The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has officially reported around 1.3 million Ford F-150 trucks are under investigation over potential transmission issues. The administration has been receiving various complaints about the unexpected gear downshift that increases the chances of a crash. If you are someone who wants to know more about the investigation, this article is for you. It brings you everything you need to know about the Ford-150 investigation, which is underway, according to the NHTSA. The following article also includes information about other Ford vehicles that are recalled over various issues.
Ford-150 Investigation Underway: Complaints Surfacing Since 2023
A Ford-150 pickup truck owner from Ohio in 2023 filed a complaint that while he was driving 70 mph, the truck automatically shifted from the 6th gear to the 1st gear. He added that the downshift nearly threw him through the windshield. Many other Ford truck users also reported long delays in getting the replacement parts. Some users also complained about how the downshift leads the wheels of the truck to lock temporarily, seize, or skid. This leads to a loss of control over the vehicle and an increase in the chances of a potential crash. No crashes or fires have been reported as of yet.
Ford’s Response To The Complaints
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received around 138 complaints about the potential safety risks in the Ford-150 pickup trucks. According to the complaints filed, the gears of the trucks downshifted from gear 6 to gear 1 unexpectedly at high speeds. There is no driver input or warning causing the vehicle to actively decelerate. A spokesperson from Ford stated on Monday that it is working with NHTSA to support the investigation. A primary evaluation is underway to determine whether to update the probe to an engineering analysis before NHTSA could seek to require a recall.
Previous Recalls Of The Ford-150 Trucks
The investigation that is underway currently is not the only time such transmission issues are reported in the Ford-150 trucks. In June, the company also recalled over 668,000 2014 model-year Ford-150 trucks over similar complaints. The NHTSA opened the investigation in the month of March 2023 to determine whether the 2014 model trucks needed a recall. The company recalled over 153,000 2011-2012 Ford F-150 vehicles back in 2016 over similar issues as well. The administration opened a probe in the month of December 2017. The company also expanded its recall covering 1.48 million F-150 trucks in North America. It also recalled over 107,000 2013 F-150 vehicles due to an issue reported with the fix. The company also agreed to pay a civil penalty worth $165 million in November after NHTSA discovered it failed to recall vehicles with defective rearview cameras within time.
Ford-150 Investigation Underway: Other Vehicle Recalls
Ford also recently recalled around 50K Ford and Lincoln vehicles due to a backup camera issue. According to the reports from the NHTSA, backup camera video output in 2020-2023 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators, as well as 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsairs, may fail. The company also issued two other recalls after incorrect fixes to previous recalls. Around 13K 2021 to 2024, Bronco Sport, and 2022 to 2023, Maverick models may have body and power train control modules that may face a failure to detect a change in the 12-volt battery state of charge. Around 2,250 vehicles were also recalled due to incorrectly repaired 2021-2022 Edge vehicles. The review camera of these vehicles displayed a distorted or blank image while in reverse.
