2018 Ford F-150 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe transmission behavior: harsh or delayed shifts, hesitation between gears, shuddering, and sudden downshifts. The next most common reports are a rattling or ticking engine noise on cold starts, often tied to cam phaser work, and door latches that fail to close or hold in freezing weather. Transmission reports span a wide mileage range, while the engine noise reports mostly fall between about 40,000 and 80,000 miles.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard, delayed or unexpected gear shifts

   • 680 complaints (29%)
   • median 63,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (232 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $8,000 (median of 52 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe harsh or delayed shifts, hesitation between gears, shuddering, and sudden downshifts, sometimes with the truck jerking or stalling. Some report the transmission slipping or shifting out of gear, and several say the dealer could not reproduce the symptom during a visit. Complaints mention software updates that did not stop the problem and, in some cases, a transmission replacement that was not covered by warranty. Reports range from about 5,000 to 245,000 miles, with many in the 40,000 to 110,000 mile range.

   Recall 18V214000Recall 17V669000Recall 26V3750002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any transmission software update or service bulletin procedure has been applied, and check shift quality on a cold start and at highway speed. Ask for the repair history of any transmission work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “From november 2020 to february 8, 2021 I have experienced 7 incidents where my truck has hesitated/stalled while I was driving and it appears to be worsening. On one occasion it put me in a dangerous position in traffic and fortunately I was not involved in an accident. I have noticed it is beginning to shift harder as well. I have read numerous reports of this 10r80 transmission doing exactly the same and yet, Ford, has not addressed the problem with a recall. I am taking my truck to marshall Ford dealer on feb. 11, 2021 to address this issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11395399, filed 2021-02, 40,000 miles

   “2018 Ford F-150 lariat (bought new with 2000 miles). Cold start up the transmission hesitates (causing me in some instances to lunge forward) - very obvious issue, but dealership says it is not throwing a code & they can't duplicate. They said this could be normal for this 10 speed transmission. I was told the dealership emailed Ford engineers for help, but I have never heard back from them. I am now at 38k miles and the issue still exists (I bought extended warranty - just in case). The transmission acts normal the majority of the time past cold startup.”

   NHTSA complaint #11327271, filed 2020-06, 5,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Rattling or ticking engine noise on cold start

   • 341 complaints (15%)
   • median 63,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (214 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,250 (median of 16 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe a rattling, knocking or ticking sound from the engine, most often when starting a cold engine, which in some cases fades as the engine warms up. Many complaints say the dealer replaced cam phasers, sometimes more than once, and that the noise came back. Some owners say the manufacturer pointed them to a customer satisfaction program or said the VIN was not covered. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 80,000 miles, and often on cold starts.

   What to check: Listen for the noise during a cold start on a test drive, and ask whether a cam phaser repair or customer satisfaction program work has been performed and whether the VIN is covered.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On september 15, 2018 I purchased a new 2018 Ford f150 5.0 v8. On 02/16/2019 (4,546 miles) after the first oil change it began making a knocking like noise. Ford said it was normal, but the knock wasn't there before the oil change. Ford tried to say it was the direct injection making the noise. Which might be true but other owners have reported the knocking noises and have had scored cylinders that required the engine blocks to be replaced by Ford. Also on 07/04/2019 (10,416 miles) I noticed that the engine was making a rattling noise when cold from 1200-2000 RPM. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11300171, filed 2020-01, 10,400 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine made a loud rattling sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cam phasers and solenoids were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11569910, filed 2024-02, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Door latches that freeze or fail to hold

   • 189 complaints (8%)
   • median 10,000 mi at 1.4 yrs old (117 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe doors that do not latch or stay closed in freezing weather, sometimes after the truck was parked outside overnight. Some report a door opening while driving, and others describe holding a door shut or rigging it closed to get home. Complaints say the dealer could not find a fault or called the work a technical fix rather than a recall, and some owners used heat to free a frozen latch. Mostly reported in freezing or near-freezing weather, with mileage ranging from about 20,000 to over 130,000 miles.

   What to check: Test every door latch in cold weather or after a cold night, and ask whether any door latch service work has been performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Door latches are freezing open/closed. Dealer had me drive it to them to fix it, which I did so while holding the door closed. I am being told this is not a recall but a technical fix. That is unbelievable to me, it's a $40,000 vehicle with door latches that could allow a person seated to literally fall out onto the highway. This has to be fixed. It happened when temperatures got below freezing, about 15 degrees, while stationary at home.”

   NHTSA complaint #11385009, filed 2020-12, 41,000 miles

   “Doors do not latch when cold outside. When stationary, the front and rear passenger doors as well as the left passenger door has this issue where the door will open, but will not latch when closed. Sometimes I can lock the doors with them open to get them to latch, but then when I go to open the door again, it will stay locked and will not open. This is obviously a safety hazard, especially if there is a child in the back and you can't access them through the door you put them in through.”

   NHTSA complaint #11310141, filed 2020-02, 23,000 miles

Buying note. Before buying, have shift quality and cold-start engine noise checked on a test drive and ask for the service history of transmission and engine work. Because transmission and engine complaints are common across this model year, a full inspection and records review are worth doing.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 80 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.