2018 Ford F-150 Transmission Problems

Which parts fail

• Automatic transmission
  14
• Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
  3
• Transfer case (4-wheel drive)
  1
• Driveline › Chain/belt
  1
• Axle assembly
  1

Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  10531%
• 25k–50k
  4513%
• 50k–75k
  5115%
• 75k–100k
  5617%
• 100k–150k
  6720%
• 150k+
  134%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The transmission independently downshifted into first gear. The vehicle was uncontrollable and crashed into the median. The contact stated the failure was persistent and had occurred several times. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle sometimes jerked forward and hard-shifted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an unknown recall of the transmission, however, the contact did not receive updates regarding the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to shift into 3rd gear and struggled to shift into 4th gear. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at highway speeds and shifting from 9th to 10th gear, the vehicle gear shift indicator displayed that the transmission was in 10th gear; however, the vehicle failed to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal and would downshift to 7th gear on some occasions, and to 1st gear on other occasions. The power train warning light was illuminated, and the message "See Owner's Manual" was displayed intermittently. The contact stated that after turning off and restarting the vehicle, the warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated at excessive speeds. The contact aggressively depressed the brake pedal and shifted into neutral to decelerate and slow the vehicle to a stop. The failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The contact's son inspected the vehicle and determined that a fuse related to the cruise control might be defective. The contact's son had replaced the fuses. While driving approximately 10 MPH and coming to a stop sign, the contact decided to come closer to the stop sign however, the vehicle accelerated past the stop sign. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal several times however, the vehicle failed to stop until approximately a block away from the stop sign. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil per week. The contact stated that one quart of oil was added per week. The contact was unaware of any oil leaks. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a longer oil dip stick and an engine software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the oil consumption persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was damage to cylinder #2. The engine was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that much later while start the vehicle in the morning and shifting to drive (D), the transmission remained stuck in 1st gear. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving at various speeds, the transmission hesitated while shifting, and the message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The independent mechanic determined that the vehicle needed to be taken to a transmission specialty shop. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred approximately four months later. A handheld diagnostic machine was used to retrieve DTC: P0022. The contact purchased four cam phaser solenoids to repair the vehicle. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started in the morning and shifted into drive(D), the vehicle hesitated and then jolted into gear. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was also slipping out of gear. While driving 45 MPH, the transmission downshifted to 1st and the vehicle slowed down unexpectedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the engine was making an abnormal clattering sound. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced, and stated that the cam phasers were possibly causing the engine to make an abnormal sound. The transmission was replaced; however, the engine failure was not diagnosed or repaired. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, the vehicle would fail to move when placed into reverse(R). The contact would be forced to place the vehicle back into park(P) and wait before being able to proceed in reverse. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk upon depression of the accelerator pedal as a wrench(transmission) warning light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that on multiple occasions the vehicle would enter limp mode after the warning light appeared; the contact would be forced to restart the vehicle due to the failure. The contact called the Ford dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal cracking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed because the sound was a characteristic of the engine cowling. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cam shafts, the timing belt, the oil pump, and other unknown parts were replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced unexpected hard downshifts and the rear wheels locked up. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 15-20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine surged, and the vehicle shuddered and failed to shift into second gear. The contact stated that the failure recurred while attempting to shift into fourth gear. The contact also stated that the vehicle was experiencing engine hesitation while driving at higher speeds. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormally loud clunking sound intermittently while shifting from neutral(N) to reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven and diagnosed. The dealer recommended that the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was taken to Desert Automotive & Diesel, where DTC codes: P0734 and P07F7 were retrieved. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25E070000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping. In addition, while stopped at a light, the transmission hesitated before depressing the accelerator. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced a year ago. Most recently, the contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck in park(P). The contact turned off the vehicle, opened the door, closed the door, and then restarted the vehicle, and the gear shifter was still stuck in park(P). The contact jiggled the gear shifter. The contact stated that several unknown messages appeared on the Ford App. …

Related recalls

Transmission complaints in other F-150 years