FORD F-150 TRANSMISSION FAQ

WHAT ARE THE FORD F-150 TRANSMISSION LAWSUITS?

These three lawsuits allege that the Ford 10-speed transmission problems cause “life threatening” problems in 2017–Present Ford F-150 trucks.

Marino v. Ford

Robert Marino leased a 2019 Ford F-150 Sport with a 10-speed transmission. Two months after leasing, he noticed a loud “clunk” or “bang” noise upon starting the engine. While driving, he experienced slipping or jerking when changing gears. As a result, the dealership updated the transmission software, but Marino alleged that the transmission problems persisted.

Orndorff v. Ford

Victor M. Orndorff purchased a 2018 Ford F-150 Super Cab with a 10R80 10-speed transmission. After driving 6,000 miles, Orndoff allegedly noticed a loud “clanking” noise in what would be the start of many 10R80 transmission problems to come. “Rough” gear shifting and unusually long shift times made the vehicle “decelerate in an unsafe manner.” Even so, the dealership allegedly told him there was “no fix for the transmission issues”. Moreover, they stated that all F-150 pickup trucks with Ford 10 speed transmission problems showed the “clank” or “bang” noise and gear shifting problems.

O’Connor v. Ford

Justin O’Connor leased a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT 3.5 EcoBoost with 10R80 10-speed transmission. After 5 months with roughly 6,000 miles on the vehicle, O’Connor heard a loud “clunk” or “bang” upon starting the engine. O’Connor also claimed that his vehicle experienced longer gear shifting times and a loss of power while shifting. The Ford transmission problems put O’Connor at risk of getting rear-ended. Though certain allegations about warranty claims and deceptive trade practices were dismissed, this class action lawsuit is otherwise going forward.

In short: The Ford transmission settlement update 2022 shows that three lawsuits claim that Ford F-150 trucks show loud “clanking” while starting the engine, longer gear shifting times and other gear shifting problems. Furthermore, it shows that the dealership could not provide a permanent fix to the F-150 10-speed transmission issues, coupled with the claims that the automatic transmission stopped working while driving. So far, these lawsuits have not reached settlement.

WHICH FORD VEHICLES ARE AFFECTED?

Those lawsuits represent owners of 2017–Present Ford F-150 trucks with 10R80 automatic transmissions. The Ford 10 speed transmission reliability remains in question.

However, Ford F-150 10-speed transmission problems may also affect these vehicles: 2017–2024 Ford F-150, 2018–2024 Ford Mustang, 2018–2024 Lincoln Navigator, 2019–2024 Ford Ranger, and 2020–2024 Ford Expedition

The three class action lawsuits don’t include Ford Rangers, Ford Mustangs, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. Nonetheless, these affected vehicles with 10-speed transmissions may also have hard shifting, delayed shifting, jerking and acceleration problems.

Read the complaints regarding Ford F-150 transmission problems, Ford Ranger transmission issues and Ford Expedition transmission defects, all of which are featured on our blog.

WHAT POTENTIAL COMPENSATION CAN I EXPECT IF I’M HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY FORD TRANSMISSION?

If you are experiencing problems with your Ford transmission and your Ford dealership cannot or will not repair your vehicle to conform to warranty, you may be able to acquire a replacement vehicle or a vehicle buyback.

The amount of money that people can win as part of their vehicle buybacks can be calculated using the Lemon Law Buyback Calculation. In general, you can win back the total amount paid or payable to your vehicle, any out-of-pocket expenses you had to pay (rental costs, towing, transportation, etc.) and expenses related to your vehicle purchase (sales tax, registration fees, etc.).

However, a small deduction called a “Mileage Offset” can be taken off your vehicle buyback, depending on how many miles you were able to drive before your defect became apparent.

In many cases, our lemon law clients win even more than the monetary amount of their vehicle buybacks. When Ford willfully violates the California Lemon Law, you may be able to win additional money called civil penalties, which can go up to twice the original vehicle buyback amount. This is why it’s often a good idea for Ford lemon owners and lessees to pursue a lemon law claim.

Below is a table demonstrating an estimated range of lemon law settlements, assuming that your vehicle has a minimal mileage offset. This table assumes that the “total amount paid or payable” is roughly equal to a vehicle’s MSRP. However, realistically the total amount paid or payable will be somewhat higher than the base MSRP for your vehicle model.

Please keep in mind that these are estimates only, and that these outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH FORD’S 10-SPEED TRANSMISSION?

A potential manufacturing defect may be responsible for the 10-speed transmission problems happening in many Ford vehicles.

Based on what other drivers report, here are the signs that your Ford’s 10-speed transmission might be defective:

•   Wrench light is on
•   Clunking or banging noise when starting the engine
•   Rough, harsh or erratic shifting
•   Hesitation between gears
•   Gear slipping
•   Gear getting stuck while shifting
•   Jerking or lunging
•   Loss of power while driving

According to a 2021 F-150 truck Ford 10 speed transmission recall, the vehicles falsely sense that the transmission fluid pressure is too low and respond by shifting into Neutral. However, owners say the proposed fix (a transmission software update) doesn’t fix the transmission issue.

DID FORD FIX ITS 10-SPEED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS?

No, Ford hasn’t fixed its transmission problems. Ford refuses to repair or replace the 10-speed transmissions.

What Ford tells consumers contradicts what Ford tells its dealerships. Drivers have reported that Ford told them the unusual gear shifting is “normal” for their vehicle models. However, dealerships were told that 2017–2018 Ford F-150 trucks show harsh, bumpy shifting and other gear engagement problems. Albeit this can be found in “technical service bulletins,” or internal documents that auto manufacturers send to their dealerships regarding different vehicle problems.

The technical service bulletins for these Ford F-150 transmission problems told dealers to reprogram the powertrain control module. These documents claimed that the “adaptive transmission shift strategy” could cause “firmer than normal shifting” when it was relearning the 10-speed transmission’s parameters. However, these suggested “fixes” allegedly do not fix the Ford F-150 10-speed transmission problems.

Ford recalled more than 47,000 trucks with year 2021 Ford F150 transmission problems, all with 10R80 (10-speed automatic) transmissions. According to the recall, problems with the transmission’s software could cause the transmission to go suddenly into Neutral. However, the recall does not include all vehicles with the faulty 10R80 transmissions and its fix does not solve the 10-speed transmission shifting issues.

WHAT SHOULD OWNERS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES DO?

If you own or lease one of the affected Ford vehicles and notice recurring problems with its transmission system, you can take the following steps in order to either 1) resolve your vehicle problems or 2) get financial compensation for any issues that your auto manufacturer was either unwilling or unable to resolve.

1. Check Your Ford Vehicle’s Symptoms: Does your vehicle exhibit common Ford F-150 10-speed transmission issues such as harsh shifting, unexpected gear changes, overheating or even losing power? If so, your Ford truck might be a lemon. To check your vehicle defects with common issues arising in the past year, review the Top Lemon Problems in 2023 Ford F-150.

2. Document Everything: Note the time and mileage you notice your Ford transmission issues surfacing. If you’ve taken your vehicle to a dealership or a repair facility, you should have received “repair orders” or “work orders,” which show the vehicle issues you reported and the repairs performed. They are crucial to a lemon law claim.

3. Seek Dealer Assessment: If you have not visited your dealership for repairs during the warranty period, please do so. Without any documented repair visits, it is highly unlikely that you will get any potential recovery for your vehicle.

4. Stay Informed on Recalls: There is a good chance you’re not the only one experiencing the vehicle defect. Lots of owners of your vehicle model or other models in the same lineup are experiencing similar issues with transmission malfunction. To get insight on how common your vehicle issue is, stay on top of recalls, manufacturer communications, technical service bulletins, common complaints and NHTSA investigations. The easiest way to keep up to date is to visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website and search for your vehicle model.

5. Get a Free Case Review with a Lemon Law Attorney: Every lemon law claim is unique. However, what’s essential to the success of each case is that the vehicle owner knows their rights. A lemon law attorney can inform you of your legal options and give you a basic expectation of compensation from your manufacturer when you file a lemon law claim in California. Call us at 877-217-7676 or complete our form at the bottom of this page to sign up for a free case review on your Ford F-150 transmission issues.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PURSUING AN INDIVIDUAL LEMON LAW CLAIM?

The key difference between an individual lemon law claim and a class action lawsuit is that, while the class action lawsuit represents multiple plaintiffs with similar claims, a lemon law claim allows you to sue the manufacturer for issues specific to your situation and maximize the compensation you can get for your Ford 10-speed transmission problems.

A class action lawsuit requires the legal strategy to work in the interests of a large group, which may mean some of your claims are sacrificed for the success of the case. When a settlement is reached, you may only get a piecemeal portion of it.

With Ford, we are often successful at proving fraud and/or willful violation of the California Lemon Law, which often results in higher payouts for our clients. For example, we have gotten the following rewards from Ford:

•   Donovan L. v Ford: $165,000 for 2022 Ford F-150 transmission problems
•   Martha M.A. and Pedro A. v. Ford: $52,741 for a 2020 Ford Mustang worth $46,964

If you pursue an individual lemon law claim, you may be able to get much higher compensation for your defective Ford vehicle. Many of our clients have successfully acquired vehicle buybacks and then additional compensation.