The Ford F-150 has held the title of America’s best-selling vehicle for almost 50 years, with over 700,000 F-Series pickups sold in 2024 alone. When it comes to anything related to the F-150, it’s always a major event in the automotive world.
Recently, the NHTSA launched a significant safety investigation that could impact nearly 1.3 million F-150 pickups. The news follows just weeks after Ford announced five new recalls, ranging from backup camera issues to powertrain electric system problems and power windows concerns.
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These safety actions impact a range of models and model years.
Concerns Over F-150 Transmission Downshifting
The investigation focuses on 13th-generation F-150 models produced between 2015 and 2017 that are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission. The NHTSA has not specified which trim levels are affected.
Ford used the 6R80 transmission in nearly all F-150 models from 2015 to 2017. However, the 2017 F-150 Raptor featured a 10-speed automatic, which was then used in most models starting in 2018.
The NHTSA has received complaints from 138 Ford F-150 owners about sudden downshifts that resulted in rapid deceleration and, in some cases, caused the rear wheels to temporarily lock, leading to a loss of vehicle control. One report, found by Automotive News, detailed an incident where the truck unexpectedly dropped from sixth to first gear while traveling at 70 mph on the highway.
It’s important to note that this is a preliminary investigation, and Ford has not issued a recall for the vehicles at this time, nor have any crashes been reported. The initial evaluation may lead to an engineering analysis to identify a potential defect, which could result in a recall.
Ford’s 6-Speed Transmission Faces Issues Again
Ford also used the same six-speed automatic transmission in the previous 12th-generation F-150. In the 2010s, the company recalled nearly 1.5 million trucks from the 2011-13 model years to address a similar issue.
Additionally, in June 2024, Ford recalled around 668,000 2014 F-150s due to comparable complaints. These recalls identified the problem as software-related, with owners being instructed to visit dealers for a reprogramming of the powertrain control module.
How-To Geek’s Take
Safety recalls are fairly common, and Ford has already issued 25 recalls this year alone. This investigation is still in its early stages, and Ford has not yet determined if a recall is needed.
As of now, owners of 2015-17 F-150s don’t need to take any action. However, if a recall is eventually issued, owners should address the issue promptly.
If the issue leads to a recall, a software-related problem would be one of the more favorable outcomes for Ford. Repairing hardware on over a million trucks, especially a costly component like the transmission, could become very expensive very quickly.
Source: Automotive News
