NHTSA complaint #11763427

Owner complaint summary

My 2019 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost with the 10-speed 10R80 transmission has developed severe shifting and acceleration problems that create a safety risk. The transmission frequently appears to skip 2nd gear and bangs very hard into 3rd. This 1st-to-3rd harsh shift is persistent and does not go away after the truck warms up. I also experience delayed shifts including 3rd-4th, 6th-7th, 8th-9th and sometimes 9th-10th. Downshifts into 4th can also cause a hard bang. More concerning, the truck intermittently hesitates and loses forward momentum when accelerating. This happens with light, moderate or heavy throttle. It commonly occurs during the first 3-4 miles but can happen with a cold or warm start. It can also return after the truck has been driven, parked briefly, and restarted. This creates a serious crash risk when I pull onto a main road or merge onto a highway. After I commit to entering traffic, the truck can hesitate and lose momentum instead of accelerating. I must wait for an unusually large gap in traffic because I cannot predict whether the truck will accelerate normally. I regularly have my two young children in the vehicle and no longer feel safe driving it. There are no warning lights. An independent mechanic found the transmission fluid low and topped it off. The PCM/TCM programming was also updated. Neither corrected the problem. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Ford for this condition and is available for inspection. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this as a potential safety defect because the unpredictable loss of acceleration while entering or merging with moving traffic creates a risk of collision. The hesitation can occur without warning after I have already entered moving traffic, leaving little opportunity to avoid an approaching vehicle. I believe the unpredictable loss of acceleration creates an immediate risk of a side-impact or rear-end collision.