The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks in the United States following reports of unexpected gear downshifts.
NHTSA announced Monday it is initiating a preliminary evaluation of Ford F-150 trucks from the 2015 to 2017 model years. The investigation follows 138 consumer complaints.
These complaints allege unexpected transmission downshifts to lower gears at highway speeds, without warning or driver input, leading to rapid deceleration.
Ford has stated they are cooperating with NHTSA’s investigation, confirming it concerns vehicles equipped with six-speed transmissions. Ford did not immediately respond to CBC News’s inquiry about the impact on Canadian consumers, and Transport Canada has not yet issued a statement.
If NHTSA moves beyond the preliminary evaluation, an engineering analysis could follow. This might lead to a recall.
One 2023 complaint from an Ohio F-150 owner described the truck unexpectedly shifting from sixth to first gear at 70 mph, causing a dangerous situation. Many owners have reported lengthy waits for replacement parts.
Some complaints noted the vehicle’s rear wheels would temporarily lock or skid during the downshift, potentially resulting in loss of control. NHTSA has stated that while there have been no reported crashes or fires, this could increase the risk of accidents.
This is the latest in a series of NHTSA investigations into F-150 unexpected downshifting. In June, Ford recalled 668,000 2014 model year F-150 trucks. That recall was prompted by similar reports of unexpected downshifts, which could cause a loss of control or rear-wheel lock-up.
In 2016, Ford recalled 153,000 2011-2012 Ford F-150 vehicles to address the downshift issue.
NHTSA initiated a probe into the issue in December 2017. In 2019, Ford expanded its recall to include 1.48 million F-150 trucks in North America, including 2013 models. Ford subsequently recalled 107,000 2013 F-150 vehicles due to a problem with the initial repair.
Recently, Ford was penalized $165 million by NHTSA for failing to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras in a timely manner.
