2018 Ford F-150 transmission problems

POWER TRAIN

SAFETY HAZARD & RISK ​The 10R80 transmission exhibits sudden, unpredictable gear slipping, power loss, and violent slamming/lunging during gear shifts while navigating active traffic. This erratic behavior creates an immediate collision risk when merging, accelerating, or changing lanes, as the truck unexpectedly loses momentum or lunges forward. ​INCIDENT & REPAIR HISTORY ​The vehicle required two complete transmission overhauls under 68,000 miles at Apple Ford (Columbia, MD), both confirmed by certified technicians and warranty inspectors: ​Overhaul #1 (Invoice #273111 | Aug 14, 2024 | 42,571 miles): Diagnosed under TSB 24-2101 for shift failure. The dealer overhauled the valve body and replaced internal components, including the CDF drum (Part #JL3Z7H351B). ​Overhaul #2 (Invoice #351672 | Sep 11, 2026 | 67,587 miles): Less than 25,000 miles later, severe slipping and 5th gear binding recurred. Teardown revealed a sticking main pressure control valve, burnt E & F clutch packs, and an outdated CDF drum. The dealer replaced the complete valve body (Part #JL3Z7A100CRM), installed a redesigned CDF cylinder (Part #PC3Z7B177A), and replaced scorched clutch/steel plates. ​COMPLAINT RESPONSE SUMMARY ​System Failed: 10R80 Transmission (CDF drum sleeve migration, sticking valve body, burnt E & F clutches). Vehicle is available for inspection. ​Safety Risk: Sudden power loss and violent lunging in active traffic, creating severe collision hazards. ​Confirmed by Dealer: Yes. Diagnosed and verified twice by Apple Ford master technicians. ​Inspected By: Authorized Ford dealer technicians and an official warranty company inspector. ​Symptoms/Timeline: No warning lights appeared prior to failure. Physical symptoms (slipping, violent slamming) first appeared before Aug 2024 (42,571 miles) and recurred in July 2026 (67,587 miles).

NHTSA complaint #11763889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Started with harsh shifting, lead to no shifting and no movement. Shifting came back and lunged forward and harsh stop. Happened multiple times and now vehicle will not move.

NHTSA complaint #11763891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Loss of power while acceleration from a stop sign. Vehicle would not shift into gear and acted like it could only drive very slowly. Repair shop inspected it and stated that the transmission needed work and would cost 8200.00 to fix issue that has a TSB out meaning ford knows about the issue

NHTSA complaint #11762538 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I have a 10 speed automatic transmission that intermittently works in 2nd and third gears. It began doing this at 60,000 miles. I'm not sure if it is the adaptive learning transmission control module (TCM) or the transmission itself. Ford dealer wants over $10,000 to replace transmission. The car is unsafe when pulling into traffic and it won't accelerate half the time.

NHTSA complaint #11762568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My Ford F-150 Supercrew XLT 10R80 10-speed completely failed resulting Ford replacing it with a new transmission unit for a cost to be of $7,300. As the transmission failed at 96,000 miles the gears would be skipped with harsh shifting, not fully engaging 4th gear and at times while driving would refused to shift into any gear and high revs and me unable to accelerate. I was nearly involved in a crash when I would pull out into traffic legally but suddenly unable to accelerate and approaching cara from the rear needed to suddenly brake and change lanes to avoid a collision. All diagnosis was conducted by Ford. At first it cost me approximately $300 for them to drain and fill transmission fluid. When that didn't fix the problem they then said it was the DCF drum failure at a cost of $5000. When they were unable to fix it they informed me that they needed to install a brand new transmission at a cost of $7,300. Current mileage is approximately 98,300 miles. As a prior certified LEO Traffic Homicide Investigator, I was terrified driving the truck knowing what could happed if it failed as I was crossing traffic or pulling out and fail, as is had already and therefore I was unable to use my vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11762071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

1st problem transmission: Hard shifting up and down in certain gears. 3 gear seems the worst. When slowing down to almost stop it down shifts and lurks forward which can cause a safety issue. Loud banging noise when it does this hard shift. 2nd problem when starting the truck up get a loud chain rattle. Think it’s the phaser/cam rattle I keep reading about with no fix. Mileage on my truck is 63,000 miles never tow or haul anything. Crazy ford can sell something like this and be ok with it.

NHTSA complaint #11761611 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting erratically. The contact stated that the transmission shifted from 1st gear to 7th gear and back to 1st gear. The check engine warning light and an unknown warning light was illuminated after the failure. During an oil change service, the contact described the failure to an independent mechanic, who performed a diagnostic test but found no transmission failure. The contact was advised that NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V375000 (Power Train); recall repair could repair the vehicle; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact notified the manufacturer by telephone. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11761627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

10R80 Transmission Delays when shifting and when it does engage its harsh shifts.

NHTSA complaint #11761667 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

No oil in between changes check engine light came one

NHTSA complaint #11761768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Direct failure of Cam phasers and confirmation. This led to erratic engine runtime leading to transmission shifting learned behaviors based on the bogus engine information. This causes erratic hardshifting into drive and most importantly dropping gears on the highway resulting in unsafe driving conditions at random. This includes both random downshifts at highway speed and a similar situation when accelerating the wrong gear is engaged both causing unsafe conditions for the driver and those surrounding. Upon phaser replacement the engine then ran correctly and transmission was reset both KAM tables and learned behavior to rectify the transmission safety challenges. This should at least be a TSB not just a mystery to owners and dealers alike.

NHTSA complaint #11761411 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate and jerked and hesitated. The contact stated that the transmission upshifted from 1st to 3rd gear and then from 3rd to 7th gear. During the failure the WRENCH symbol was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be repaired, and the CDF drum need to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 96,000.

NHTSA complaint #11760925 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I own a 2018 Ford F-150 4WD with approximately 24,600 miles. While traveling approximately 70 MPH on the highway in 2H with cruise control operating, I suddenly heard an extremely loud metal-on-metal grinding/ratcheting noise from the driver's-side front wheel area. The noise caused immediate concern about a possible front wheel or drivetrain failure. I disengaged cruise control and the grinding stopped. Within approximately 50 miles on the same trip, the grinding occurred a second time while again traveling approximately 70 MPH in 2H without cruise engaged. Because of the severity of the noise, I pulled over on the side of the highway and inspected the vehicle. I found nothing visibly wrong and resumed driving. The condition has since occurred two additional times while accelerating from a stop in 2H. These incidents were less severe but involved the same metal-on-metal grinding/ratcheting from the driver's-side front wheel area. I have also noticed a brief air/vacuum-type "whoosh" immediately before the grinding occurs. My Ford service manager directed me to Ford TSB 24-2188, which addresses grinding/clicking/ratcheting from the front wheel area associated with partial engagement of the Integrated Wheel End (IWE). The truck is scheduled for diagnosis but has not yet been formally diagnosed. I contacted Ford Customer Satisfaction, case CXH-090-0329-26-V5R9-P-5. Ford declined assistance due to vehicle age despite the low mileage. I am reporting this because the condition has occurred four times, including twice unexpectedly at 70 MPH. I am concerned about the safety implications of a front wheel-end component potentially partially engaging at highway speed and believe this warrants NHTSA review.

NHTSA complaint #11759735 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Truck will not shift into 7th gear, will down shift to 1st gear once it reaches 6th gear around 40mph. Causing the vehicle back tires to brake and skid and lose control of vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11759042 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving home from a work appointment in Rockwall, Texas, I entered an intersection with three lanes of uncontrolled cross traffic traveling approximately 35-45 mph. As I accelerated my Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 transmission, it started into the intersection and then began sporadically hunting for a gear. The truck suddenly lost nearly all acceleration and slowed to an almost complete stop while I was in the middle of the intersection. Vehicles were approaching me from the driver side, leaving me with almost no ability to get out of their path. I was extremely fortunate that I was not T-boned. This is the second time this truck has experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of acceleration, the first was with a 4th gear slip on an on-ramp. Neither incident was preceded by a warning light or other dashboard indication. I understand Ford has been aware of problems involving the CDF clutch drum in the 10R80 transmission and that the design was subsequently revised in later versions. My vehicles issues are textbook CDF Drum problems. Meanwhile, the known 10R80 problems have significantly reduced the vehicle's value, leaving me owing more than I can reasonably recover by selling it. This is not simply a reliability issue. A transmission that can unexpectedly eliminate a vehicle's ability to accelerate without warning is a serious safety hazard. Twice, this defect has put me in a situation where I could have been killed by cross traffic. I am asking NHTSA to investigate the 10R80 transmission, including the CDF drum/design issues, and determine whether these failures create an unreasonable safety risk and whether Ford has taken adequate corrective action.

NHTSA complaint #11759143 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle lost motive power, and the brakes became inoperable. The drivetrain and wrench symbol were displayed. The ABS warning light was illuminated and DTC: U100 (Failure of Communication for Engine and Transmission) was displayed. The codes were cleared after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a communication error with the engine and transmission computer. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The transmission upshifted from first gear to seventh. After a while, the vehicle resumed normal operations, but then the vehicle drove abnormally. The RPM increased to high, and the temperature gauge was at HOT. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and was diagnosed with complete transmission failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,513.

NHTSA complaint #11758290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 10R80 transmission has failed at 79000 miles. This tranmission has been problematic during the life of this truck. Hard shifting, delayed shift, clutch flutter. Ford refused to honor my extended warranty that covers the power train beyond the 5/60000mile base warranty.

NHTSA complaint #11757451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Truck starting missing gears when pulling onto highway. Rpms jumped high and truck wouldnt shift. Thankfully we made it across before the oncoming traffic or we would have been hit. Finally got it to go but it was missing gears causing it to drive sluggish. No prior engine lights warning me. When the incident happed I got a notification of a power train malfunction/ reduced power.

NHTSA complaint #11757273 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

10R80 transmission will jerk and hard shift randomly at times. Also appears to get stuck in gear and/or downshift at inappropriate times.

NHTSA complaint #11756719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Transmission shudders until it gets warm, then it slips when accelerating after it's warmed up. Sometimes it goes completely out of gear. I've had the recall update done on the TCM and it made it worse. It has been confirmed by a service center. There are no messages or warning lights and it started slipping 6-8 months ago and has gotten worse. I cannot drive it currently.

NHTSA complaint #11756744 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving, the automatic transmission started to act up. The truck would attempt to go into 3rd gear but would bypass it to 4th, similar action around 7/8th gear. When pressing the accelerator at times, the truck would not switch gears or increase speed. A warning light did appear on the dashboard, indicating a problem. A code reader indicated two possible issues related to the transmission. These issues made the truck unsafe to drive in any traffic since I wasn't sure the truck was going to continue moving and was concerned about being either being stranded or being rear-ended. The truck was taken to a repair shop that my extended warranty works with. The shop was able to reproduce the issue. The shop indicated that there was an issue with the transmission. A warranty company technician came to the shop to run a diagnostic on the truck. After review of the technicians analysis, the warranty company approved the transmission repair and shop is waiting on parts.

NHTSA complaint #11756776 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Around 108018 miles started to experience rough, harsh, slamming shifts and skipping gears from 1 to 4 or 3 to 6 and then from 8 slamming to 1st gear at times very unsafe and erratic and through my research this transmission has been a big problem on Fords. I took to a local transmission repair shop they drove and confirmed the shifting issues and said yes the valve body/shift solenoids need replaced and also the CDF drum/cylinder is going bad they also dropped the oil pan and confirmed metal/aluminum shavings in the bottom of the pan. I was quoted $8,800 to repair and this is a huge expense that Ford knows of the problem and needs to be held accountable. there needs to be a recall to replace these bad transmissions with new updated units.

NHTSA complaint #11756402 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle was traveling at highway speeds when the transmission decided to shift from 10th gear into 1st gear at 70mph. Had vehicle at dealership and the transmission had to be replaced. Could have destroyed the motor or caused massive accident on highway shifting into 1st gear at 70mph.

NHTSA complaint #11756430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I have 40,000 miles on this truck and the torque converter shutters when towing, the transmission is slow to shift fome 3-4. No one has looked at it. Since its out of warranty I am just going to run it until it fails.

NHTSA complaint #11756484 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The internal mechanical failure of the Ford 10r80 transmission due to design fault causes unsafe driving conditions as the transmission stalls (fails to power at request) or lunges (powers forward without driver input) causing unsafe conditions for vehicle occupants and nearby vehicular & pedestrian traffic. My vehicle exhibits two well known and documented conditions; stalling and lunging forward. The most common failure is that the transmission fails to shift from 1st to 3rd gear in a low speed condition (e.g. navigating parking lots amongst pedestrians). Upon the failure to shift, the vehicles computer system senses this, overrides by raising the vehicle RPMs significantly without driver input to do so, the vehicle then hard shifts and jerks forward several feet in an uncontrollable manner. Anticipating the jerk and overriding with the brakes fails to stop the vehicle from lunging forward. The second most common failure is the transmission totally failing to provide drive. A common scenario would be sitting at a traffic light waiting to make a left turn. Upon the opportunity to make a safe left turn, the vehicle at times will roll slightly forward (in its first gear), it will then attempt a shift while the vehicle may potentially still be in cross-traffic, and the vehicle at times will fail to drive, without any inputs (brake, gas, manual shift) getting the vehicle out of the no-drive condition, and leaving the vehicle subject to a dangerous potential for collision or safety hazard. The issues with the 10r80 transmission failures are well documented, well understood by Ford Motor Company, and specific to my vehicle have been identified by a reputable dealer as requiring repair. My vehicle's transmission is exhibiting failure at 47,000 miles. No warning indications exist prior, during or after this repeatable incident. Ford has since fixed the design flaw, but refuses to address the safety issue with vehicles manufactured before the re-design.

NHTSA complaint #11756492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Cdf drum went bad had to have transmission replaced because of how hard it was shifting

NHTSA complaint #11756525 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

When shifting from 3rd to 4th gear, the trucks RPM jumps and then downshifts into first gear. This happens around 40 mph and has almost caused two accidents for me.

NHTSA complaint #11756603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2018 Ford F-150 XLT equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly lost power and failed to engage into gear causing hesitation in the middle of driving. This occurred while in stop and go traffic, creating a potentially dangerous situation because the truck did not respond as expected when I needed predictable acceleration or propulsion. I believe this incident may be related to the known 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve problem. Ford technical information identifies axial movement of the CDF sleeve that can cause hydraulic-circuit leaks and harsh or delayed engagement and shifting. This condition can result in slipping, RPM flares, delayed engagement, unexpected gear changes, harsh downshifts, lurching, or loss of propulsion. This is a safety concern, not merely a transmission quality or reliability issue. Unexpected loss of propulsion or unpredictable shifting while merging, accelerating into traffic, crossing an intersection, turning, or traveling at highway speed can create a collision hazard. Because I personally experienced this unexpected transmission event, I request that NHTSA investigate the 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve condition in Ford F-150s. Please review Ford warranty claims, dealer repair records, transmission replacements, consumer complaints, and field-failure data to determine whether this is a safety defect requiring a recall. I believe owners should not have to wait for a potentially dangerous transmission failure before this known condition is addressed.

NHTSA complaint #11756117 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Truck downshifted to a gear too low for the travel speed, caused the rear tires to briefly lock up, very lucky to have kept control. Unsure why the truck did it, it’s happened twice now at 89,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11756245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

10r80 transmission CDF Failure. Had repair completed though still has issues with 4/5th gear. Truck will lose power while accelerating until it finds the gear it wants to go. Multiple re-learning processes completed with no solution. V6 ecoboost - cam phasers repaired twice. 1st time by initial owner but that was not relayed to me. 2nd time by me after multiple trips to the dealership where they couldn't reproduce the issue. Took videos and finally brought the truck in with the check engine light flashing. Required entire engine rebuild.

NHTSA complaint #11756002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Hello, I have a concern with my trucks transmission. I haven't had it diagnosed by Ford but am an independent tech myself. I believe the cdf drum is failing. Here are the problems I had. The biggest is the safety. I was pulling out on busy street and I accelerated. Truck moved and the transmission delayed in shifting causing truck to slow down and then slamming into gear. Oncoming traffic got very close. It has done it numerous times. I don't know when it will do it and when it won't. Transmission has also gone from 3rd gear to 8th and back to 2nd on its own.

NHTSA complaint #11756050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.