More than one million Ford F-150 pickup trucks are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a possible transmission defect that could cause the vehicles to unexpectedly downshift.
According to a document filed by the NHTSA, complaints allege that, without warning or driver input, the subject vehicles experienced a sudden and rapid deceleration often accompanied by temporary rear wheel lockup, seizure, or skidding, resulting in a loss of vehicle control.
The investigation is focused on approximately 1.27 million Ford F-150 vehicles, model years 2015 through 2017.
The agency's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it has identified 329 vehicles related to the investigation. Consumers reported that their vehicles’ transmission suddenly downshifted to a lower gear, often to 1st or 2nd gear.
Ford has identified that the alleged defect in the subject vehicle population involved degradation of electrical connections within the lead frame due to thermal cycling and vibration over extended time in service resulting in signal loss from the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS).
There were nearly 1,000 incidents identified in the investigation but only one resulted in a crash, with no reports of injuries or fatalities.
