Supposedly, Ford knows that the 10-speed transmission has problems and they have done stuff for the F-150 models, but they aren't doing nothing for the Ranger models. Transmission slips and eventually fails causing a very expensive replacement
2020 Ford Ranger: transmission slipping
6 of the 131 complaints about the 2020 Ford Ranger describe transmission slipping.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- recalls
- 1
Transmission slipping by model year
What owners say
My 10 speed 10r80 transmission is failing and dangerous. Besides slipping bucking and delaying shifting it now revs up without moving. I've almost been hit more than 6 times. My ford dealer changed the fluid road tested and normal all that I'm complaining about is normal.
Purchased used in 2024 with 44,000 miles. Transmission issues began at 79,000 miles. Hard shifting, slipping and then lurching when it goes in gear. Diagnosed after transmission service ($600) as a factory defect in the 10 speed transmission. Ford has issued Service Bulletins defining and outlining the issue but has offered no assistance in rectifying and repairing. Since so many vehicles are affected there should be a recall. I understand that in Canada a class action lawsuit has been initiated.
I bought my 2020 Ford Ranger preowned with around 64k miles on it. After having owned it for about 6 months or so, I started to notice lots of problems with the transmission. After first noticing it, the problems persisted for a couple more months until I finally decided to address it. The problems were very characteristic of transmission slippage, and they got progressively worse week by week, which it what ultimately prompted me to address it. When accelerating and shifting through the lower gears (15-30 MPHs, approximately), the shift would be delayed and lag a couple seconds. This would often cause stalling in the acceleration, particularly when going from a stop to a start, such as through traffic lights. There were also very rough and aggressive shifts at higher gears when driving on the highway. It would feel like rough jolts that would rock the truck a little. Also transitioning the truck into reverse often caused serious jolts as the transmission shifted very aggressively. Eventually, I took my truck into an AMCO transmission shop for inspection. They confirmed that my transmission was damaged and needed replaced. This was at about 86k miles. I took the truck into a Ford dealership to get a second opinion and they also confirmed my transmission needed replaced. I went ahead and had the transmission replaced at that point. The replacement was done with the truck at 86k miles. The Ford dealership replaced the 10R80 transmission with a re-manufactured 10R80. It has now been about 8k miles and 9 months since the transmission was replaced, and the re-manufactured transmission is starting to experience similar problems. Mostly with a lag when shifting in lower gears and hard jolts when placing it in reverse. The problems are not as bad as the original transmission before I had it replaced, but some still remain. There were no warning lamps or messages with this problem. Ford's 10R80 transmission is notorious for failing and being a safety problem to the public.
Vehicle has hard jerking when increasing speeds. Vehicle takes several seconds to gain power from being stopped at red light and shifts very hard. Sometimes feels like gear slips into neutral and loses power after accelerating slowing. Takes several seconds to recognize being in reverse and jerks hard when it gets going. Started at around 37,000 miles and getting worse at 45,000. Been told several times it's normal, but it very obviously is not and feels very unstable and unsafe.
Since purchase I have been experiencing problems due due a poorly built transmission. The 10R80 transmission has been the opposite of what I expected when purchasing a new vehicle. I have experienced extremely harsh up-shifting and downshifting, as well as slipping gears while in motion which causes a loss of power while the vehicle is in motion. The most concerning of these is when the gear seems to slip while driving and when the accelerator is depressed the engine will only rev for a few seconds and then harshly clunk into a gear which will cause a jolt in the forward motion which has cause me to lock up my brakes in order to avoid hitting another vehicle. In addition to these I have also experienced harsh clunking and jolting forward or backwards when selecting gears. All of these are of great concern to me of course. I have tried contacting numerous Ford dealerships and shops to try and fix this problem and I continue to get the run around. I have since looked up recalls and I have found recalls for 2020 Rangers made in the Michigan plant from February 28 to March18 of 2020 have been issued a recall but somehow my Ranger doesn't even though the VIN states it was made in March of 2020. All of the servicing has been done according to Ford's specifications.
Service bulletins that may apply
- For 20172026 vehicles equipped with a 10R transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure...
- Various vehicles equiped with 10R80/10R80 MHT/10R100/10R140 transmissions may require replacement of the...
- This article supersedes TSB 24-2046 to update the Service Procedure LTIS statement
- Harsh/delayed engagement and/or harsh/delayed shift, an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with...
- Whine noise at idle and/or while driving
- This article supersedes TSB 22-2428 and 23-2176 to update the Issue, Action and Service Procedure
- Shudder/vibration when accelerating
- Harsh/delayed engagement and/or harsh/delayed shift
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Ranger and F-150 vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions and certain 2020 Expedition vehicles equipped with a "police" package. The transmission shift cable lock clip may not be fully seated, allowing the transmission to actually be in a different gear than the gear shift position selected by the driver.
- Risk
- If the transmission selection does not match the indicated gear selection, and the parking brake is not applied, unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the shift cable locking clip installation, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S18.
Recall number 20V197000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2020 Ford Ranger slipping
Is transmission slipping a common problem on the 2020 Ford Ranger?
6 of 131 owner complaints about the 2020 Ford Ranger (5%) mention transmission slipping. The model year with the most reports is 2019.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Ford Ranger?
There is 1 recall and 24 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Ford Ranger
Jerking 16Loss of power 14Harsh shifting 11Transmission failure 9Backup camera 8Hesitation 8Collision warning 7Check engine light 5Stalling 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2020 Ford Ranger?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history