2018 FORD TRANSIT Complaints

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was making an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle's differential of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with differential failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

I took my vehicle on for am oil change and the mechanic brought to my attention that the front subframe of the vehicle had serious rot and rust. This lower subframe ties the front control arms together and other structural components, which is concerning with how fast this component has degraded. When researching this online, this appears to be a common issue on 2015 and later Transit vans, to the point that an investigation was started towards a class action lawsuit. My vehicle is only 8 years and has 95,000 miles, quite young for this serious of an issue to be found. Ford should be held responsible and a safety recall should be issued as other manufacturers have had similar ones in recent years.

Component Affected: Service Brakes / ABS Module / Hydraulic Braking System Description of Safety Defect: There is an active, intermittent, catastrophic failure in the front braking system/ABS module causing the front brakes to completely lock up mid-transit while operating at high speeds (60+ MPH). First Incident (April 24, 2026): During operation on a busy interstate at over 60 MPH, the front braking system experienced a sudden, catastrophic thermal lock-up. This caused violent vehicle shuddering, extreme friction heat, and heavy, thick, acrid smoke. The vehicle was brought to a dealer shop for repair. Second Incident (April 29, 2026): Four days after delivery, the identical catastrophic brake lock-up recurred mid-transit, creating an immediate fire hazard due to friction heat and smoke. An independent repair facility diagnosed the failure and replaced the ABS module. Third Incident (June 4, 2026): The identical component failure recurred while traveling at over 60 MPH on Interstate 694 with a minor child in the vehicle. The front brakes fully locked up mid-transit, creating an immediate risk of a high-speed collision, severe thermal friction, and heavy burning odors, rendering the vehicle entirely un-roadworthy. Current Status: > The vehicle has sat grounded at a repair shop for 30 cumulative days out of 54 days of ownership due to the persistent re-locking of the front hydraulic braking system. The vehicle is unsafe to operate on public roads. No crash or fire occurred, but the failure poses an imminent thermal and collision hazard.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Ford Transit. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase the mileage was 64,000 and at the time when the fraud was discovered the mileage was 364,00.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

One tire locks up gradually and then completely preventing the vehicle from being driven and causing damage to the other tires. The inability to drive the vehicle on the open road is very dangerous. There are no warning lamps. The vehicle may seem sluggish to accelerate. After towing to a service station, the ABS module failed and this caused damage to the brake master cylinder which had to be replaced.

1- THE TURBO HAS FAILED TWICE 2- CURRENTLY The torque converter has failed. The mechanic has claimed this is a common problem and recommends a complete transmission replacement. This is available for inspection right now. The problem was suspected by Dealer but independent center diagnosed. The vehicle made a terrible hum as if it was going to explode. We had it cleaned and it made it stop for 10 miles, then it resumed.

Rear-view camera displayed on rear-view mirror quit working, creating a blind spot behind the vehicle. No accident has yet occurred, but the danger is there. The vehicle is available for inspection. Ford has issued a recall for this problem for this year, make, and model vehicle, but Ford says that the recall is not extended to vehicles like mine that were manufactured in a plant not covered by the initial recall #25V270, which has recently been extended. My vehicle has not been inspected by any third party, nor has the problem been confirmed by any local dealer, althought I have spoken to my local dealer, Sarasota Ford, twice about this issue. No warning lamps or messages have been displayed in my vehicle. The camera just goes to a blue screen, especially when the weather is warm or in the heat of the day.

In hot or humid conditions, the 8 inch center display flashes on and off intermittently. This failure makes the backup camera unusable, which is a safety problem. It also makes controlling the navigation or radio very difficult. The dealer has looked at this vehicle problem a few times in the last five years and has been unable to duplicate the problem. I cannot force this to occur at the dealership service department. Because the weather condition needed to duplicate this problem rarely occur near my home getting service for this is very difficult. Once the heat or humidity has subsided via using the air conditioning, the problem goes away after an hour or so.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-60 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally and was almost uncontrollable. The contact held the steering wheel tightly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the driveshaft coupling had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 480,000.