by - NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation turns attention to the Ford F-150.
- Some 2015-17 trucks exhibit unexpected gear shifts.
- Approximately 1.27 million trucks with a six-speed automatic transmission have come under the safety investigation.
The smartest modern automatic transmissions are so ingenious that they seem to know when to downshift even before you realize the need. But the F-150 makes gear changes at completely unnecessary moments, prompting regulators to open an investigation to look into a problem affecting nearly 1.3 million trucks.
The Federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is putting the 2015-2017 model year Ford F-150 under scrutiny after receiving 138 complaints from drivers who claim the trucks make unexpected and completely unnecessary gear shifts.
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Downshifts occur without warning and at road speeds, meaning they can be more than just confusing and irritating. Some drivers report that the shifting not only causes the truck to slow down but can lock the rear wheels. In bad weather, the effect could resemble even one of those slide-out panels used on driver training centers but be much less fun.
While the ODI report does not point to a specific transmission in this case, we know Ford introduced the 13th generation for the 2015 model year, but the manufacturer’s ten-speed automatic transmission did not appear on the truck until 2018. This suggests affected models are equipped with the older six-speed automatic transmission.
The preliminary evaluation by ODI includes 1,270,970 trucks covered by the preliminary investigation, which will explore the issue and determine whether a full-scale engineering analysis is necessary. If this happens and tests reveal defects in the transmission or its control unit, Ford may be forced to recall all these trucks. This won’t be a quick fix like Tesla with online updates; it will mean owners returning to dealers.
Earlier this month, Ford issued a recall of thousands of F-150 trucks due to a software issue impeding the proper functioning of electric or electrohydraulic brakes with trailers towed. The fix for the recall, which also affected the brand’s super trucks as well as the Maverick, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator, involves launching new software for the integrated trailer brake control module.
