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All cars · Ford F-150 · Transmission

Ford F-150 transmission problems by year.

Worst years for transmission complaints per car sold: 2013 (1,160 complaints), 2011 (689 complaints), 2018 (930 complaints). Fewest since 2010: 2025, 2024, 2023.

Ford F-150
Photo shows a 2020 Ford F-150. MercurySable99, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.

20009610.9 per 100K sold200116818.4 per 100K sold2002698.5 per 100K sold2003688 per 100K sold200417919.1 per 100K sold200510812 per 100K sold2006364.5 per 100K sold2007436.2 per 100K sold20085911.4 per 100K sold2009256 per 100K sold201010119.1 per 100K sold2011689117.8 per 100K sold201254584.5 per 100K sold20131,160152 per 100K sold201437249.3 per 100K sold201536646.9 per 100K sold201651262.4 per 100K sold201749555.2 per 100K sold2018930102.3 per 100K sold201970378.4 per 100K sold202043054.6 per 100K sold202122731.3 per 100K sold202211918.2 per 100K sold20237910.5 per 100K sold2024395.1 per 100K sold2025141.7 per 100K sold

What owners describe

Hard or jerky shifting19%
Lost power while driving10%
Stuck in gear or limp mode9%
Slipping8%
Delay or hesitation8%
Transmission replaced5%

Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.

Transmission and power train recalls

  • 2025 2025

    The transmission valve body may have been machined incorrectly, which can cause reverse gear failure, or unexpected forward movement in reverse or neutral gear.

  • 2025 2025

    The rear axle hub bolt may fatigue and break, which can result in damage to the axle hub splines.

  • 2023 2023

    The transmission may contain a loose bolt which could prevent the transmission from engaging the park gear, although the gear shifter position may indicate that the vehicle has been shifted to "PARK.".

  • 2023 2023

    The front axle pinion may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to fracture.

  • 2023 2025

    The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

In owners' words

The truck shifts by itself into other gears at a stop. It also shifts by itself into first gear when I am going 25-35 mph.

2013 Ford F-150 owner · NHTSA complaint

Truck suddenly downshifts from 6th gear to 1st gear while driving 65mph. Speedometer goes to zero then bounces erratically.

2013 Ford F-150 owner · NHTSA complaint

Quick answers

Which Ford F-150 years have transmission problems?

By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst Ford F-150 years are 2013, 2011, 2018.

What are common Ford F-150 transmission problems?

Owners most often describe hard or jerky shifting, lost power while driving, stuck in gear or limp mode.

Which Ford F-150 years have the fewest transmission complaints?

Since 2010, the Ford F-150 years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2025, 2024, 2023.

See every problem, not just the transmission: Ford F-150 reliability by year. How we count

Updated

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