2018 Ford F-150 Owner Complaints

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 ID

11756603

Incident

May 13, 2026

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

NHTSA ID

11756525

Incident

May 20, 2026

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 ID

11756492

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

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 ID

11756484

Incident

Jun 14, 2026

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 ID

11756430

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

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 ID

11756402

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the message "Brake Fluid Level Low" was displayed. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brakes failed to work properly. The contact drove to Walmart and purchased brake fluid to add to the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The contact added more brake fluid, but the failure recurred, and the engine made a knocking sound with smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 114,089.

NHTSA ID

11756317

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

Mileage

114,089 mi

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 ID

11756245

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

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 ID

11756117

Incident

Jul 28, 2026

The 10 speed transmission will downshift unexpectedly at unsafe speeds. The CDF drum issues make this vehicle unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11756060

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

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 ID

11756050

Incident

Jul 7, 2026

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 ID

11756002

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

When driving my vehicle, it severely downshifts and whiplashes/jerks you. We no longer drive it and have parked it and no longer feel safe. No lights came on dash to give us any type of warning.

NHTSA ID

11755803

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

The transmission is failing. It is a known issue. 2018 Ford F150 Lariat. The transmission shifts very hard; it's slipping out of gear. It is getting stuck in gears and not shifting as it should. It is flaring when shifting gears. My safety is at risk because I never know when the vehicle is going to move if I am stopped. It could happen in the middle of an intersection; it could go out when I'm going at highway speeds. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by a Ford dealer. The component has not been inspected by anyone on my personal vehicle except by the Ford technician at a local dealership. There were no warning lamps or messages. At first, when you would pull out for the first time of the day, it would have a little trouble shifting through 3rd and 4th gear for the first few minutes, then it was fine the rest of the day. Now it is slipping out of gears, shifting hard, missing shifts, banging when shifting gears, flaring when shifting gears, getting stuck in gears. I did not know this was an issue before buying the vehicle. After it started occurring, I looked it up, and this is a VERY widely known issue with this Ford 10R80 transmission in multiple models of their vehicles, and they REFUSE to recall them. This is an incredible safety issue, as the vehicle can slip out of gear or randomly change to the wrong gear at any time and make the driver lose control of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11755664

Incident

Aug 8, 2026

While engaging my brakes at a traffic light, suddenly the brake pedal went to the floor. Once I was able to safely park the vehicle (because there was no brake function), I inspected around the tires, brake fluid, and brake calipers. I noticed a puddling of brake fluid around the front passenger tire. Upon removing the tire, and inspecting this brake hose, I noticed the brake hose was visibly ruptured. I went to a local Ford dealership to purchase the replacement part, and fix this issue.

NHTSA ID

11755476

Incident

Jul 26, 2026

Harsh downshifting in transmission. Drops down from 10 to 1 then back to 7 then to 1 and then it fine for awhile and the repeats

NHTSA ID

11755261

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

I have had my 2018 10R80 transmission get hung in gear and not be able to take off in traffic and also downshifting on its own and loosing a few gears while driving vehicle on highway. I see where Ford did a CDF drum change on newer model transmissions but nothing has been done on 2018???? To me this is a safety issue that needs to be resolved!!

NHTSA ID

11755177

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

I live on a busy road on top of a hill. When leaving the truck will often hesitate leaving me with a heavy loss of acceleration. I’ve I been in numerous situations were I was almost rear ended! The truck will also jolt you when it shifts like hitting a wall.

NHTSA ID

11754871

Incident

Aug 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated, decelerated unintendedly, and the transmission was slipping. The check engine and the WRENCH Icon warning lights were illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the extended powertrain warranty coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ID

11754675

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Mileage

119,000 mi

Truck will flare on lower gears of the 10 speed transmission. The 10R80 to be exact. The CDF drum was engineered incorrectly and ford has made an updated part but they didn’t make it till 2023. So that leaves years 17’-22 to have transmission problems and catastrophic transmission failures because of a bad design. It’s very dangerous for a transmission to lose power on the roads and or react in a way that can make you lose control of vehicle. Ford has acknowledged the issue but not for the affected years. People have spent millions out of pocket and or if they had warranty coverage they spent have spent lots of unnecessary time with vehicles in and out of dealers and shops.

NHTSA ID

11754225

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

Truck will flare on lower gears of the 10 speed transmission. The 10R80 to be exact. The CDF drum was engineered incorrectly and ford has made an updated part but they didn’t make it till 2023. So that leaves years 17’-22 to have transmission problems and catastrophic transmission failures because of a bad design. It’s very dangerous for a transmission to lose power on the roads and or react in a way that can make you lose control of vehicle. Ford has acknowledged the issue but not for the affected years. People have spent millions out of pocket and or if they had warranty coverage they spent have spent lots of unnecessary time with vehicles in and out of dealers and shops.

NHTSA ID

11754224

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

I am reporting a severe safety hazard regarding my 2018 Ford F-150, which is equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission. While driving, the transmission suddenly lost its selected gear, slipped, and failed to engage. This event was accompanied by violent shifting, severe RPM flaring, and unexpected, harsh downshifts.This dangerous failure occurred during critical driving maneuvers—specifically while accelerating and attempting to merge onto a highway—creating an immediate collision hazard. The truck failed to respond to throttle input, depriving me of predictable acceleration and propulsion when I needed it most to match the speed of oncoming traffic.I believe this incident is directly related to the well-documented 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder sleeve defect. Ford’s own technical documentation acknowledges that axial movement of this sleeve causes internal hydraulic leaks, leading to erratic shifting, slipping, and sudden losses of propulsion.This is fundamentally a safety defect, not a minor quality issue. An unexpected loss of power while merging or traveling at highway speeds places occupants at extreme risk of a rear-end collision. Because I have personally experienced this terrifying failure, I request that NHTSA open a formal investigation into the Ford 10R80 CDF clutch sleeve defect before it results in severe injuries or fatalities. Owners should not have to wait for a catastrophic transmission failure to receive a remedy.

NHTSA ID

11754195

Incident

Jul 3, 2022

Shifts from a high gear to a low gear at high speeds. Locks up back tires and is very unsafe. Revs up over 7000rpm in low gears and then shoots me forward. Have almost had several accidents due to these issues. Less than 60000 miles on truck. Feels very unsafe to me, my passengers and others around me when driving. Out of warranty specs.

NHTSA ID

11754087

Incident

Feb 23, 2024

The OEM LED headlights will not adjust, causing excessive glare to on coming drivers. This issue is 300 times worse than the miniscule amount of light that the daytime running lights emit, but somehow the running lights get a recall, but the headlight adjusters do not! I'm completely flabbergasted at such an absurd and unjust oversite to such and important issue, please record this protest in the appropriate file, thanks. I constantly get offended drivers flashing their lights at me.

NHTSA ID

11753459

Incident

Jul 29, 2026

Transmission stopped gearing into 2nd gear because of known transmission issues with 2018 F150’s. This happened before 60,000 miles on the truck, but was outside of warranty because was not reported until after the 5 year mark. Causes truck to jerk and transmission to deteriorate.

NHTSA ID

11753223

Incident

Mar 7, 2025