New Lawsuit Targets Ford’s 10-Speed Automatic Transmission

The suit cites a number of vehicles released since 2017

Ford Ranger
A Ford Ranger Stormtrak displayed at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images

In model year 2017, Ford Motor Company began using a 10-speed transmission, the 10R80, in a growing number of its vehicles. Now, a new class action lawsuit argues that this technology is inherently flawed — and that the time is right for the manufacturer in question to issue a recall.

That’s one of the biggest takeaways from Jalopnik’s article on the suit, which was filed in mid-April in Massachusetts. To read McCabe v. Ford Motor Company is to see a litany of issues with this particular transmission, with the plaintiff arguing that this case is a literal manner of life and death. “A common design and/or manufacturing defect in Ford’s 10R80 transmissions is a potentially life-threatening safety issue, and Ford has refused to recall or replace the defective Transmissions,” the lawsuit states.

As Jalopnik’s Lalita Chemello notes, this is not the first lawsuit to address issues with the 10R80 transmission — just the latest in a series that have addressed drivers’ issues with the technology.

McCabe v. Ford Motor Company argues that these issues include “[shifting] harshly and erratically, causing the vehicle to jerk, lunge, clunk, and hesitate between gears. Some consumers have even reported experiencing a sudden loss of power while driving their vehicle.”

The lawsuit cites a number of Ford models — including the Ranger, Expedition, F-150 and Mustang — as well as the Lincoln Navigator. What’s less clear is how this will shake out — though if you own one of the vehicles cited in the suit, it might make sense to keep an eye on this, lest the suit result in a recall.

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