CarComplaints.com Notes: We aren't rating the 2015 F-150 as "bad" yet, but there is an early trend of complaints about the transmission shifting roughly.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,910 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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.
On [XXX], I was driving the vehicle and accelerating onto the [XXX] freeway from an on-ramp in northern Phoenix, Arizona. During acceleration, the truck suddenly and violently downshifted, producing an abrupt jerking motion that forcibly displaced the vehicle out of the accelerating gear and into a lower gear without warning or driver input. The incident required us to exit the freeway and pull over. The event caused a momentary but pronounced loss of smooth propulsion at a critical merge point on to the freeway, creating an obvious risk of loss of control and collision with other motorists. The sudden lock-up and downshift, spike in RPMs, and deceleration were entirely inconsistent with normal operation and were objectively dangerous under highway-speed conditions. My passenger and I were jerked forward into our seatbelts. After this incident, I had the vehicle's transmission checked at a small shop, which stated they did not find any codes or issues, but recommended a full transmission rebuild at a cost of several thousand dollars. Finding no diagnostic codes or issues, I continued using my truck until it unexpectedly failed the following month on a freeway. In December 2025, while I was exiting a freeway in Mesa, Arizona, the F-150-??s 6R80 transmission downshifted again without being prompted, causing similar critical safety concerns. But this time the transmission was stuck in gear and was unsafe to operate on the highway or city streets. It had to be towed. A repair shop determined that the output speed sensor was found faulty at all times with diagnostic trouble codes of P720, P0722, and P2535, requiring complete replacement of the Leadframe Assembly. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this is consistent with other recalls that Ford has issued related to the failure of its 6R80 transmissions in F-150s and similar vehicles for years 2011-2014, which are known to Ford to have a risk of crashing due to the sudden downshifting concerns. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)
While in 6th gear driving on the highway at 70 mph the truck downshifted to 3rd and drastically decelerated. When this happened the instrument display went from having all 6 gear numbers viable to only 1 - 3. It had to be put into Manual Mode and shifted into 6th manually. This happens twice in the same trip.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond and jerked while responding. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D), the failure recurred, and the vehicle rolled backwards unintendedly. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to move forward while in drive(D) after several attempts; however, the vehicle jerked while responding. The contact stated that the transmission gauge needle moved to HOT. The message "See Owner-??s Manual" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had progressively worsened, and the vehicle had failed to shift into gear and had become undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed because the dealer was booked. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
After a Ford recall on software update for Transmission, the transmission is now starting to fail and downshift for no apparent reason, causing the rears wheels to lock up.
Sudden limp mode -?" stuck in 1st/3rd/5th gear at highway speed. Dealer confirmed codes: P0720, P0722 Major Safety risk: Loss of power/speed control as vehicle slams out of gear at speed without warning. Known issue with TSB 13-6-8 but issue continues in vehicles like mine post 2013.
- Grand Forks, ND, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle shifted hard into gear. The contact also stated that the gear shift indicator displayed the incorrect gear. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000. The VIN was not available.
I have had 2 instances of my F150 downshifting at highway speeds to 2nd gear while driving. I was not towing a trailer, just driving normally in both cases on my daily commute to work. The first instance was resolved by coming to a stop, shifting to park, and shifting into drive again. The second instance, I released the accelerator completely, shifted the gear selector to neutral and back to drive while coasting and it seemed to correct. Neither have led to loss of control but it is startling and not a great thing for the longevity and safety of my vehicle. I see how it could become a problem. After instance number 1, I thought perhaps it was a fluke. I now have learned that there have been prior model years of this truck transmission that also have had issues and I am more concerned that this get resolved. I now plan to have vehicle looked at by a dealership in the near future. first incident was early September and second incident was Oct. 20, 2025.
SEVERAL TIMES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY MY 2015 F150 TRUCK AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTS GEARS DOWN CAUSING THE TRUCK TO SEEM IF IT CANT GET GAS. iT GOES INTO THE LOWEST GEAR. THEN ALL OF SUDDEN IT WILL STOP AND GO NORMAL. THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH DRIVING BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. DIDNT GET FIXED BECAUSE DEALERSHIP RED MCCOMBS ON I-10 IN SA TEXAS STATED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle returned to normal operation. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the output shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
10-11-25 Transmission changed on its own from 6 gear going 63mph to first or second gear to 13mph (what I seen after realizing what happened) I already had it into Ford for sensor warnings before this and they couldn't find the problem. Now work is done and first gear is rough, and it still acts up towing a trailer. I take it back in on the 20th because I was not offered a rent a car or loaner and they think it's a clutch problem now. Ford will not help with repairs or take blame that this could have been a very bad situation if a semi was behind me. This is a known issue for 2015-2017 models.
I was driving my 2015 Ford F150 and just pulled into the parking lot. The lights on the dash started going off (airbags, parking detectors, big wrench, etc), however the vehicle driving wasn't affected at that time. I immediately stopped and parked, When I returned to my vehicle it had full power, but wouldn't even attempt to start. I had no choice but to tow it to a nearby Ford dealership in Grapevine, TX. It was ultimately diagnosed with a bad "Transmission Lead Harness." The dealership told me that this was a recall item on many F150s, but for some reason, not on mine. I researched this specific issue and found that 2011-2016 models of F150 were affected. It shows an investigation was opened for 2015 models as well. My question is why my specific vehicle is not under a recall. This could be a potentially dangerous issue, i'd think. So, right now I'm looking at a nearly $2000 bill to repair my vehicle when they get the parts in on Friday, 10/10/2025. I believe that if this is a recall on other with the same transmission lead harness, why is mine separated from that. I was given no warning other than the lights going off just before shutting of my truck, then it wouldn't start again. Thankfully I was in a populated area and not in the middle of nowhere. Please advise on any possible what I can get reimbursed for this issue.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and accelerating, the transmission was shifting hard shift, causing the vehicle to jump before accelerating. The failure also occurred while reversing. The vehicle failed to immediately start, and several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. The contact occasionally cleared DTC: P1702 (Transmission Range Sensor Fault). During the failure, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The failure was intermittent. The -??WRENCH-?? warning light was intermittently illuminated. The failure became more persistent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed because there were no codes displayed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Transmission on my F150 suddenly dropped to a lower gear as I was pulling out on a highway which significantly lowered my acceleration. Luckily the oncoming traffic slowed until I could safely get across to my lane. Eventually it jumped back into the proper gear. From what I have found on the internet this seems to be a common defect. Only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. This is not the first time the transmission has done this. I took my F150 to the dealership to be checked and they didn-??t find anything wrong. P0706 and P0707 codes.
I was driving my 2015 F150 with the 5.0 liter engine and 6 speed transmission at approximately 60 mph in 6th gear when without warning the transmission downshifted into 1st gear causing a sudden deceleration causing my passengers and myself to be thrown forward being caught by our seatbelts. The transmission then worked its way back up the gears into 2nd and then 3rd and so on. I took the truck to a dealership (Cooper Ford of Edmond, Oklahoma) and started to tell the service manager what happened and before I even got to the downshift part he told me right away what had happened and that I will need a new main control and lead frame. It cost me $2,766.16 to have the vehicle repaired.
Truck started to get shifting gremlins. 4 instances of spontaneous shift out of gear or into lower gear below 35mph. Transmission then shifted to 3rd gear at 60 mph on interstate without warning. Gear and shift indicator on dash blinking wildly. Vehicle behind me had to make evasive maneuver to avoid collision as I moved to emergency lane. Online research said it was a bad lead frame in transmission. Took to local repair shop and confirmed bad lead frame. Replaced for $1200 and truck now shifts correctly.
While traveling down the highway and merging onto the interstate, if you excelerate just the slightest bit, the truck will start to violently shake and not gain speed, almost stalls a bit, causing a dangerous situation if you're trying to merge into moving traffic.Through reading and my own research on various forums. This is called transmission stutter and is a common problem with Ford's 6 speed automatic transmissions, that is not specific to vehicle or trim level or year model.
When driving the transmission tends to constantly down shift and feels like a vibration/and grinding when doing so. Also the rear wheels sometimes lock up briefly when when accelerating. (the symptoms are very similar to the 2014 f150 transmission issues). This has been going on for appx 1 yr and tends to happen more frequently.
Having issues with lead frame. Truck is a 2015 F150 3.5 Ecoboost with the 6R80 transmission. Every so often the orange wrench appears and dash looses what gear and where it is in the column. Have taken pictures as well as pulled the codes that appear P0707, P0706, P1702. It will randomly happen from time to time. Currently buying all the parts to replace the issue part and seeing if there-??s a recall for said part
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Phoenix, AZ, USA