2008 Ford F-150 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 50about this part
- Share
- 14%of 369 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 50,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 50 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2008 Ford F-150, 14% of the 369 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 50,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving on on a city street when the truck started to hesitated. The transmission seemed to change hard. I stopped at a light and I noticed that the o/d indicator was on. When I started to move again, it seemed as if the transmission was slipping and the trans fault indicator came on. The transmission did not change smoothly when I drove approximately another mile. I parked the truck in fear of further damaging the truck.”
NHTSA complaint #11219791, filed 2019-06, 62,000 miles“My truck has 81k miles on it and the torque converter has gone bad. I have never in the past heard of a bad torque converter from normal wear and tear. The top of my steering wheel is showing major wear. My wife's 2000 mini van has no wear on it. Why would the top of my steering wheel be falling apart?”
NHTSA complaint #10609831, filed 2014-07, 81,000 miles“We bought our f150 5.4 in july of 2008. In late august I noticed a slight vibration under my feet. The vibration continued to get worse. I have taken the truck to a my Ford dealership for all maintenance and each time I have reported the vibration. In july of 2011 I replaced the tires after they stated it was the tires. That did nothing to fix the vibration. They have continued to rotate and balance the tires but I still have the problem. Which is wearing out my tires. I overheard the mechanic talking to the mgr. …”
NHTSA complaint #10498031, filed 2013-02, 1,200 miles“I bought my Ford truck used in april 2012 with 33000 miles. About a month later I noticed that when I applied the brakes to stop, the engine would rev up. It has since gotten alot worse. Now the engine has started to overpower the brakes. I find that when the engine starts to rev, if I let off the brake and rebrake it will drop the RPM's back down. It's dangerous to have to let off the brake especially in traffic! It's such a safety issue. In researching this for a recall, I've come across other complaints like this.”
NHTSA complaint #10479486, filed 2012-10, 34,250 miles“We purchased a brand new 2008 Ford F-150 back in may, 2008. We have only put on it 27,000 miles and have never towed anything with it, we don't even have a trailer hitch on it. On dec. 10, 2015 the trans fault light came on the dashboard while driving on a city street and the truck started making lots of noise and jumping into gear when you put it in drive . We drove two miles to our home and got it in the driveway. After it was in the driveway, we tried to drive it to a repair shop and it wouldn't got into any gear, not even neutral so it couldn't be moved. On dec. …”
NHTSA complaint #10816658, filed 2015-12, 27,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10214754Jun 21, 2022Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may…
- 10165335Jul 16, 2019This SKU is a Transmission Oil Cooler Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the port size being too large. If the port size is too…
- 10092370Aug 16, 2016Some 2004-2014 f-150 and 2006-2008 mark lt vehicles equipped with four-wheel drive (4wd) may exhibit noisy or engaged front hubs when operating in two-wheel drive (2wd) mode…
- 10204997Mar 1, 20164R75E Transmission - Grinding/Whine/Vibration/Gear Slippage - Serrvice Kit available
- 10075262Mar 1, 20164R75E TRANSMISSION - GRINDING/WHINE/VIBRATION/GEAR SLIPPAGE - SERVICE KIT AVAILABLE ISSUE A service kit has been released to assist with proper repair of the 4R75E transmission…
- 10056701Aug 21, 2014Ford/lincoln/mercury: failure of planetary gear assembly is due to transmission, on certain vehicles, exhibiting grinding, gear slippage, whine type noise, vibration, while…
- 10056191May 1, 2014Ford/lincoln/mercury: the indicator may illuminate overdrive off and/or slipping in 3rd or no 4th gear, due to direct clutch failure and diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0733…
- 10039053Mar 1, 2011Ford: if there is an intermittent lack of power, surge, or hesitation while driving the brakes will override acceleration.
- 10037098Sep 2, 2010Ford: some expedition, f-150, and navigator models may experience a delayed forward or reverse transmission engagement. Usually happens on cold start in cold climates.
- 10030866Aug 1, 2009Ford truck service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. In the case of the roushcharger for the f-150, the trucks calibration enhancements has been developed to…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | 24% |
| 2024 | 58 | 30% |
| 2023 | 159 | 38% |
| 2022 | 162 | 27% |
| 2021 | 322 | 31% |
| 2020 | 360 | 49% |
| 2019 | 741 | 55% |
| 2018 | 1,019 | 44% |
| 2017 | 557 | 38% |
| 2016 | 615 | 29% |
| 2015 | 434 | 25% |
| 2014 | 426 | 28% |
| 2013 | 1,346 | 45% |
| 2012 | 682 | 38% |
| 2011 | 829 | 38% |
| 2010 | 121 | 14% |
| 2009 | 33 | 10% |
| 2008 | 50 | 14% |
| 2007 | 57 | 12% |
| 2006 | 46 | 8% |
| 2005 | 112 | 10% |
| 2004 | 232 | 11% |
| 2003 | 62 | 15% |
| 2002 | 53 | 6% |
| 2001 | 74 | 6% |
| 2000 | 47 | 4% |
| 1999 | 75 | 7% |
| 1998 | 83 | 6% |
| 1997 | 151 | 5% |
| 1996 | 26 | 8% |
| 1995 | 75 | 12% |
| 1994 | 56 | 8% |
| 1993 | 40 | 7% |
| 1992 | 28 | 6% |
| 1991 | 13 | 4% |
| 1990 | 13 | 5% |
| 1989 | 9 | 4% |
| 1988 | 8 | 6% |
| 1987 | 2 | 2% |
| 1986 | 2 | 3% |
| 1985 | 1 | 4% |
Other parts of the 2008 Ford F-150
53 complaintsSteering
53 complaintsVehicle speed control
41 complaintsBrakes
39 complaintsAir bags
29 complaintsElectrical system
29 complaintsFuel system
27 complaintsBody and structure
23 complaintsEngine cooling
22 complaintsOther or unknown
17 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
12 complaintsSeat belts
11 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Ford F-150
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology