The audio and navigation system with the sync 3 constantly malfunctions and causes immediate distraction of the driver and passengers and fails regularly with intermittent failures, freezes and takes the attention of the driver away from the road. This is a problem with many Ford vehicles and over many production year models. Ford will not address this and admit this common failure the Ford F-150 2018 the navigation and audio panel freezes locks up malfunctions doesn't respond and the navigation system will be working and then skips and puts you into a different location on a different Road or just locks up entirely.
2018 Ford F-150 electrical complaints
Page 2 of 7: complaints 11 to 40 of 173, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2018 ford f150 rear back up camera is out and shows a blue screen. Other models around my year has had a recalls for it.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while parked and a rental trailer was hooked up to the vehicle, the trailers turn signals and brake lights did not work ad intended and did not illuminate as intended. The vehicle was then hooked up to another trailer where the turn signals did not work as intended and the brake lights did not illuminated as intended again. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the trailer control module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I was driving down the road and then smoke started bellowing out of the cupholder area of the center console and it smelled like burnt wires and I could hear it Cizzle so I pulled over as quick as I could and ripped out the center console to find that the connectors going to the glow rings on the cupholders had shorted out and were causing a small flame in melting the plastic so I ripped the wiring harness out that Fed the power to the cupholders .
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Ford F-150. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 97,839. At the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 150,176.
I was on Spencer street at the light about to cross on Saint rose park way. When the light turned green my truck wouldn’t let me proceed and the it went into a low gear and make a lot of noise until I crossed and stoped at the Horizon ridge light. At the light I turned off the truck like I have done every time this had happened after ford said they did the recall but after they did the recall I’ve been having all these issues. I turned the vehicle back on and put into into drive and it went into reverse I immediately pressed my brakes knowing there is a car behind me. Thankfully the guy saw the truck with the hazards and going into reverse he immediately went into the next lane. I couldn’t move I was stalled. Had the shut the truck off again and then turn it back on and then I was able to go into drive and sit on the side of the road. Meanwhile I can smell like this burning smell. Now this had happened 2 days after they came out to supposedly fix the recall that was on the truck. I didn’t work the next day after they came out to fit it at my job but driving home that day it drove sort of ok I felt a little lack of going into gear. When I went to work it did a hard jerk while driving like if the transmission was going to fall out. I parked at work for my 10 hour shift and when I went to go home I turned on my truck and out it into drive and it went into reverse. Thankfully I was in park and no cars was behind me. I called ford to tell them what had happened after they came and fix it and they told me it was not part of the recall. But yet when I looked up the recall when my insurance let me know if it people was saying they was having issues going into gears and possibly stalling. This is a serious matter and they keep brushing it off and telling me that I need to pay them to look at it. I don’t feel I need to pay if it is their mistake. I took it to my warranty company and they tried to fix it and found nothing on their end. At this point I gor into almost 5accident
The vehicle skips a beat when shifting and it jumps from 10-8 gear for no reason causing the vehicle to lag or shift rough and break
Was slowing down to turn, engine cut out and received an “auto start/stop, shift to P and then restart engine” error on dash. Almost got in an accident because of it.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, he was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The contact stated the front end of his vehicle impacted the front driver-side wheel of the other vehicle. The contact stated that not a single air bag deployed during the impact, and no brake collision warning was activated. No warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel prior to the crash. The contact stated he received a pre-collision notification on his phone approximately 30 seconds after the accident occurred, but he was unable to avoid the collision. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact was the only occupant in the vehicle. The contact sustained neck pain, a herniated disc, and a bulging disk in the lower back. The contact was taking no pills and undergoing physical therapy. A police report was filed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,000.
When the F-150 would be turned off after driving for a while, the truck would not Start for a few hours until it cooled down. I had it checked out at Gator Ford and they saif they could not determine the proble. I drove it to [XXX] and had it check out at Two Rivers Ford in [XXX] and they said the truck clearly had a problem and that they "Believed it eas the 10 gear trsnission getting hot and the truck cutting off. They said I should trade it or risk the proble being the Oil Pump and eng. I took their advice and traded it for an F-150 platunm Vin: [XXX] . This is a problem and needs to be look at as now my 2023 F-150 eng has locked up that I reported with a Vin [XXX] . The cutting off with wait time was a daily occurance. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
APIM module has failed. very common on these models and should be recalled!
Sync screen, music, and charging are all dead. I think it’s the apid
According to repairman, water made it into the rear tail light, shorting out a module that controls all lights, windows, a/c and heating controls.
Odometer Fraud. The contact intended to purchase a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after the Carfax report was retrieved, and it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. The contact stated that the vehicle was listed on Facebook Marketplace with 97,000 miles. Upon test-driving the vehicle, the contact confirmed that the Odometer reading was 97,000; however, the contact later discovered that the Carfax report listed the mileage at 240,565 on July 14, 2025.
Backup camera shows blue screen. Appears to be faulty wiring harness or connection. Impacted driver safety when backing up. Previously replaced camera due to suspected camera failure. Fix lasted less than a year before blue screen returned. No other warnings or indications.
This vehicle has the 10R80 10 speed transmission, the same transmission that is in the Mustang that is under recall now. That was reset at a Ford dealership in 2023 I believe. It was not acting up at that time, they "fixed" it then while it was in. Now a few years later this problem is VERY PERSISTANT now, constantly missing, skipping, and losing power trying to accelerate trying to get on to busy roads and highways, it loses power and skips through all the gears from 1st to 10th back down to 4, then 6 then 2 then back to 9 and 10. I have almost been hit numerous times from this action. It is also causing the dash lights to turn off and come back on. Also effecting my 4 wheel drive, it will not engage. This should be a SAFTEY RECALL and Ford needs to take of it.
I was not in an accident. I have a 2018 ford f150 xlt and it has a 3.5 eco boost. My truck is leaking some type of oil from the top and has very bad fuel injectors which is why my truck cant accelerate and shakes extremely bad. When I sit at a red light my truck dies and I think i have a leaking exhaust. I bought a new battery but it still dies. I know they used to do a recall for a new engine from what i’ve searched but they don’t do it anymore and I don't think its safe for me driving while I have all those problems. I have not been in an accident but with all these problems my truck could possibly die or go out while i’m on the highway and just makes me nervous driving something like that when the 3.5 eco boost is already not a great engine. Thank you
Taillight leaks water causing the blindspot sensor to burn up. Once the sensor is burned up the airbags, power door locks, power windows, heat/defrost, and the radio don't work. This is a known problem and Ford has no fix for it. It is several weeks wait to get it into Ford and costs several thousand dollars for a known problem that they are not addressing. Having no heat or defrosters in the winter make this a safety issue for everyone on the road not just the operator. Door locks and windows not working is a safety issue for the vehicle passengers.
The vehicle experienced repeated failures involving multiple systems, including the transmission system (transmission replacement), powertrain/engine system (cylinder-related repairs), electronic control systems (vehicle computer/control module replaced multiple times), electrical system (ongoing electrical faults), and rear safety systems (backup camera failure). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. These failures created ongoing safety concerns due to loss of vehicle reliability and malfunction of safety-related electrical systems, raising concern about unexpected mechanical or electrical failure during operation. The issues were confirmed and documented by Ford-authorized dealerships and independent service centers. Despite repeated repairs, the same or related problems continued to occur. The vehicle was inspected and repaired by Ford dealerships; however, one servicing dealership (Ford of Ventura) later closed, leaving unresolved issues without continuity of service. Warning lights and system alerts occurred prior to failures along with ongoing electrical malfunctions. Exact dates of first warning indicators are UNKNOWN, but symptoms recurred over time despite repairs. The vehicle was purchased with approximately 38,500 miles. Due to COVID-19-related delays, dealership availability and parts shortages caused months-long wait times for service, and when the vehicle was finally inspected by a dealership, it had approximately 60,000 miles. Major system failures occurred well under 100,000 miles. Ford later declined assistance, citing out-of-state purchase and maintenance not performed exclusively at Ford dealerships, despite regular routine maintenance. The cause of the failures is UNKNOWN, but the pattern suggests systemic mechanical and electrical defects rather than owner misuse. All invoiced available as system will not upload them at this time.
Water intrusion into the Body Control Module (BCM) caused multiple safety-related electrical failures. The horn no longer functions, traction control activates and deactivates while driving, exterior lights remain on after vehicle shutdown, and the battery must be disconnected to turn off headlights. The issue presents a safety concern while operating the vehicle. Ford Motor Company was notified and documented the concern but declined assistance due to no active recall or program.
The day running lights don’t work at all and researching online there are hundreds if not thousands of people with similar issues. F150’s 2015-2020 having the same problem. This is not caused by misuse or neglect but factory defective components. These headlight are almost $1400
-Auto stop/start system failed and is available for inspection. I was driving down the road and braked for a vehicle about to pull in front of me, when I let off the brake and pushed the gas I noticed the vehicle had shut off there was an error message on the information center, Error message: "Auto startstop shift to P, then restart engine" -I could've been in an accident due to immobilized vehicle -Vehicle taken to dealer. Was told the failure was unlikely to be duplicated. Was told to unplug(deactivate) auto stop/start system to hopefully avoid recurrence. -No -No messages or symptoms prior to failure.
Was listening to my radio in my 2018 f150 1min and the next the music stopped my phone stopped charging touch screen went black tried the soft reset nothing checked fuses nothing . Found out it’s my apim Ive also seen where a lot of people are saying they have had the same issue with this and it’s not a cheap fix one guy said he works at ford and done 15 in one day . Ford is suppose to be the best why isn’t there a recall on these . 98k miles and I have to spend $500-$1000 to be able to use my touch screen this is not right for anyone and this should be on ford . Believe I might be switching over to dodge now.
Back up camera stopped working on 2018 F150 XLT 2.7 v6. Screen only shows blank screen or blue screen with the words, cameral not available.
My back up camera just shows blue or static. It just randomly happened but everything else works and the screen shows fine when not in reverse.
Auto start stop. This has happened on several occasions where I will be traveling at highway speeds and my 2018 F-150 10 speed 10R80 Transmisson with a 5.0-liter motor has died while traveling. I have talked to Ford Engineering reps, and they say they have never heard of this. I have done research into the subject and there have been hundreds of reports of the same issue. I have an appointment scheduled for Ford to look into the issue.
Loss of power to dashboard and all accessories while driving. The engine and transmission continued to operate until the vehicle could be parked in a safe location, and the vehicle could not be started again. The issue was reproduced by a dealership and repaired by changing a faulty APIM module. No other inspections have been performed. After the repairs, the security alarm randomly engages and sounds the horn.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted to neutral(N) unintendedly, and the vehicle lost motive power. The power train warning light was illuminated. No further information was available. Additionally, the contact stated that electronic system and lights failed to turn off. The contact confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall and that the warranty had expired. The contact stated that there were complaints and lawsuits related to the failure. The contact stated that the body control module (BCM) was previously repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 84,019.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the gear shifter shifted independently, and the message "Vehicle Heisted Gear Ten Error" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency to file a vehicle safety complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 52,742.
When backing up, my camera will either not work or be extremely slow. Then once it works the backup image or blank screen will show up when not in reverse. My screen will be blank, be extremely slow, or freeze when I turn the vehicle on or when driving. Unable to get CarPlay to work at all. When pushing buttons the lag time is so bad that it will take minutes for it to catch up. Unable to update the software.
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