2018 Ford F-150 Complaint Log

I have experienced a reoccurring issue with an hvac drain leak that creates black mold in the carpet this happened in many 2019 & 2020 f150 models. Some early on & some 6 years later (like my vehicle). This was covered in a prior TSB but did not always fix the problem nor did they replace the carpet (to fix the mold issue). Also, the TSB does not cover this issue out of the 36 month warranty. This is a health hazard due to the black mold, especially since their fix does not always cure the issue.

When cold starting the engine, a rattling sound occurs caused by the cam phasers not aligning properly. My research shows that Ford claims this is not an issue, and has never issued a recall for this, however, I am worried that continued use might damage the engine further.

Transmission: Delayed shift/hesitation at low speed after take-off. Risk of loss of motion while crossing traffic. Consistently happens at low speed shift change, doesn't matter if on flat or incline. A lot of other owners complaining of same exact issue, Ford has yet to acknowledge that there's a flaw in the drivetrain.

After Ford performed a PCM (Powertrain Control Module) reprogramming recall on 16 July 2025, the vehicle began experiencing repeated engine misfires, loss of power, and engine warning lights. The condition progressively worsened, leading to a leaking fuel injector, an EGR valve that stuck open, and eventual internal engine damage requiring full engine replacement. These failures involve PCM-controlled systems (ignition timing, fuel injection, and exhaust gas recirculation) and occurred shortly after the recall calibration. The issue has been confirmed and documented by an authorized Ford dealer. The truck has become unsafe to drive due to stalling and shuddering at highway speeds, which could pose a risk of loss of vehicle control. Warning lamps and a wrench icon appeared intermittently before the engine shuttering and loss of power. The vehicle and all repair documentation are available for inspection upon request.

Known sunroof issue with ford with the plastic tracks breaking and sunroof refuse to open/close. Ford issued a TSB and forums have many ford owners with same issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. While the contact’s son was driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a screeching sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the rear axle had fractured at the differential housing. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the same failure had occurred twice on a previously owned 2013 Ford F-150. The failure mileage was 84,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle jerked abnormally and unintendedly upshifted. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal transmission failure and a fractured valve cover. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,700.

Transmission will either get stuck in a gear and won't accelerate or will shift down on its own and cause the car to jump and buck.

Rear view camera is blurry. Can no longer clearly see obstacles while backing up. Camera problem was reproduced and repaired by the dealer.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. After the engine had reached normal operating temperatures, the rattling ceased, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the cam phasers. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.

The Cam Phase Shifters and timing chain have failed with only 83k miles resulting in a $7,500 repair. This is unacceptable. I would completely understand if it had 250k miles but this is a baby as far as mileage. Looking at f-150 forums this appears to be a common problem and ford has actually changed the design of the cam phase shifters so they know they are defective. Request you loook into this issue please.

I bought the truck new in 2018. In 2020, the transmission was rebuilt twice, and then a new one was installed. The automatic 10-speed transmission changes gears roughly and now I'm having the same problem with the transmission just abruptly switching gears up and down. It's a serious concern for me when I am cruising at 70 mph on I-95, and all of a sudden, the gears start randomly shifting, dropping to 3rd gear from 10th and then up to 7th, and then repeatedly shifting gears up and down.

Iwe system failure, this has been worked on multiple times. Yes it's distracting when it grinds all the time putting everyone safety at risk. The only way it stops is to turn it to 4H which need to slow down for. Yes dealership and shops are aware. Total 4 wheel drive failure and warning on dash (little wrench).

Continuation of Complaint Number: XXX, submitted electronically to NHTSA on 3/9/2026, 12:43:36 PM. I have the Dealership Report, please find attached and add it to my original complaint. The findings match the Technical Service Bulletin: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

[XXX] Noticed hard shifting while ascending a 13% grade at [XXX] , while ascending for a brief period I lost forward power, throttle was unresponsive. I noted the shift dashboard fluctuating between various gears as though confused as to which gear it should be in. [XXX] Hard shifting between 3rd-4th and 3rd-5th becoming more consistent and noticeable. [XXX] I've been driving this vehicle a lot less but today while driving to my storage room with items loaded in my bed (should be noted, the items were not a weight concern) on the 10 freeway west bound at highway speeds, the truck throttle became unresponsive and once again, seemed to fluctuate between 1st and 10th gear. I found myself in between several big rigs, I was in the #1 lane passing a semi to my right, in between 2 more semi's one in front, one to my rear. The truck slowed down on the freeway, throttle became unresponsive. For that moment, my drivetrain was completely unresponsive. Roughly 20-30 seconds later the transmission decided to land in 7th gear with a loud "thunk" noise accompanying a sudden shudder in the vehicle as I applied the throttle to resume highway speeds. Although at that point, I was very tender with the truck, for the rest of the trip I experienced no further issues other than the 3-5 hard shift. On or about [XXX], I moved the truck from the old house to my new house, approximately 30 miles away. For most of the trip the transmission only exhibited the 3-5 hard shift but at the last mile or two, the drivetrain, became completely unresponsive for more than a minute, shifting between multiple gears, at one point, locking up briefly before resuming. Fortunately I was only driving around 30mph and in a residential neighborhood. At this point, I'm afraid to drive it. I've made an appointment with a Ford dealership on 2025-03-09. They will provide a full inspection report, if possible, I will upload here if I am allowed to update this report. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6

Unknown awkward 10 speed shift problems.

My cam phasers are failing for the third time. I purchased this vehicle used last year at 89,000 miles and now I have 101,000 miles on it. Before I got to 100,000 miles I started hearing a rattle on start up and didn’t know what it was. After researching it by the time, I figured it out I had over 100,000 miles And Ford says they will not do anything about it, although it is a known issue and they had a customer satisfaction program to address it. They should’ve had a recall because it is a severe product defect that if left unaddressed will ruin your engine. It appears from Ford’s records that my vehicle had its cam phasers replaced twice in 2021. And they did a redesign of the part, but they didn’t put the redesign part on my vehicle and it is now failing again. The repair cost at a minimum of $3500. If I don’t fix it, all the mechanics say it will affect my timing and eventually my engine will be destroyed. Yep Ford tries to say it is only a noise issue and they didn’t issue a recall. If you look on any Ford F150 form, this is a well-known well documented issue and probably should be a class action lawsuit at this point.

Transmission started shifting very erratically, skipping, and hanging in gears. The rear end would lock up and the tires would screech. On the highway, during downshifts, the vehicle would hang and shift hard, jerking the vehicle in heavy traffic. Could not maintain safe speeds.

I own a 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost. It started having idling issues that eventually required the cam phasers to be replaced. While that was frustrating and costly enough, the bigger issue came with the 10R80 transmission. Despite performing all services on schedule and maintaining the truck properly, the transmission failed. After doing research, I found that this isn’t an isolated incident. On Ford forums and owner groups, it’s clear that the 10R80 transmission has been a widespread, ongoing issue for years. Thousands of Ford owners have been forced to spend thousands of dollars to repair or replace these transmissions—something that Ford should have addressed long ago with a proper fix or recall. It’s disappointing that a company with Ford’s reputation hasn’t taken accountability for a known defect that affects so many loyal customers. Something should be done to make this right for owners who trusted Ford to deliver a reliable truck.

My 2018 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost experienced cam phaser rattle/failure at 72,000 miles. The vehicle never received the 21B10 PCM reflash, and Ford Customer Care has denied any goodwill assistance. The cam phaser noise is a known widespread defect covered under Customer Satisfaction Program 21N03. I had the repair done out-of-pocket at a Ford Dealership because I was fearful that catastrophic engine damage would occur if left un-fixed, leaving me stuck in the roadway. I Request that this be logged for investigation and future regulatory review.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH in inclement weather, the windshield wipers were operating slower than normal before becoming inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiper motor was intermittently inoperative. The wiper linkage was removed, and the dealer became aware that the passenger’s side wiper had seized, and the motor and wiper arm linkage needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,692.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH and while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over to the right side of the roadway and turned off, and then restarted the vehicle but the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The “WRENCH” symbol was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed 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 87,000.

Had a SUDDEN loss of braking ability. While starting to drive the truck home, the brake pad went flat. Checked the brake reservoir and it was empty. Refilled with brake fluid and drove 2 miles, brakes went out when arriving in the driveway. It went empty again within 15 minutes. No noticeable leak. No breaks on the truck to drive the vehicle. The vehicle had to be towed to the nearest dealer due to having NO brakes. Turns out the brake fluid was leaking into the booster. Noticed many other 2018 Ford F150 trucks were recalled for the same issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clockspring. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V847000 (Steering, Air Bags); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 68,000.

While driving my truck mostly when raining but not always the wrench light will come on and the truck will lose all power and not shift. I then shut my truck off left it set for about 15 minutes and when i start it back up everything will be fine light would be off run's fine for about 1 to 2 months or if it rains again then it will do the same thing again.

Loss of power to dashboard and all accessories while driving. The engine and transmission continued to operate until the vehicle could be parked in a safe location, and the vehicle could not be started again. The issue was reproduced by a dealership and repaired by changing a faulty APIM module. No other inspections have been performed. After the repairs, the security alarm randomly engages and sounds the horn.

the 10r80 transmission still jerks when putting in drive or reverse as well as hard shifting causing the vehicle to shake and not grab a gear. No smooth shifting.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the oil pan was leaking oil. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact replaced the oil drain plug but continued to see oil leaking from the oil pan. The contact researched online and determined that there was a design flaw in the oil pan, which was a two-piece oil pan design. The contact related the failure to an undisclosed Technical Service Bulletin, which addressed the failure with the two-piece oil pan by replacing it with a one-piece oil pan that was made of metal. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the oil pan needed to be replaced with a single-piece oil pan. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.

My truck only has 61,000 miles and it started skipping gears and down shifting suddenly and I loose power and it stalls out in intersections. When it shifts it goes into neutral and my motor races making it extremely dangerous on the highway. I had a transmission tuneup done for $500 but it didn’t help. It got worse over a weeks time and I took it back to the mechanic because a wrench came up on my dashboard. He ran a check and 4th gear was shot. So now I need a new transmission. 2014 f150 had a recall. Several people I know with the same year as mine 2018 have the same problem.

Reporting this because I'd like to add to the several other claims on this transmission. 80,000miles and transmission all the sudden started stalling out of first and between 3rd and 4th gear. No accidents, but nearly got rear ended several times after I pulled out in traffic and it stalled between gears. A couple of weeks later the transmission started downshifting from 9th and 10th gear all the way to first gear. Again, luckily no accidents, but it could have been very bad. Took truck into Ford dealer service center. They inspected and said the transmission was "trashed" inside and would need to be replaced. It only has 80,000 miles!!

My Ford F150 truck with 63,000 miles began jerking, almost stalling, missing gears on approximately 8/7/2025. I thought perhaps I purchased bad gas but just got worse in next week until the wrench icon appeared. Took it to dealership immediately after wrench icon appeared. It may have caused injury had the truck stalled and caused a crash! Long story short, $6300 later we had the transmission replaced. We are elderly and on a fixed income, huge expense for us. While having vehicle repaired I read about Ford knowingly selling cars with bad transmissions, there are class action suits because it has happened to too many people to count. Not only that but often occurs very close to the warranty of 60,000 miles, unconscionable. Ford is not acting in good faith, this issue is on them and no the consumer.

While attempting to pass another vehicle from middle lane to passing lane, I stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle shuddered, slowed down (gear wouldn't catch). I manually downshifted to gain acceleration and avoid being rear ended by an 18-wheeler! I successfully maneuvered around and back into the middle lane but the vehicle was (and still is) having problems changing gears. It is an extremely unsafe to drive this vehicle.

My truck has been regularly serviced by FORD and yesterday out of the blue the brake pedal went soft and i got a check engine light saying low fluid. Upon inspection we noticed all brake fluid had leaked with no visible exit. We refilled the fluid and the next day, the fluid was completely drained again with no visible exit. Upon expert inspection it was noted the brake master cylinder is leaking into the booster.

The transmission is hard shifting and staying in 6th gear most of the time. And when I pulled into my driveway the transmission was shifting back down to first and rolling backwards before shifting back to 6th gear allowing me to make a couple feet of forward progress at a time...

APIM module has failed. very common on these models and should be recalled!

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping out of gear. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed while depressing the accelerator pedal, before jerking forward and resuming normal operation. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at a slow speed, the vehicle began to roll backwards, and the contact had to slam on the brake pedal. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but the dealer offered no assistance since there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and accelerating, there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, and the vehicle experienced hard transmission shifts while attempting to shift gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 164,000.

2018 FORD F-150 LARIAT TRUCK 10 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS A FAILURE. 81K MILES AND IT SHIFTS IN AND OUT OF GEARS, HARD SHIFTING, POTENTIAL TO LOSE CONTROL WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY. FORD SAYS IT'S COMMON AND HAS NO RECALL OR ASSISTANCE. TRANSMISSIONS FROM FORD ARE SAID TO LAST AT LEAST 150K MILES.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking space, the brake pedal extended to the floor while depressed, causing the braking distance to be extended. The contact discovered brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle, with the message "Low Brake Fluid" displayed. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the front passenger’s side brake line had failed and needed to be replaced. The brake line was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

F150 had a sudden complete transmission failure on the highway, rendering it unable to move. I was lucky to make it off the road safely. 10r80 transmission has known defects. $11,000 to repair.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the gear shifter shifted independently, and the message "Vehicle Heisted Gear Ten Error" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA to file a vehicle safety complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 52,742.

I have 2018 F150 with the 10R80 transmission. At 140K it started to neutralize and hard jerk back into 9th-10th gear at 60mph or highway speed. Sometimes when driving from a complete stop and then proceed forward, it would rev the rpm’s up to 5K and hard jerk into first gear. I took it to ford, they confirmed they knew about the issue it was a bad design on the bushing and that there was Technical service bulletin about it. I called ford corporate and they said they could not help and it was on me, even for a bad design. So for something they knew was a bad design and instead of recalling and fixing the issue I had to fork out like 4500 for the transmission to be rebuilt with the new bushing.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted to neutral(N) unintendedly, and the vehicle lost motive power. The power train warning light was illuminated. No further information was available. Additionally, the contact stated that electronic system and lights failed to turn off. The contact confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall and that the warranty had expired. The contact stated that there were complaints and lawsuits related to the failure. The contact stated that the body control module (BCM) was previously repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 84,019.

Cam phaser failure. Has been a customer satisfaction program through Ford which I participated in but was not deemed to have the issue as described. The dealer has now inspected and confirmed it is the cam phaser and the program has expired.

The transmission randomly drops out of gear while driving. Most cases its a 2-3 shift or 3-4 shift. But its almost caused me to be rear ended twice. Its random and shifts normal most of the time. After doing research on the 10r80 I've seen muiltiple complaints on the issue. Its a valve body defect or design flaw. Also other issues leading up to this problem lots have had happen. But its a safety concern when your truck randomly drops gear and you loose control of your truck moving forward. I had the transmission serviced when bought the truck and since went as far as having it done again with best fluids and filters avalable. Nothing makes it better or worse. I like the truck and just disapointed in ford for not doing a recall or updates to address these 10 speed problems. I was having troubles around 70k and now at 90k its more of a common thing. It can happen twice a week or twice a day. Its scary when your in traffic and it just drops gear. Then let off hit gas and back to gear it goes. Some cases it will take 5-6 seconds to come back. And basiclly your in the lane hoping traffic wont hit you. Im sure im not the first to report the troubles. Maybe enough people get in a collision we can get something done.

2018 Ford F-150 2.7 liter. Master cylinder and power brake booster failure. Confirmed by independent service center. Prior to failure there was a warning light indicating low brake fluid. I then lost all braking ability within 3 brake pedal depressions. My brake pedal touched the floorboard afterwards. Given right conditions I could have sustained major injury. Components were replaced by mechanic and unavailable for inspection. There is a recall on these components for 3.5 Ford truck but not 2.7 Ford truck, even though the components are identical. Again, confirmed by mechanic.

2018 3.5 Ecoboost with plastic oil pan. Ford acknowledges poor engineering and changed production to a single aluminum oil pan half way through 2018 production, but refused to fix the trucks already built. The RTV sealant leaks on the plastic oil pan causing reliabilities and protentional safety issues with the engine components if not caught in due time. Ford issued a TSB 20-2015 report out for fixing the issue. I have been to three ASA certified mechanic shops and all shops refuse to work on the truck. My only option is to go to a FORD dealership and they won't complete the permanent fix of putting in the full aluminum pan. The independent mechanics say they won't work on the truck due to liability issues. They said the truck always comes back to get fixed again. I have done two diagnostics testing with the ASA certified mechanics. They confirmed the oil pan leak as the issue and state reliability/engine safety issues of the truck. There are no warning lights or gauges showing abnormality prior or currently showing. Just a consistent large puddle of oil on the pavement under the truck.

The vehicle is consuming oil at a 1 quart per 1100 mile rate. i have had it tested at a Ford dealer. there is Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 19-2365 for the year, make and model but Ford isnt offering a repair. The repair is approximately $14,000.00 that should not be the consumers responsibility. Please help get a recall issued.