Ford F-150 Trucks Face U.S. Investigation Over Gear Shift Concerns
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a preliminary evaluation into nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks from the 2015 to 2017 model years. The investigation follows reports of unexpected gear downshifts, which have prompted 138 consumer complaints.
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.
Consumers have reported that the trucks experienced unexpected transmission downshifts to lower gears while traveling at highway speeds, without any warning or driver input. These downshifts were reportedly followed by a rapid deceleration of the vehicle, which has raised safety concerns.
A Ford spokesperson stated that the company is “working with NHTSA to support its investigation.” The spokesperson also noted that the issue appears to be related to vehicles equipped with six-speed transmissions. Ford has not issued a comment on the impact of the investigation on Canadian consumers.
Further issues have been reported, with some owners describing that the vehicles’ rear wheels would temporarily lock, seize, or skid during the downshift. NHTSA has stated that these issues could potentially lead to an elevated risk of a crash, though there have been no reported crashes or fires associated with this issue.
NHTSA will first conduct a preliminary evaluation to gauge the severity of the issue. It will then decide whether to escalate the investigation to an engineering analysis, which could potentially lead to a recall of the affected vehicles.
This is not the first time Ford F-150 trucks have been subject to an NHTSA investigation relating to unexpected downshifts. In June, a recall was issued for 668,000 2014 model year F-150 trucks due to similar reports of the vehicles unexpectedly shifting, leading to loss of control or rear-wheel lock-up.
In 2016, Ford recalled 153,000 2011-2012 Ford F-150 vehicles equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions to address a similar downshift problem.
The investigation is ongoing, and the outcome could potentially impact a significant number of F-150 owners in the United States. CBC News has reached out to Transport Canada for comment regarding the potential impact on Canadian consumers; however, there has been no response as of yet.
