A longtime Toyota driver just took a serious stare at a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost and 102,000 miles. It drives well, has decent service records, sits on solid tires, and the price sneaks in under $19,000. He handles his own maintenance, so the 100,000-mile service list doesn’t scare him. What does is the fact that he’s not a natural-born Ford guy.

So, he took to r/f150 to ask the Ford fandom if the price matches the pony.

The tipping point comes fast

It all sounds great on paper, unless you know about this F-150’s 10-speed transmission.

Ford’s 10-speed automatic used on F-150s from 2017 through 2020 earned a reputation that still makes buyers pause.

Early versions struggle with harsh, sometimes unpredictable shifting. Many owners describe a sudden jolt or lurch during acceleration or when moving between lower gears.

At the heart of it is a known issue tied to the CDF drum bushing. When it wears out, the transmission can slip, delay shifts, or mistake which gear it should be in. That’s when you get the “clunk” when you shift from Park to Drive, or worse, an unexpected drop into neutral while moving.

The irony is that Ford didn’t ignore the problem

Technical service bulletins and software updates have been issued over the years, but plenty of drivers said those didn’t fully cure the behavior.

Hardware rewriting started in late 2022 with a redesigned drum and refined tuning. The updates helped, but reports of rough shifts still circulated into 2024.

Even some later 2021 through 2024 F-150 trucks landed in recall territory for transmission-related mishaps, including rollaway risk from failing to hold gear selection.

In day-to-day use, the signs are easy to spot. If the truck jerks between third and fourth under light acceleration, delays movement after shifting, or occasionally drops power during a turn, that’s likely part of the same story.

Look, the 2.7-liter EcoBoost is generally solid, but it doesn’t get an automatic “pass” if it’s bolted to the problematic iteration of the gearbox.

A few commenters calm him down, saying the price isn’t unreasonable and plenty of owners never see transmission trouble

But then someone points out the elephant parked next to that EcoBoost: “At that price…. Would be willing to bet trans hasn’t been touched. Budget $7-8k for a reman trans rip and replace at the ford house.”

Another doubles down: “100%. Probably why it was for sale. That tranny is on its way out the door; main reason why everyone says avoid this year.”

One user claims the 10-speed is fine and warns instead about the IWE system. That’s Ford’s vacuum-actuated front hub setup, which they say they’ve replaced three times in 10,000 miles.

Someone else brings balance: “there are hundreds of thousands of F-150s on the road with no drama at all.”

But the damage is done.

Toyota Guy responds that he’s probably reverting to his original plan: a first-gen Tundra. He never left Toyota, he just likes the way Ford trucks look.

And honestly, it’s hard to blame him.

Ford loyalty runs deep, but so does reliability anxiety

If you’re stepping outside a brand known for consistency, it helps to land on a model year with proven dependability.

In his price bracket, a 2017 with a 6-speed might be a better bet, although those had problems too. Still, Redditors say that it spends more time in gear and less time “hunting” like the 10-speed. One called it “bulletproof” compared to the 10.

The draw of a sharp-looking F-150 is real. So is the value of sleeping well after writing the check

If a truck from this window drives smooth during a thorough test and shifts are consistently crisp, it could still be a good buy with proper maintenance history.

But if someone is crossing over from a brand built on reliable longevity, stepping into a model year saddled with widely documented transmission complaints is a tough sell, especially without confirmation that fixes have been applied.

This is why researching a specific VIN matters. A little homework can separate a smart gamble from inheriting someone else’s headache.

By the way, the F-150 pictured above isn’t an XLT; it’s a 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew Hennessey VelociRaptor 600 that sold for $54k in August.