A lawsuit has been brought against Ford in Canada owing to, according to claimant Charney Lawyers, “significant operational issues” with the 10-speed automatic gearbox fitted to Ford’s F-150 pick-up truck, among other models.
The class-action lawsuit was submitted in Vancouver against both the Ford Motor Company and the Ford Motor Company of Canada following reports that the 10-speed transmission – specifically the ’10 R80’ variant – is prone to “unintended lunging” and, in some instances, upshifts and/or downshifts that have “not been initiated by the driver.” These are two of five specific issues to have been flagged specifically by Canadian residents who own or lease select Ford models.
Lawsuit Affects F-150, Mustang, Ranger, And Lincoln Navigator; Ford “Inundated”
The legal action focuses specifically on examples of the Ford Expedition, the Ford Mustang, the Ford Ranger, the Ford F-150, and the Lincoln Navigator built between 2017 and 2018, specifically those models equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission. Specific complaints include:
- Unintended lunging when shifting from park to drive.
- Shimmying and shuddering while in motion.
- Difficulty shifting gears.
- Premature wear of clutch plates and transmission components.
- Sudden gearshift that has not been initiated by the driver.
The genesis of this action apparently began when Ford Canada was “inundated” with complaints since the transmission’s introduction in 2017, though Ford Canada did apparently start investigating the issues after 11 customer complaints had been received.
Ironically, simulations during development stated that an excessively wide overall spread of ratios between the first and tenth gears would end up harming the transmission’s performance.
This legal action has since instigated an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, with the NHTSA claiming these issues could impact up to 1.3 million Ford vehicles currently on the roads. Particular focus is being paid to “unexpected downshifting incidents” on examples of the F-150 built between 2015 and 2017, though no particular details have been provided regarding the incidents themselves.
Further details regarding the Charney Lawyers legal action, and instructions on how to file a similar complaint, can be found here.
A Ford-General Motors Joint-Venture
Introduced in 2017, the 10-speed automatic transmissions, of which the ‘10 R80’ is one of seven variants, was a joint-venture between Ford and General Motors, with the Blue Oval taking the engineering lead. This followed similar co-development between the Blue Oval and the Bowtie – two of the 10 most iconic logos of all time, perhaps…? – on a nine-speed transverse automatic gearbox for front-wheel drive cars and crossovers that would eventually be used on the Chevrolet Blazer, the GMC Terrain and the Cadillac XT6, among other models.
Ironically, simulations during development stated that an excessively wide overall spread of ratios between the first and tenth gears would end up harming the transmission’s performance. As a result, the gear ratio of the 10-speed automatic is actually narrower than that on Porsche’s PDK seven-speed automatic on the Porsche Panamera and the nine-speed ZF on the Jeep Cherokee. Consequently, closer ratios helps keep the engine closer to peak power under acceleration, keeps the power transfer smoother, and also allowed the F-150 in particular to stay in top gear for longer periods of time on the highway.
Capable of controlling torque capacity of at least 650-pound-feet, Ford’s F-150 and the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 were among the first, high-profile models to boast the new ’10 R80’ variant of the 10-speed transmission, which would be introduced on the Mustang, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator one year later, and even the Ford Police Interceptor in 2019.
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