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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 0
Average Mileage:
17,789 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Ford F-150 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 16 of 20)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #98

Jun 182020

F-150 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Between 3rd and 4th gear. On every driving occasion, the truck "clunks" and jerks during those gears. Nearly every morning when pulling out of the drive way on my way to work, the truck misses 4th gear and losses power. On a many drives, I will pull through an intersection from a stop and will lose power at 4th gear. It cas caused many near wrecks in the city when pulling out onto higher speed roads with the need to accelerate. My wife refuses to ride in the truck especially with the kids. She says that it is a ticking time bomb and that we are just counting down the days when it fails and we die in a collision. She said that I need to sell it and buy a Tundra or go back to Ram rebel. This missing gears and extremely rough shifting happens in any scenario; highway-city accelerating-decelerating, warmed up or cold start. I'm I cant even tow the boat because we have to leave the house over a hill. We already had a scare during towing because we lost almost all power and started rolling backwards. I had to accelerate a lot faster to try to catch it and the jerk of it finding the gear caused a whiplash of the entire family.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #97

Jun 042020

F-150 6-cyl

  • 5,000 miles
2018 Ford F-150 lariat (bought new with 2000 miles). Cold start up the transmission hesitates (causing me in some instances to lunge forward) - very obvious issue, but dealership says it is not throwing a code & they can't duplicate. They said this could be "normal" for this 10 speed transmission. I was told the dealership emailed Ford engineers for help, but I have never heard back from them. I am now at 38K miles and the issue still exists (I bought extended warranty - just in case). The transmission acts normal the majority of the time past cold startup.

- Muscatine, IA, USA

problem #96

Apr 282020

F-150

  • 22,500 miles
F150 truck was started and gear shifter put in reverse. Vehicle moved backwards. And was stopped because of vehicle behind truck. Gear shifter was placed in drive and vehicle moved forward, gear shifter was then put in park. Engine whirred and and vehicle surged forward. Vehicle was stopped by brakes. Gear shifter was put in reverse. Vehicle drove backwards, gear shifter was placed in park. Vehicle engine accelerated and truck started to jump and accelerate backwards as the driver tried to exit and hit parked vehicle behind truck. Only way to stop the viehicle was to turn engine off as it would not shift into park even though gearshifter was in park position the sudden acceleration was not a pedal confusion. Brake skid marks were evident on the concrete in the driveway.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #95

Oct 112018

F-150 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased the truck new in 2018. During the past 20 months or so it has been at the dealer at least 5 different times for transmission problems. They update the software, clear codes and then state the vehicle will learn its patterns again. None of has helped. The vehicle has a hard shift from park to drive and then it does a clunking noise when it shifts the first 2 gears. Another issue: At times, possibly at least 20 times in 20 months, the vehicle will hesitate and go into a dead spot for about 1-2 seconds and the reengage, usually at slower speeds. This is very dangerous as it has happened when we are making a left turn. The last issue is that the vehicle at times is gear searching and very erratic, sometimes at 36mph the rpms are so low it makes a growling noise. By putting the transmission on sport mode it will keep the rpms up and mitigate the problem. I think the biggest issue with this truck and transmission is possible the software. The transmission never feels truly comfortable always displaying some type of discomfort or perhaps risk. We love the truck but Ford needs to truly step up and provide relief to this problem. My concern is safety and then cost once we run out of warranty. The truck just turned 31K miles and strongly considering displacing before it hits 36K.

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #94

Mar 072020

F-150

  • 20,000 miles
2018 Ford F-150 transmission gear shifting is erratic both when accelerating and braking on the highway. Some shifts take a long time, some shifts skip a gear, some shifts are very hard, shaking the truck. Happening more often while on long trips.

- Surfside Beach, SC, USA

problem #93

Mar 042020

F-150

  • 28,000 miles
2018 10 speed transmission on expressway displays loss of power resulting in very dangerous condition at 70mph. Issue can last 20 seconds. Transmission shifting is poor at expressway speeds and also can result in delay shifting, high RPM reving, and aclunk from final gear engagement. Dangerous high-speed condition.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #92

Feb 272020

F-150

  • 23,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have been having problems with the 10 speed transmission on my 2018 F-150 since I bought it new in 2018 having jerky, harsh shifts while going down the highway. Also clunky shifts at low speeds between 4th and 5th and 5th and 6th gears. I am concerned about this being a safety issue and also can shorten the life of the transmission. Many other Ford customers are having the same issue with the F-150 trucks with the 10 speed transmissions. I called Ford corporate office and filed a complaint. Ford needs to step up to the plate and issue a recall on these transmissions and correct the issue before someone gets injured or killed.

- Jesup, GA, USA

problem #91

Feb 252020

F-150

  • 56,000 miles
Rear differential filled with water from the breather tube, twice, causing bearings to be replaced, twice

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #90

Feb 172020

F-150

  • 1 miles
On a relatively cold morning around 32 degrees I started truck let it warm up a couple minutes then backed out of garage and drove down street, when I went around corner I slowed a bit and truck jerked and half way around corner I tried to accelerate and engine rpms rev'd up as if trans had gone into neutral. I let off the accelerator and trans felt like it clunked into a lower gear and then accelerated fine. This happened under 20mph but appeared to downshift into 1st gear which felt like that wasn't the correct gear for the speed.

- Mount Morris, IL, USA

problem #89

Oct 012018

F-150

  • 1,200 miles
Erratic shifting, unexplained transmission hard shifts, pauses between shifts. Vehicle will surge forward and backwards when first started during cold weather (below 30 degrees Fahrenheit). I have taken the vehicle to the dealership with this complaint only to hear that Ford is working on it. They claim to test drive the vehicle but the odometer indicates that the vehicle is only been driven 2 to 3 tenths of a mile.

- West Mifflin, PA, USA

problem #88

Feb 082020

F-150

  • 14,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I feel there is a transmission issue. When parked and starting the vehicle there is a loud bang from under the truck. It also shift harshly when driving at times, other times its shifts are delayed.

- Placentia, CA, USA

problem #87

Feb 042020

F-150

  • 34,000 miles
10 speed transmission has a pretty consistent history of shifting roughly, especially, shifting between gears 3 & 4. it actually fails to engage forward briefly and then makes a clanging noise before it shifts into 4th gear; in sport mode it will stick in 6th gear. I have reported these problems at least 4 times to shottenkirk Ford in jasper ga when I have had scheduled maintenance performed. Every time I've brought my truck in for service I was just told a different excuse and they found nothing wrong with the transmission. The most recent service the service department said my truck was 2 quarts low on transmission fluid and that should fix the problem. My most recent and most concerning incident occurred while I was driving down the interstate and suddenly there was a loud popping noise, the truck began to swerve because of loss of power and then it kept trying to shift in between gears and then I noticed white smoke coming from the rear of my truck. The cars that had followed me started to drop back because my truck was spraying what I believe to have been transmission fluid out. I was out of town and had to have the truck towed to a dealership in columbia SC and after they checked the dip stick for the transmission fluid and claimed it had too much transmission fluid and it was not a warrantied item and that my truck was fine to drive. This transmission problem has been quite aggravating but now it poses a serious hazard to me and my family.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #86

Dec 062019

F-150

  • 15,427 miles
1.) F150 supercab drifts erratically. Ford has aligned vehicle twice, but issue remains. Feels like truck is in a high-wind environment, but it is a calm day. Truck will veer off road unless extreme care is exercised. 2.) transmission lugs on acceleration, particularly @ 1100rpm and 38mph. 3.) hard "clunk/thump" sensation at low speeds, causing severe "whip-lash" action to occupants of vehicle. 4.)when taking slow left turn up a steep incline the truck lugs and transmission feel like it is slipping and unable to downshift, causing a significant loss of power and momentum. 5.) engine stalls when leaving stop light. Dash lights come on saying" auto startstop shift to P, then restart engine."this is in the middle of a busy intersection. I am attaching a picture of the dashboard error. Please notice I am still in "D" drive when this message came up.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #85

Dec 182019

F-150

  • 10,000 miles
My 2018 F150 in the mornings won't shift right if you step on gas pedal nothing happens for a few seconds and then it lurches forward and bangs it will do the same thing at night when I back out of parking spot in reverse.to go home from work. Something is not right in transmission the truck only has 10,000 miles on it.this is my 6th Ford truck nothing like this has ever happened before. I'm sure this is not normal or going to fix it self.

- Sparta, WI, USA

problem #84

Aug 162019

F-150

  • 13,568 miles
Harsh/erratic shudder when shifting at approximately 1,100 RPM and approx 38 mph. Power train lugging, shudder goes away over 45 mph. Harsh shift feels like being rear-ended and causing whip-lash. Loud thunk and then snapping sensation.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #83

Feb 032020

F-150

  • 23,000 miles
Since shortly after purchased new, truck often lunges when you first cold start the truck, place it into gear with the foot on the brake, and place it into gear. It also appears to search for the correct gear while driving under normal conditions. Also, occasions truck may "clunk" into gear while driving. Service department reports they cannot recreate the issue but as I've stated, its not a consistent problem and there's no defining reason it would occur.

- Lancaster, MA, USA

problem #82

Jun 232019

F-150

  • 5,232 miles
While in motion, several items occur. It begins with following warning lights: "park brake limited function" and the "hill start assist not available". this has resulted in the cruise control not working, sudden deceleration, engine stalling, and transmission erratically shifting. This has occurred over twenty four times at highway speeds and on city streets. The vehicle has been in the shop at the dealer five times and the problem is getting worse.

- West Richland, WA, USA

problem #81

Sep 122018

F-150

  • miles
This truck has a very clunky transmission. I have taken to the dealership after purchase but they were not successful to correct the problem. This truck feels very unsafe to drive as it shifts very hard and causes it to jerk sporadically. It also makes a loud clunking noise sometimes when you start the truck as the truck engages the transmission.

- Dothan, AL, USA

problem #80

Jun 012018

F-150

  • 5,500 miles
Loud clunk when starting truck and drive shaft moves. Brought to dealer twice, July & Oct 2018 they found nothing. When at a stopd light/sign, it hesitates when ready to proceed, transmission is not engaging right away, it's delayed. Very dangerous. My husband noticed slight jerking at times. Driver side door froze and could not open twice. Had to use passenger side.

- Florida, NY, USA

problem #79

Nov 132019

F-150

  • 33,339 miles
That has a harsh shift from 1st to 2nd gear reported to dealer - pegues hurst Ford in longview Texas on 10/18/2019 with 32,551 miles on vehicle. Dealer stated the truck has a 10 speed transmission and they are "squirrely" and that is just how they are. 11/13/2019 from 20-30 mph 3rd to 4th didnt shift, was between gears stuck in road, then would not go into reverse, when did slammed in to gear, sounded like something hammering in transmission. Vehicle has 33,339 miles on it. Once again, service department said that is just how the 10 speed transmission is - "squirrely". the vehicle was in the service department for over 36 days during the two trips to service department. On 1/17/2020 drove to dealer and talked with sales rep and manager at pegues hurst Ford to attempt trade and discuss the continuing problem with the transmission - manager stated "we can only fix what Ford tells us to. I would call Ford and discuss with them repairing your vehicle or getting you into a new one. When crossing us hwy 79 from cr 1408 in jacksonville Texas, which is done daily, the vehicle will stall and or stop and then lurch forward when changing from 3rd to 4th gear and when putting into reverse there is a loud metal on metal sound and one occasion the vehicle would not shift into reverse until later that day.

- Jacksonville, TX, USA

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