new parts are installed and diagnostic work conducted.

- Fort Wayne, FL, USA

problem #293

Sep 082023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had a major Transmission Failure. Transmission 10R80. Under 60,000 miles power train warranty. I have 59000 miles on truck. Took it to a ford dealer on Sept.12th.It took them two weeks to even look at problem they were so backed up with Trans issues. They said my 5+ years ran out on Aug. 4th.Laughed at the response thought no way Ford will not honor this claim. Especially since on May 15th had the transmission serviced for the same problems as in the class action suits I>E> delayed shifting, lagging, loud clunking when it would engage. At this time there were no icons or warning lamps displayed.They said since it wasn" at Ford dealer so this did not fall under my warranty period. IT would not shift from second to third. Sometimes it would down shift from 7th down to third when I was highway driving. The wrench icon came up on display immediately took to Ford dealership on the 12th. This shifting issue put myself and my passenger's in danger. Dealer has said to me that it will be 7000 for a new transmission or $5050 for a rebuilt to remedy the issue. I have service tickets to back this up.

- Locust Grove, VA, USA

problem #292

May 012020

F-150

  • miles
Transmission delays switching into next gear; slips in and out of gear; slips into neutral while driving; fails to accelerate and then jerks into higher gear. All these things happen almost daily. This has been happening since I bought the truck in 2020. I took it to a transmission service provider. They noticed the delays switching into gear but no codes were displayed to help them know what to fix. No warnings were displayed. It started happening soon after I bought the truck. Now it happens almost daily. It's scary. I feel I'm not in control of the vehicle. I've read online that there is a class action lawsuit filed. I am unsure of what actions I should take.

- Las Cruces , NM, USA

problem #291

Sep 192023

F-150

  • miles
On a regular basis the truck will pause between gear changes (usually 2>3 or 3>4) resulting in a temporary loss of power. The truck will initially accelerate, then pause for a second or two before engaging the next gear, sometimes skipping a gear completely. This has happened several times while crossing traffic or pulling out into fast moving traffic and has almost resulted in an accident on several occasions.. Per other complaints this has been a repeated issue since the vehicle was purchased and has been brought up to dealer service regularly with the feedback this cannot be replicated, or that it is normal. (I really hope it is not normal). They did complete a software update (at my expense) but this did not resolve the issue. I have also heard this same complaint from multiple other truck owners of similar years.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #290

Sep 082023

F-150

  • miles
While this incident took place last week, this has been an ongoing issue with the truck since purchase new from Golf Mills ford in Illinois. Transmission has been jumpy since truck was purchased, changing gears randomly, lurching or suddenly downshifting. I have reported this multiple times and was repeatedly informed it could not be replicated or that this was "normal". Recently, when decelerating, the truck has lurched so suddenly with a load bang, that we thought we had been rear-ended. This has happened on 4 separate occasions, all when decelerating or coming to a stop. Also recently, the transmission stuck in 8th gear and would not shift up or down regardless of accelerating or decelerating. Eventually it shifted up to 9 and 10 with a clanking noise, but then the transmission overheated and forced me to stop the truck on the side of a busy highway. This has not repeated since but 8th seems to be a troublesome point of change.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #289

Sep 072023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power train light came on a busy highway, Transmission disengage from engine, vehicle stops In the middle of traffic. Towed truck to the dealership on the on the 08/21/23. Reset PCM and TCM module.On the 09/07/23 same problem vehicle stop in traffic.Truck would not move in drive or reverse when engine running, towed to the dealership today.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #288

May 312023

F-150

  • miles
Began shifting hard/sticking. Took to dealer in May 2023, said it was fixed. Same day issue still happening. Took back to dealer, again said it was fixed. Not even 5 miles and same issue. Again back to the dealer, kept truck for about 7 weeks and told me it was fixed, still having the same issue. Ford has not out a recap but mechanics from dealer are telling people that is -??normal-??. I highly doubt whole trying to merge onto a highway and you try to accelerate and truck does not pickup but stays in 3rd gear is normal. I almost got rear ended. This is a huge safety issue and as I did some research I see I am not the only one. As there is a class action lawsuit against ford for this exact reason.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #287

Mar 272023

F-150

  • miles
How is there not a recall yet? I'm still making payments on my 2018 Ford F-150 which I purchased in 2020. The first problem I experienced happened when accelerating to pass a slower moving vehicle (into oncoming traffic). Instead, my truck slowed substantially (70 mph down to 40 mph) preventing me and all the other drivers behind me from passing. Fortunately, there wasn't a vehicle traveling in the opposite lane...although, I'm not sure a head on collision would've resulted in a recall! I was told that the EcoBoost was the reason...that term is deceiving to say the least. This may/ may not have led to the bigger problem, my transmission. It's obvious Ford's 10 speed automatic transmission is far less than good. However, there is a safety risk when the gears change on their own, while driving, with children! Aside from the bang or jolt from the gears switching while in motion, it's frightening when the gear changes from 7th to 2nd on the freeway and the rpms rev very high, or when the gear starts in 7th from a stop sign...it takes a while to accelerate nonetheless! Shame on you Ford for not issuing a recall sooner! Very fortunate that this hasn't resulted in a major collision with fatalities...or perhaps there has been and there weren't any survivors to report it! I am not happy and will continue to update my complaint as I work my tail off to make money for a new transmission. Goodbye...until my next break.

- Port Aransas , TX, USA

problem #286

Sep 012023

F-150

  • miles
While driving vehicle was shifting rough (106,000 miles) took to dealership performed latest tSB now the truck slams into gear shutters All through the gears then when driving went from 10th gear to 1st gear at 70 miles an hour and almost blew up the whole truck. I went from having rough shifts to almost getting t-boned because the car lost all power when pulling out of a gas station I-??ve still gotta pay for 3 more years on this truck and it-??s gonna kill me first

- Massilon, OH, USA

problem #285

Mar 272023

F-150

  • miles
Wrench indicator warning light led to diagnosis that transmission replacement is needed. Verified (twice) by Ford Service Department and Reputable Ford Mechanic. Defective 10 speed automatic transmission: shift solenoids cause gears to shift up and down erratically, occasionally shifting with a jolt or bang.

- Port Aransas , TX, USA

problem #284

Jun 152023

F-150

  • miles
On three occasions, the transmission has shifted to neutral while trying to accelerate. Once while merging onto a highway and attempting a downshift into a lower gear, and two other times while taking off from a stop at an intersection. Letting off the accelerator allowed the transmission to shift into the correct gear. There is also harsh shifting from 1 to 3 when the truck is cold.

- Rochester Hills , MI, USA

problem #283

Aug 232023

F-150

  • miles
When putting into park the vehicle was in reverse. Attempted 2 times to put into park and vehicle digital dash showed park but the vehicle was actually in reverse. Could not get emergency brake to work due to vehicle was in reverse. Manually pressed brake pedal down and drove vehicle forward and again it rolled forward without warning.

- Camden, NC, USA

problem #282

Aug 262023

F-150

  • miles
I almost died. I was trying to merge onto highway and vehicle would not shift. I couldn't get it over 45. It then slammed into gear and rocketed me into traffic. The transmission is making my truck unsafe, to myself and the other drivers.

- Dahlonega, GA, USA

problem #281

Jul 202023

F-150

  • miles
On the freeway at 75 MPH, the transmission (10 speed) popped out of 10th gear and into neutral. This caused the vehicle to slow down rapidly and a rear end collision was narrowly avoided. Transmision then shifted erratically from 10th to neutral to 9th gear. The transmission then overheated causing smoke to come from under the vehicle.

- Boyne City, MI, USA

problem #280

Aug 012023

F-150

  • miles
The power train / Transmission is malfunctioning

- Friendswood, TX, USA

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