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

I have a 3.5 ecoboost in my F150 and it has the known cam phaser problem. Ford is refusing to pay for the repair even though they know and have acknowledged the problem. This issue is pretty much effecting every 3.5 built. Being a mechanical component within the motor I would think that it will eventually fail causing a catastrophic failure in the motor that if it happens at the wrong time it could cause a serious traffic crash.

NHTSA ODI 11490496

Ford Initiated 21B10 Cam Phaser reprogram recall, which updates the software to prevent rattling on start up. My issue the software update is a temporary repair that will ultimately reduce Ford repair liability when vehicles power train warranty expires. With my personal vehicle I experienced a transmission failure while commuting on a congested Hwy in a construction zone. The transmission failed at 18000 Miles. The 21B10 PCM software update was performed in July and did not take, the engine rattle on cold start has resurfaced. In addition, it is my understanding that this issue causes the engine to run harder and is less efficient with fuel. This is most likely the reason my fuel mileage never reached the manufacturer benchmarks. I have taken the vehicle back to a shop and the rework is 10 hours, the dealer estimated 30-45 days for parts ordering and service back logs. All of this is at my detriment. I will still have to pay payments and insurance and suffer loss of use. It is my hope that these extended warranty issues can be reviewed 21B10, is an extended warranty, the is no S; however, I believe there should be.

NHTSA ODI 11490122

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and slowing for a traffic signal or sign, the brake pedal was depressed and while coming to a stop the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent however, the failure had started to occur at start up and the vehicle would accelerate independently. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 11487223

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

While driving 5mph 5 minutes after starting the truck, the truck caught on fire and burst into flames after stalling out.

NHTSA ODI 11485139

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was making abnormal rattling sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact associated the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Campaign Numbers: 21N03 and 21N08. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

NHTSA ODI 11485324

Engine burns oil even though a oil consumption test was done and all updates performed. Engine still make chatter noise on acceleration occasionally.

NHTSA ODI 11485073

My truck has an automatic start-stop feature. About twice a month, when I am at a stop and the auto stop shuts down the engine, the whole truck will shut down. I will then have to put the transmission into park, turn the key to off and then restart the truck. A warning light comes up on my front display which says Auto StartStop Shift to P, then Restart Engine. The A with the arrow around it is in orange. This has caused me many issues in traffic and I have been close to getting rear ended on multiple occasions because of it. I have had it to the dealer, Haldeman Ford of Kutztown, on 5 different occasions over the past 6 months and it is still not resolved. The dealership has replaced the battery, did a system reboot and replaced the starter. I have shown them pictures and videos of it happening. They put a computer scanner on my truck that I had to use to record when it happened which I did. They were also able to experience it themselves during one service appointment. My first service appointment was 3.14.2022

NHTSA ODI 11483043

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 issue I am complaining about is Customer Satisfaction Program #21N03. For some reason Ford did not issue a recall on this issue even though they know they have an issue with the cam phasers and this problem is very widespread. The cam phasers on my vehicle failed and had to be replaced and they forced me to pay for a portion of this change even though they knew it was a manufacturing defect and even though they are using a "redesigned" version of the cam phasers in the replacement. This SHOULD BE A RECALL and not a "Customer Satisfaction Program" and the full price of the repair should be covered by the Ford Motor Company. They should have to reimburse me for the full cost of this repair since this is a widespread issue with many 3.5L Ecoboost Engines.

NHTSA ODI 11480013

After starting the vehicle, at any time in under a minute the vehicle's engine will randomly shut off and display a message on the instrument cluster "Auto StartStop, Shift to P then Restart Engine". A photo of this message is included in this report. This issue can occur while in Park, Reverse, Neutral, or Drive. I have had it randomly occur to me upwards of 40 occasions over the past 3 years. A few times I have actually been driving at a slow speed (below 10 mph) when the engine stopped. So far for me, it seems to only happen when the engine RPM's are below 1500 or so. It feels like the engine shakes and then shuts off, then the dash chimes and displays the message mentioned above. I follow the instructions; I turn the ignition off, shift to Park, and restart the engine. Sometimes it starts back up fine and I am able to drive away. Other times the engine shuts off almost instantly and I have to try many, many times (10 to 20) to finally get the engine to stay on so I can drive it. If the engine were to stop while I was making a turn in a busy intersection or on a busy roadway, it would no doubt cause an accident and could be serious or even fatal since I would be unable to move. I have had this looked at by my local Ford Dealer Service shop and they have been unable to replicate the issue. I am not surprised by this since this appears to be random. They have told me to shut off my Auto Start/Stop feature and that is all they did. I have not had this issue looked at by Ford, police, or insurance since thankfully so far it has not occurred in an accident. The only warning message that appears is the "Auto StartStop, Shift to P then Restart Engine" on the cluster. I have not noticed and symptoms that result in this issue so far. This issue first appeared January 2020. Note: This has NOTHING to do with the Auto Start/Stop feature of the vehicle. I have had this issue occur when the Start/Stop feature is active and when it is disengaged.

NHTSA ODI 11477939

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling noise. Additionally, the fuel efficiency had decreased. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03 (Cam Phaser Replacement) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477122

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine emitted abnormal knocking and rattling sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where an unknown software was updated under Ford Customer satisfaction Program Number: 21B10. The dealer informed the contact that an unknown part would be replaced in the event that the software update did not correct the issue. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed him that the unknown part could no longer be replaced as Ford Service Campaign Number: 21N03 had expired in February 2022. However, the contact had not received a letter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477131

We took the truck in for a recall for the Camphase III. They stated it will take about three days to fix. The dealership called the next day a stated the truck was ready for pick up. They drove the truck about 120 miles. We notified the dealership the next morning that the truck was not change the gear correctly it was like we was driving a manual. We call and reported the matter to the dealership the said bring it back in two week because they said we had to have an appointment when we had just left the dealership. Took it back two weeks later they said they will have to keep it for another couple of days, call the next day truck is ready, picked up the truck they said drive it for a couple of days and it will stop , but it was worse than it was the last time . I took it back for the 4th time went on a drive with the service man to show him what the truck was doing. He said he will fix the truck it will run just like new he keep the truck for a week this time drove over 200 something odd miles . Got the truck back and they said drive it for another week and it is going to stop, but it is still doing the same thing only worse than it was doing in the begging .We are getting the run around on getting our truck fixed. That had no problems before we took it in for a recall. I do have the dates and names of the individuals that we spoke to over the past 3 months. The warranty is going to run out soon and that is what I think they want to happen they keep putting us off for two week at a time the is our means of transpiration all of this behind a recall

NHTSA ODI 11474447

Auto StartStop feature shuts down engine when stopped but frequently does not restart when brake is released. Forced to shift to Park and manually restart engine. Sometimes a message is displayed in the dash telling you how to remedy but most often you need to know what is happening and how to remedy. There is an option in Advanced settings to turn off the Auto StartStop feature but that option does not work.

NHTSA ODI 11473664

Issue with cam phasers going bad over time. Makes loud clacking sound on start up

NHTSA ODI 11472733

At 9,000 miles the oil ran dry in the engine. No warning lights came on. The vehicle had routine oil change at 5,000 miles. I was stranded on the road with no transportation. After several oil consumption test Ford agreed to replace the motor with a long block. After 1,000 miles on the second motor the oils was over 2 quarts low on oil. Ford remedy was a longer dipstick with wider oil range. After two oil consumption tests Ford change the motor again with short block. After 20 miles the one of the heads went bad. Ford replaced one head. After 75 miles the vehicle stopped running and is in the shop again. The vehicle has been in the shop for over 6 weeks at a time. I have requested a buy back twice.

NHTSA ODI 11468843

While traveling on a straight and level interstate freeway with the cruise-control set to 75mph. A huge loss of power followed by a hard downshift from 10th to 7th, up to 9th and attempting to shift back into 10th before I decided to reduce speeds and pull over because it was very dangerous surging/uncontrollable for moments for myself and those driving around me. I noted smoke pouring out from behind the vehicle and that the transmission temp was at 226F. NO WARNING LAMPS/MESSAGES OR OTHER SYSMPTOMS NOTED. Once pulled over, I inspected the underside of the vehicle and noted the whole underside coated in automatic transmission fluid (Red in color). The fluid seemed to trace back to just before the engine/transmission interface. Transmission was serviced 7k miles prior. Dealer advised (through email correspondence) that I let the vehicle/transmission cool down and can then continue to drive the vehicle as the ATF foams up/ expanding and spills out of the transmission vent tube. If problems persist to bring in the vehicle for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11468042

I purchased a new Ford F150 with the 5.0 L V8 engine in April 2018. After the third oil change, I recognized what seemed to me to be an excessive oil consumption problem. After checking my dipstick every 300-400 miles, it appeared the consumption was about 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles. I reported this to the dealer and they applied TSB 18-2354 in April 2020. This included a reprogramming of the PCM and a new dip stick. Initially this TSB appeared to reduce some consumption. However, now in May 2022, it appears that my consumption is around 24 ounces per 1000 miles, which I feel is still excessive. My use of the vehicle is for local transportation and I have only towed 3 small trailers over the last 4 years. Therefore, the vehicle has always been operated well within the manufacturers specifications. I always use Ford motor oil 5W-20. I know there is a Class Action lawsuit against Ford over this issue. There are numerous complaints on the internet. I submit this complaint to document my problem before the 5 year engine warranty expires. I can also report the "decelleration rattle" that occurs when the engine is at low RPM, generally when cold. This rattle is not always present but I have seen it described in other complaints. To date, it does not seem to affect engine performance.

NHTSA ODI 11467072

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while checking the oil level, he noticed that there was no oil on the dipstick. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had added oil several weeks ago. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11466227

The contact owns 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking coming from the engine. The contact stated that the failure recurred while accelerating at high speeds. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that camshaft phasers needed to be replaced. The contact was also notified of an unknown recall on the vehicle. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11464358

The F150 will stall when auto start/stop activates. This is a critical safety issue due to the vehicle becoming inoperable at intersections while stopped. The issue was reviewed several times by the dealership and issue persisted. The issue is still not repaired and mitigated by deactivating the system. This resulted in a lemon law lawsuit from me to ford with me winning a settlement for 8K dollars. However, this dangerous issue must be properly repaired. I am able to demonstrate this issue upon request. I have also have video of the incident with warning lights that activate.

NHTSA ODI 11460222

Vehicle was inspected by the dealership and Ford inspector. VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL RELATED PROBLEMS OF THE 2018 Ford F-150. Backing up to an elevated driveway on a residential street. Braking at 0 mph and the vehicle accelerated at a speed which crashed the front end of the neighbor’s car parked at the top of the driveway. Those neighbors have two small children which play on that driveway and would have been killed. The neighbor heard the brakes screeching. I did not have my foot on the accelerator. This incident was reported to the police, the dealership and Ford which inspected the vehicle. They claim they did not find a problem, but there are a multitude of similar issues online. I received an recall email from NHTSA today, March 22, 2022 which I was convinced was FORD and NHTSA resolving this issue because the NHTSA information (in its brevity) seemed similar to what happened with our F-150. However, the NHTSA Campaign number 22V150000, recall number 22S11. However, our F-150 is a 5.0L engine.

NHTSA ODI 11457804

The vehicle I am writing about is 2018 F150 equipped with the 2.7L eco boost and the 10 speed transmission. The vehicle came standard with the auto-stop start feature. I however do not like the system to I press the “stop/start button” to turn off the system. The vehicle has appx 53,000 miles on it I had been driving for approximately 10 minutes and had made several stops without incident. I however came to approximately the 6th stop and the engine of the truck shit off completely, oil pressure indicated zero with a battery discharge light. The center screen displayed the message “auto stop start, shift to P, then restart engine”. I shifted to park and was able to restart. Although I was at a stop I worry if the vehicle is capable of shutting down randomly like this while in motion. This was not a routine shut down of the auto stop start system. I understand that this is anecdotal, but Ford F-150 owner forums online are filled with similar complaints of 2018-2020 F150s with the auto stop start system displaying the same message and having similar shut downs. I will be taking the vehicle to a Ford dealership for evaluation. However this is an issue that warrants attention and a TSB by Ford needs to be developed.

NHTSA ODI 11457548