Ford recalls 1.4 million F-150s over faulty transmissions

Ford recalls 1.4 million F-150s over faulty transmissions

May 23, 2026 Bojan Popic

Dearborn, MI – May 23, 2026 – Ford (NYSE:F) is recalling close to 1.4 million 2015-2017 Ford F-150 pickup trucks whose transmissions can shift on their own, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The defect increases the risk of a crash and injury.

The recall comes on the heels of an ongoing U.S. government investigation and only affects trucks with 6-speed automatic transmission.  

 Recall summary

The automatic transmission in the affected trucks can unintentionally shift from sixth to second gear while driving. This happens due to degraded electrical connections inside the transmission control module.

The shift can cause the rear wheels of the car to lock up, resulting in the driver losing control of the vehicle.

Recall risks

A sudden loss of control can result in an accident and injuries to the occupants of the car and other motorists.

Warning signs

A malfunction indicator light (MIL) and a wrench symbol may illuminate on the dashboard. 

The background of the recall

The recall is the result of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. government auto safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which was opened in March 2025 following 138 complaints alleging unwanted downshifts that would happen “without warning or driver input.” 

Leading up to the recall, the manufacturer had been notified of two accidents and an injury.

Other Ford recalls

In April 2026, Ford recalled more than 420,000 trucks and SUVs whose windshield wipers could have stopped working. 

In February 2026, nearly 120,000 Ford and Lincoln cars were recalled over a fire risk caused by a faulty engine block heater. 

The repair

The dealers will update the transmission’s software. If needed, they will also repair the electrical components inside the transmission control module. This repair will be free of charge. 

Notifications to the owners will be mailed between July 13, 2026 and July 17, 2026. 

Is your vehicle a part of this recall?

Nearly 1.4 million trucks are affected by this Ford downshift recall. To do a Ford recall check and see if yours is one of them, please use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool. 

Bojan PopicFord recalls 1.4 million F-150s over faulty transmissions
Ford recalls 1.2 million F-150s for faulty automatic transmission

Ford recalls 1.2 million F-150s for faulty automatic transmission

February 11, 2019 Rebecca Rand

Dearborn, MI – February 11, 2019 – Ford  (NYSE:F) has recalled 1,263,051 F-150 trucks that may suddenly downshift to first gear, possibly causing the driver to lose control of the truck, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall includes 2011-2013 Ford F-150 trucks with six-speed automatic transmission.

Recall summary  

The recall concerns issues with Ford’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) which is the car’s brain, responsible for over 100 elements, including changing gears in an automatic transmission. The module needs information from an Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor to know how fast the car is going, and thus which gear to use. The recalled vehicles may intermittently lose the signal between this sensor and the PCM, potentially resulting in the car unexpectedly shifting into first gear.  This may cause it to suddenly slow down or the rear tires to slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.

Other F-150 recalls and causes 

Previously, Ford recalled several F-150 models with a particular automatic transmission, including the 2011 and 2012 F-150, for the same issue. This action expands that recall to include all 2011-2013 F-150s with six-speed automatic transmission.

“Various causal factors” may be to blame for the defect, including “contamination, power short to ground, connector corrosion, connector pin swaging, and incorrect outputs from the OSS sensor.” In the previous recall, Ford blamed the problem on a manufacturing error by a molded lead frame supplier which caused the circuit carrying the OSS sensor signal to break.

Safety concerns and complaints

Sudden downshifting may increase the risk of an accident that can hurt the drivers and other people on or off the road.  In fact, an investigation into the Ford transmission downshifting issue uncovered 10 crashes and three injuries caused by this defect. 

Over 1,000 complaints were logged by the distressed F-150 owners to both NHTSA and Ford and there were  “many instances” where the issue caused drivers to swerve out of their lanes or off the road.

One  of them said when the gears changed without warning, “it [felt] like you got hit from behind, causing you to slam your head and body on the seat.” Another one said that its 2013 F-150 would lose power, stall or shift on its own, “leaving the truck a wreck waiting to happen at any time.”

Warning signs 

Downshifting in these instances typically happened without warning. Besides the gear switch, drivers may notice problems with their speedometers, erratic gear shifting, and the transmission stuck in one gear. Most drivers who complained reported that they were able to continue driving after stopping and restarting the car.

The repair

Dealers will reprogram the recalled Ford F-150’s PCM, free of charge. The repair is currently available.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

As of July 29, 2020 – the last date for which information is available – 756,000 vehicles in this Ford truck recall have been repaired.  To see if your F-150  is amongst those that still need to be fixed, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle recall lookup tool.

Note: February 8, 2021

We have noticed a large number of readers are interested in this recall. For that reason, we have rewritten it to include the best, most up-to-date information.

Rebecca RandFord recalls 1.2 million F-150s for faulty automatic transmission
Aston Martin recalls sports cars with faulty software

Aston Martin recalls sports cars with faulty software

June 21, 2017 admin

Warwick, U.K. – June 21, 2017 – Aston Martin Lagonda of North America has recalled more than 300 sports cars with faulty software, according to documentation filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

The campaign affects 2011-2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage sports cars manufactured between Nov. 25, 2010 and Aug. 16, 2012. The car maker estimates that approximately 2 percent of the vehicles mentioned in the recall contain the defective software.

The defect

Vehicles named in the campaign could be equipped with engine control and transmission software that is incompatible automatic clutch settings. This can cause the transmission to miss gearchanges in some throttle positions.

The clutch can also slip and overheat, prompting the vehicle to switch to clutch protection mode. In this instance, the Malfunction Indicator Light will illuminate and gearchanges will become abrupt.

The defect is detrimental to overall driveability, putting drivers and passengers at risk. However, Aston Martin has not received reports of any collisions or injuries connected to software issue.

Timeline of events

In 2012, Aston Martin released an update for engine control and transmission software in the V8 Vantage.

After installing the updated software, technicians were supposed to delete existing automatic clutch settings and input new configurations to comport with the update. However, this did not happen.

More than five years later, in April 2017, the car manufacturer received multiple reports from V8 Vantage owners who were experiencing driveability issues.

Aston Martin immediately launched an investigation to determine the root cause. Engineering teams were able to replicate the issues in internal tests and quickly discovered the existing automatic clutch settings were incompatible with the updated software.

Aston Martin’s Critical Concerns Review Group recommended the Recall Committee take up the matter June 15, 2017. The group met that same day and decided to conduct a voluntary recall campaign.

Dealers received notification of the action June 23, according to the NHTSA.

The solution

Aston Martin has ordered dealers to reinstall the engine control and transmission software on vehicles named in the recall and configure automatic clutch settings to match the updated systems.

Dealers are also required to replace clutch systems in V8 Vantage models with transmission damage stemming from the incompatibility issue. Technicians are to perform these repairs free of charge. Aston Martin is expected to notify owners between July 7 and Aug. 7.

Check your car’s recall status using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

adminAston Martin recalls sports cars with faulty software

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