NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The lug nuts on the vehicle swelled to the point that they could not be removed by the dealership using standard practices. I took the vehicle to the dealership for standard service, and was contacted by the service center. I was informed they would need to “hammer the wrench into the lug nuts to get them off” which would render them useless, and I would need to replace them. This could cause safety issues to consumers if/when they would need to remove the lug nuts themselves, for example in the event of a flat tire. The issue has been reported to the manufacturer and the manufacturer confirmed with me over the phone that this is a known issue. I was unaware of the issue, until informed by the dealership and again confirmed by their customer service department. I would also like to add that as the consumer, I was left to pay for new lug nuts as a result of a manufacturer defect.
Fuel injector failure
difficulty shifting into and out of 4th gear, and skipping gears. Ultimately would not shift into 3rd gear and was taken to shop where mechanic told me a complete rebuild/reman was required. The mileage is only 78K. ridiculous.
I took my 2018 ford f-150 to my dealers service center for the 6 month service.I was told by the service clerk the mechanic was having trouble removing the wheels lug nuts because they were swollen.These are two piece steel and aluminum lug nuts.In removing these lug nuts to rotate the tires the impact wrench and socket has caused lug nuts to swell up.I am concerned about the safety of these lug nuts being able to secure the wheels.Ford motor company has not made a recall on the lug nuts but I have seen and heard of numerous complaints about the problem.It is impossible to get these lug nuts off with the standard lug wrench supplied by the ford factory. please investigate why ford has not made a recall. Thanks Dan.
Ford is to be aware or rattle on cold star but decline to Repair it and wants us to pay for it. I’ve brought up the concerns to them but no action on their part or solution has been given with a 41,000 miles truck there are many other people with same issues.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound when the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Truck jolts lunges stalls gears slip. Taken in multiple times before warranty ran out dealership could not duplicate. Warranty ran out. Recall suppose to have fixed. Now we are told need a new transmission. Been waiting on response from dealership and ford co. About their help in this situation. No response in 4 days.
I was recently driving the vehicle with no issues and all systems running normally. Suddenly, every light in the cabin and every dashboard indicator light started flashing with a chime through the speaker system which normally occurs when the keys are in the ignition. The vehicle was parked and the engine was turned off immediately to avoid any further issues or damage. After turning off the ignition and removing the keys, the vehicle continued to try and power on with the accompanying chime through the speaker system. After exiting the vehicle, it was observed the headlights and taillights were also flashing very rapidly. An attempt was made to restart the vehicle. After inserting the keys, every light in the cabin and every dashboard indicator light started flashing with a chime through the speaker system again, the engine would not turn over or attempt to start. An attempt was made to jump start the vehicle with no change in results, the engine would not attempt to start and all lights remained flashing. The battery was changed with a brand new fully charged battery from the local Ford dealer. Upon installation, every light in the cabin and every dashboard indicator light started flashing with a chime through the speaker system again and the engine would not attempt to start, there was no change in the symptoms. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer since it was completely disabled. Through further internet research, the battery monitoring system can be reset after a battery change by flashing the bright lights 5 times and stepping on the brake pedal 3 times. This procedure was attempted and the system did reset. The vehicle is now operating and functioning normally. This was a complete system failure without warning, the vehicle was disabled. There were zero prior indications on the dashboard of any faults. I was fortunate the vehicle could be moved to a safe location. Had this incident occurred on an interstate my safety would have been at risk.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate with the transmission warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Steering wheel bolt came loose, allowing the steering wheel to wobble. I was able to remove the bolt by hand, that's how loose it was. I repaired it myself using loctite and retorquing the bolt.
I took the truck in for oil change and rotation. One wheel had to have new lug nuts due to then being swollen and had to be drilled off. Which wasn’t a cheap expense. They told me the other 3 wheels were looking a little swollen too. That’s almost 1000$ just for lug nuts and most can’t afford to drop that cost on lugs
My 2018 Ford F-15 XLT has been having transmission severe issues. This model has a 10 speed transmission and it will randomly go into neutral and abruptly jerk into gear. This happens when it's shifting into multiple gears. When at an intersection, taking off from a complete stop, it jerks into the first gear then goes into neutral (preventing the vehicle from moving while traffic is coming and going from multiple directions) until it ultimately abruptly jerks into the next gear. This behavior is consistent and severe. From limited research, this is apparently a known issue with Ford; however, they have not issued any recalls. One suggested fix is to have the dealership "re-program" it; however, reviews on results show it's either the same or worse after the re-programming.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission experienced rough shifting and inadvertently downshifted to first gear. The transmission warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the transmission fluid was leaking while driving. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,400.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while hauling a trailer and driving approximately 70 MPH, the transmission erroneously down shifted causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. Moments later, smoke was present coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the smoke was caused by transmission fluid leaking onto the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the failure was caused by low transmission fluid. Transmission fluid was added to the vehicle and the transmission fluid seal was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 79,900.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced unintended surging and engine revving. During the failure, the driver had difficulty stopping the vehicle while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving at various speeds, while the vehicle was stationary and idling. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 46,000.
The truck is 5 years old and has just hit 70K mileage. The transmission has just started slipping between gears 1 and 6. Ford tells me there is nothing wrong with their engines and they don't hear of any issues with this years vehicle and the transmission. Back in July 2022, I had to take the truck to Ford because it would just shut off in the middle of traffic. I had to have the engine censors replaced due to this. Ford tells me there is no correlation between the two issues. Ford says I need a new transmission and they will not pay for it since my warranty was expired in February 2023 and I am 10K miles over.
Leaking brake fluid into master cylinder and booster causing vehicle to have no brakes.
The problematic 10r transmission failed stalling in highway traffic this is a very serious issue with fords transmission and it needs to be investigated
Ford 10 speed transmission slips and engages so hard it feels like we are being rear-ended. In stop and go traffic causes car to lurch dangerously forward. Advised at least twice that there is no issue with the transmission. This was stated to be normal operation.
Radio, rearview camera, compass, usb ports, eight inch display failure. APIM has gone bad, a very common Ford defect over several years covering several models, that is costing/has cost thousands of consumers over a thousand dollars each to repair. The APIMs are obviously defective, a recall should be issued, and Ford should be required to replace the APIM at no cost to the consumer.
The vehicle brake line hose ruptured. This vehicle currently has 40,000 miles and for this life safety defect/malfunction to occur shows that there is obviously a significant risk to not just my life but other owners as well. Lives are at risk and Ford could care less! Back in 2020 Ford Motors recalled over 1.3 million vehicles for this same exact issue.
Upon acceleration vehicle struggles to downshift, and jerks harshly while doing so. 10 speed automatic transmission. Causing ones head to move in such a way that vision can be impared.
Steel bolts holding the face of the transfer case which is aluminum is causing a corrosion response between the two metals. Transfer case is severely pitted and flaking apart. It crumbles to the touch around some bolts.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and attempting to open the sunroof, the contact heard a loud noise and became aware that the glass panel brackets had separated from the sunroof frame assembly and stopped moving. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in TSB: 18-2374. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.
Vista Roof sticks and then glass brackets break leaving the roof in an open and stuck postion.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the engine compartment, he became aware that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine needed to be programmed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who determined that damages to the cylinder walls had allowed oil to leak into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Rear axle bolt snapped. Come to find out, it’s happening to a lot of F-150’s.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Swollen lug nut. During mileage requirements for 'The Works ' vehicle service add on cost for replacement of Swollen lug nuts on 2018 Ford F 150 4WD Supercab 65,361 odometer
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was a rattling noise coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the noise faded away after driving for several minutes. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact diagnosed the failure himself and stated that the rattling noise was coming from the cam phaser. The contact stated that the cam phaser needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10209366/ Manufacturer TSB Number: 21N03-S4: (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N03. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to obtain more information on the Consumer Satisfaction Program. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Over the course of approximately four months, my 2018 F-150 transmission progressively shifted more and more abruptly resulting in enough physical damage to warrant the replacement of the entire transmission. It began as a rough shift from 1st to 3rd gear and got worse, eventually becoming a shift from 1st to 3rd, losing power, dropping back to 1st, and then violently slamming into 4th gear. This occurred primarily in the lower gears, within 5 minutes of startup, and traveling up a small incline. No dashboard signals were observed until the day of my Ford appointment at which they decided to replace the entire transmission.
The lug nuts on my 2018 F150 became swollen and distorted. The Ford dealer was unable to use the standard size socket to remove them. Dealer recommended I immediately replace them with solid steel lug nuts to prevent not being able to replace the tire/wheel while on the road in an emergency situation. I did replace them with a dealer recommended lug nut.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle for four minutes. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the transmission was shifting hard. The RPM was fluctuating. While parking or driving, the vehicle thrusted forward and backward. The failure persisted over time. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC: P0019, indicating a camshaft position correlation Bank 2 Sensor B; and DTC: P0025, indicating an exhaust (B) camshaft position timing over-retarded (Bank 2). The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while shifting from second to third gear. The contact stated that over time the failure became more frequent with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a transmission software update was performed; however, the failure returned two days after the update. The dealer later determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Randomly/erratically shifting. When stopped it may shift into 7th gear when trying to accelerate. When traveling on the highway at 60 mph it would try and downshift into 1st gear. Ford service stated they didn't know how to fix the issue until the dashboard light comes on.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound detected. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was slow to respond. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Transmission slips out gear, slams between gears and creates dangerous situation when entering intersections slipping out of gear and potential whiplash slamming between gears. Have taken to dealer on three occasions to fix problems with no success. This defective condition can cause an accident due to its unpredictable faults during normal driving.
How is there not a recall yet? I'm still making payments on my 2018 Ford F-150 which I purchased in 2020. The first problem I experienced happened when accelerating to pass a slower moving vehicle (into oncoming traffic). Instead, my truck slowed substantially (70 mph down to 40 mph) preventing me and all the other drivers behind me from passing. Fortunately, there wasn't a vehicle traveling in the opposite lane...although, I'm not sure a head on collision would've resulted in a recall! I was told that the EcoBoost was the reason...that term is deceiving to say the least. This may/ may not have led to the bigger problem, my transmission. It's obvious Ford's 10 speed automatic transmission is far less than good. However, there is a safety risk when the gears change on their own, while driving, with children! Aside from the bang or jolt from the gears switching while in motion, it's frightening when the gear changes from 7th to 2nd on the freeway and the rpms rev very high, or when the gear starts in 7th from a stop sign...it takes a while to accelerate nonetheless! Shame on you Ford for not issuing a recall sooner! Very fortunate that this hasn't resulted in a major collision with fatalities...or perhaps there has been and there weren't any survivors to report it! I am not happy and will continue to update my complaint as I work my tail off to make money for a new transmission. Goodbye...until my next break.
Wrench indicator warning light led to diagnosis that transmission replacement is needed. Verified (twice) by Ford Service Department and Reputable Ford Mechanic. Defective 10 speed automatic transmission: shift solenoids cause gears to shift up and down erratically, occasionally shifting with a jolt or bang.
Rear view camera is blurry
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal revving sound and other unknown sounds while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the contact stated that the door and A/C and heating system actuator had failed. The contact stated that the rearview was inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the turbo, the air compressor and the 4-Wheel Drive system needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the actuator was unrepairable and was rigged by the mechanic. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,003.
Erratic shifting with transmission seeming to lock up causing me to near crash incidents.
I had the truck in for normal repairs and while there they reset the shift learning program because my truck was hesitating when shifting gears. Since then the problem has gotten worse and while I was driving on the highway at 70 mph the truck kept shifting from 10 to 1 gear. When pulling onto the road in traffic from a stop the car also would not shift and sounded like it was stuck in neutral almost resulting in me getting hit from behind. Now the truck seems to be stuck in 6th gear. The gear light came on while I was driving and the both of my temperature gauges were super high. The transmission temp was 267-270 degrees and the other temp gauge read at 230 degrees. When I finally was able to stop and park the truck the cooling fan was running extremely high.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Navigation System screen turned off temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and the Navigation System screen would turn off for an extended period and would fail to turn on upon turning off and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known failure; however, there was no fix for the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while towing a camper at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle occasionally hesitated to upshift in gear while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds with cruise control, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and restarted the vehicle, which was later taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The parts to repair the vehicle were ordered, and the vehicle was left at the local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough and delayed starts, and the vehicle made an abnormally loud rattling sound on cold starts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and downshifted unintendedly while the RPM increased, and the vehicle failed to exceed 50 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the cam phasers and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the VIN was not included in Ford Campaign Number: 21N03. The failure mileage was approximately 67,751.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH out of the driveway, the vehicle failed to shift to first and second gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change, and the contact notified the salesperson of the failure and was informed that the issue was normal. The vehicle was then towed to another Ford dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that 8 out of the 10 clutches were burned, causing the failure of the transmission. On another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle became stuck on a hill in 7th gear. The contact stated that the failure had become a consistent failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Vehicle drops into 1st gear randomly while driving on the highway. Extremely dangerous
My truck is at a Ford dealer and has been diagnosed with the cam phaser problem that is identified and covered in a Ford Customer Satisfaction Program(21N03). For some reason my VIN does not qualify. I'm wondering why my truck is not covered even though it is the correct year, assembly plant, and is having the same issue?