Diagsheet

2018 Ford F-150 · symptom sheet

Transmission hesitates when accelerating

  • 101owner reports
  • 69,000median miles
  • $9,335median quote
  • 1involved a crash

Newest report Aug 31, 2026 · checked Sep 19, 2026

101 of the 510 reports of transmission shudder on the 2018 F-150 describe hesitation when accelerating.

Part of Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (510 reports) · also: jerking or hard shifts, transmission slipping

Tick what matches of 101 reports

101
18
24
5
21

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the transmission (92 reports) and the software (5 reports).

Recalls and investigations

4 recalls on the transmission and drivetrain cover the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

26V-375Jun 9, 2026
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 17V669. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such as Reverse or Neutral.

Risk and remedy
Risk: Unintended gear selection may cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction, increasing the risk of crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 9, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S42. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.
18V-213Apr 4, 2018
Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.

Risk and remedy
Risk: Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
18V-214Apr 4, 2018
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.

Risk and remedy
Risk: If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.
17V-669Oct 23, 2017
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.3L engine, a 6-speed transmission and a column mounted shift lever. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such as Reverse or Neutral before the vehicle achieves Drive function.

Risk and remedy
Risk: Unidentified or unintended gear selection may cause the vehicle to move in a way that was not intended by the driver, increasing the risk of crash or injury.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S35.

NHTSA investigations into the transmission and drivetrain on the F-150

EA26-001opened Jan 30, 2026
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 2015 to 2017

Unintended transmission downshift and rear wheel lock-up. Open, led to recall 26V-237.

NHTSA summary
On March 21, 2025, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE25002) to investigate instances of unexpected transmission downshifting without driver input in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford F-150 vehicles (subject vehicles) manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). The complaints allege that, without warning or driver input, the subject vehicles experienced a sudden and rapid deceleration often accompanied by temporary rear wheel lockup, seizure, or skidding, resulting in a loss of vehicle control that increases the risk of crash and injury to all motorists, including those not within the subject vehicles. The MY 2015 and MY 2016 F-150 vehicles were equipped with the “6R80” transmission, while the MY 2017 vehicles were equipped with either the “6R80” transmission or the “10R80” transmission. This investigation was limited to MY 2015-2017 Ford F-150 with the “6R80” transmission. ODI identified 329 Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQs) related to this investigation and sixty percent of these consumers were interviewed to confirm the details of their allegations. Consumers reported that their vehicles’ transmission suddenly downshifted to a lower gear, often to 1st or 2nd gear, without driver input or advance warning. Consumers described the downshift events to be regular and repeated occurrences, with some consumers stating that they no longer drive the vehicle due to safety concerns. Forty-three percent of consumers repo
PE25-002opened Mar 21, 2025
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 2015 to 2017

Unintended transmission downshift and rear wheel lock-up. Closed jan 30, 2026.

NHTSA summary
On March 21, 2025, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE25002) to investigate instances of unexpected transmission downshifting without driver input in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford F-150 vehicles (subject vehicles) manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). The complaints allege that, without warning or driver input, the subject vehicles experienced a sudden and rapid deceleration often accompanied by temporary rear wheel lockup, seizure, or skidding, resulting in a loss of vehicle control that increases the risk of crash and injury to all motorists, including those not within the subject vehicles. The MY 2015 and MY 2016 F-150 vehicles were equipped with the “6R80” transmission, while the MY 2017 vehicles were equipped with either the “6R80” transmission or the “10R80” transmission. This investigation was limited to MY 2015-2017 Ford F-150 with the “6R80” transmission. ODI identified 329 Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQs) related to this investigation and sixty percent of these consumers were interviewed to confirm the details of their allegations. Consumers reported that their vehicles’ transmission suddenly downshifted to a lower gear, often to 1st or 2nd gear, without driver input or advance warning. Consumers described the downshift events to be regular and repeated occurrences, with some consumers stating that they no longer drive the vehicle due to safety concerns. Forty-three percent of consumers r
RQ24-005opened Mar 27, 2024
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 2014

Unintended transmission downshift. Closed jul 29, 2024, led to recall 24V-444.

NHTSA summary
In September 2016, Ford Motor Company (Ford) issued safety recall 16V-248 which included certain model year (MY) 2011-2012 Ford F-150 vehicles equipped with 6-speed (6R80) automatic transmissions. This recall was in response to allegations of unintended, unexpected vehicle transmission downshifting to a lower gear without warning, often accompanied by temporary rear wheel lock-up, increasing the risk of a crash and/or injury, and included approximately 153,581 vehicles. Ford identified the root cause of the unintended, unexpected vehicle transmission downshifting to a lower gear to be intermittent signal loss from the transmission’s Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor due to solder joint cracks on the OSS circuit board as a result of manufacturing process issues. The OSS sensor is mounted onto the molded lead frame and transmits changes in transmission shaft speed to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The remedy program described in safety recall 16V-248 involved reprogramming of the PCM to prevent unintended vehicle transmission downshifting from occurring. In December 2017, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ17-010) to assess the scope and remedy effectiveness of safety recall 16V-248. As a result of this ODI investigation, Ford issued safety recall 19V-075 to expand the scope of 16V-248 to include MY 2011-2013 Ford F-150 vehicles equipped with 6-speed (6R80) automatic transmissions and included approximately 1,263,051 vehicles. The remedy pr
RQ17-010opened Dec 25, 2017
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 2011 to 2013

Unexpected transmission downshift. Closed oct 22, 2019, led to recall 19V-075.

NHTSA summary
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of transmissions unexpectedly downshifting to a lower gear without input from the driver on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford F-150, Expedition and Navigator vehicles. ODI has received 455 unique reports related to the alleged problem that were not covered under a previous recall for this issue (16V-248).Expedition and Navigator complaint rates are lower than F-150 complaints. Of those 455 reports, 34.7% claimed that the rear wheels locked up when the transmission downshifted. There were 4 accident claims with no injuries. There are many instances where drivers report leaving their lane or the road because of this issue.In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) letter, Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 783 unique reports related to the alleged problem. There were 6 accident claims with 3 injuries. Ford also submitted 1206 warranty claims related to transmission downshifting failures. The failure can occur at any time, but typically at higher speed, and include symptoms such as sudden transmission downshifting, loss of speedometer, erratic shifting of transmission, and transmission stuck in one gear. The failures typically occur without warning and may result in the rear wheels momentarily locking up. The driver often had to fully stop the vehicle and restart it to get the vehicle to shift properly.On February 2nd, 2019 Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall
RQ98-005opened Mar 13, 1998
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 1997

Automatic transmission control. Closed aug 27, 1998, led to recall 97V-147.

NHTSA summary
ON SEPTEMBER 4, 1997, FORD FILED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT CONCERNING APPROXIMATELY 15,000 1997 MODEL YEAR F-150 TRUCKS, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 16 THROUGH MARCH 4, 1996, AND BUILT AT THE NORFOLK OR KANSAS CITY ASSEMBLY PLANTS.THESE VEHICLES COULD HAVE INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL CABLES INSTALLED WHICH CAN RESULT IN A SEPARATION OF THE CABLE END FITTING FROM THE CABLE CONDUIT AT THE TRANSMISSION END OF THE CABLE.IF THE TRANSMISSSION END FITTING WERE TO SEPARATE FROM THE SHIFT CABLE ASSEMBLY, THEOPERATOR WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION FROM ONE OF THE DRIVE GEAR POSITIONS INTO THE PARK POSITION EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR WOULD INDICATE PARK.ODI HAS RECEIVED 6 REPORTS ALLEGING TRANSMISSION FAULT SHIFTING RESULTING IN 3 CRASHES.THE REPORTED VEHICLES WERE IDENTIFIED AS FOLLOWS:THREE WERE MANUACTURED OUTSIDE OF THE RECALL BUILD DATES; TWO WERE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL AND THE REMAINING VEHICLE WAS UNKNOWN DUE TO MISSING VIN.THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION IS TO EXAMINE THE SCOPE OF RECALL 97V-147, IN PARTICULAR, THE BASIS FOR LIMITING THE RECALL TO THOSE BUILT WITHIN A SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD AND WHETHER THE CABLE IS USED ON OTHER FORD VEHICLES.
PE97-019opened May 6, 1997
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 1997

Failure transmission park engagement/loc. Closed sep 16, 1997, led to recall 97V-147.

NHTSA summary
BY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 4, 1997, THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED RECALL ACTION WOULD BE INITIATED TO CORRECT A POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE IN APPROXIMATELY 15,000 OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE SUSPECT CABLES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TELEFLEX AUTOMOTIVE AND INSTALLED IN THE SUBJECT F-150 TRUCKS BUILT AT FORD'S NORFORLK AND KANSAS CITY ASSEMBLY PLANTS BETWEEN FEBRUARY 16, 1996 AND MARCH 4, 1996.A COPY OF THE FORD'S LETTER TO NHTSA REGARDING THIS RECALL ACTION IS ATTACHED.BASED ON THE PENDING SAFETY RECALL (97V-147), THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN CLOSED.
PE91-064opened Apr 9, 1991
Transmission and drivetrain · model years 1991

Transmission fluid fires. Closed jul 5, 1991.

NHTSA summary
There is no summary currently available

None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.

What owners paid

18 of the 101 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $6,809 to $10,000.

$6,809$9,335$10,000
$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 48,000 and 94,000 miles, from the 68 reports that gave a mileage.

619
420
321
722
723
1624
3425
2426

What owners wrote

“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.”

Filed Aug 30, 2025

“My truck has been having shifting problems. Hard shifting going into gear. It hesitates and I have zero power then slams into gear. Unsafe to drive. I have had it serviced and zero luck.”

Filed Jul 11, 2025

“When accelerating, in gears 3-5, truck will intermittently jerk or hesitate. With transmission being erratic with acceleration, it difficult to steer when turning out of an intersection or corner or even changing lanes. This is a 10 speed transmission.”

Filed Jun 14, 2025

“When the transmission is going to shift into 4th it hesitates then suddenly shifts to 8th then 1st and the vehicle rapidly and unexpectedly negatively accelerates. I am adding yesterdays date but this has been intermittent since 2019 and I’ve had it in the Ford dealership while under warranty even back then.”

Filed May 1, 2025

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 101 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.

Other problems on this car