Ford Recalls Over 1.39 Million F-150 Trucks Over Unexpected Transmission Downshifts

Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of 1,392,935 model-year 2015 F-150 pickup trucks due to a risk that the six-speed automatic transmission could unexpectedly downshift from sixth gear to second gear. The issue stems from degraded internal electrical connections within the transmission wiring harness caused by thermal cycling and vibration, which may cause the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS) to send incorrect signals to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). This could lead the PCM to briefly misinterpret the transmission gear position, triggering an unintended downshift that results in a sudden drop in wheel speed and potentially affecting vehicle handling. Ford first became aware of the issue in October 2024 after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provided the company with Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) potentially related to this problem. Ford subsequently launched an investigation and continued analyzing data through February 2025. In March 2025, NHTSA initiated a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) into the matter and upgraded it to an Engineering Analysis in January 2026, providing Ford with additional VOQs. Ford continued its investigation until formally approving the recall on April 7, 2026. As of April 2, 2026, Ford had received 444 warranty claims, 121 field reports, 105 customer service reports, and 316 VOQs. The company has confirmed two injury reports and one crash potentially linked to this defect. The remedy for this recall involves reprogramming the PCM software calibration. The updated calibration extends the time the control system takes to recognize a TRS hardware fault, preventing an unintended downshift during specific shift command failures. Additionally, if a vehicle has previously stored relevant diagnostic trouble codes, the transmission wiring harness will be replaced.