Transmission is trouble

FORD F-150 10-SPEED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS CAUSE LAWSUIT

JANUARY 19, 2020 — Ford F-150 10-speed transmission problems have caused a lawsuit which alleges truck occupants can suffer whiplash because of how hard and erratically the the transmissions shift.

The Ford F-150 10-speed transmission class action lawsuit includes any consumer in Pennsylvania who formerly or currently owns or leases a 2017-2020 Ford F-150 truck equipped with a 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Ford F-150 owner who sued says he purchased a 2018 F-150 SuperCab in September 2018 when the truck had 10 miles on the odometer. The plaintiff says by 6,000 miles the F-150 was making a loud clanking noise from the 10-speed transmission, causing rough shifting and shift times much too long.

The lawsuit alleges the transmission caused the F-150 to decelerate and created safety hazards while driving.

The truck was brought to a Ford dealer where technicians were allegedly told about the problems with the 10-speed transmission. The plaintiff says the truck should have been repaired under warranty, but technicians allegedly said there was no fix because all F-150 trucks with 10-speed transmissions made the same noise.

In addition, the plaintiff claims he was told the alleged slipping and jerking was normal for 10R80 transmissions.

The plaintiff claims Ford knew or should have known about the alleged transmission problems that cause hard shifting, jerking, lunging and hesitation between gears.

The class action makes reference to a 2019 Ford recall of about 1.5 million 2011-2013 F-150 trucks equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions. The recall was issued because the trucks could suddenly downshift into first gear, a problem blamed on a loss of signal from the transmission output speed sensor to the powertrain control module.

According to the lawsuit, the 2017-2020 F-150s are infected with the same defects which Ford allegedly refuses to acknowledge.

The class action also alleges Ford issued at least two technical service bulletins (TSBs) concerning transmissions with harsh shifting. The TSBs said 2017-2018 F-150 trucks "may exhibit harsh/bumpy upshift, downshift and/or engagement concems."

According to the bulletins:

The trucks were "equipped with an adaptive transmission shift strategy which allows the vehicle's computer to learn the transmission's unique parameters and improve shift quality. When the adaptive strategy is reset, the computer will begin a re-learning process. This re-learning process may result in firmer than normal upshifts and downshifts for several days."

Dealerships were told to reprogram the powertrain control modules.

According to the lawsuit, Ford has not recalled the vehicles to repair the 10-speed transmissions and hasn't offered to reimburse owners and lessees who paid money for related transmission problems.

The plaintiff says Ford should pay damages to all affected customers and order a recall to repair the alleged 10-speed transmission defects.

The Ford F-150 10-speed transmission class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Orndorff, et al., v. Ford Motor Company.

The plaintiff is represented by Greg Coleman Law, the Carlson Law Firm, and Brent Coon & Associates.