general problems of the 2013 Ford F-150 - part 1

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the transmission abruptly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear, and the vehicle jerked and pulled to the right. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and offered to perform a diagnostic test, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 19v433000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.

Vehicle went from 70 mph to 1st gear without driver. Pulled over restarted vehicle ran fine. Did it again. I have been told it is the lead frame assem ly and transmission sensor. Ford did not recall my year but dud a customer satisfaction. My vehicle exceeds 10 years. If this had been a recall they would fix it. Very dangerous when this happens.

On two separate occasions, the vehicle downshifted. Once while driving on the interstate at 70 mph, the vehicle downshifted to 3rd gear and locked up the tires. The rpms went up to 6000. The driver was nearly rear ended. In another instance while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle downshifted to 1st gear. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The issue cannot necessarily be reproduced on demand as it does not happen every time you drive the vehicle but it has happened more than once. The vehicle has been inspected by by a repair shop and the resolution appears to be a system update. There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms prior to the events. The first event was in approximately January 2026 and the most recent incident February 22, 2026. The vehicle has not been driven since the last incident as we feel it is unsafe.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while driving at 15 mph. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle had previously experienced a similar failure, and the transmission control module had been reprogrammed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,318.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 19v433000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the vehicle was repaired under the recall. The contact stated that recently, while driving 60 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the failure returned soon after restarting the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.

While driving, the transmission deaccelerated into first gear while going 65 mph.

I will have random downshifts while driving my car. Sometimes on the highway at high speeds driving 65-70mph the Ford f150 trucks down shifts to a very low speed. Will also do it at 45 mph and downshift to a very low speed. Has almost caused accidents putting the safety of everyone in the truck and everyone behind the truck at risk of injury or death. From what I know, there are no warning lights on my truck I have already taken it for the recall on the 19s07 transmission sudden down shift(recall 6173).

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to 1st gear and nearly caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped, turned off, restarted and driven normally. The vehicle was driven back to the residence and has not been driven since. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The vehicle continuously goes into limp mode caused by a bad sensor in the transmission, this is a known issue and Ford has not taken adequate responsibility causing an unnecessary financial burden to vehicle owners including myself. This likely affects millions of vehicles with this powertrain and they need to be held accountable.

While driving at a 40+ mph speed the truck suddenly downshift to 1st gear and all gauges stop working. 3rd will downshift to 1st and 5th to 3rd.

While driving the truck it suddenly shifts down gears, and shoots up rpms, causing the truck to slow down drastically and causing a loss of control in the truck. Potentially causing a severe accident. This issue could seriously cause harm to myself and to others especially going at highway speeds. When turned off the truck won’t start up again without clearing codes.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the transmission shifted improperly and became stuck in third gear. The vehicle went into “service mode” and the powertrain warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the speedometer became inoperable and remained at zero. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and remained stuck in third gear. The vehicle was then shifted into park(p), and there was a loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the failures ceased. The vehicle was then taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Transmission shift from 6th gear to 1st gear while on the highway. I nearly wrecked due to the sudden shift in gears. Once I pulled over and restarted the vehicle, it let me shift up to 3rd gear then went to some sort of safe mode and stayed between 3-5 gear. This is a known issue with Ford 2013 trucks. They issued a customer satisfactory letter, but you needed to have the error codes before they would fix it. It is now a couple outside of their "extended warranty" however I am way under their milage and now I am experiencing the issue. They will not fix the issue since their internal program has expired. According to their website this effects numerous Ford models over several years. This should be a safety recall.

Truck would randomly go into limp mode while driving. Highways, country roads, middle of town, making it difficult to pull off the road with no ability to accelerate to safely merge off the roadway. The cause was from the lead frame in the transmission which was under an “expired” recall 19n01. Dealership charged me $1,500 to fix this. How is this not a safety issue that should have been taken care of by the dealership at no charge. I just bought the truck mid December 2025 and am not happy to have to shell out $1,500 to fix a known issue like this.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. In addition, the contact stated that during the failure, the transmission shifted extremely hard. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that an unknown recall repair was performed in 2021 on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

2013 f150 ecoboost ,cam phasers Ford truck and timing chain are known to go out on these trucks have not been recalled and yet should be.

Driving on the intetstate, the truck lost speed and went down to 5th gear. I have since been told that it is a problem that Ford has with 2013 f150s. It is a “molded lead frame”. It is a $2000 repair that is now out of warranty by 3 years. It has since done this twice while driving down the road, it just loses speed and the last time to almost a complete stop on the highway.

While driving around 45 mph, the truck down shifted into first gear without notice and almost caused the vehicle behind me to hit me as my vehicle decelerated quickly with no break lights. This happened two other times until I searched to see what the problem was to find out that Ford had a recall on this but it wasn't labeled as a safety one. How is that not a safety recall? Ford only had the recall for a 10 years from year of purchase or 150,000 miles. My truck is beyond the 10 years but not the miles. This seems there should be no limit due to the issue it forces. It seems many owners are experiencing this. The recall is called: campaign: 19n01.

I was driving on the freeway when all of a sudden my rear tires locked up and my truck started down shifting erratically. Luckily the road condition were good and I was able to bring the truck to a controlled stop. Restarted and truck is back to normal. Im having it repaired. Shop said its a known issue: transmission molded lead frame. Ford said not covered. I think I is a huge safety issue. I felt lucky I didnt crash.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that she received notice of manufacturer recall number: 19f07 and follow-up manufacturer recall: 19f19. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power control module needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired, but the contact stated that a year and seven months later, while driving at 75 mph, the vehicle downshifted into first gear, the rear tires locked up, and the vehicle began sliding and spinning out of control. The contact added that the gauges went to zero, and the vehicle crashed into a ditch. The contact and passengers did not sustain any injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the lead frame needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.

My truck is associated with recall 19v-075. I had the local dealer perform the software flash however my transmission is now downshifting at highway speeds and I almost lost control.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 70 mph on the highway, the transmission suddenly failed and shifted from 5th gear to 1st gear, which nearly caused a crash. The contact’s spouse pulled over at the nearest gas station. The vehicle was parked and later driven slowly to a dealer. The dealer indicated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 19v075000 (power train). The contact reported that a new oil leak was identified while the vehicle was at the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 275,000.

Four times in the previous two weeks, while driving between 20 and 50mph, the transmission has downshifted from 6th to 1st gear, locking the rear tires. Speedometer reads zero, airbag warning light illuminates, and odometer/mpg shows dashes instead of numbers. Ignition must be turned off and on to recover. Trusted private mechanic performed diagnostic: removed transmission pan, changed filter, checked electrical, and replaced fluid. Cost: $700. The issue was not resolved. Internet search suggests a known "lead frame" issue and recall. Valencia autonation Ford suggests having their technicians diagnose at a cost of approximately $350. I was quoted roughly $5500 to rebuild/replace the transmission. I reported this issue to Ford corporate "customer satisfaction" (case cxh-06529440-c7d1j5), but was offered no assistance. This complaint appears over 200(!) times in the NHTSA database just for 2013 Ford F-150 trucks. My family cannot drive this dangerous vehicle, and I cannot sell it in this condition.

I was driving about 55 mph when suddenly my 2013 truck down shifted to either first or third gear and I barely was able to control it to get off the road. The truck just bowed up and the vehicle behind me almost hit me. The speedometer stopped working and a wrench icon appeared. I tried to take off and the truck was stuck in third gear. Ford dealership said they would fix it if it was the oss sensor. I paid to have it towed and they charged me over 2,000. There was a safety recall 24s37 on the 2014 with the 6r80 transmission the same kind my truck has. My 2013 did exactly the same thing as the 2014 and I believe it should have a safety recall. There was a extended warranty or something either 10 years or 150,000. My truck has 130,000. I talked to Ford customer satisfaction but they have done nothing. I told them I was going to report it.

While taking my daughter to a friend's birthday party, we were traveling at a speed of ~50 miles per hour when the transmission downshifted from 5th or 6th gear directly to first gear for no reason. The back tires locked up when the rpms drastically increased, and the truck went into a skid. I believe my limited experience working on cars gave me the instinct to throw the shifter into neutral while applying the brakes. I was able to gain control of the vehicle prior to it fully going off into the ditch. After researching the issue, it became apparent this was a common problem with the 6r80 transmission that Ford knows about. I read numerous stories of the safety issues owners have had with this 6r80 transmission in the 12th gen f150. I brought the truck to my dealer, and they confirmed it was from the "lead frame" that Ford provided an extended warranty on. I was told the warranty didn't cover my vehicle (10 year/150k mile). This vehicle was purchased from the Ford dealership new in 2013 and has been in the family ever since. It currently only has 65k miles on it and has never had any work done to the transmission expect for a program flash at 26k miles in an attempt to prevent this exact issue. Outside of being disappointed that Ford was not willing to help with the expensive repair, my mind went to the safety aspect of what's going on. I believe Ford made the decision to not classify this as a safety recall to prevent paying for the replacement of the plastic lead frame on all 6r80 transmissions. While I understand this is costly to an auto manufacturer, I can't help but think of what the result of this safety issue would have been if my wife or an unexperienced driver was under control of this vehicle that day. I reached out to the Ford customer service rep and explained my safety concerns. I was told she would file it under safety and that I may or may not get a call. This confirms their lack of concern; hence I'm reaching out to the NHTSA.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the expressway at 75 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle decelerated to 10 mph, and the vehicle slid sideways. The contact stated that gauges on the instrument panel were inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon research, the contact had associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 19v433000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle did not meet the requirement for customer satisfaction program: 19n01 – transmission molded lead frame coverage extension. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

. Driving on the interstate cruise control set on 75 all of a sudden, lose power speedometer to 0. Transmission, jerks have to pull over. Get home check the code. Said it was the transmission lead frame, oss sensor. Im lucky I didn't wreck. It's a safety concern, should be a recall.

Driving 70 mph on highway. Transmission suddenly downshifted from 6th to 5th. Cruise control turned off. Speedometer went to 0 mph. Airbag warning light came on. Wrench indicator flashed. From this point on, transmission would only use gears 3,4,5. Speedometer continued to read 0. Cruise control remained inoperative and airbag warning light remained on. Wrench indicator turned off after a few minutes. Was able to limp home, but truck had difficulty pulling out from stoplights and stop signs due to not being able to shift below 3rd gear. After shutting off ignition and restarting. Operation returned to normal.

Driving down the road in 5 th gear and truck by its self shifted into 2 end gear it has done this 6 times now it is very unsafe to drive but it's my only vehicle I think it's the front lead frame assembly in the transmission this will b the 3 erd time to replace this part.

Transmission shifted into 1st gear while doing 65 mph on the freeway. The rear tires locked up as a result and the truck spun out in front of on coming traffic putting myself and my 6 month old nephew in a life threatening situation. This is not okay. I was told the most recent recall done on this vehicle was done to not allow this to happen. This issue has been an on going problem with these trucks and Ford has still yet to rectify the problem. This can cause serious bodily harm to myself and others around these vehicles. I feel Ford needs to do something about this issue.

I was sold a 2013 Ford f150 XLT with a serious documented safety issue. The issue is a transmission molded lead frame failure. This specific component defect is classified as a known, safety-critical issue by Ford (customer satisfaction program 19n01). The car dealership that sold me this vehicle is township auto line 442 delsea drive sewell, NJ 08080. I was able to get the truck repaired, however the business that sold me the truck is unwilling to reimburse me for the repairs for the safety-critical molded lead frame repair. This is a matter of selling a vehicle with a known, active safety hazard. I can provide the Ford repair invoice upon request to verify the diagnosis and repair cost.

Vehicle component that appears to be failing is the transmission, car can run and be diagnosed and inspected. It can put me or people around me at risk, vehicle was running fine and then it downshifted to 1st gear making the rear wheels brake at a high speed, after that truck won’t go up from first gear. Before going into a dealer and having this checked I made a research about this similiar problem on similar make and model of my truck, and it seems there has been a recall regarding the lead frame on the transmission of this Ford f150 models. I did get a check engine light.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from fourth gear to first gear. The contact stated that the air bags and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle restarted. In addition, the air bags and the check engine warning lights were no longer illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed lead frame. The contact was informed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the contact was informed that the recall had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 227,588.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly jumped and jolted. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The service transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission lead frame. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v433000 (power train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 99,000.

I have had several incidences of the transmission suddenly downshifting with corresponding loss of some gauges. This is similar to the 2019 recall NHTSA no. 19v-075. I had that service done in July 2019 before any symptom surfaced. Now, in 2025 the problem has started again. I'm not sure what the previous service included (I. E. Partes replaced) the original recall indicated the transmission molded leadframe however I have no documentation that it was replaced. It appears that only a reprogramming was accomplished.