What 1,835 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford F-150 Supercab Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while at a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine shut off. A message advising to shift to park(P) and restart the vehicle was displayed. The contact shifted into park(P) and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at 5 MPH and making a turn. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who test-drove the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. Additionally, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11585745

On a weekly basis while operating my truck, I've encountered an issue where the transmission disengages unexpectedly, leading to erratic shifting into various gears. These incidents frequently occur on busy roads, posing a potential hazard as the transmission shifts from 10th gear down to 1st gear. This matter has not yet been formally inspected by the manufacturer, law enforcement, or insurance agencies. Notably, no warning lights or error indicators are displayed. Ford is aware of the issues pertaining to their 10R80 transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11585816

I have had multiple issues concerning the transmission on my 2018 F-150. The issue that occurs most is after starting the truck and shifting into forward, the vehicle jumps from 1st, to 4th, and quickly back to 2nd gear. When it shifts back to 2nd gear the truck feels like it is being hit hard from behind. When it finally engages, the transmission skips 3rd gear every time. At times the transmission disengages when attempting to get into traffic from a side street. When the transmission does engage, the vehicle shutters hard, goes into too high of a gear, and has trouble getting to speed. I need to let off the gas to allow the transmission to downshift. Once again when it downshifts, it feels as if I am being hit hard from behind. When in city traffic, the transmission occasionally feels like it shifts into neutral when the vehicle is at low speeds. The engine races to high RPMs, the transmission engages, and the truck feels like it was hit by another car. I have also experienced shifting issues when attempting to safely pass other vehicles. The transmission had trouble shifting and I was left in the passing lane with a transmission that won't engage. Recently (04/23/2024) the transmission shifted from 1st, to 7th, to 2nd, to 7th, and to 4th. The wrench icon illuminated on my dashboard. I was less than a quarter mile from home. The transmission would not shift out of 1st after this. My F-150 has less than 60,000 miles on the odometer.

NHTSA ODI 11585301

I purchased this vehicle from my grandfather. He bought the truck new and had it evaluated at approximately 15,000 miles due to transmission jolting. Ford topped off fluids and the problem improved. Around 60,000 miles or so, I started noticing intermittent misshifts, jolting, jerking, slipping and engine revving. I put a lot of highway miles on my vehicle. At about 66,000 miles I was attempting to cross an intersection and the truck stuttered, hesitated and bucked when moving into the lane. I narrowly escaped getting into a major accident with oncoming vehicles. I also had issues where the truck would "rev-up" when applying the brakes. Apparently this is a known issue with the 10 speed transmission with several class action lawsuits filed against Ford for these very reasons. I contacted Ford on several occasions and was told that since the vehicle was not in warranty (and despite the previous recorded problem) there was nothing they could or would do for me. Patrick Turner at Mullinax Ford suggested I open a case, which I did. He told me Ford would be helpful, they were not. The agent said she just collected information. Patrick did tell me there were three service advisories on the vehicle which can sometimes fix the problem, but again the truck was not in warranty. Sorry, not sorry attitude. A transmission does not fail at 66,000 miles, unless there is a manufacturing issue. Very disappointing as this vehicle is a threat to drivers, passengers and other cars on the roadway. After nearly getting killed or seriously maimed by this vehicle, I took it to a transmission shop where they confirmed the transmission needed to be replaced and that they have on average two Ford's a week that come in with the same issue, young truck, transmision failure. The certified shop installed the transmission that was purchased from Mullinax Ford and provided the labor. This young man has his life but his savings is depleted thanks to the $6,809.57 cost.

NHTSA ODI 11585037

2018 Ford F-150 10speed transmission has failed at 110k miles. Yes available for inspection upon request. Cannot shift into 4, 7, 10 gear on highway causing almost collision. Took vehicle for inspection on vehicle for tranmission issues on 10/13/2023 and 02/01/2024. Vehicle had a TSB on September 7, 2018 and was never made aware.

NHTSA ODI 11584520

Brought my truck into local ford dealership 02/02/21 and picked up 02/15/21. Transmission was slipping when cold. We were still under warranty and they provided a loaner truck. They rebuilt it not replaced. This is the 10R80. The truck is again having slipping issues with transmission . Truck is no longer under warranty. Wanting to know our legal rights

NHTSA ODI 11584102

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds and entering traffic, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the gear shifter slipped into neutral. The gear shifter indicated that the vehicle was in eighth gear but failed to move. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser and rear differential had failed. The transmission drum had shifted, and a transmission replacement was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was no recall or warranty coverage on the vehicle and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11583743

The vehicle hesitates for several seconds and then very forcefully hard shifts going from 7th to 8th gear every time. If I am stuck in a steady flow of traffic where it is constantly shifting up and down for lights or people stopping to turn, the vehicle will sometimes lurch and hesitate multiple times in a row like it's playing tug of war. I've taken it to to the dealer for all my regular oil changes and Ford keeps telling me it's normal because of the "adaptive driving". It has done this since I purchased the vehicle in 2019 and progressively gotten more aggressive as time goes. I currently have just over 75k miles currently. I can get online and search 2018 ford 10 speed transmission hard shift issues and people are complaining left and right. Many have said it has led to transmission failure prematurely, as early as 65k miles. Ford has no fix for the issue but all the Ford service departments know about it. We have seen service bulletins released regarding the issue but no permanent solution to actually fix the issue. And yet, Ford still refuses to issue a recall for this specific transmission issue. We already have a 2018 Ford focus with a blown motor at 65k miles sitting in our driveway due to Fords neglect and I doubt it will be long before we have a broken truck too if this is allowed to go unaddressed. I am terrified that I will be driving to or from work and the transmission will fail catastrophically and leave me stranded on a busy highway with no shoulders. I hope this persuades someone to take action. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11583950

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rumbling sound detected. The vehicle was slow to accelerate, then lunged forward. While accelerating, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be overhauled. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact to upgrade the fuel. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

NHTSA ODI 11583499

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine was revving however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal banging sound and then lurched forward. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure only occurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact attempted to use the transmission setting for "SPORT" Mode and the hesitation and loud abnormal sound were worse while shifting into gear. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11583282

Timing change skipped, cam phaser snapped, and transmission skips gears and is jerky while accelerating almost giving whiplash sometimes

NHTSA ODI 11582741

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to shift into 3rd gear and struggled to shift into 4th gear. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at highway speeds and shifting from 9th to 10th gear, the vehicle gear shift indicator displayed that the transmission was in 10th gear; however, the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal and would downshift to 7th gear on some occasions, and to 1st gear on other occasions. The power train warning light was illuminated, and the message "See Owner’s Manual" was displayed intermittently. The contact stated that after turning off and restarting the vehicle, the warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a second dealer, Metro Ford Sales & Service, Inc. (6455 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60636), where it was diagnosed with CDF Drum failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11581873

Transmission has failed more than once in 4 month span. Ford dealership states its the parts and not them. When traveling down the freeway at speed limits the truck went from a high gear to low gear. Whiplash my head. Now the dealership is stating that another part failed the transmission which I think they don't want to replace there mess.

NHTSA ODI 11582030

[Recall] Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl) Reported by investor, as recall was sent via email, but not listed on site. please report. THANKS

NHTSA ODI 11581640

The warning light came on the truck which was the wrench symbol on Saturday March 30. Over the past couple weeks the transmission has been doing harsh shifting, jerking, loss of power or just hesitantion its as though the truck doesn't know what gear it needs to be in while driving it will go 10th gear to first gear without any warning. We took the truck to our local ford dealership on April 5th to have the transmission filter changed and the transmission flushed the service technician then drove it afterwards and left a detailed description of what the truck was doing. After paying for the repair the service representative told me basically the transmission needed to be replaced. This is a very well know issue with the 10r80 transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11581522

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission experienced hard shifting. While accelerating on a cold start, it was hard to shift from first to second gear. The driver had to release the accelerator pedal for the gear to release. The transmission continually skipped gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact called the local dealer, who referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11581392

Power train issue with transmission looses power and does not accelerate when it reaches 60mph. Also jerks as I’m accelerating from 0 to 60

NHTSA ODI 11581021

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then jerked into the higher gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was also making an abnormally loud banging sound while shifting into gear. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the "wrench" symbol and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the loud banging sound and the hesitation when the vehicle was changing gears occurred at various speeds. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the catalytic converter and the engine cooling fan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11580399

I have been experiencing random and harsh shifting. Starting from a stop, the truck would struggle to find a gear. Kind of scary when you are pulling out into traffic. Driving on the highway, the truck would randomly come out of gear for a few seconds and then back into gear. It would harshly downshift from 8th gear down to 2nd and back up again. All while driving 70mph. I took the truck to the transmission shop. They found the issues that I was having but no codes were coming up so they did not known where to begin trying to fix it. They recommended a new transmission since there was no other way to fix it. I just picked up my truck from the repair shop on 3/28/24 with a new transmission. I was not aware of all the issues that Ford was having with the 10R80 transmission. Ford needs to take responsibility for a faulty design and fix it instead of issuing countless TSBs which require the truck owner to pay out of pocket to have the TSB completed. Thanks for listening!

NHTSA ODI 11580566

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power without warning. In addition, the vehicle would not shift into gear properly. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11579586

The 10-speed transmission in my 2018 Ford F-150 shifts erratically. Traveling in 10th gear the transmission essentially de-rates (loss of power and speed) and the information panel displays the transmission dropping out of 10th gear to 1st gear (Flashes the Wrench Symbol to See Manual) but doesn't actually shift. It takes several seconds for the transmission to determine what gear to go to and finally it ends up shifting into 5th - 7th gear and shifting begins to be normal for a time. To be clear this "Wrench - See Manual" symbol is not present in the manual itself. Additionally, upon the next cycle power (Turn Vehicle Off and On) the Wrench symbol goes away and there is no check engine light, Fault Codes that can be seen by plugging into the OBD2 connector. It was only until I brought it into the Ford Dealership that they were able to plug into the transmission to obtain stored faulted codes. This is a huge safety concern for myself and passengers. Pulling out onto highways and crossing intersections have become increasing dangerous when my truck doesn’t shift and essentially stalls in the middle of oncoming and crossing traffic. This is a known concern with these transmissions and the service bulletins issued by ford to “fix” these problems have not done so. This truck and its faulty transmission is a danger to my family and others on the roadway and needs to be fixed. Does someone need to lose their life or lives before this is fixed? These erratic shifts first started late December when the temperatures started to drop below 20 degree F and as low as 30 degree F below zero in the Midwest (WI, IA, IL & MN). I attributed the transmission shift issues to be temperature related and not the transmission itself. I was also being told it's just the way the adaptive transmission works with temperatures and how the driver drives. My judge was that this erratic shifting was not normal and prompted me to bring it into the Ford Dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11577330

I know there has been a lot of reported issues with Ford's 10R80 transmission. At 73,000 miles my wrench light came on due to a powertrain issue. When the wrench light came on it wasn't shifting correct and it was slipping thankfully I was in my neighborhood and not on the highway. I used my mechanical breakdown insurance and my transmission was replaced with a brand new one. At 75,000 miles roughly 2,000 miles on the new transmission that was installed by Mac Haik's Southway Ford in San Antonio Texas the transmission popped while driving on [XXX]. When the popping happened I was unable to accelerate since it didn't want to shift properly. I had to stop at a gas station and the transmission was leaking fluid after the pop. I then got the truck back to Mac Haik's Southway Ford since the transmission is under warranty. When the transmission popped on the highway and not wanting to shift properly was a serious safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11576412

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the flywheel. The contact was informed that the flywheel was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11576250

2nd time my F150 has had a CAM Phaser issue. Repaired once in 2021 now again in 2024

NHTSA ODI 11575812

I experience hard upshifts and downshifts between gears 1,3,7. This causes me to thrust forward without notice and nearly collide with other vehicles. The truck will also act as if it is searching for gears which causes it to stall in the middle of ongoing or oncoming traffic. I have taken the vehicle to both an independent transmission company and a Ford dealership. Both have arrived at the same conclusion which is that I have a faulty transmission that was not properly inspected by Ford upon original installation. In order to possibly fix the problem, the transmission will need to be replaced or conduct an overhaul of parts. I have also sent several letters to Ford and they have responded with minimal concern or care for the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11575884