2019 Ford F-150: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IL · fire

While driving on the highway on 02/20/2026 at approximately 152,000 miles, my 2019 Ford F-150 3.0L Power Stroke diesel caught fire and was completely destroyed. The day before the fire (02/19/2026), the FordPass app logged an electrical system error that self-cleared the same day. Believing the issue resolved itself, I continued normal operation. The following day the vehicle caught fire on the highway and was a total loss. Ford's own telematics system captured the fault code prior to the fire. I am filing this complaint to formally document this incident and believe this represents a product defect.

Filed Feb 18, 2026 · Electrical · FL · fire

Truck started smoking from under the hood in the area of the battery compartment while driving. Then truck burst into flames. 53,000 miles. No injuries. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue came to the scene with report number XXX-XXX and can be reached at [XXX] . Sticker shows built in May 2019. There was a recall 19S40 which applied to vehicles made in June 2019. So I was only one month prior to the official recall date. However, 19S40 specifically mentions fire risk. I believe my truck had this defect and was not recalled when it should have been. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 10, 2026 · Acceleration, Transmission · FL

When driving home from work at night on the highway in a 55mph zone my truck lost all power and the ability to accelerate. While on the highway began to hit the gas a bit more and saw the gears go from gear 10 all the way down to 1st gear at 55mph. Not sure what was happening and the truck began to “gear hunt” (attempting to find a gear that would give power). The truck gave me a check engine light and a alert of reduced power. I started to smell a burning smell in the vehicle and someone behind me was flashing me with their high beams to attempt to alert me something was wrong. I rolled the window down and looked in my mirror and saw white bellowing smoke being produced from behind the vehicle causing other drivers to either change lanes or slow down so they can see. I used what speed I had left from going down a on ramp to pull into a parking spot behind a building on the main road and had to call for a tow truck very late at night after my shift. I had the vehicle towed to that into the service department of a certified Ford dealership. After a few days of waiting for a response on the diagnosis of the vehicle, they stated that the transmission had blown and needed a replacement.

Filed Oct 3, 2025 · Transmission · AZ

Vehicle has just over 62,000 miles on it and is just out of warranty. On [XXX] I was driving home from Colorado and the 10r80 transmission hesitated downshifting for a few seconds when climbing a hill and let out a very loud banging sound which shook the whole truck. Shortly after, the transmission tried to downshift and upshift on it's own repeatedly and would not transfer power at all. I quickly shifted it into neutral and pulled to the side of the road. This was really sudden and happened with no warning at full highway speeds(75 mph) on [XXX] southbound. If my wife would have been driving, I am not sure she would have been able to react as quickly. She wouldn't have realized what was happening. This could have easily resulted in a serious or life threatening accident. The leaking fluid also caused a sigificant amount of smoke on the underside of the vehicle as it dripped on the exhaust system. I quickly shut the vehicle off realizing it could catch on fire, but someone may not realize this as a possibility in the moment. I currently have the vehicle at a local transmission shop who has rebuilt several of these Ford 10r80 transmissions. His opinion, which will be verified by the teardown process as he rebuilds it, is that there are several common failure points which should have already been recalled by Ford in these transmissions. #1. The CDF drum which holds the clutch packs is machined in a way which allows the seal to slip and cause falure. #2. The valve body is know to wear prematurely which causes movement and leakage contributing to failure. #3. The high pressure pump is also a known failure point which can cause downstream shift issues and failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 14, 2025 · Transmission · OR

At freeway speeds, truck suddenly started shifting into random gears. It was cruising in 10th gear at about 65-70mph, with trailer in tow, driving normally and fine. Truck started shifted randomly, slipping gears, and going out of gear completely causing power loss. Transmission would then attempt to shift back into gear, all on its own. It would go into 5th through 10 all while slipping back out of gear in between. Some of the down shifts were sudden, and caused me to concentrate to keep the truck and trailer in control. After a few minutes of this, smoke appeared out the back, quite a deal of smoke. It wasn't long until the transmission temperature guage started reading high (but not warning or critical). Then the check engine like came on with "powertrain error". I was able to pull off the freeway, but under duress as it was very busy, and the smoke caused another motorist to pull over and see if I was on fire. It appeared the transmission fluid was "venting" and spraying on the exhaust, and after pulling over it luckily stopped, otherwise I'm sure that oil would have caught fire shortly.

Filed Jun 10, 2025 · Transmission · AZ

We have a 2019 Ford F150 with the 10R80 transmission which gave out on the freeway, it was doing a hard knock when shifting and would make a clicking noise at start up. Heading north on I25, the truck sputtered and you could see white smoke coming out the back end. We were towing a 7x10 trailer and it had fluid spewed all over it. It lost power so we had to pull to the side of the freeway and wait to be towed. There was a lot of fluid leaking from under the truck as well. Had it towed to a shop and they were stumped about what it could be. Had it towed to another shop but a transmission shop and they stated it needed a new transmission, we have the go ahead, and after replacing it, we picked it up and headed home. About a half hour later, the new transmission gave out, the key symbol popped up and it shuddered. Had to have it towed back to the transmission shop. They were stumped as to what happened. We were told they had to consult a national transmission shop and that Ford did not want to replace it with another transmission. The transmissions and engines on these 2019 Ford F150s we have as company vehicles are prone to so many issues that are costly. We have three 2019 F150s, one 2023 F150. So far on one of the 2019, we have had to replace a transmission and engine. The other one had the transmission replaced. The third one is on its way out, there is a rattling sound it makes when it is on its way to failing. How are there so many documentations and Ford is not willing to recall them? Or even meet halfway to repairing them when it is obviously a manufacture defect? A Ford problem? Attached are the receipts showing how much money we dumped into this truck. Mind you, we had the engine replaced in this one too :(

Filed May 12, 2025 · Transmission · 111,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the transmission downshifted to 4th gear, and there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and became aware that transmission fluid was leaking on the road. The contact waited before continuing to drive to the residence. After approximately one hour, the contact restarted the vehicle and there was no more transmission fluid leaking. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

Filed May 2, 2025 · Engine · 130,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust, and the radiator fan had become excessively loud. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Mar 26, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 125,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into reverse. There was white smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle near the engine compartment. The contact depressed the brake pedal to assist with the vehicle slowing down to be able to pull over to the side of the road where the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle lost power and failed to restart. The contact poured water onto the engine to assist with dissipating the smoke and cooling the engine. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle; however, the contact was unsure of the diagnostic results. The contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.

Filed May 15, 2024 · Transmission · 100,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the wrench warning light illuminated. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The mechanic located a crack in the transmission and noticed that there was transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Apr 29, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · 139,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150 Commercial Vehicle. The contact stated while the driver was driving 65 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and was jerking significantly. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that there was an excessive amount of transmission fluid inside the vehicle; however, no other failure was found. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking, and leaking fluid, and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. Additionally, the contact sent work orders and repair bills to the manufacturer. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

Filed Jan 21, 2024 · Electrical · GA · fire

While using remote start, the rear sliding glass window shattered and set the defroster on fire. The fire was above the rear seat where my child's car seat was.