Ford has announced a recall of over 550,000 F-150 pickups in the United States due to a potentially dangerous issue with the transmission. The problem can cause the transmission to suddenly shift down to first gear at any speed, which could lead to a rapid slowdown or loss of control for the driver.
These affected trucks are older models from the 2014 model year and are equipped with six-speed transmissions. Ford first became aware of the issue in February of this year after receiving reports of 2014 F-150s experiencing sudden downshifting at inappropriate times.
If the transmission issue occurs, a malfunction indicator light in the truck's gauge cluster may illuminate. In some cases, the problem may resolve itself quickly, while in others, the truck may need to be restarted for the transmission to function normally again.
In a similar recall in 2019, Ford recalled around 1.2 million model year 2011 through 2013 F-150s for the same transmission issue. The problem stems from a loss of signal between a speed sensor and the control module that operates the automatic transmission.
To address the problem, Ford dealers will update the control module software of the affected trucks at no cost to the owners. Letters will be sent to owners of the impacted vehicles in the coming days to notify them of the recall.
A software update to resolve the transmission issue in the 2014 trucks is expected to be available within the next three months. Customers with questions or concerns can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 and reference recall number 24S37.
