2020 FORD F-150 Complaints

Over the past year (2025) we have noticed that our F150 King Ranch occasionally was having a rough or harsh shift between the 7-8 gear. We took the Truck to the dealer where we purchased the Truck, Mullnax Ford of Central Florida, in the summer of 2025. We left the vehicle with the service manager, later he called us and indicated that the technician could not replicate the issue. Several months later in November, 2025, with the problem recurring all the time and also happening at other shift points. We took the truck back to the dealer, Mullnax Ford of Central Florida, 1551 E Semoran Blvd, Apopka, FL 32703. We left the vehicle with the service advisor, Sam. Later that day the service manager Sam said the technician “test drove the truck and said needs a new transmission at a cost of almost $10,000.” Based on research I conducted I determined that there was an existing TSB 25-2475 recently issued October 25, 2025 regarding this harsh/delayed shifting issue on the 10R80 transmission and applicable to our Truck. We have taking the truck to 2 Ford dealers asking them to perform the diagnostic process outlined in TSB 25-2475 The harsh shifting is not only annoying, the sudden sharp shift especially at lower speed presents a possible significant safety risk. The harsh shift many times causes the vehicle to lurch unexpectedly. The truck is only 5 years old and has less than 100k miles We sent certified letters to the CEO of Ford and to the Ford Customer Relationship Center, with no response. This is a wide spread problem and is well known to Ford.

My transmission “slips” causing the truck to “jerk” very harshly when it shifts. The problem is VERY scary when I’m driving the vehicle, making me feel and think that the truck is breaking down. It is psychologically very scary. I purchased the vehicle brand new in 2020. I have taken it in multiple times complaining of it (still have the documentation noting the problem). The dealership has not been able to reproduced, but I know that they have been aware of this specific problem since before I bought the vehicle.There are never any warning lights or symptoms. When I took it in for service complaining of the problem, the vehicle was under warranty. They never fixed the problem, even AFTER they had a fix for it. Now it is out of warranty. I am [XXX] old. I bought the vehicle expecting it would be the last vehicle I would purchase as I will retire soon. Once I retire, I will not be able to afford a car payment. I will have my social security ONLY to live on!! I am terrified that my vehicle now will not last the remainder of my life. I am very traumatized by this whole thing, knowing that Ford knew about the problem and never acknowledged to me the problems there were with this 10 speed transmission, much less fixed it. I need HELP from someone getting Ford to do the right thing. I don’t understand why there was never a recall for this problem. I know there have got to be thousands of other Ford owners out there experiencing the same problem with their vehicles. My son has the same issue with his vehicle and Ford has told them there is NO fix. But I know there is. It is the CDF drum causing the problem. Why is Ford not being forced to fix the issue? HELP, PLEASE!! I do not have a specific date for the “incident” as it has happened multiple times. I do have documentation of my complaint to Ford. I will retire in 2.5 years at the age of [XXX]. I cannot buy another car. I cannot afford to make payments at this stage in life. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

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 vehicle was driven to a nearby rest stop. The power train malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission had overheated. The vehicle was turned off to allow the transmission to cool down. The contact stated that occasionally while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was later taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission had been replaced thirteen months prior to the failure. The contact was informed that the transmission had a one-year warranty coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

I am submitting this complaint regarding the 10-speed automatic transmission in my 2020 Ford F-150 because I believe it presents a potential safety hazard. The transmission has exhibited harsh and unpredictable shifting, including hard upshifts, hard downshifts, delayed engagement when shifting into Drive or Reverse, and sudden jerking during acceleration and deceleration. The vehicle has also experienced hesitation followed by abrupt engagement, creating unsafe driving conditions, especially when entering traffic, making turns, or driving at highway speeds. These transmission problems have occurred repeatedly and have become more frequent over time. The unpredictable operation increases the risk of losing control of the vehicle or being involved in a crash due to delayed or unexpected acceleration. I have maintained the vehicle according to the manufacturer's recommended service schedule and have sought repairs. Despite these efforts, the transmission issues have persisted. The truck has 26k miles and I have only used it as daily transportation. I am aware that many owners of Ford vehicles equipped with the 10-speed automatic transmission have reported similar problems. Because these issues appear to be widespread and involve a critical safety-related component, I respectfully request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate these transmission failures to determine whether a safety defect exists and whether additional action is warranted. I believe this defect creates an unreasonable risk to vehicle occupants and the public, and I ask NHTSA to review this complaint as part of its ongoing evaluation of Ford's 10-speed automatic transmission.

Back in Jan 2025 I noticed oil consumption from 2020 F150 with the 5.0 engine. There is class action lawsuit against Ford currently for this problem they know they have. I informed my local dealer, that has always serviced my tuck on time over the years, that it was smoking. I have owned this truck since new in Sep 2020. It had roughly 33K miles on it when I first noticed it. The dealership started running consumption test on it under warranty at 36,370 miles. They changed the oil regular for the test and instructed me to drive it 1000 miles each time between changes. One change before they tried to fix it, it had consumed 5 quarts of oil. Ford says 1 quart per 10K miles is normal. They changed several motor parts when it was at 41,121 which took about a month. The problem got worse and I informed them and they again started testing it again and instructed me to drive it 1000 miles each time. They pushed the milage up and also ran it over on the warranty time frame and it has been at their location for over a month now, and Ford doesn't want to pay for a motor that only has 48,086 miles on it due to being out of warranty. They knew this problem existed and caused the warranty to laps and never fixed it. Now they are asking me to pay $11,598.42 for a new motor they knew was bad 15k miles before warranty went out. I am going through steps to make someone aware of this issue I'm currently dealing with. This motor has this problem, and they knew it and never fixed it and intentionally ran my warranty out so they would not have to cover it.

Engine shut off at 60mph on mountain road. No warning, noise or other indications. Warning appeared once engine shut down; instructed to stop and restart vehicle. All temps and pressures were in normal operating range at time of shut down. wrestled vehicle to a stop, towed home (midnight) and then towed to dealership next morning. Safety at risk with vehicle shutdown at 60mph, fortunately no traffic and shoulder was available. Motor is available at the dealership, has been inspected and diagnosed as complete engine failure, engine seized with no know/visible cause without extensive teardown.

CDF drum failure on transmission causing transmission to miss shifts, rough shifts, and caused catastrophic damage to transmission, at just over 100K miles. It was out of warranty, but considering the number of complaints surrounding this issue, this needs to be a recall, and there needs to be financial reparations made by Ford to vehicle owners who have experienced this issue, necessitating a transmission replacement. Totally unacceptable.

Driving on freeway 10 speed transmission failed - hard knock and jerk, almost got in an accident. Gears 6-9 dead. Apparently this 10-speed transmission is a known issue, with many technical service bulletins issued, class action lawsuits, and angry customers. Ford refuses to issue a recall and the NHTSA refused to hold them to account. Something is broken - how can Ford make such a known, terrible important component to a vehicle that fails regularly - yet get away with it? I thought the NHTSA was supposed to protect us from these unsafe vehicles?

The 10R80 transmission shifts extremely rough. For example, mine has 67,600 miles on it and has horrible shifting behavior in the lower gears (3,4 and 5) whether shifting up or down. This is a very common problem and Ford has yet to deal with it for recalls and improve safety. The fix is extremely expensive and needs to be addressed.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the radio was inoperable, and the audible alerts failed to operate as needed. The start-of-trip and seat belt chime failed to operate while the seat belt was unbuckled. Additionally, there was no chime while the key was in the ignition or while the door was opened. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed Audio Control Module (ACM) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,792.