Ford Transmissions
Overview
Injury: Defective and dangerous 10R80 transmissions
Defendant: Ford Motor Company
Practice: Class Action
Latest Update: February 2026 – IL judge denies Ford’s motions and allows consumers’ experts to testify. An Illinois federal judge has ruled on motions related to excluding the plaintiffs’ and Ford’s experts. Judge Jeffrey Cummings granted the plaintiffs’ request to exclude one of Ford’s technical experts and denied the other motions concerning both sides’ technical and warranty experts, either partly or in their entirety. The plaintiffs are waiting on a ruling on their motion for class certification.
Case Team
PARTNER
Mark R. Miller
LEAD ATTORNEY
Matthew J. Goldstein
ATTORNEY
Julia Ozello
CONTACT PARALEGAL
Monica Raatz
PARALEGAL
Gabriela Lopez
CONTACT LEGAL ASSISTANT
Susane Marangoni Molina
Can Wallace Miller help me with my claim?
Wallace Miller is not currently accepting Ford cases. However, that does not mean you don’t have a legal claim. We recommend searching for attorneys and law firms that focus on these types of lawsuits.
Online directories like FindLaw or Martindale can help with finding qualified legal professionals, or you can contact your local Bar Association for help in your area.
Ford Transmissions Lawsuit in Chicago
Wallace Miller is pursuing class action litigation against Ford Motor Company alleging that their 10R80 transmissions are defective and dangerous. Plaintiffs claim that these 10-speed automatic transmissions, which were installed in various Ford cars and trucks in the 2017 model year and afterwards, had design or manufacturing defects that made these vehicles faulty and unsafe to drive.
The Wallace Miller team is utilizing our knowledge of state courts and decades of collective experience to help individuals work towards a settlement.
Injury
What you need to know about the lawsuit
Plaintiffs across the country allege that Ford sold and leased thousands of vehicles with defective automatic transmissions. The 10R80 Ford transmission was first introduced in model year 2017 vehicles including Ford Expeditions, Mustangs, Rangers, F-150s, Transits, and Lincoln Navigators.
Car owners and operators claim that the faulty transmission has led to a number of serious problems, including harsh and jerky shifting. They allege that these risks can pose hazards to drivers while on the road, leading to potentially life-threatening situations.
The lawsuit claims that Ford customers began reporting issues to the company shortly after the new transmission was introduced. Although dozens of complaints have been sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between 2017 and 2024 raising safety concerns, and Ford itself has issued numerous Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) attempting to address the issue, Ford has refused to replace or repair the defective transmissions, publicly claiming the shifting issues are normal.
“Automatic Transmission” by vestman is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Plaintiff & Defendant
Understanding the case
Ford Motor Company, the defendant in the ongoing class actions, is a publicly traded company that operates throughout the U.S. and internationally. It sells vehicles through authorized dealerships and sets dealership policies on repairs, warranties, and services provided.
The lawsuit has been brought by people who purchased or leased cars and trucks with a Ford 10R80 transmission. Ford has claimed that their 10R80 transmissions, installed in vehicles of model year 2017 or newer, deliver high-quality performance and smooth shifting. Instead, owners of these vehicles allege that the company sold vehicles with design and/or manufacturing defects leading to problems including erratic shifting and gear slipping.
Plaintiffs claim that Ford either knew or should have known of the potentially dangerous shifting problems and that the company misrepresented or actively concealed the defect from its consumers. Members of the class action lawsuit are asking for a jury trial, injunctive relief, and damages for replacement or expensive repairs to faulty models and for risks to consumer safety.
Landscape
Why are issues with transmission dangerous?
In basic terms, a car or truck’s transmission is its gearbox (somewhat similar to the gears on a bicycle). It converts engine power to momentum and controls how much power is delivered to the car. The transmission makes it possible for the car to accelerate, maintain speed, and decelerate reliably—and it prevents the engine from overheating or shaking itself to pieces.
In vehicles with a manual transmission, drivers use the clutch to change gears according to speed and road conditions. First developed by General Motors in the 1930s, cars and trucks with automatic transmissions like the 10R80 transmission conduct that process automatically, reducing driver involvement and potential for error.
Ford first installed the 10R80 10-speed transmission in model year 2017 vehicles that went on the market in late 2016. Shortly after its release, drivers began experiencing serious issues with gear shifting. In numerous complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers reported transmission problems that caused their vehicles to surge, hesitate, jerk, lunge, and slip gears. Although Ford released a number of technical service bulletins to attempt to correct the issue, it has still not admitted that there is a design or manufacturing problem with the transmission.
Drivers and operators of Ford vehicles with the 10R80 transmission claim that they would not have purchased these vehicles had they known about the issues. Ford Motors assured them that they were purchasing or leasing a high-quality car or truck—but instead, drivers found themselves dealing with harsh and faulty gear-shifting and an increased risk of accidents.
The lawsuit’s legal framework
Plaintiffs in the Ford transmission lawsuit are bringing their claims under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, breach of warranty principles, consumer protection statutes, and various other state laws. These laws were written to protect consumers from harmful business practices and ensure that the terms of warranties are held up fairly.
Consumers say that they would not have bought or leased their Ford vehicles (or would have paid less for them) had they known about the problems with the transmission.
Timeline
February 2026
February 2026 – IL judge denies Ford’s motions and allows consumers’ experts to testify.
An Illinois federal judge has ruled on motions related to excluding the plaintiffs’ and Ford’s experts. Judge Jeffrey Cummings granted the plaintiffs’ request to exclude one of Ford’s technical experts and denied the other motions concerning both sides’ technical and warranty experts, either partly or in their entirety. The plaintiffs are waiting on a ruling on their motion for class certification.
March 2025
Illinois federal judge rules that MMWA claims against Ford will be allowed to continue.
An Illinois federal judge ruled that plaintiffs’ Magnuson Moss Warranty Act (MMWA) claims against Ford will be allowed to continue, rejecting the corporation’s bid to dismiss the claims for lack of jurisdiction. Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled that plaintiffs’ MMWA claims were subject to federal court jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) and could proceed alongside their other claims despite the MMWA’s separate jurisdictional provisions requiring at least 100 named plaintiffs for such a claim to continue.
Drivers in the lawsuit against Ford moved to certify a class action in September 2024.
October 2024
The motion for class certification is pending in the Northern District of Illinois.
The plaintiffs’ motion for class certification is currently pending in the Northern District of Illinois. In the District of Massachusetts, plaintiffs have filed a consolidated complaint and are beginning the discovery process. Meanwhile, plaintiffs’ counsel in the Eastern District of Virginia are moving into the expert discovery phase.
November 2020
Class action continues despite some dismissed claims in Illinois.
A decision in the Northern District of Illinois has dismissed some claims, but the class action lawsuit continues with more limited parameters.
2019
Lawsuit in Illinois asserts that Ford sold vehicles with defective transmissions.
A lawsuit filed in Illinois is the first to assert that Ford manufactured, sold, and distributed vehicles with defective transmissions.
2017-2024
More than 60 complaints have been made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration related to issues with the Ford transmission
2017-2019
Plaintiffs allege that several models of Ford vehicles released in model years 2017-2019 include a faulty powershift transmission that can pose serious risks to driver safety.
