Nearly 1.3 Million Ford F-150 Trucks Under Investigation
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a preliminary evaluation into approximately 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks spanning the 2015 to 2017 model years. The investigation stems from numerous complaints concerning unexpected gear downshifts, which can be accompanied by a temporary lock-up of the rear wheels.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it is opening a preliminary evaluation into some Ford F-150 pickup trucks from the 2015 to 2017 model years after receiving complaints from 138 consumers.
The NHTSA’s investigation was prompted by 138 consumer complaints. These complaints describe instances where the trucks unexpectedly shifted into lower gears while traveling at highway speeds, without any warning or driver input. This can lead to rapid deceleration of the vehicle.
NHTSA is assessing the issue, and might escalate the investigation to an engineering analysis, which could lead to a recall.
Ford has stated that they are cooperating with the NHTSA’s investigation, and the issue appears to be related to vehicles equipped with six-speed transmissions. However, Ford has not offered any comment on the potential impact to Canadian consumers. Transport Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One complaint filed in 2023, from an Ohio owner of a 2016 F-150, described how the truck automatically shifted from sixth gear to first gear while traveling at 70 miles per hour, leading to a frightening situation.
Some owners have also reported experiencing extended waits for replacement parts. Certain complaints also note incidents where the vehicle’s rear wheels would lock, seize, or skid during the downshift, potentially causing a loss of control. NHTSA has indicated that such occurrences could escalate the risk of a crash, though no such accidents or fires have been reported at this time.
The investigation marks the latest in a series of NHTSA probes regarding unexpected downshifting issues in the F-150. In June, Ford recalled 668,000 of its 2014 model year F-150 trucks over comparable reports, with Ford issuing another recall in 2016 for 153,000 F-150 vehicles from the 2011-2012 model years to address a similar downshift problem. Furthermore, in 2019 Ford expanded a previous recall to encompass 1.48 million F-150 trucks in North America, including vehicles from the 2013 model year.
