This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving at about 65-70mph. The yellow wrench light came on. My spedometer went to zero and my digital screen went blank. I exited the road and restarted the truck. Everything seemed to be operating properly so I got back on the road. I got back up to 65-70mph and then heard a loud bang from the engine and my back tires locked up. I was able to exit the highway safely and called a tow truck. 1. Powertrain, vehicle was repaired 25Mar25. No I do not have any of the old parts. Disposed of by dealership. 2. Easily could have caused an accident. I was very lucky. 3. Dealership confirmed the problem and installed new tech. Adaptive transmission system. 4. We paid cash. As there was no accident or injuries, no police report was necessary. 5. Yellow wrench light appeared on the instrument display, then spedometer went to zero even though I was traveling 65-70mph. Additionally, my main digital display went blank (not the radio/nav display). This was the first time any of these symptoms happened. Although my 2103 is not within the Ford recall window for this identified issue, it is quite clear that this is incredibly similar, if not exactly the same safety problem. We received a letter from Ford some years ago, acknowledging the potential issue, but it said no fix was available at that time. No recall was issued for my 2013 Ford F150 XLT EcoBoost.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on the highway, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, causing the rear wheels to lock-up, the speedometer displayed 0 MPH, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that several seconds later the transmission shifted into the correct gear, and the contact was able to resume driving. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that a performance update was required to correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.
My transmission unexpectedly shifted into first gear. This happened at a high speed. Also on another occasion the transmission would not shift out of first gear. I took it to a Ford dealer for repair. The repair was completed and I was charged $1641.25. I questioned why this repair wasn-??t covered under safety recall number 24S37. The dealer stated my VIN number was not included in the recall. I should contact the NTSB. I am now requesting that my VIN number be included in the safety recall 24S37.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the transmission started to upshift and downshift erratically. The wrench warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving, the extension train connector was not shifting into the correct gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a subframe frame connector failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted into a lower gear and the speedometer stopped working. Additionally, the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated sporadically. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted each time. The contact then received notification of an unknown recall and the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ECU needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure became frequent. The contact stated the on one occasion during a failure, and pulling over to the side of road, the contact opened the hood and observed two parts sitting on the frame rail. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission and blower motor/HVAC parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
- Fargo, ND, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. While the contact-??s wife was driving approximately 60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, causing the vehicle to abruptly slow down. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission lead frame was faulty and needed to be replaced. The lead frame was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the rear driver-??s side door failed to open from inside or outside the vehicle. The message "Door Ajar" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the internal door wire, and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 66,000.
Truck dropped into lower gears without notice from high speed (and at low speeds). Engine revs and actually speeds up without foot on gas pedal without warning. Speedometer will stop working when this happens also. Almost caused accident. Other similar vehicles from 2013-2019 are in recall for similar issues. Ford won't fix and says it is not an issue for this vehicle.
While in traffic on the highway in St. Louis at 65 mph the transmission shifted from 6th gear to 2nd gear causing the vehicle to slow very suddenly. I came close to getting rear ended. Horns honking getting flipped off etcetera. I was not expecting the shift as I was neither accelerating nor decelerating until the transmission down shifted. Engine rpm went from 1200 or so to at least 6500 rpm as the rear tires broke loose and skidded. My own research showed cracking of the wiring and/or loose connections can cause this. Wiring harness replaced inside of the transmission and computervreflashes were required to fix it.
My 2013 F-150 suddenly downshifted (without warning) from sixth to first gear at 55 mph on March 21, 2025. My engine was at risk of blowing out because of that incident. Fortunately, no one was tailgating me at the time, also. A "recall repair" was performed at a Ford dealership on June 27, 2019. This vehicle is currently being diagnosed at a local transmission repair shop.
traveling on highway at speed of 65 to 70 mph and vehicle suddenly downshifted and experienced a loos of power. dashboard went off and I lost control of the vehicle. my safety was put at risk due to loss of power of vehicle. I could not identify anything wrong with the vehicle before it happened.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear and the vehicle lost motive power. The power train and check engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, when the vehicle downshifted, the information on the infotainment screen disappeared. The vehicle was restarted, and the screen reappeared. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the transmission erroneously downshifted causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate, almost causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure was later self-corrected. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the transmission was replaced. In addition, the contact stated that several other unknown repairs were performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Component: Vehicle, travelling at 70mph, downshifted to lower gear. Legal speed limit on Hwy 7 Comanche Co, OK. Remained in lower gear and would not upshift. After stopping, stopping engine and re starting, did same, downshifted at 60mph. Took vehicle to Ford dealer service dept. Identified as Lead Frame harness/connector. Safety; driver safety was at risk with sudden downshift jolting vehicle. Other drivers at risk with swerve to adjacent lane. Trailing traffic at risk by sudden slow down & stoppage. Problem; problem confirmed and replacement parts completed by Ford dealership 09/25/2024 at cost of $1,121.80 Vehicle inspection: by Ford dealership service dept technicians Symptoms: NO warning whatsoever. Downshifted at 70mph Made a phone call to Ford Corporate to complain and request Ford cover costs, refund or assistance. Was told NO way. FOX news report 03/24/2025 identified 2015-2017 F150 issues with same conditions. NHTSA, ODI investigating.
This is in regard to the current investigation concerning the transmission downshifting unexpectedly. My 2013 F-150 has done the same thing several times since I bought it new. Fortunately I was not driving at a high speed but each time lower than around 35 MPH. It has a 6 speed auto transmission and would drop down into 1st or 2nd gear and show it's in tow/haul. Also sometimes when I first start to drive it, the transmission is in tow/haul when I never selected that. I notice when I hear the engine rpm high and notice I don't have good pickup speed. To remedy both issues I push the button in on the gearshift lever and it immediately starts to work properly. I have reported this to the Ford dealership maintenance representative a couple times but they said they never heard of any trucks doing this. Nothing was ever done about it. I continue to drive it and have 138,000 miles on it. I'm letting you know this because according to what I am reading, 2013 models are not included in the investigation.
While driving on highway the vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear causing my rear tire to lock up and the momentary loss of vehicle control. I deviated from my lane and as the rear of my vehicle skidded in a fishtail type action. Following this incident the vehicle has shifted into first multiple times at lower speeds in conjunction with loss of speed indication.
I had the transmission issue that's been reported of downshifting to 1st gear will traveling at speeds around 65 mph and recalled on F150 trucks, but for some reason my truck was never under recall so I had to pay $5700 for a new transmission before it killed me. If I had the same issue that has been recalled, why wasn't I covered under the recall?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Flowood, MS, USA