The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into approximately 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. due to reports of unexpected gear downshifts and temporary rear wheel lock-ups. The probe focuses on Ford F-150 trucks from the 2015 to 2017 model years following complaints from 138 consumers. Owners described incidents where the transmission unexpectedly shifted to lower gears at highway speeds without warning, causing rapid deceleration.
Ford confirmed collaboration with NHTSA on the investigation, noting the issue primarily impacts vehicles equipped with six-speed transmissions. Complaints emphasized instances where the vehicles shifted from higher gears to first gear abruptly, endangering driver safety. Some owners reported waiting extended periods for replacement parts, exacerbating the issue.
The unexpected downshifts raised concerns about rear wheels momentarily locking, seizing, or skidding, potentially leading to a loss of control and increasing the risk of accidents. Despite these reports, NHTSA stated that no crashes or fires related to the issue had been documented. This investigation marks the latest in a series of NHTSA probes into F-150 downshifting incidents.
In a separate development, Ford recalled 668,000 2014 model year F-150 trucks earlier this year due to similar unexpected downshifting concerns that could lead to driver control loss or rear-wheel lock-up. This recall follows previous actions taken by Ford dating back to 2016 to address downshifting issues in various F-150 models. Notably, in 2019, Ford expanded a recall to cover 1.48 million F-150 trucks, including 2013 models.
The automaker's compliance with safety regulations has been under scrutiny, as evidenced by a $165 million civil penalty imposed last year after NHTSA found Ford failed to promptly address defective rearview cameras. Ford's response to the current F-150 investigation remains crucial as authorities determine whether additional measures, such as a recall, are warranted to address the gear downshifting concerns.