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

2018 Ford F-150 Platinum Supercab 2x2 began to leak transmission fluid that hit hot muffler and began to smoke. Vehicle towed to Kelly Ford in Melbourne FL. Upon inspection, tech says that the transmission was "overfilled" and hot oil escaped from the top vent. I was then told that Ford now recommends ONE LESS quart of transmission fluid in the 10 speed transmissions. There is no TSB or recall I can find for this. Kelly Ford performed a transmission service 2 years ago and refilled the case. I have had no issues with it until now. They did say it "could" also be an air leak causing the oil to foam. I have also had numerous oil changes there and with ALL FLUID inspections. At no time was I informed on an "overfill" I amout the cost of a tow at $165

NHTSA ODI 11529081

We purchased our Ford F-150 June 2020 and began having issues with it running hot August 2020. After having it checked numerous times and having to add extra coolant weekly the dealership checked and there was an issue with the Turbo-exhaust converter leaking coolant, eventually leading to a catalytic converter issue as well as the spark plugs having to be replaced due to having coolant leaked all over them. Recently, the dealership checked, and they also discovered an issue with the ERG cooler leaking and that had to be replaced as well. The dealership had the replacement parts on back order for 2 years.

NHTSA ODI 11527800

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the vehicle shut off with the "Auto START/STOP - Shift to Park - Restart Engine" message was displayed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The contact also stated that while driving at a high speed, the vehicle shuddered while depressing of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer on several occasions; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526821

difficulty shifting into and out of 4th gear, and skipping gears. Ultimately would not shift into 3rd gear and was taken to shop where mechanic told me a complete rebuild/reman was required. The mileage is only 78K. ridiculous.

NHTSA ODI 11526205

My 2018 Ford F-15 XLT has been having transmission severe issues. This model has a 10 speed transmission and it will randomly go into neutral and abruptly jerk into gear. This happens when it's shifting into multiple gears. When at an intersection, taking off from a complete stop, it jerks into the first gear then goes into neutral (preventing the vehicle from moving while traffic is coming and going from multiple directions) until it ultimately abruptly jerks into the next gear. This behavior is consistent and severe. From limited research, this is apparently a known issue with Ford; however, they have not issued any recalls. One suggested fix is to have the dealership "re-program" it; however, reviews on results show it's either the same or worse after the re-programming.

NHTSA ODI 11525466

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate with the transmission warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11523995

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the contact heard a rattling sound coming from the vehicle, and the steering wheel started shaking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the PCM was reprogramed but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was unformed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provide no assistance. The failure mileage was 100,172.

NHTSA ODI 11523554

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission experienced rough shifting and inadvertently downshifted to first gear. The transmission warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the transmission fluid was leaking while driving. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521710

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced unintended surging and engine revving. During the failure, the driver had difficulty stopping the vehicle while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds, while the vehicle was stationary and idling. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521714

the transmission slips and gives no power when starting from a stopped position. during driving it slips gears including during highway driving. the issues started after 58000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11521724

I have a 2018 F-150 2wd and right after my warranty ran out at 60K my transmission died at 62K I was told I should report this to you because I know there is a class action lawsuit against Ford because this new 10 gear transmission has had A LOT of issues

NHTSA ODI 11521117

Vehicle drops into 1st gear randomly while driving on the highway. Extremely dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11520790

Ford 10 speed transmission slips and engages so hard it feels like we are being rear-ended. In stop and go traffic causes car to lurch dangerously forward. Advised at least twice that there is no issue with the transmission. This was stated to be normal operation.

NHTSA ODI 11520432

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while hauling a trailer and driving approximately 70 MPH, the transmission erroneously down shifted causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. Moments later, smoke was present coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the smoke was caused by transmission fluid leaking onto the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the failure was caused by low transmission fluid. Transmission fluid was added to the vehicle and the transmission fluid seal was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 79,900.

NHTSA ODI 11520190

The truck is 5 years old and has just hit 70K mileage. The transmission has just started slipping between gears 1 and 6. Ford tells me there is nothing wrong with their engines and they don't hear of any issues with this years vehicle and the transmission. Back in July 2022, I had to take the truck to Ford because it would just shut off in the middle of traffic. I had to have the engine censors replaced due to this. Ford tells me there is no correlation between the two issues. Ford says I need a new transmission and they will not pay for it since my warranty was expired in February 2023 and I am 10K miles over.

NHTSA ODI 11519986

Engine rattle on deceleration is a known issue on 5.0 V8. Vehicle was brought in to a dealer in May of 2022 who was able to replicate the issue. Ford has a "remedy" in form of TSB 18-2354 which was performed by a dealer. Rattle noise was still present immediately afterwards and noted by tech performing the work but was deemed normal operation. A year later now in April 2023 I brought the truck back to Ford dealer with same loud rattle on deceleration noise and once again it was looked at and once again it was deemed normal operation. How can a loud rattle noise from engine once deemed worthy of TSB fix and not fixed by the TSB now be deemed normal operation? I do not believe and refuse to accept that rattling engine on deceleration is a normal operation, especially since not all 5.0 V8 engines do it. If it's normal all engines would exhibit same operation characteristics. Another issue is the 10R80 transmission. It's starting to surge from 2nd and then slam into 4th gear under very little acceleration throttle input. And just recently it surprised me when it started to occasionally slam down into 1st when stopping at a stop sign or traffic light. It moves the truck forward increasing it's stopping distance. It feels like someone hit the back of the vehicle. Brakes are good.The problem to me is that issues are happening with transmission but it is not with every shift or every time you drive the vehicle so it is not easy for me or for dealers to replicate when they drive the vehicle so things are deemed normal operation when in fact for us that drive day to day we know what it feels like when it runs like it should and when it isn't. The concern for me is that these issues will continue and will cause an even bigger issue or catastrophic failure down the road once off course vehicle is out of it's warranty period and then it may most likely be deemed a failure of component where symptoms leading to that failure today are supposedly being deemed as normal operation.

NHTSA ODI 11519559

Rear axle bolt snapped. Come to find out, it’s happening to a lot of F-150’s.

NHTSA ODI 11519507

The problematic 10r transmission failed stalling in highway traffic this is a very serious issue with fords transmission and it needs to be investigated

NHTSA ODI 11519338

Steel bolts holding the face of the transfer case which is aluminum is causing a corrosion response between the two metals. Transfer case is severely pitted and flaking apart. It crumbles to the touch around some bolts.

NHTSA ODI 11518177

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted and jerk upon depression of the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic; however, the mechanic unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and the throttle body was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11518231

Within the first year the transmission and 4 wheel drive(4WD) appeared to be slipping and making a loud clunk when shifting from 2WD to 4WDA or 4W High. I took it to the dealer twice and they could not duplicate the problem even after I very specifically told them how to reproduce it. Approx. a year later the noise became louder and more frequent. The dealer could not duplicate it and told me, "...drive it until it breaks." The noise and slipping have continued and now are very prevalent in automatic shifting in almost every gear while in 2WH. I only have 26,200 very easy miles on the truck. The dealer's tech rode with me and I duplicated the noise and slipping. The tech said it was "normal" for the vacuum driven spindles in the front axel to make this noise as it goes from 2-4WD. My truck is out of warranty and is far worse as a result of the dealers failure to address the issue. Mike White Ford Coeur D Alene, Idaho is the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11514303

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the transmission seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,809.

NHTSA ODI 11513177

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the vehicle without warning. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to two dealers who were both unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then taken to Downtown Ford Sacramento (1535 Howe Ave, Sacramento, CA 95825) where a diagnostic test was performed, and an oil leak was discovered coming from the front valve cover of the engine. The mechanic also discovered a defective Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512940

Transmission has been repaired by Ford Dealer multiple times without fixing the hard shifting issues that run common on this vehicle. Ford dealer states that nothing is wrong even after the truck has been in the shop multiple times for the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11513103

I had the truck in for normal repairs and while there they reset the shift learning program because my truck was hesitating when shifting gears. Since then the problem has gotten worse and while I was driving on the highway at 70 mph the truck kept shifting from 10 to 1 gear. When pulling onto the road in traffic from a stop the car also would not shift and sounded like it was stuck in neutral almost resulting in me getting hit from behind. Now the truck seems to be stuck in 6th gear. The gear light came on while I was driving and the both of my temperature gauges were super high. The transmission temp was 267-270 degrees and the other temp gauge read at 230 degrees. When I finally was able to stop and park the truck the cooling fan was running extremely high.

NHTSA ODI 11512313