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.
I bought this truck new. It immediately began shifting hard. The dealer flashed the transmission several times, but did not solve the problem. The dealer even documented the harsh shifting, but after the reflash they said there is nothing else to be done, so I gave up. Now the shifting is worse and it will drop from 7th or 8th gear to 1st. Also, the transmission will intermittently not shift at all. This has done this to me twice while I was merging into traffic or making a left turn at an intersection leaving me motionless in traffic. Despite documentation from the beginning of ownership, the dealer nor ford will do anything despite the mechanic telling me this is a known issue that stems from fords design of the transmission. I am now paying for an all new transmission to keep safe. Ford is going to get people hurt by not fixing a known problem with their product.
Truck only has 48,124 miles on it. Per the tech it no longer has the weight on the driveshaft to keep it in balance. They sent the driveshaft to B&T driveshaft to be balanced. It came back and 80% of the vibration was gone. They then said they had to replace the entire driveshaft without testing the universal joints. They did install the JL3z driveshaft kit. This did resolve the vibration but why would like part have to be replaced at such low milage on a 2018 F-150?
Vehicle is shuddering as acceleration starts, took to dealership before warranty ended and they dismissed concerns. Issue has intermittently persisted since then with no resolution available from dealership. The acceleration issues causes the vehicle to slow down and halt before jerking into motion again. Additionally the engine eco boost is occasionally shutting the vehicle off in traffic, if the brake is released too quickly with the boost feature on the engine shuts off, you have to put it back in park and then start the engine again. I've almost been rear ended twice when a light turns green and my engine turns off unexpectedly.
I-??m filing this complaint regarding a major transmission failure in my 2018 Ford F-150 (VIN: [XXX] ) with just over 40,000 miles. The issue resulted in multiple loss-of-drivability incidents while pulling out into traffic. On several occasions, the vehicle failed to engage or hesitated severely when shifting into gear, leaving me stranded on the wrong side of the road. In one instance, I was forced to manually cycle through gears to try and regain forward momentum while cars approached at speed. This created a dangerous situation not only for me but for other drivers. The vehicle showed no prior warning lights or messages before the issue occurred. A certified repair shop pulled diagnostic codes and identified a transmission-related fault. I was advised to take the truck to a Ford dealership, where they confirmed a transmission failure requiring a full replacement, quoted at nearly $10,000. A transmission failure at this mileage is unacceptable and unsafe. I-??m reporting this as a safety concern due to the sudden loss of power and drive function in live traffic situations. I-??ve since found reports of similar issues from other F-150 owners. This needs further investigation and consideration for recall or formal service campaign. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Middlebury, VT, USA
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Transmission failed. Specifically the CDF drum which is a known issue and Ford has a TSB for it. Truck would not move or shift gears periodically. Would also slip into neutral and would not engage any gear which is extremely dangerous on the road. Dealer confirmed that the CDF drum is shot and the truck needs a new transmission, $8800. My truck only has 53k miles on it, it is a 2018 model year. There were no visual indications of a problem, no CEL. You could tell just by driving the truck, it got so bad that it was virtually undriveable. I put the TSB below. This really needs to be a RECALL as it is super dangerous. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The "Auto Start Stop" message was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that one month prior to the failure, the vehicle had been repaired under Manufacturer Recall Number: 24E04 (Powertrain Control Module Software update). The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle stalled while one of the employees was test driving the vehicle. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
Transmission completely failed while driving. Fortunately I was at a stoplight and was able to coast to the side of the road to a stop before getting hit. Transmission previously was taken to Ford for transmission jerking and randomly shifting issues. They first appeared at about 35000 miles of service. Complete failure ocurred at 130,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.
Transmission is hard shifting and dropping out of gear into neutral at random times. Ford dealership diagnosed a bad CDF hub in transmission. Ford knows this is a known issue and redesigned the part but not covering any repairs.
I was driving on the interstate, and pressed the accelerator to make a lane change and the tranmission did not respond. I could have been rear-ended because I had signaled and the other vehicle started to fill my space. I was unable to make the change. Fortunately the folloing vehicle kept a safe disance. Gear shifts have also been extremely clunky and skipping gears, sometimes when slowing down, dropping from a high gear (4-6) down to 2 or 1 without a corresponding drop in speed.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the -??WRENCH-?? symbol was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the message "Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, where it was discovered that there were metal shavings in the transmission fluid pan. The contact had taken the vehicle to other independent mechanics who confirmed the failure and suggested that the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 99,800.
Transmission: sluggish upshift (vehicle feels like it is being pulled backwards), hard shifting and sudden downshifts at speeds in excess of 35 mph. Narrowly avoided getting rear-ended during rush hour traffic. I have not taken the vehicle to the dealership due to being afraid to drive it. No warning lamps, but symptoms started about two weeks ago but were very intermittent and easily resolved with a TCM relearn. Symptoms are similar to the known issues with the Ford 10R80 CDF Drum issues. I will be having the vehicle towed to the service center next week for a diagnosis and way forward. On 18 June 2025, I was traveling home from work. I stopped at a red light and waited for the light to turn green. The light turns green and the line of cars (roughly 20, with the lead car approximately 5 ahead of me) begin to proceed through the light. As I passed through the intersection and began to pick up speed, my vehicle shifted into 6th gear at about 40 mph. Less than 2 seconds after shifting into 6th, it shifted down to 1st gear, lost all power to the drivetrain, and almost caused a collision between me and the car behind me in a busy residential area. Pressing the accelerator only revved the engine. I turned my hazards on and shifted the vehicle to Manual and was able to get it going again but the same symptoms happened at my next stop and have persisted since.
The transmission slips from 3 to 4 and 7 to 8. Downshifts hard. Truck has been doing for no reason for a couple of months. Sometimes it accelerates itself.truck has 78k miles and no hard driving or tow has been done.
While driving the vehicle it often shifts out of gear. It will hard shift change and not drive, which causes people behind you to have to unexpectedly stop or speed up on you because truck shifts out of gear. Very dangerous situation, and online people often complain about
When accelerating, in gears 3-5, truck will intermittently jerk or hesitate. With transmission being erratic with acceleration, it difficult to steer when turning out of an intersection or corner or even changing lanes. This is a 10 speed transmission.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, stalled, and shifted out of gear independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an oil change and transmission fluid flush. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal revving sound and other unknown sounds while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the contact stated that the door and A/C and heating system actuator had failed. The contact stated that the rearview was inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the turbo, the air compressor and the 4-Wheel Drive system needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the actuator was unrepairable and was rigged by the mechanic. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,003.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Freeland, MI, USA