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 driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping with the engine revving. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not yet taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer for diagnostic tests or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11498312

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH and merging onto the highway, the vehicle independently shifted out of low gear and into high gear but lost forward momentum. The contact stated that the vehicle was revving; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator was intermittently inoperable. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that she attempted to pull off the roadway to attempt to get the transmission to work correctly. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,350.

NHTSA ODI 11497134

Truck was in first gear and pulled out into intersection to make left turn. When depressing gas pedal no power to truck and was almost t boned in the middle of intersection. The issue has happened multiple times when driving. The vehicle has only been looked at by mechanic who recommended it be taken back to ford dealership due to transmission issues that should be under powertriain warranty 5years 60,000 miles. Issue started happening with approx 45,000 miles and now has 51000 miles as of december 2022.

NHTSA ODI 11497136

This is a messed up known issue with Ford F-150 2013-2018 model years with intermittent/unintended 4WD engagement. The system would lose vacuum and cause the hub to attempt 4WD engage at speed with loud grinding noise. Dealer for longest time could not/would not properly diagnose until I physically brought in the service bulletin. Ford’s fix is to seal the vacuum hose and disable 2wd. And run AWD 24/7. #1 - lost 3-4 mpg average #2 - wore out the wheel bearing at 45,000mi. That was a $750 repair. Totally unacceptable!

NHTSA ODI 11496164

My truck has been shifting hard into 3rd gear in the mornings when the transmission is cold. I have reported to ford and a fix was attempted but nothing got better. This morning while taking my kids to school the 10 speed automatic transmission downshifted from 7th to 2nd gear while going 45 miles per hour. It reved the engine super high and slowed the truck quickly. It feels unsafe and I'm scared to put my family in my truck.

NHTSA ODI 11495736

The transmission skips gears. It shifts from 1 to 3 and 3 to 5 skipping 2 and 4 gears and I took to dealership and they said it’s normal. When it shifts from 3 to 5 it’s jerks all the time and it’s not a smooth shift like every other shifts so there’s something wrong with transmission or software. Recently I had issues while driving on freeway around 70-75 mph the truck was on 10th gear and it automatically shifted to 1 and then 5 then 6 then 9 and then shifted to 10. It happened like 2-3 from when I had this truck. When it did that it lost acceleration momentarily. Feel really unsafe when it does that because it can cause a wreck. The truck don’t have engine light on but it definitely have some transmission issues and dealerships doesn’t respond as there’s no codes and I have extended warranty and dealership wants to charge me money for inspection. Please review my concern.

NHTSA ODI 11495238

Transmission slips in and out of gear while in operation. When started, the truck will slip into neutral as it is driven. Makes it hazardous when merging into traffic or trying to pass as the transmission will slip without warning.

NHTSA ODI 11494062

Transmission goes slamming into gear on downshifts from 10 to 8 and 5 to 3. Terrible smoothness and it feel like the drive train is getting huge shock each time this happens. Upshifts from 3 to 5 are not smooth either under normal driving conditions

NHTSA ODI 11493330

The transmission is very temperamental, at times it works like a dream and then on some days it shifts harsh, shifts late into high engine RPMs. At times when shifting into gear, into drive or reverse either from park or neutral, it shifts with such harshness the whole truck shutters and there is a loud boom. When this occurs I get very startled and my heart rate jumps, it is that unsettling.

NHTSA ODI 11492470

I purchased this vehicle with less than 50K miles on it. There was a slight shudder on the test drive, but the salesman and I deduced it was the aggressive tread of the tires it came with. I made the purchase anyway as my previous two F150s were great vehicles, and until this truck, service questions were usually rectified well within expectations. After a couple of weeks, there were several little "incidents" of clanking sound when turning the truck on, and now and then, the sound was accompanied by a harsh change in gears, from Park to Reverse and then to Drive. Overall, the shudder came back regularly, and I can recreate it at will; 99% of the time, it would happen at less than 30mph and around 1,500 to 2,000 rpm between 4th & 6th gear. I brought the vehicle back in for regular servicing and mentioned the shudder. I also offered twice for the mechanics to ride with me. But, they took it out alone and then reported they could not recreate the issue. I was at highway speed yesterday, and the truck began slowing down on its own in heavy traffic. I had the accelerator almost to the floor before it would respond so we could get out of the way of other traffic and safely off the highway. This morning (10/27/22), the check engine light is on, and the conversation with the Ford dealership was not fruitful. The earliest opening they have to run a diagnostic is 11/7/22. And, they reported that "if it's a transmission issue, we can't do anything about it, right now" with no apparent reason or estimated time of when. They advised me to check with another FORD service shop since the truck remains under warranty. This is going to be a challenging conversation as there are only a handful of other options in our region of West Virginia. Most of them require a long-drive, or in my case, an expensive tow.

NHTSA ODI 11491152

The 10 speed transmission has sever lag in shifting causing the vehicle to stop in intersections and in heavy traffic. It is failing to shift gears at low speeds and into reverse without significant engine revving (RPMs). I took the vehicle to Roush Ford Columbus Ohio (10/25/2022) and they reset the Adaptive Transmission. The next day (10/26/2022) the vehicle was worse and not drivable. The vehicle had not previously had any service lights on. Now after service there is a check engine light on that came on after driving a 1/4 mile.

NHTSA ODI 11491020

Trucks transmission makes a loud noise when shifting from park to drive, trucks transmission also jerks when letting off the accelerator. Trucks engine makes a knocking noise when idling truck has 36000 miles on it!

NHTSA ODI 11490037

10R80 transmission disengages. 2018 F150 with 136,000 miles, transmission began intermittent shifting at approximately 120,000 miles. Reported to dealership, asked for TCM/ECM update. Dealership refused, saying there was no update for this vehicle. Replaced the valve body and shift solenoids at 134,000 no change. At roughly 135,000 miles called a different Ford dealership in my area, service writer stated there is still no software update for this vehicle, & casually said it's probably a clutch problem. The transmission 'works' properly when it is gear, it does not select or shift properly. At times, the transmission disengages and throttle control is lost, sometimes during these events the engine races, other times it goes to idle. Either way, throttle pedal is ineffective. Contrary to the service writer's assumption, this is not clutches, it is software. This condition is dangerous as the transmission often disengages when accelerating onto the roadway, during these episodes, the driver has to take evasive action to avoid being hit from behind or worse, in cross traffic, from the side.

NHTSA ODI 11489814

My 10 speed ford started acting up. First it started with rough and hard shifting into third gear and no has gotten progressively worse to jumping out of gear when trying to accelerate onto the highway or just simple driving to the store. Now it will not hardly move. Ford told me I needed a new transmission for $8000. Dont have 8k and this is my only vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11488686

Vehicle slips out of gear between 3rd and 4th gear and between 7th and 8th gear causing vehicle to slow down unexpectedly. I can make vehicle available for inspection. Took to ford dealer in South Carolina and was told there is no fix other than a new transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11488523

Trans hard shifts between 2-4. It skips gears and aggressively slams into the next. Also it slams into reverse.

NHTSA ODI 11487569

This 2018 F150 developed a cranking noise when starting the engine. Dealership tried two software upgrades per manufacturer notices to solve the issue. The issue was not solved and was said to be Cam Phasers need to be replaced. Manufacturer internal document to dealer stated that driving the vehicle with this problem would not cause any problems and is safe to drive. Dealership had been waiting months for parts. Set-up for an appointment was for later this month, but last month while driving on the Interstate the engine light which was on from the engine issue but a new light, the wrench light came on with the engine light flashing. All power was being lost and had to dodge other vehicles to move over to emergency lane as I had no control of the vehicle. While waiting 12 hours for a tow, I had researched this issue online and found that the manufacturer had a memo out not to drive the vehicle under this condition and have a flatbed tow the vehicle to the nearest dealership and do not start the vehicle up. That this was a catastrophic power train failure and ECU failure. The vehicle sits at the dealership now and is still waiting to be looked at as it cannot start up and has to be pushed within the service area.

NHTSA ODI 11485997

My cam phasers rattle on cold start. Ford issued several customer service programs for this issue on the 2018 F150 3.5L ecoboosts however my truck was not covered even though it was also affected.

NHTSA ODI 11485516

Regarding 2013-2018 F-150 vacuum system trying to engage the AWD system resulting in noise up front sounds like dragging metal. 2018 Ford F-150 with the grinding noise out of the front hubs. Had this going on for 1 1/2yrs & been in the shop 2-3 times with recurring every time. Found a YouTube that referenced a Technical Service Bulletin. I TOOK THE TSB TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE TECH and here’s what’s on the invoice.. confirmed customer concern, found there was a grinding racheting noise coming from the front end of the vehicle when driving in 2wd, found tsb 22-2019 for this concern following the tsb found the vehicle was equipped with auto 4wd, tsb stated to REMOVE THE VACUUM SUPPLY LINE TO THE IWE SOLENOID AND INSTALL 2 VACUUM CAPS IN THEIR PLACE. This is at Ford’s direction. Disable the system so that 2wd no longer active. It’s AWD all the time. Still can shift into 4wd. Tech says this issue is so prevalent that that’s Ford’s answer.. Unacceptable. Disable the 2wd drive because they can’t work the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11484972

Harsh shifting Harsh down shifting delayed shifting between gears A complete malfunction at highway speeds. The truck goes from gear 10 to gear 1 and stays almost in neutral for up to 20 seconds, completely dangerous Ford ignores the problem even though thousands of people online are having the same issue. Dealer(s), 6 dealers contacted as of today, cannot get my truck in for 6-8 weeks. I have had the truck in the shop for shifting and transmission issues at least 4 times over the last 18 months. The "problem" goes away for a while but then comes right back. This time is by far the worst and no one seems to care. It is unacceptable and extremely dangerous. When your truck loses power and won't go back into gear while traveling 70 mph... it is absolutely terrifying!

NHTSA ODI 11483803

Hard shifting with driving, when driving the pickup truck would stall and then go into gear real hard causing a hard shifting and it make the trucks RPM go up and not move, but then when the RPM comes down the truck will shift hard enough to feel the impact and could cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11483017

Transmission is back in the shop for slipping gears, jumping gears, randomly being thrown into neutral, loss of power

NHTSA ODI 11483098

Transmissions slips out of gear both during acceleration and at cruising speed. Vehicle has stalled in roadway in on-coming traffic due to transmission slipping out of gear. Problem exists consistently. 66,850 miles on the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11482645

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and made an abnormal rattling noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Programs: 21B10 (Cam Phaser Replacement) and 21N08 (PCM Reprogram Due to Engine Shudder) however, the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the previous owner was mailed notification of Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B10 (Cam Phaser Replacement) and provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482431

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated while experiencing failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The contacted stated that the dealer informed him that the failure was with the transmission. The contact was informed that he was not driving the vehicle correctly. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482184