In the U.S., multiple lawsuits have been filed in recent years revolving around the 10-speed automatic transmission present in a variety of Ford models. Each of those lawsuits claims that this gearbox reportedly has a tendency to exhibit harsh shifts, jerking, hesitation, and slipping gears. Thus far, Ford’s response to these alleged problems is to have dealers reprogram the powertrain control module, which forces the computer to re-learn its shift strategy. Regardless, a new Ford 10-speed automatic transmission lawsuit has now been filed in Canada.
According to Car Complaints, this new lawsuit – Lawrence Hine v. Ford Motor Company, et al – was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia by a plaintiff represented by Charney Lawyers Professional Corporation. It pertains to a variety of models including the 2018-present Ford Expedition and Ford Mustang, 2019-present Ford Ranger, 2017-present Ford F-150, and 2018-present Lincoln Navigator. The lawsuit comes on the heels of an investigation opened by Transport Canada after it received 11 complaints alleging a downshift problem in 2017-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with the 10R80 transmission.
This new lawsuit claims that the transmission present in the vehicles listed above exhibit problems that can accelerate clutch wear and other related components, eventually leading to transmission failure. It states that the issues stem from transmission gear oil or bearing grease contaminating the clutch, and it also claims that the transmission control modules controlling the gear shifts may have design defects present that can’t be fixed without a redesign.
In July and August 2023, we saw two similar lawsuits surface in the U.S. – one in Florida, and another in Alabama. Both are centered around the same issue, and claim that Ford refuses to replace these faulty 10-speed transmissions even though it allegedly knew about these problems years ago. In addition to reprogramming the powertrain control module, The Blue Oval has also issued technical service bulletins advising technicians to “overhaul the main control valve body and/or perform an adaptive learning drive cycle.”
Comments
Go for the electric drivetrain. No transmission, no problem, no lawsuit!
Wrong, there have been class action lawsuits against EVs, Mach E high voltage junction box, defective door handles where you can’t get in if the battery is dead.
I have a 2021 f150.
The transmission shifts really hard on my first drive of the day, shifting from first to second. It only does it once, when cold, and it’s fine the rest of the day! The problem is the bill I get when I take it to the dealer for “diagnosis”!
It just cost me $500 to have the wiring connector at rear brake replaced because it was setting off the Ebrake alarm! I’m not impressed…