2018 Ford F-150 Powertrain & Transmission Problems

Issue with CDF drum in transmission. Having transmission rebuilt due to failure.

10R80 Transmission has started to go bad like all the other complaints. CDF Drum walking, Valve Body leaking pressure, Torque Converter bearings are whining and getting louder. Flaring between gears and now at highway speeds from 9th gear to 10th gear is has a flare then goes into "Neutral Lockup" and tries to go back to 1st gear. Thankfully, it hasn't actually locked into 1st gear but this happens frequently and is a major life threatening defect now. I am afraid to drive the vehicle and Ford Motors knows there is an issue (for years) and has not created a recall for my VIN.

Transmission failing caused me to almost get in a collision on multiple occasions. Most recent incident failed to go into gear and was almost tboned.

Sudden transmission downshifts to 1st gear during highway speeds. My truck wasn’t included in transmission recalls by ford. This problem is known but ford won’t replace. The downshift happens without warning. No engine lights or messages appear before or after the downshift. The transmission shifts harsh no matter what - this has been confirmed by multiple mechanics and the mechanics say it’s a known issue with this year transmission - 18’ - 10R80

Transmission failed at 52,120.0 miles. Erratic shifting and power loss. CDF drum failure.

The transmission shifts very hard into 3rd gear. Now it seems to slip going into 3rd,5th&8th gear.

The truck will downshift without warning causing an abrupt slow down in speed something is wrong with this transmission Ford should recall this transmission and make it right

this is the 10 speed transmission. When starting from a stop the truck will start to shift thru gears and then shift into neutral and the engine will rev very high and then slam back into a lower gear.

While driving approximately 40- 50mph the transmission randomly downshifts from 8th gear to 1st gear.

Harsh shifting from failing clutch drum

While driving in the fast lane on the interstate at highway speeds, my 2018 Ford F-150 with a 10-speed (10R80) transmission experienced a sudden hard jerk followed by erratic shifting. The vehicle began shifting unpredictably, including harsh downshifting behavior that caused rapid deceleration. At the same time, the transmission temperature began increasing rapidly, and the truck started overheating. We were forced to quickly move out of the fast lane to avoid traffic and pull over due to safety concerns. This occurred at night on a sketchy exit, approximately four hours from home. We had to wait for help and ended up calling 911 because the situation felt unsafe. We were stranded and had to stay in a hotel. There was no clear warning before this happened. The condition worsened quickly to the point the vehicle could not be safely driven. This created a serious safety risk due to sudden hard jerking, rapid deceleration, overheating, and the need to immediately exit the fast lane, increasing the risk of collision and loss of control at highway speeds. The vehicle previously received a PCM reprogramming update related to transmission performance based on manufacturer service guidance. Despite this, the failure still occurred suddenly and without warning. There have been reports of updated internal components in newer versions of this transmission, suggesting that improvements have been made over time. This issue appears consistent with other reports of sudden downshifting and unsafe shifting behavior in Ford F-150 transmissions.

While driving on the interstate, the vehicle experienced a sudden hard jerk followed by erratic shifting between gears. The transmission temperature rapidly increased (over 219°F), and transmission fluid began leaking. The vehicle became unsafe to drive and had to be pulled over. This vehicle is equipped with a 10-speed automatic transmission (10R80), which has widespread reports of failure, harsh shifting, and overheating. The failure created a dangerous situation as I was stranded on the side of the road with my children

The vehicle’s 10-speed automatic transmission is experiencing severe, erratic, and life-threatening failures at highway speeds. Erratic Shifting & Sudden Downshifts: While traveling at approximately 60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifts from 10th gear directly to 1st gear without warning. This causes violent deceleration and risks immediate rear-wheel lockup. The vehicle also cycles randomly through gears (e.g., jumping 10-1-7-10-3) and frequently 'locks out' upper gears, making power delivery completely unpredictable. Total Loss of Motive Power: On approximately 3/10/26, while in the high-speed 'fast' lane of the highway, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of motive power. While the engine remained running, the digital gear indicator on the instrument cluster began flashing and the transmission failed to engage any gear. I was left coasting in the flow of traffic and was forced to navigate across multiple lanes to the shoulder without the ability to accelerate. Safety Hazard: These combined issues create an extreme risk of high-speed rear-end collisions and loss of vehicle control. The 'flashing' gear indicator and sudden visible on the dash 10-to-1 downshifts suggest a critical electronic, sensor or software failure that makes the vehicle unsafe for highway operation.

My 2018 Ford F-150 had 85,000 miles on it when the transmission began to slip out of gear, delays in shifting, gets stuck in neutral, and or slam back into gear. My wife was barely able to get home from work, and experienced dangerous driving conditions due to the failing transmission. Her attempts to merge onto high speed roadways became dangerous when the vehicle would suddenly lose drive during the merge. We fear what might have happened if she was attempting to make a left on green and the transmission suddenly became stuck in neutral. This truck has the infamous 10R80 Ford 10 speed transmission that thousands of people have reported as defective. Ford has refused to compensate me in anyway, and the Ford dealership has quoted me $9,000 dollars to have the transmission replaced. Ford issued a TSB on this faulty transmission, but has refused to issue a recall despite the widespread failure of this part and the safety concerns.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, shifted into neutral(N), and restarted the vehicle. The message "See Owner’s Manual" was displayed, and the transmission warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission skipped from fourth gear, slammed into tenth gear, and then stalled. The contact switched the vehicle from Automatic to Manual Mode to accelerate normally and drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. DTC: P20703-00 and P2704-00 were retrieved, indicating the CDS drum and clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

1. 10R80 (CDF DRUM BUSHING) failure. The vehicle has pressure loss when put into gear, driving or slowing down, taking your foot off the gas, sluggish when put in first gear to drive, performance, and harsh shifting- at any speed when driving, missing gears - it' jolts hard (shifting up or shifting down) when the vehicle shifts, particularly between gears 1–3, 3–4, 6 - 8 it misses 2nd and 7th gear. While driving the vehicle it goes into to neutral despite being in gear. The vehicle has stopped on the road while driving and not able to put the vehicle into gear to drive at all. Wrench Light On: Codes P0732-00, P076F-00, P07F6-00, P07F7-00, U0252-00 Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. Our safety is at risk since the vehicle suddenly changes gears up or down causes major jolt sitting in the seat and abruptly slows down on the rode with traffic, or if you slow down or stop it might not go back into gear. I have had back surgery (lumbar) and it hurts my back. not to mention, the whiplash to our necks every time the vehicle jerks in and out of gear. Vehicle suddenly slows down making it dangerous for vehicle around us as well. 3. We first took the vehicle to Macon Auto Repair 2/23/2026 (no codes at this time unable to determine the problem), 2/24/26 took the vehicle to Rodney's Transmission for a second opinion - they checked the transmission fluids and added one quart of oil (still no codes to determine the problem) . The wrench appeared after the problems started and is whey we took it twice to two different shops not knowing what was the problem. When the wrench appeared we took the vehicle to Rodney's Transmission 4/2/2026 where the vehicle was inspected and the codes are from the diagnostic test done by, Rodney's Transmission, Thompsonville, KY 4. Symptoms yes, described above. Warming light not until after the problems continued to occur.

transmission is mis-shift and jerk while shfting. There's a lag between 6 and 8th gear

Vehicle is experiencing hard shifts pretty regularly in various gears. Look up and read several other owners experiencing the same issue regarding the hard shifts.

I was accelerating from a red light and felt like I had lost power. The RPM's of the engine increased, but I was slowing down. After about 5 seconds, the transmission engaged harshly and the wheels started spinning/squealing like burning out. I almost lost control of the vehicle. If the road would have been slippery, I would have lost control, in heavy traffic. I took my F150 into the Ford Dealership to be inspected. Afterwards, I was told I need a new transmission. The cost would be over $11,000.00 with tax for a new transmission! My truck had 75,000 miles on it, just out of warranty. There is no reason for my transmission to go out at such low mileage. I have not hauled or pulled anything heavy. I take care of my vehicles and have scheduled maintenance performed. As I researched this problem, I discovered it is a known issue on the 2018 Ford F150 vehicles. I found where people documented the same problem on YouTube and the internet. I went through dozens of cases by people with the same problem. There are probably 100's but I stopped after confirming the issue. Even Ford personnel said they were aware of it. When a customer walked up and stated they had a problem with their 2018 F150, their first thought was the transmission. This is an extreme hazard. Like in my case, the issue reveals itself while driving. There are no warning lights or indication. It is known to happen in lower gears, so usually on takeoff. There are so many scenarios where people are depending on the vehicle to accelerate, like when turning and other vehicles are approaching. If the vehicle stalls in front of the oncoming traffic, or if you lose control, the results could be catastrophic. I hope this is addressed before someone is severely hurt or killed.

While cruising on the highway at 55 to 60mph, the transmission will suddenly and without warning rapidly downshift resulting in unstable and dangerous conditions. This has occurred multiple times on icy or frosty roads and the vehicle becomes difficult to control. My safety and that of oncoming traffic was compromised. A "wrench" light comes on in the dash following the event. Once the vehicle is power cycled, the wrench disappears.