— Ford F-150 transmissions downshift without warning, causing significant stress to drivers and occupants.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a federal investigation in March 2025 to determine what caused unintentional downshifts in 2015-2017 trucks.
Hundreds of Ford F-150 owners complained that their trucks’ transmissions suddenly downshifted while driving.
There had been recalls for the Ford F-150 in the past, but the problems persisted. Ford owners complained that the transmissions would suddenly downshift to first or second gear. The sudden downshifts typically reoccurred, and some F-150 owners say they have stopped driving their trucks.
Downshifting the transmission can cause the rear wheels to lock, and 43% of F-150 drivers who complained said the rear tires squealed or skidded. NHTSA also found that 114 customers complained about having to replace cast lead frames or valve body assemblies.
Making incidents even more dangerous, the F-150’s downshift caused drivers to temporarily lose control of their trucks.
According to the government, 2015-2016 F-150 trucks were equipped with 6R80 transmissions, while 2017 Ford F-150s were equipped with either the 6R80 transmission or the 10R80 transmission. However, the study was limited to 2015-2017 Ford F-150s with 6R80 transmissions.
NHTSA has upgraded its investigation after finding evidence of a possible second safety flaw, other than those associated with previous recalls.
The previous truck recalls were based on a situation involving signal loss from the output shaft speed sensor due to “degradation of electrical connections within the lead frame due to thermal cycling and vibration over extended periods of use, resulting in signal loss from the transmission range sensor (TRS).”
However, federal safety authorities have discovered that when the TRS experiences intermittent signal loss, it can result in a loss of vehicle direction while driving.
The 2015-2017 Ford F-150 downshift survey includes nearly 1.3 million trucks.
CarComplaints.com will update our website with the results of the NHTSA investigation into the F-150’s sudden downshift.
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