Ford has announced a safety recall for approximately 144,000 F-150 trucks in Canada, citing concerns about a gearshift issue that could affect driver control. The problem specifically affects vehicles with six-speed automatic transmissions manufactured from 2015 to 2017. In the U.S., nearly 1.4 million vehicles are impacted, including certain 2014 models.
The root cause of the safety concern is attributed to degraded electrical connections within the internal transmission lead frame, leading to a signal malfunction from a transmission sensor. According to Ford, this malfunction could result in an unexpected downshift to a lower gear while the vehicle is in motion.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlighted in a safety recall report that this issue could briefly reduce wheel speed, potentially causing the rear tires to slide until the vehicle slows down in certain scenarios. Ford has disclosed knowledge of two injuries and one accident that could be linked to this problem.
To address the issue, Ford suggests that dealers can rectify the problem by updating the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software. Alternatively, in cases where an affected vehicle previously showed specific diagnostic trouble codes related to the sensor, Ford offers to replace the transmission lead frame at no cost.
F-150 owners can check if their vehicle is affected by entering their Vehicle Identification Number on Ford’s recall webpage.