Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Transmission fails or needs replacement
Most reported: 2018 Ford F-150 with 180 reports. Across the 243 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 4,997.
- 4,997owner reports
- 243model years affected
- 73,000median miles
- 29involved a crash
- 11involved a fire
This is the end of the road for a transmission: the car stops moving under its own power, or a shop says the unit has to be replaced or rebuilt. Half of the owners here mention a warning light or message, and a quarter mention it happening again or to a second unit.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of transmission failure reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12018 Ford F-1502 crashesrecall1808% of its complaints80k mi
- 22014 Jeep Cherokee1 firerecall1275% of its complaints32k mi
- 31239% of its complaints72k mi
- 42014 Ford Escape1 crashrecall1075% of its complaints91k mi
- 52014 Ford Focus1 fire1044% of its complaints56k mi
- 610320% of its complaints72k mi
- 72016 Ford Escape1 firerecall948% of its complaints88k mi
- 82017 Ford Escape1 firerecall883% of its complaints83k mi
- 92015 Jeep Cherokeerecall845% of its complaints8k mi
- 108426% of its complaints80k mi
- 112019 Ford Edge1 crashrecall7910% of its complaints78k mi
- 122015 Ford Escaperecall747% of its complaints95k mi
- 132020 Ford Explorer1 crashrecall746% of its complaints56k mi
- 146714% of its complaints90k mi
- 152020 Ford F-150recall659% of its complaints68k mi
- 16606% of its complaints73k mi
- 172017 Ford F-1501 crashrecall584% of its complaints95k mi
- 185718% of its complaints71k mi
- 192016 Ford Focusrecall565% of its complaints70k mi
- 202015 Honda Civicrecall5314% of its complaints95k mi
- 212017 Ford Focusrecall526% of its complaints70k mi
- 222015 Ford Focus1 crashrecall515% of its complaints65k mi
- 232016 Dodge Grand Caravanrecall515% of its complaints85k mi
- 242022 Ram 3500recall5127% of its complaints10k mi
- 25435% of its complaints80k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe transmission failure. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12022 Ram 3500recall5127% of its complaints10k mi
- 28426% of its complaints80k mi
- 32019 Toyota C-HRrecall2624% of its complaints107k mi
- 410320% of its complaints72k mi
- 55718% of its complaints71k mi
- 62015 Honda Civicrecall5314% of its complaints95k mi
- 76714% of its complaints90k mi
- 82021 Kia Sorentorecall3113% of its complaints62k mi
- 92611% of its complaints94k mi
- 102021 Ford Expeditionrecall2511% of its complaints79k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150545
- Ford Escape457
- Ford Focus301
- Ford Edge142
When it happens
3,292 of the 4,997 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 42,000 and 98,300 miles; the median is 73,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of transmission failure, grouped by the model year of the car. 29 involved a crash and 11 a fire. 16 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 4,997 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The transmission carries the engine's power to the wheels, and without it the car won't drive. Firestone lists the signs of transmission trouble: trouble shifting, a check engine light, slipping or over-revving between gears, shaking or jolting during shifts, a burning smell, noise in neutral and red fluid on the ground. The transmission shudder sheet covers those earlier symptoms.
Across roughly 5,000 complaints on the vehicles this site covers, the median mileage owners give is about 72,000. The 2018 and 2019 Ford F-150 and the 2014 Jeep Cherokee top the list. About one owner in five mentions paying out of pocket or quotes a price, against fewer than one in ten who mention warranty coverage.
NHTSA has opened several investigations into outright transmission failures. PE24-009, opened in 2024, looks at 82 complaints of lost drive from a snap ring coming loose inside the transmissions of 2022 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 trucks, and NHTSA learned that a Ram service bulletin already covered the condition. An older case, PE13-029, ended in Nissan recall 14V-142 on some 2013 Pathfinders, after a poorly clamped internal cooler hose could come off. Nissan described the sequence: a warning lamp, then noise and vibration, then loss of power, and drivers told NHTSA the last step came soon after the first. Subaru's 21V-955 and 22V-485 reprogrammed the transmission control unit on some Ascent, Legacy and Outback models after a programming error could let the drive chain slip and break, cutting drive power.
Expect a shop to read the stored codes (Firestone notes the check engine light can flag transmission trouble) and check the fluid, since low, burnt or dirty fluid is one of the first things it points to. Leaks at seals, a cooler hose or the pan come next.
Stop when drive is gone or a transmission temperature light comes on. Firestone's advice for that light is to stop and let the vehicle cool, because driving on can turn a manageable repair into a full replacement. The Nissan case is the argument for acting on the first warning light rather than the last symptom. The Subaru recalls describe losing drive power as a crash risk in itself.
Tell the shop what happened just before it quit: noises, smells, lights, a shudder that had been building. Bring the service history, especially any fluid changes. Look up the VIN on NHTSA's recall site and check the manufacturer bulletins NHTSA posts by year, make and model. If the car is under the powertrain warranty, put the complaint on a repair order now; the FTC says a defect reported in the warranty period must be fixed even if coverage runs out before the repair.
Sources
- 8 signs of a bad transmission, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Types of car warning lights (transmission temperature), Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA investigation PE24-009, 2022 Ram transmission snap ring failure (NHTSA investigation file)
- NHTSA investigation PE13-029, transmission cooler hose separation, and recall 14V-142
- NHTSA recall 21V-955, Subaru transmission control unit
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Resources related to investigations and recalls (manufacturer communications), NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.