California Lemon Law News + Info

Ford 10R80 Lawsuit Results In $165,000 Lemon Law Settlement Offer

The 10R80 transmission issues in our client’s 2022 Ford F-150 were so severe that he worried it would give out at any moment while driving. In a recent lemon law case revealing the depths of Ford’s 10-speed transmission problems, our client received a settlement offer of $165,000 – more than twice what he paid for the truck.

Donovan Langford, represented by Roger Kirnos and Armando Lopez, purchased a new 2022 Ford F-150 in February 2022 for a total sales price of $65,404.75. Throughout his ownership of his vehicle, our client experienced common Ford 10R80 transmission defects including gear slipping, lurching and total loss of power. These defects would culminate in complete transmission failure, but not until after several failures to repair the vehicle within a reasonable number of attempts.

Ford F-150 Lemon Case Timeline

In December 2022, Langford reported that while stopped or idling, his truck often felt like it was shifting gears. This issue persisted for several months. On July 5, 2023, Langford took his vehicle to the dealership. He reported that his transmission slips in all gears and, when at a stop, it lurches forward and makes noise.

During the repair, the technicians found that seals for various components were damaged, and some transmission parts showed evidence of grinding.

Three months later, Langford brought his truck in for a routine maintenance repair. Technicians noticed the gear shifting issues in his truck but, due to a lack of parts, Langford had to wait a week for his vehicle to be repaired. After the repair, Langford lived with the fear that his worsening transmission issues would make his truck give out at any moment.

In November 2023, Langford’s Ford F-150 truck lost power. He took his truck to the dealership to address an open recall and other vehicle issues. Though the dealership kept the truck for an entire week, Langford said his vehicle continued to have recurring issues.

In January 2024, Langford was driving his truck to Las Vegas when his transmission failed on him completely. When he had the chance to look under the hood, he noticed that transmission fluid coated the engine and that his truck was emitting black smoke.

When he took his truck back to the dealership in the town where he lives, he was told that his transmission pump had given out. It took his dealership a month to get the parts needed to repair the truck.

In total, his vehicle was at the dealership for about two months.

Do You Have Ford 10R80 Transmission Issues?

If your authorized Ford dealership or repair facility cannot repair your Ford vehicle within a reasonable number of repair attempts, your vehicle may be a lemon. California lemon owners are entitled to recover a vehicle replacement or a “lemon law buyback,” the latter of which is determined by what you have paid for your vehicle, minus a mileage-based offset.

However, if the manufacturer was found to have willfully violated your rights under the California Lemon Law, you may also be able to recover an amount in “civil penalties.” These penalties can be up to twice the amount of your vehicle’s purchase price, allowing some lemon owners to recover up to three times the approximate cost of their vehicle in total.

Get a free case review with our Ford lemon law attorneys about your 10R80 transmission issues by calling 833-208-8181 or filling out our lemon law consultation form below.


Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2017–Present vehicle models only.

However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.

To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.

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