Purchased a 2021 F250 brand new from dealership and have had serviced at dealer since new. This truck is equipt with the 10r140 transmission that is a known problem. Starting at 48K miles transmission slipped from 3-5 gear. Report to Mooresville Ford and they “drove” the truck 6 miles and stated they could not recreate the slip. Reported again to Mooresville Ford at ~78k, technician drove vehicle for 12 miles and documented a slight slip between 3-5 but Ford declined to take action and extended warranty to 100k. Reported again at ~96k to Mooresville Ford, dealership held truck for 8 days and drove 6 miles. Declined again to take action and extended warranty to 146k. Reported again to Mooresville Ford at 143k to which they declined action and stated: “without the engine throwing a code they would not cover the truck under warranty.” Had recall 24S78 POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AND TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE REPROGRAMMING completed May of 2026 with ~155k. One month after this recall had been completed, a hard down shift from 8-7 and 5-3 started to occur. Reported to Mooresville Ford and they declined to take action and stated Ford would not cover. Down shifting is sudden and harsh and will cause harm to others of truck locks up on road. Someone needs to hold Ford accountable for these bad transmissions. Quote to replace came in at 10k which I am holding out hope a recall comes before I am forced to replace. PLEASE HELP! All service records are on file and can be provided to confirm claims.
Ford F-250 SD slipping problems
24 of the 6,553 owner complaints about the Ford F-250 SD describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 24
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical mileage
- 14,545
By model year
- 20241
- 20222
- 20215
- 20203
- 20091
- 20081
- 20061
- 20051
- 20043
- 20013
- 20001
- 19992
Often reported together
Harsh shifting 6Transmission failure 4Loss of power 4Jerking 4Stalling 2Hesitation 2Won't shift 1Overheating 1
What owners say
This is a follow-up to my original complaint #XXX, filed XXX, regarding the failure of the 10R140 10-speed automatic transmission in my 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty (VIN: [XXX]). The transmission began exhibiting symptoms of gear slipping, jerking, delayed and harsh shifting, and pinging from the torque converter around 100,000 miles. These symptoms progressively worsened until the transmission suffered a catastrophic internal failure. As documented in the attached Sid Dillon Ford repair order, an authorized Ford dealer found metal contamination in the transmission fluid and confirmed that a complete transmission replacement was required. The attached Friesen Ford repair order also shows that harsh engagements were present and that a transmission flush failed to resolve the issue. I have also attached a sworn statement from [XXX], an independent automotive technician who has serviced vehicles for my family for several years. In his sworn statement, he confirms that these 10R140 transmissions have known serious ongoing issues and that many mechanics avoid working on them due to these problems. Ford Motor Company was provided with the above repair records and the sworn statement but has denied any responsibility or reimbursement for the transmission failure. The failure created a serious safety risk due to the sudden loss of propulsion while driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2021 Ford F-250 equipped with the 10R140 10-speed transmission suffered a sudden internal failure around ~100,000 miles. The failure symptoms and internal damage match the defect Ford acknowledged in Safety Recall 22V‑256, which applies to the 2020 F-250/F-350 trucks using the same 10R140 transmission. Despite identical symptoms and the same transmission design, my VIN [XXX] ) was excluded from the recall. the federal safety agency’s VIN decoder also returned an “ambiguous model year” notice, suggesting this vehicle may have been built during the transition period where Ford continued using the same defective 10R140 components. Symptoms experienced prior to failure included harsh shifting, delayed engagement, gear slipping, and eventual loss of drive. A transmission shop stated they “won’t touch these transmissions” due to known issues. The failure created a serious safety risk due to sudden loss of power while driving. This appears to be a recall scope error. Early 2021 units like mine are experiencing the same 10R140 internal failures as the recalled 2020 population. I request the federal safety agency investigate whether Ford under-reported the affected VIN range and whether the recall should be expanded to include early-2021 F-250 trucks. 10R140 transmission failure on a 2021 Ford F-250. Identical to the failure described in 2020 Recall 22V‑256. Early 2021 VIN, suspected recall scope error. approximately sometime in January 2025 not exact date. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I purchased my new 2024 Ford F250 on [XXX] with less than 30 miles on the odometer. It includes a 10-speed automatic transmission. I have noticed erratic up shifting and down shifting of the transmission. The problem started at approximately 700 miles on the vehicle. Additionally I have noticed that after initial starting the vehicle, when placed into drive or reverse, the transmission appears to slam into gear as noticed by a large jerk and loud sound. The vehicle continues to sound like there is a mismatch between the engine revving up and transmission lagging behind for some time, or as if the transmission is slipping gears. The new vehicle was taken into the dealership on 6/9/2025 at 7:00AM and work was reportedly completed and vehicle ready for pickup on [XXX]. I was informed that the service technician performed a break-in procedure and that everything was okay. Within 30 minutes of picking up the vehicle the same problem started reoccurring. I called my service advisor (Michael Garcia) the follow day, [XXX] to report the same issue. I spoke with the service agent and was not able to get a loaner vehicle until 6/28/2025. At this point the vehicle has less that 3,000 miles on it. I dropped off the vehicle at 7:00 AM on the 24th for repair. Today is the 7th of July, 2025, and I am still waiting for the dealership to give me the status. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly downshifted from 8th gear to 3rd gear, causing the vehicle to hesitate as if the transmission was slipping. The vehicle started to self-correct, and the transmission shifted between 5th and 7th gear. The failure occurred twice within 2 weeks. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 90,879. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-250. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting into gear, the vehicle jerked significantly. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping and was skipping gear. Additionally, the transmission remained stuck in a gear. The power train warning light was illuminated, and a message advising to see the Owner's Manual was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where diagnostic trouble codes indicating that the transmission clutches were slipping, were retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V365000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the transmission was slipping. The contact wait for a while before the vehicle responded as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to three other local dealers: DeSoto Ford (3039 SE Hwy 70, Arcadia, FL 34266); McDonald Ford (6790 Midland Rd., Freeland, MI 48623); and Richardson Ford (3781 S Huron Rd., Standish, MI 48658), and was made aware of TSB: SSM 51420; and that the vehicle was working as designed. The contact was informed that engine oil was moving into the torque converter and needed to warm up for proper operation. The mechanic informed the contact to let the vehicle run for a while before shifting into gear. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
The truck slips out of gear for no reason, suffers very hard shifts causing the truck to jerk, and skips gears making it impossible to drive safely. Also, I lost power on the freeway several times and the truck would up shift and down shift erratically causing issues maintaining speed in traffic. I took the truck to the Ford dealer and was told I needed a new transmission. Ford has issued a recall for the Diesel truck with this transmission but refuses to repair other trucks with the same faulty transmission. This truck costs almost $60,000 new, was built in January 2020 with a faulty and dangerous transmission but ford is refusing to help their customers.
Known mechanical design issue with the 10R140 transmission CDF drum where a bushing moves blocking / partially blocking fluid transfer ports. This causes transmission fluid overheating, clutch slippage, hard shifting, etc. This mechanical design issue poses a danger to the driver, passengers and other surrounding vehicles when this potential failure occurs.
Transmission constantly slips out of gear. Long hesitation going from forward gear to reverse.
Related recalls
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026-2025 F-250 SD and F-350 SD vehicles. The driveshaft friction weld may fail, resulting in rear driveshaft separation and a sudden loss of drive power.
- Risk
- A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the driveshaft serial number and replace the driveshaft as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 6, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S13. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on March 4, 2026.
Recall number 26V119000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Super Duty F-250 and F-350 vehicles. The right rear axle shaft may have been improperly heat-treated during manufacturing and may break.
- Risk
- A broken rear axle shaft can result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in park. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the right rear axle shaft date code and replace the axle shaft as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 15, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on December 15, 2025.
Recall number 25V866000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 vehicles. The steering column shifter may have been improperly welded and detach from the steering column.
- Risk
- A detached shifter will prevent the driver from shifting into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the steering column serial numbers and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S20.
Recall number 25V163000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 Super Duty F250 and F350 vehicles equipped with single rear wheels and a 10.5-inch rear axle shaft. The left rear axle shaft may have been improperly heat-treated during manufacturing and may break.
- Risk
- A broken rear axle shaft can result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in park. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the left rear axle shaft date code and replace the axle shaft as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 17, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S49.
Recall number 23V595000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 4x4 vehicles. A radial damper inside the driveshaft may move out of position over time, which can cause a driveshaft imbalance and result in a fracture.
- Risk
- A fractured driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power. Additionally, a vehicle rollaway could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Either of these scenarios increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S74.
Recall number 22V880000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles equipped with 6.7L diesel engines. A washer within the vehicle's transmission can disintegrate, causing metallic debris to become lodged in the 'Park' mechanism.
- Risk
- Debris lodged within the 'Park' mechanism may prevent the vehicle from achieving or holding 'Park,' increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway and a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace a gearset within the transmission, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 19, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S22.
Recall number 22V256000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: torque converter
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Super-Duty F-250, F-350, and F-550 diesel pickups. The transmission torque converter damper plate was not tempered, resulting in a brittle damper plate that may fracture and cause the engine to stall or require increased brake pedal effort in order to stop the vehicle.
- Risk
- An engine stall or requiring additional braking effort to stop the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission assembly, free of charge. This recall began July 6, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S33.
Recall number 20V365000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty and F-450 Super Duty vehicles. An incorrect transmission case casting may cause the park pawl assembly to not be secured, possibly resulting in unintended vehicle movement.
- Risk
- Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners and dealers will inspect the transmission case, replacing the transmission as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 7, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S36.
Recall number 18V802000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks equipped with 6.2L engines and six-speed automatic transmissions. These transmissions may have a damaged park rod actuating plate that can result in unexpected vehicle movement even though the transmission has been shifted to 'Park.' As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission Braking Effect", and number 114, "Theft Protection."
- Risk
- Unexpected vehicle movement such as a vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the park rod actuating plate and replace it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 1, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C06.
Recall number 17V225000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks manufactured September 13, 2013, through March 28, 2014, and equipped with 6.2L gasoline or 6.7L diesel engines and 6R140 transmissions. An error with the transmission control software may be such that while shifting from "Park" to "Drive" the vehicle may display "Drive" but possibly engage "Reverse" for 1.5 seconds before engaging "Drive." Therefore, the vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect."
- Risk
- If the vehicle is in "Reverse" while the while the gear selection shows "Drive," unexpected movement could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the transmission software, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2014. Owners may contact Fords customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C04.
Recall number 14V204000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-250 SD slipping
Which Ford F-250 SD years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (5 complaints), 2001 (3 complaints) and 2004 (3 complaints).
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