2020 Ford F-250 Sd Powertrain (other) Problems

DEF heater failure will cause increased emissions. The warning light flashes. I have seen details where there are issues with the wiring harness for the DEF heater.

NHTSA ID

11753244

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

10r140 paired with 6.7 powerstroke in a 2020 f250 build date 11/19 at the Kentucky plant. My truck specs and build date and location is in the timeframe of the planetary gear recall, ford has also issued tsb’s about the cdf bushing that should have been a recall because it is a design flaw on every 2020-2022 model truck. It’s not fair that we should have to pay for a tsb bc we don’t have warranty left. My truck has 84,000 miles but is out of the 5 years warranty period. Symptoms I am having with my transmission are: Harsh engaging to drive and reverse Flair shifts bad sometimes almost like it goes into neutral between changing gears Has shifted from 4th to 1st instead of 4th to 5th or 6th, then it started shifting normal right after. Had my factory 3250rpm limiter not been moved to 4500rpm the truck would have locked the rear wheels up and possible caused driveline damage or other damaged. Also had a car been behind me when this happened I would have been in a wreck because it slammed to a low speed and the car would have rear ended me. Slips in 4th and 7th gear the most but sometimes in other gears Bumps when it shifts a lot of the gears Sometimes shudders and shakes and will almost make like a pop noise Will clunk on downshift from 5-3 Sometimes clunks when upshifting 3-5 I have had the truck looked at by an independent diesel mechanic I use and he said there is a problem somewhere in the transmission, it’s either planetary gear or cdf bushing has moved or the drum itself has cracked. The component itself has not been inspected because the only was to inspect this is to tear the transmission down. The pan has been dropped and had a lot of metal material on the magnet. No codes on the dash but my mechanic said I had dtcs stored for the transmission. I have created a case claim with Ford trying to see if they will extend the recall for the known issue but I have had zero luck with them. I have videos of the issues but can’t upload them on here.

NHTSA ID

11752304

Incident

Apr 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V256000 (Power Train); however, the recall repair could not be completed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a thrust washer was missing from the output planetary assembly and had disintegrated, contaminating the transmission case, transfer case, torque converter, cooling lines, and radiator. The missing washer caused the planetary gear to shift and damage the transmission case. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 80,256.

NHTSA ID

11749392

Incident

May 27, 2026

Mileage

80,256 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle had become inoperable due to a transmission failure. The contact associated the transmission failure with the recall; however, the dealer advised that the transmission repair would be at the owner's expense. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11743767

Incident

Jun 25, 2025

Mileage

60,000 mi

Transmission had multiple internal failures with c,d,f clutch and intermediate clutch transmission pumping failing. Truck has 85,167 miles

NHTSA ID

11715515

Incident

Jul 10, 2025

2020 Ford F250 with 85,000 miles. We purchased new and all maintenance has been done on time and by Ford Service. Transmission began jerking when going from park to drive (or reverse). Noticeable lunging of the vehicle when putting into gear. This began in December 2025. This is a safety concern if anyone is in front of or behind the vehicle when this happens. The truck jumps. Now the transmission is not shifting gears smoothly when the truck is in motion. This is a known problem with trucks manufactured during this time period with 10R80 transmissions. Ford has been less than helpful in helping me come to a resolution. They tell me there was a TSB sent out. They attempted to reprogram software (at a cost of $424 to me). I will upload the invoice from Ford. This only made the problem worse. They quoted me a "special price" of $8,500 to replace the transmission, however their service department is SIX WEEKS out. For this reason we have chosen to have the transmission replaced at a local transmission shop. Their price is $9,932.41. I have attached that invoice. Ford needs to take accountability for this safety problem and attempt to make these vehicles safe. They should absorb at least some of the cost to fix this design problem. We paid full price to purchase a new, safe vehicle. That is not what we received. Rather than a "Technical Service Bulletin", Ford should be forced to do a recall and make this right for customers who paid top dollar for these vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11714005

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

Sometime sudden decrease of power , f250 truck rpm goes high while parking with engine on and now pitman arm broke off causing no control of steering . Having it push safely off the road , contact dealership but no parts to fix and timely how long it takes to get part to fix problem. 2020 ford f250 start but very unsafe to operate with no control of the steering

NHTSA ID

11706235

Incident

Dec 13, 2025

Driving while pitman arm broke in half lost total control

NHTSA ID

11705754

Incident

Dec 13, 2025

The transmission would hang up in 7th gear when stopping at red light, caution light or stop signs without warning. It would roll like normal when letting of brakes however when out in the middle of traffic stop signs or caution lights the truck would not move and would not shift as it was hung in 7th gear. The only way to get the truck back in 1st gear was to place the truck in park and turn the ignition off then restart the vehicle. This has happened 3 different times post bringing the truck to silsbee ford for a ecm and tcm reprogram. Originally called dealer back to reports extreme rough shifting and was told they did not mess with anything in the transmission and it was not due to anything they did, never received a call back from manager. No warning lights messages ever appeared to show the transmission had failed to down shift into first gear at the stop lights. All three of these events happened while my 7 year old child was in the truck and two of the times it was a near miss and narrowly avoided accidents. Prior to this since around 50,000 miles truck would shift rough with rough engagement into 3,4th,5th,6th, gears with frequent flare shifts and was told by dealers this was normal characteristic of the transmission.

NHTSA ID

11698586

Incident

Jan 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250 SD. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the transmission failed to downshift from seventh gear, causing the vehicle to jerk. The transmission warning light was illuminated, and the message "Power Train Malfunction - Reduce Power" was displayed on the Ford Mobile App. The contact's neighbor, an independent mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V256000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11698250

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

Mileage

100,000 mi

AT 107,000 I lost 10th gear on the highway while pulling a trailer and was almost involved in a collision. The collar of the f250 10 speed is just as bad as the 2018 10 speed on f150s and they are failing at 100k. Complete new transmission needed. This should be recalled and i should be refunded. This is insanely dangerous to lose power while driving

NHTSA ID

11689515

Incident

May 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while entering light traffic, the transmission became stuck between gears. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond or move. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was related to the transmission. The mechanic called the local dealer for the contact and was informed that the vehicle was not under warranty. The contact called another local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ID

11689192

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Mileage

57,000 mi

My 2020 Ford F-250 King Ranch with a 6.7L V8 Turbo Diesel engine experienced severe engine failure while I was driving. The engine was completely destroyed and had to be replaced. My warranty company paid to install a new engine into the truck, but did not pay to have the remaining components fixed that were directly damaged by the engine failure. There was severe damage done to the fuel pump, DEF system, and wiring harnesses that caused the truck to be permanently into a mode called "LIMP Mode" which electronically governs the truck to 50 MPH. There was and still is an unresolved recall on the truck. The recall is as follows: #24S78 POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE UPDATE BIODIESEL DEPOSIT ACCUMULATION. The NHTSA number is: NHTSA: #24V957. There were absolutely zero (0) warning signs that alerted me that this was an issue before the engine failed. No alerts or warning lamps were illuminated on the truck before it failed. All i got was a letter in the mail stating that the engine could fail due to this components and that there is no known solution to fixing the problem. This issue caused my engine to fail while I was driving to work. There are issues with the truck still that were directly caused by this issue that the warranty will not cover INCLUDING this recalled component that has no available solution. I have a 2 month old son and a wife that rely on me having this truck. I have risked the safety of my family, and others on the roads, unknowingly by operating this truck on the roads. I am asking that Ford Motor Company be held Liable for all damages to my truck, and the repurchase of the truck for full price. This is unacceptable from a company as big as Ford Motor Company.

NHTSA ID

11688169

Incident

Aug 7, 2025

Known issue identified with this particular make, model and year truck in 2021; rough shifting, wrench light illuminating, failure to shift gears appropriately, stuck in certain gears risk of stalling, stopping, unable to shift down appropriately inspected by dealer and mechanics Ford document shows planetary needle bearing inside ring gear assembly generates contamination back in 2021/2022; unable to confirm fix was performed on this vehicle

NHTSA ID

11687722

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Recall is 9 months old and still no remedy available. Unable to use truck on platforms such as Turo because of the safety risk. No update from Ford, no dealer has a remedy.

NHTSA ID

11682665

Incident

Aug 24, 2025

Bushing in CDF drum has moved causing failure to transmission. This appears to be a common issue. When this occurred truck would not engage in certain gears at slow turns and stops causing lack of acceleration creating a hazard merging in traffic.

NHTSA ID

11679523

Incident

Aug 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 F-250. The contact stated that while driving in low gear, the vehicle started surging, plunging, and shifting erratically. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and confirmed there were no open recalls on the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ID

11676601

Incident

Jan 18, 2025

Mileage

135,000 mi

My truck lost power on the Highway. Had to coast down the off-ramp and ended up blocking a turning lane when the engine failed to start back up. Called a someone to tow me back to my house and parked it where it’s been there for months since Ford has not yet issued a solution to the recall.

NHTSA ID

11676362

Incident

Apr 19, 2025

I have a 2020 F250 with the 10r140 transmission and the cdf clutch has went bad. My truck only has 67,000 miles on it. Ford is saying there is not a recall on my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11675757

Incident

Jul 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission inadvertently downshifted with the transmission warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11672085

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

Mileage

125,000 mi

When shifting into drive the truck will lurch forward, a very hard shift. It also does the same thing in reverse. Several times the if my foot was not pressing very hard on the brake when shifting into drive or reverse the truck would lurch forward several feet. It there was an obstruction or person in front of the truck it would have put them at risk of being hit. While driving on cruise control it is very slow to shift and will skip multiple gears when shifting down when going up a hill. Sometimes also going downhill. This can cause the truck to slow down rapidly without a brake indicator which could cause a rear end collision if there is someone following closely. The truck is only 4.5yrs old and has 60,597miles. Symptoms started about 3-4months earlier when truck was well under 60,000 miles however I was unable to get it to the dealer until 60,597 which puts the truck out of warranty. The dealer was able to reproduce the issues and performed a code reset as well as a reprogram and the issue was not resolved. Dealer tore down the transmission and said one of the clutch packs in the transmission has failed along with several other parts. It is now requiring a full rebuild or replacement. There were no warning lights, alarms or messages. Date below is approximately when symptoms started occurring. I do not yet have my vehicle back so do not have the full report from the dealer. I will submit when I receive my vehicle back.

NHTSA ID

11663421

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact abruptly stopped the vehicle and attempted to reverse; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The service vehicle warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and attempted to restart the vehicle and the vehicle respond as needed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The contact stated that after the first failure the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed there was no fault codes detected. The vehicle then was taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

NHTSA ID

11652804

Incident

Apr 3, 2025

Mileage

63,000 mi

Trucks Transmission is harsh engagement, hard shift delayed shift. Hangs up in gear, throwing wrench light and codes since 2022, Other trucks of same year and manufacture date and plant made are matching this Truck, but truck was not included in Safety recall. Took to Dealer 3 times prior stated couldn't find anything wrong. Truck is equipped with 10R140 automatic Transmission .

NHTSA ID

11652574

Incident

Jan 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly downshifted from 8th gear to 3rd gear, causing the vehicle to hesitate as if the transmission was slipping. The vehicle started to self-correct, and the transmission shifted between 5th and 7th gear. The failure occurred twice within 2 weeks. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 90,879. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11652463

Incident

Mar 27, 2025

Mileage

90,879 mi

Vehicle hesitates while trying to pull out onto a busy highway, therefore, causing major concern in getting hit by another vehicle while pulling out.

NHTSA ID

11646525

Incident

Feb 1, 2024