2018 Ford F-150: engine overheating

Filed Apr 17, 2026 · Transmission · GA

While driving in the fast lane on the interstate at highway speeds, my 2018 Ford F-150 with a 10-speed (10R80) transmission experienced a sudden hard jerk followed by erratic shifting. The vehicle began shifting unpredictably, including harsh downshifting behavior that caused rapid deceleration. At the same time, the transmission temperature began increasing rapidly, and the truck started overheating. We were forced to quickly move out of the fast lane to avoid traffic and pull over due to safety concerns. This occurred at night on a sketchy exit, approximately four hours from home. We had to wait for help and ended up calling 911 because the situation felt unsafe. We were stranded and had to stay in a hotel. There was no clear warning before this happened. The condition worsened quickly to the point the vehicle could not be safely driven. This created a serious safety risk due to sudden hard jerking, rapid deceleration, overheating, and the need to immediately exit the fast lane, increasing the risk of collision and loss of control at highway speeds. The vehicle previously received a PCM reprogramming update related to transmission performance based on manufacturer service guidance. Despite this, the failure still occurred suddenly and without warning. There have been reports of updated internal components in newer versions of this transmission, suggesting that improvements have been made over time. This issue appears consistent with other reports of sudden downshifting and unsafe shifting behavior in Ford F-150 transmissions.

Filed Mar 23, 2026 · Transmission · GA

While driving on the interstate, the vehicle experienced a sudden hard jerk followed by erratic shifting between gears. The transmission temperature rapidly increased (over 219°F), and transmission fluid began leaking. The vehicle became unsafe to drive and had to be pulled over. This vehicle is equipped with a 10-speed automatic transmission (10R80), which has widespread reports of failure, harsh shifting, and overheating. The failure created a dangerous situation as I was stranded on the side of the road with my children

Filed Apr 10, 2025 · Transmission · NJ

Initially my transmission was rough (jerky) changing through 1,2,3 and 4. It then on occasion lost engagement as I was driving and happened a couple of times whilst trying to make a left hand turn across oncoming traffic. Finally the transmission went altogether and went into limp mode. I took the truck to the ford dealership and they informed me I needed a new transmission. They replaced the transmission. They replaced the transmission and told me I could come pick it up. Once I picked it up I started to drive home and the transmission liquid started to leak. They had to come pick up the truck on a flatbed and repair it once more. Once receiving the truck back for the second time I drove the truck but noticed a strange noise coming from the engine, so inspected and found the engine coolant to be empty. I was able to fill it up but the ford dealer requested I take it back for them to inspect. When I did they could not find anything wrong. Then on the [XXX] while driving from New Jersey to Baltimore the transmission started to act strange. The transmission lost power in 10th gear, then regained power, followed by a bang in the rear end from the drive shaft and the the rear wheels locked up in 10th Gear at 65mph on the interstate. The wheels then released the transmission overheated up to 240F degrees and oil started leaking from the transmission. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 28, 2025 · Transmission · 101,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced an unexpected transmission downshift. The RPMs increased to 5,000 and then decreased significantly. The contact released the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure occurred temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had overheated. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to partially cover the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Filed Mar 24, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · AZ

The vehicle is available for inspection and evaluation if needed. Also can provide all records for service and repairs over last 2 years. Transmission failure hard shifting between gears 3-5 and 8-10, downshifting while driving vehicle will slow down and downshift even when accelerating. Had evaluated at several ford dealership that stated a new transmission was only solution after several attempts for re calibration and reprogramming. Causing a safety issue when accelerating and at high speeds. Yes my safety has been put at risk multiple times. Also the risk for passengers in the vehicle as well. The problem was reproducible several times at dealerships and repair shops. And all places stated the only way to fix is with new transmission which was purchased in 2024. There were warning lights (check engine) came on and transmission was overheating with normal city driving and highway driving. Every time the light would come on it was evaluated by a dealership every time. was told be dealership at initial notice of issue in April of 2024 that it was OK to drive with the shifting the way it was, that it was uncomfortable but that it wouldn't harm the transmission, which was not true. It continued to increase in severity until it was also overheating and unable to be driven.

Filed Mar 24, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · NC

When I tow my boat the starter overheats and when I stop to get gas I have trouble starting the engine or it won't start at all until the engine cools completely.

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Engine · IL

My coolant/water housing had an issue and caused a leak by the thermostat and it caused my engine to overheat while I was driving. I had my 10yr old son in the vehicle with me and had I not had the opportunity to pull over into a Walmart parking lot almost immediately in order to get some coolant into my truck, it would have been disastrous. The warning for high engine temperature was the only warning I had as I was unaware that I had any type of coolant leak. This could and may have caused some more damage than just the mandatory repairs that I had to do because this is my mode of transportation to/from work for the Federal Government.

Filed Jan 30, 2025 · GA

My son brought his vehicle in for service because his coolant had been leaking and the fan was constantly running very loud. The guy in the service department told him that it was a recall. After four days, they finally diagnosed it as an excessive coolant leak. I spoke with the service manager, Josh Bass and he sent a quote for $995.61 and didn't even specify what work was going to be done to the truck on the quote. Josh verbally told me over the phone that the water pump needs to be replaced to fix the problem. The truck has less than 60,000 miles on it and should be on recall. The coolant leak could lead to major engine problems. This issue is very concerning and should be reported immediately!

Filed Dec 27, 2024 · Transmission · 97,178 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the transmission overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. There was smoke inside the cabin and bed cover. There was an abnormally high-pitched sound detected while driving. While reversing, there was an abnormal sound detected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was transmission fluid on the exhaust. The dealer removed two quarts of transmission fluid. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 97,178.

Filed Nov 18, 2024 · Transmission · TX

Many times this year while driving on the highway doing the speed limit, my transmission overheated and would start leaking fluid onto the pavement. The only way to stop this was to let the truck sit on the shoulder while monitoring the transmission temperature until it was within the proper clearances. I noticed that the models year models 2019+ have an open recall for this issue but my truck isn't covered under this even though it's equipped with the 10-Speed transmission. The last time this occured my transmission entered into a limp mode and I had to manually change gears until I could find a safe place to turn off the truck. After about 15 minutes, the truck operated normally again but it was burning off all of the transmission fluid that was ejected to the detriment of the drivers behind me.

Filed Nov 4, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · 105,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced hard shifting and an unexpected downshift into first gear. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the transmission became overheated. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the power train message was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Jul 10, 2024 · Engine · 115,650 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine became overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a failure with the cylinder heads. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure The failure mileage was unknown.