Federal safety regulators are investigating a potential issue affecting nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks after receiving more than 100 consumer complaints about transmission shifting to a lower gear without warning.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday that regulators have received 138 complaints about F-150 vehicles in model years 2015-2017 regarding an unrequested transmission downshift that allegedly causes the vehicle to decelerate rapidly.
Some of the complaints also allege the spontaneous downshift causes their rear wheels to temporarily lock, seize or skid increasing the risk for crash and injury, the NHTSA reported.
The probe is specific to 2015-2017 F-150 vehicles with 6-speed transmission, according to Ford Motor Company spokesperson Maria Buczkowski, who told USA TODAY the auto manufacturer is “working with the agency to support its investigation.”
The NHTSA said a preliminary evaluation is currently underway into the issue that will determine whether the “scope and severity” of the safety issues warrant an official recall.
Ford-150 pickup trucks are displayed for sale at a dealership on March 24, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Other Ford vehicles recalled over backup camera issue, faulty fixes
The investigation comes as the company recalled nearly 50,000 vehicles Ford and Lincoln vehicles due to a possible backup camera that was improperly repaired under a previous recall. The backup camera video output may fail in 2020-2023 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators as well as 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsairs, according to the NHTSA.
Ford also issued two recalls after incorrect fixes to previous recalls. Nearly 13,000 vehicles from the 2021 to 2024 Bronco Sport and 2022 to 2023 Maverick may have body and power train control modules that may possibly fail to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge.
More than 2,250 are recalled due to incorrectly repaired 2021-2022 Edge vehicles that may cause the rearview camera to display a blank or distorted image while in reverse, according to the NHTSA.
Dealers must update the software without charge and mail notification letters by April 24. Read more about these official recalls here.
Contributing: James Powel
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ford F-150 trucks under investigation for possible transmission issue
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