What 1,425 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Ford F-150 Supercab

My truck downshifted into 2nd gear after i was in 6th gear, now my transmission is slipping into 4th gear. But when i press the accelerator a little harder it’ll shift better but it’s not practical in a city

NHTSA ODI 11653178

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and crossing an intersection, the accelerator was depressed and there was an abnormal sound coming from the transmission. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly shifted out of the intended gear into neutral(N). The “Service Vehicle Soon” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the valve body plate was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653305

I was driving down a mountain road and the truck downshifted. At a speed of 70 mile an hour. Very scary for sure.

NHTSA ODI 11653044

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his son was driving 60 MPH on the highway, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into second gear while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that an unknown warning light had illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed again however, the vehicle remained in first gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the OSS sensor on the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11652598

It’s been several times that I’ll be driving, sometimes on residential roads and once getting onto the highway. The transmission will suddenly drop down into first gear and I’ll have to limp off the side of the road until I’m going slow enough to be in first gear, then I can go again. Or I’ll lose 1,2 and 6th gears so I’ll have to pull over, turn the truck off and start it again. Then I’ll have gears 1-6 again.

NHTSA ODI 11651542

While driving at random times trans will go into a limp mode and have only 3 gear speeds. Sometimes either a wrench symbol will come up or a check engine light will come one. When this happens it’ll stay in a limp mode til ignition is cycled for it to reset. Also while at low speeds it has dropped me from 4th gear to 1st.

NHTSA ODI 11651563

Transmission malfunction by sudden downshifting to first gear at highway speeds. This caused my rear wheels to lock up and skid as if I had slammed on the brakes and temporary lose control of the vehicle, which is extremely dangerous on the highway. It has occurred multiple times. There were no warning lights the first several times this happened. They check engine light did come on after about the 6th time it occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11651627

I have owned my 2015 F150 SPORT 2.7 ECO BOOST since it was new, and occasionally it downshift's mainly in town from 5th gear to 1st gear. I thought this was my fault until I heard about the safety concern. I have mentioned it to ford, but was told that downshift's were normal? Anyway I an now concerned this could happen on the interstate which I don't drive on regularly. Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11651558

I was driving at around 45mph and my truck suddenly downshifted automatically and almost brought me to a complete stop. It finally shifted back up and I was able to return to the proper speed. If this would have happened at higher speeds I could have been in an accident. Event at 45mph, had I not had my seatbelt on it would have thrown me into the steering wheel.

NHTSA ODI 11651406

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 35 MPH, the transmission downshifted to a lower gear unexpectedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that initially, the vehicle would sporadically downshift to a lower gear. After a year, the vehicle started to sporadically downshift more frequently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired with the installation of a new transmission. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11651142

Truck while turning right or forward will for no reason goes into lost traction(dry road) and truck downshifts and loses power. Very dangerous as there is no warning and potentially can be hit from behind since no brake lights are engaged. Recently read article that other trucks of this year and make are having same issue. I have taken into shop and awaiting what is the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11650694

Broken exhaust bolt on passenger manifold. Exhaust leak... Felt as though Carbon monoxide gas was entering cabin portion of truck. Smelling of exhaust in cabin of vehicle. Made wife and kids nauseated and lightheaded. Did research and found out that ford had a poorly designed manifolds and didn't utilize all exhaust bolts. In turn caused the #8 bolt to snap and manifold to warp and release exhaust fumes

NHTSA ODI 11650698

Truck will on occasion downshift into a low gear out of nowhere and feels like the rear axle is going to rip out of the truck.

NHTSA ODI 11650782

The transmission will down shift without warning. It has occurred 4 times in the last 60 days. Near miss accident in one occasion.

NHTSA ODI 11650393

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to maintain the desired speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was unknown. The contact stated that unknown repairs were completed by the local independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was scanned with an OBD2 scanner and DTC: P061C was retrieved. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650395

I was traveling [XXX] near Liverpool, PA at 60mph, the truck flashed a quick code on the dash and then suddenly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st almost spinning the truck as the rear wheels locked up momentarily. It would not upshift past 3rd gear and had to travel 35 miles home like that. I called my local Ford dealer (Parsons) and they said bring the truck in for diagnostic testing, so I did. Meanwhile I searched the internet to see if others had the issue. Turns out they did, BUT my 2015 with the 6R80 was NOT in the recall notice. Ford said it was the lead frame and needed to be replaced. IF it was a known problem, why not inform owners of these trucks. That said, Ford wanted $1500 to fix it, BUT they did not have the part. So I drove the truck (never with my family in it ever again) after I cleared the code with my reader...again traveling [XXX] @ 75mph it downshifted IN TRAFFIC. Luckily I was in the right lane and made a quick move to the shoulder to avoid being run over. In Carlisle, PA there are hundreds of trucking companies and warehouses, so the truck traffic is very heavy. That was it. I searched out the part, paid for it myself and had a Ford mechanic that does work on the side fix the truck. I have been a loyal Ford guy for over 30 years...I reached out to Ford via telephone, chat and even Facebook. All they say is it is NOT under any recall. Hard to swallow that when I am driving a $75K truck THEY built and they will NOT stand behind a $2K fix. Well goodbye Ford, as a business owner for over 25 years. If I make an error I fix it NO MATTER what. I gave Ford the opportunity to stand behind truck and they did...JUST FAR behind it and passed me as I sit on the shoulder of the road. This in my opinion INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11650415

A few years back, I was having an issue with my truck shifting hard. I actually took it to a friend's shop and he repaired it, for about $1600. They changed a "chip" in it. The vehicle was never inspected by Ford, or the police, or my insurance company. The problem was identified by the repair shop and taken care of, or so I thought. The issue seemed fixed for a while but within the last year the issue has begun again. The transmission will not shift at times. It seems stuck, which causes the engine to rev very high. I worry about causing lasting damage to the engine as a result of the transmission sticking.

NHTSA ODI 11650430

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to third gear almost causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that prior to the failure the vehicle was hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650443

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle independently decelerated while driving next to other vehicles. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where unknown repairs were performed. The vehicle was repaired; however, approximately 7 years after repairs the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the same local dealer where unknown repairs were made. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650492

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH on several occasions with or without the cruise control feature activated, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, and the rear wheels locked up. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission circuit board and valve body assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650517

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from 5th gear to 2nd gear, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. During the failure, the driver almost lost control of the steering wheel and the rear wheels locked up and the vehicle skidded. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the failure recurred, and the wrench icon was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Action Number: PE25002 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the NHTSA Action Number. The failure mileage was 202,000.

NHTSA ODI 11650544

Transmission downshift during constant cruise speed.

NHTSA ODI 11650572

I have had the gasket for the oil pan fix two times. It is leaking again and told by ford that it will happen again. It is 1200 to have it fixed plus they have to keep it for a few days to make sure the seal is dry. If you do not check the oil all the time it could be low and lock up. I know other people that have had this problem. It is on the 2.7 Eco boost.

NHTSA ODI 11650651

Full transmission failure after switching to 4 high on snowy highway. Speed during shift was about 50 mph. We were left stranded on a busy highway outside of Steamboat Springs, CO in wintry conditions for almost 2 hours while waiting for roadside assistance. Vehicle was towed to Phil Long Ford in Littleton, CO. There was no warning on the dashboard until the “wrench” light went on as the truck lost power. The mileage on the vehicle at the time of incident was 100,368. Response from Ford was that the vehicle was beyond the warranty period. I was given a repair estimate of $9701.90 plus an inspection bill of $250.00. The truck has been towed to an independent garage for a new transmission. I have not been given an explanation for the transmission failure as yet. ( date of event: [XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11650399

The vehicle has downshifted to a low gear several times since I’ve owned it new in 2015. Usually has happened when starting to slow down to exit the highway. Driver and passengers were jarred and thrown forward unexpectedly. Driver was startled. Backend of truck swayed. Dealer service has been told over the years. They said they were aware but there were NO RECALLS and Ford didn’t have a FIX as of yet. They said it was COMOUTER RELATED causing the transmission to downshift. I also said sometimes it takes longer than normal to shift from the start position they claimed they were waiting for a fix from FORD. Dealer inspected. No warning lamps or messages appear on the dash as a warning. They said they would inform me of any fixes for the problem as they came down from the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11650083