My 2020 Ford F-150 transmission is very bad. Since I bought it used, the transmission has shifted very hard, lurched, delayed engagement and gear slippage. I was told by Ford to bring it in and they would replace or repair for over $6000!! Everything I'm reading online is that Ford knows about this situation and won't do anything about it. I dont have a spare 6-8 thousand dollars that the dealership said it would take to "possibly" fix this issue! Something needs to be done and as a retired Atlanta Police department whos driven alot of Fords, this one is the worst ive ever experienced and I cant do anything about it. ITS NOT RIGHT.
2020 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 8 of 13: complaints 191 to 220 of 364, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal, with the wrench symbol displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No additional information was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the transmission shuddered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that a tune-up was needed. The tune-up was performed; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall and the PCM was reprogrammed. The unknown recall repair was performed the day prior to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,400.
While driving the vehicle going approximately 35 mph in heavy traffic the vehicle shifted to neutral without driver input as evident by +8000 rpms (bottomed out) and swift deceleration. No warning lights or indicators. No response when driver input to acceleration pedal. Vehicle would not shift into gear. After breaking to approx 15 mph Vehicle shifted VERY roughly w/no accelerator response and return to normal rpms. After waiting in neutral on the side for a minute accelerator response returned. hard and delayed shifting remained. Vehicle is currently being serviced by a ford dealer in Florida who relays no warning or trouble codes found - but recommended a transmission rebuild reference black fluid w/o leaks. Fluid was initially a quart and a half low. Transmission has an extended warranty and is getting replaced. 10r80 10 spd transmission with the EXACT same issue for the recent recall of a different year/ transmission model # by ford. Coincidence- I think not.
f150 EQUIPED WITH 4r80 10 SPEED TRANSMISSION. Starting several months ago, the vehicle started experiencing up shifts with hesitation during upshift, typically the mid gears. Starting from a stop, the shift from 1st to 3rd is very harsh and stutters. Condition has progressively gotten worse. While upshifting, I am now experiencing more exaggerated pausing/delays during mid gear upshifts. While entering a freeway, accelerated to merge with traffic and the transmission downshifted and there was an approximately 2 second delay in the shift which caused the vehicle to bog down substantially, nearly causing a following vehicle to impact my vehicle.
My gears shift hard when slowing down or when letting go of the gas pedal. The infotainment center blacks out. I took it in to Ford Dealership and was told the transmission needed to be replaced. I don’t drive fast nor abuse my truck. I don’t use my truck for construction; I simply drive to work and home. I have 67K miles and bought the truck in 2020, brand new. It’s very concerning that at 67K the transmission needs replacement. The cost for replacing the transmission is $8,000.00 dollars.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle was hesitating and downshifted unintendedly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring failure. The contact stated that he had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was advised that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated while the transmission was downshifting. The contact had taken the vehicle to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the long block and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but advised the contact that the vehicle was over the mileage for the warranty and not covered. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
Transmission random acceleration, harsh downshifting, and banging coming to a stop. 3 to 5 gears and during emergency stop. Downhill acceleration without throttle while braking, overtaking brake control
Transmission has hard shifts between 2-3 and 4-5. Transmission occasionally has unexpected hard down shifts. Truck has done it since purchase and has progressively gotten worse.
On the afternoon of [XXX], my son and his fiancé were driving home from college (Lamar University) when my sons 2020 Ford F-150 suddenly downshifted from 10th gear to 1st gear. This sudden unexpected downshift through them both violently forward in the truck and almost caused them to be rear ended by an 18-Wheeler. They immediately pulled off to the side of the Interstate ([XXX]) to gather their thoughts and inspect the truck. My son notified me of what had just happened and that he received a service engine warning on the trucks instrument cluster along with a notification on his cell phone of a Powertrain Malfunction. I suggested he try turning the truck off and restarting it to see if it would resolve the issue. He resumed driving home and experienced the same unexpected sudden down shifting from 10th gear to 1st gear multiple times as they continued their drive home. Fortunately, he was able to limp his truck back into town and immediately took it to Cook Ford in Texas City where we had purchased the truck. I met them at the dealership and my son reported the problem they had experienced on their drive home to the Cook Ford Service person and we left the truck with them to be diagnosed. On Wednesday March 26th 2025, Cook Ford called to inform my son and informed him that he needed a new transmission and that both his catalytic converters needed to be replaced for a cost of approximately $11,500. He asked them if these items were covered under warranty and they acknowledged an error in their quote and that the catalytic converters would be covered, but not the transmission. During the conversation the Ford Service person did acknowledge knowing of issues with the 10 speed transmission (10R80) but said there were no current recalls, nor were there any Ford Customer Satisfaction Programs for the trucks transmission. We are now waiting for a response back from Cook Ford with an updated and formal breakdown of costs for the trucks needed repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION A
During maintenance prior to the main issue stated to ford, customer noticed something was wrong with trans and mechanic reported it was fine and didnt see anything on their computer and that the customer could wait until 90k mile upcoming maintenance. Customer states check engine light came on while driving and the truck was shifting rough / when pulling away from a stop the truck would rev up and not go forward then delayed engagement / also when driving at highway speed the truck has difficulty accelerating smoothly in passing gears verified the concern. Performed self test an found p07f7 incorrect 10 gear ratio. Performed test drive and found the shift flare exceeding 290rpms an spec is 0-10rpms. Also found the torque converter slipping over 270rpms during lock up. Monitored line pressure test an found it is within spec. Inspected fluid condition an an found excessive signs of metal debris present. Due to internal transmission failure recommend replacing unit an retest.
While traveling 65 mph on highway, truck shifted from 10th gear to 5th causing truck to jerk to a slower mph and raising rpms
This truck when shifting from 4th to 5th will snap your neck! sometimes it just slips in gear., when I back up ity will stop like its in neutral and then bang into gear. sometimes you pull out on the road and it will not go just sit in neutral then bank in gear and take off. This is totally unsafe with this 10 speed trans.
While driving on a high traffic street in stop and go traffic truck shifted down from 3 to 2 with a lurch and a verry loud clunk. Truck shifted so hard there was rapid deacceleration and lurching and a loud clunking while shifting.
On [XXX] I [XXX] started my truck and left my job at Publix Supermarket in Lake City, Fl. As I turned out of the shopping plaza, My 2020 Ford F-150 felt like it was about to lose power. As I turned into [XXX]. The truck shifted from the first gear, to the second smoothly, as the truck shifted from 2-3 , the truck revved and did not engage into 3rd gear. I let off the gas thinking it was going to catch the next gear and continue to increase speed. but it did not, again it revved and did not engage into 3rd gear. now the traffic was flying past me, i pushed the accelerator to the floor in attempt to avoid an accident. and not get rear ended. After several seconds , the transmission engaged and the truck began to move forward at a slow pace. This is when i received a notification for Ford Pass app, saying the power train malfunction/ reduced power. I was able to get the truck to the closest gas station. where I shut it off. After several minutes, I restarted the truck and drove back to work with no issues. The next day I took it to a local shop, where they indicated that I needed a new transmission. Since then, this vehicle has been in the shop multiple times for the same issue. This will be the 3rd Valve body replaced. Its unsafe to be on the road. Its a safety hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Erratic down shifts stalls at lights
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission hesitated and made an abnormal clunking sound. In addition, the rear of the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times due to the failure. The contact stated that the transmission was rebuilt in 2023. In addition, the contact stated that the PCM was reprogrammed in 2022. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Vehicle is equipped with the 10r80 ( ten speed ) transmission. Vehicle hard shifts and hard down shifts. It also searches for gears so if I am in cruise control or driving approx 55 the vehicle will drop out of gear, search for a gear then slam back into the correct gear; at random
In these vechicals it has a 10 speed transmission. from what I was told ford knows about a problem with it shiften hard and down shiften even harder. ford says all they can do is reset the computer in it, but isn't going to help with the problem. something needs to be done.
Transmission shifts harshly when increasing speed. The vehicle will jump or feel jerky when accelerating. One incident of loosing complete power from transmission when turning corner. When stopping the transmission causes the vehicle to push forward. This vehicle has only 17,300 miles.
Repeated failure of transmission after multiple repairs.
CDF drum failure
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the transmission failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle started to lose motive power before slamming into gear. The transmission experienced erratic shifting between the 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure; however, the maintenance warning light illuminated after the failure and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
shifting became erratic i lost 9th and 10th gears with hard shifts to 4th and 7th ,,ford dealer said it is cdf drum in tranny.. and it is just over 60000 and not covered..that is 8300 dollars out of my pocket.
Since my initial purchase in 2020 I have had issues with the 10-speed transmission. The vehicle often shifts hard from gear to gear, banging harshly, and the vehicle pauses between gears while driving. While my vehicle was under warranty, I had the truck in the Ford dealers shop 5-7 times for that issue with no resolution. I even spoke with Ford back then about this and what happens after the warranty runs out. Even when I had my truck serviced (for my transmission) by another Ford dealership, I heard the comment "Oh yeah, it's the 10-speed transmission". Well, here I am, and my truck has consistently maintained the symptoms even after "repairs" were performed by the dealership, now the truck is so bad it is a road hazard for other vehicles by pausing, shifting out of nowhere, and such poor performance that I had to take it back to Ford and was told that the Transmission needs rebuilt...money out of my pocket that Ford should have fixed while under warranty. Will a rebuild really resolve the recurring issues??? While investigating this issue I found this this is a recurring topic on several forums and even your site lists numerous complaints of this known issue by many Ford owners experiencing the same exact same issues with this transmission. With the volume of complaints, how is this not a recall? Is there any other recourse for us?
Ford’s 10R80 Transmission is PLAGUED with issues. I own a 2020 Ford F-150 with the 2.7L V6 engine that has the 10R80 Transmission and this car has nearly gotten me in a T-Bone collision on NUMEROUS separate occasions. The transmission will slip as you’re first starting to accelerate, giving you zero control over the car and the RPMS will shoot up surpassing red line. This transmission is extremely clunky and downshifts extremely rough as well. This transmission is genuinely a safety concern when at intersections, accelerating from a turn etc. This transmission needs a recall IMMEDIATELY as I’ve talked to a LOT of other F-150 and other Ford owners that have the same 10R80 transmissions and have the exact same issues. This is a SAFETY CONCERN for ALL Ford owners with the 10R80 Transmission!!!
In March 2024, my F150 started hard/miss shifting. Between 3,4 & 5 gear. Ticket to Mount Ford dealer and they informed me the that the transmission need to be either rebuilt or replaced.I was informed parts to rebuild were on back order. Because Ford was having lots of issues with the 10R80 10 speed transmission. So I had to get a remanufactured one.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission failed, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 46,000.
When the vehicle is cold, and the transmission has not yet warmed up, putting the truck into gear results in a significant jerk. Specifically: Initial Gear Engagement (Drive/Reverse): When shifting into either drive or reverse from park, especially when the engine is cold, there is a noticeable delay before the gear engages. This delay is followed by a harsh "jerk" or "thud" as the gear finally engages. Reverse to Drive Transition: When shifting from reverse to drive, a similar delay and jerk occurs before drive engages. Hard Shifting: In addition to the initial engagement issues, the transmission exhibits delayed and harsh shifting for several minutes when cold. Shifting is not smooth and seems delayed then shifts very hard and aggressively when driving during the warm up period. Clunking Noises: While driving, I intermittently hear clunking noises when the transmission shifts gears. This occurs at [ Mention the specific times or driving scenarios when you observe this - e.g., "low speeds," "during upshifts/downshifts," "when accelerating," etc. ]. These problems are most pronounced when the engine and transmission are cold and seem to gradually improve (though not completely disappear) as the vehicle warms up. I am concerned that these symptoms indicate a serious problem with the transmission. I have asked a Ford Dealer to look at this and they state that there is NO RECALL for my VIN #. They have always appeared since I purchased this truck.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2020 Ford F-150?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history