Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Ford F-150 - part 1

On [xxx], I was driving westbound from missouri into oklahoma in my 2021 Ford F-150 xl. While traveling approximately 75 mph on the highway, I moved into the passing lane to overtake another vehicle. As I accelerated and applied additional throttle to pass, the transmission downshifted into passing gear. After completing the pass, the vehicle continued to accelerate on its own even after I released the accelerator pedal. The engine remained at a high throttle setting, and the truck increased speed to approximately 85 mph. At that time, I was not using cruise control, nor had I pressed the cruise control switch, which was involved in a previous acceleration-related incident I experienced with this vehicle. To regain control, I carefully created distance from surrounding traffic, applied the brakes, and maneuvered the vehicle onto the shoulder. After coming to a stop well off the roadway, I shifted the vehicle into park and turned off the engine. I then restarted the truck, and the unintended acceleration condition was no longer present. Because of the incident, I did not attempt to use the cruise control system again during the trip, and I avoided using heavy throttle or passing gear out of concern that the condition could reoccur. The vehicle has since been inspected by a Ford dealership. As of this report, their evaluation has not identified the cause of the problem, and no fault has been found despite the incident occurring on the highway. This incident created a significant safety concern because the vehicle continued to accelerate after the accelerator pedal was released, resulting in an unexpected increase in speed and requiring me to pull off the highway and shut off the vehicle to regain normal operation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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I have a 2013 Ford 150 king ranch 4x4 with the 6r80 transmission and approximately 125k miles on it. This morning, I was stopped at a red light and upon accelerating my truck would not shift out of first gear. The speedometer stopped working, and engine light came on. I pulled over and turned off the truck to inspect it. I restarted the truck and it was shifting appropriately for about 5 miles when it all of a sudden shifted into first gear while I was driving approximately 35-40mph, nearly causing an accident until I could safely pull over. I researched symptoms and found information regarding the molded lead frame on the 2013 model f150s. I understand Ford warranty coverage was limited to 10 years, but I believe Ford should continue to honor this known defect in there vehicle. This is a serious safety concern. If it would have been raining, or icy weather, it could have caused a serious accident and/or death to myself or others. Ford is aware of these issues, and yet owners are still responsible for their defective parts after warranty expires. I believe the manufacturer has an obligation to address this known problem. I am requesting Ford review my vehicle and this failure as a safety-related defect and provide assistance with the repair, as well as covering the cost of repair in full. At minimum, I am requesting Ford provide reimbursement based on the known history of the component and the potential safety consequences of its failure.

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When driving the vehicle it randomly jumps gears, when taking off it went into limp mode today. My wife almost got slammed by a semi truck! I called Ford and they are not interested in hearing my case only wanting me to pay these outrageous fees. The pcm recall fix did not fix the gears jumping.

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My truck was parked on a slight slope in my driveway. I got in to move the truck to my normal parking space. When I started the truck I noticed the emergency brake was on. I put the truck into drive- the truck accelerated with my foot on the brake. The truck struck the corner of my deck and didn't stop until I hit the corner at my house. I had the brake pushed to the firewall and the truck would kept accelerating. Thankfully the airbags did not deploy. Significant damage was done to my house and my truck.

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My 2014 Ford F-150 was previously included in Ford safety recall 24s37 regarding unintended transmission downshifts caused by an intermittent output shaft speed (oss) sensor issue. The vehicle was inspected by a Ford mobile technician on January 20, 2026. No qualifying codes were found at that time, and the recall was closed under my VIN. The recall involved the risk of an unintended downshift into first gear that could result in loss of vehicle control. On August 20, 2026, while my husband was driving approximately 40-50 mph, the truck suddenly downshifted and rapidly lost speed. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 10-15 mph and had to be moved into a parking lot to avoid remaining in traffic. After parking, the truck would no longer move under its own power. The wrench warning light illuminated and the vehicle became undrivable. The symptoms experienced appear substantially similar to those described in recall 24s37. The dealership has indicated that the current failure may involve the transmission lead frame and speed sensor system, but I am concerned that this event may be related to the same transmission downshift condition addressed by the recall. I am requesting that NHTSA document and review this incident.

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While driving the truck suddenly shifted into first year with the automatic transmission. This was the third time that this has happened.

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When using cruise control (blue cruise fully automated driving or just regular cruise control), the truck changes the speed setting to 90mph without any driver input and begins sudden acceleration. This has happened multiple times in speed limit areas from 70-75 on the interstate. The truck clearly displays the correct speed limit on the dash. The driver set speed of 70-77 is suddenly changed to 90 mph (you can see it on the dash) without any driver input. This has happened multiple times (I live in a rural area). The vehicle only has 1,100 miles. No warning lights come on. Breaking will stop the sudden acceleration. This is a very dangerous situation and needs to be fixed.

Due to a dangerous design flaw in the 2021 Ford f150, I was put in a potentially dangerous situation by completely losing all power in the vehicle on a backroad. Design flaw is the dcn module, which floods into the vehicles electrical system/body of vehicle through the cowel drain that can supposedly be blocked by a singular piece of pine straw. Due to the design flaw, the vehicle completely lost all power and all electronics failed while driving down the road at 45 mph, putting both me and my father (riding passenger seat) in immediate danger. Ford knows and is aware of the design flaw and has refused to issue a recall, not only affecting my safety, but now I am going back and forth with Ford over the fix to the tune of $2800 that they refuse to fix (vehicle is a gold certified cpo, has extended warranty). When asked how to prevent in the future, Ford was and is not aware of how to prevent in the future, and I can not get to the cowel drain clog without professional equipment and Ford performing. There is no way to tell the cowel drain is clogged or not, and there is not anything in the Ford owners manual related to maintenance of the cowel drain. Again, due to the inappropriately designed drain, this caused water leakage into my truck, posing an immediate threat to my life and others around me. I have all of the videos and pictures needed to show the failure of the system to provide to move this forward to get resolved. I had complete loss of power and electronics on the road. I tried to attach video but it would not let me. I can attach via email when requested.

I purchased a 2017 Ford F-150 on July 9th. It is covered under safety recall 26s28 (NHTSA campaign 26v23700). On July 25th, the vehicle entered highway limp mode due to an output speed sensor failure (code p0722). A Ford dealership performed the 26s28 software flash but left the failing physical lead frame hardware in the vehicle. On August 15th, the truck reverted to a dangerous limp mode on the highway due to the same unaddressed p0722 hardware failure. Ford corporate is refusing to authorize the physical hardware replacement under the safety recall framework, leaving the vehicle fundamentally unsafe to drive.

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Execution of manufacturer safety recall service resulted in immediate, catastrophic transmission malfunction and sudden loss of motive power upon leaving the franchised dealership, creating an imminent road hazard. Details of the incident: recall intake: on xxx, the vehicle was driven into the authorized Ford dealership cloninger Ford of morganton in [xxx] under its own power for an open manufacturer safety recall involving the transmission molded leadframe and pcm software update to prevent sudden, unintended downshifts. Immediate failure post-service: after technicians completed the recall service and returned the keys, the vehicle was driven out of the dealership lot. Upon reaching normal road speed and shifting from 3rd to 4th gear (less than 0. 2 miles from the service bay), the transmission violently malfunctioned, lost forward drive engagement, and rendered the truck completely disabled and undrivable in active traffic. No road test was performed by the dealership prior to releasing the vehicle. Safety risk: the sudden failure and inability to shift gears properly left the vehicle stranded in roadway traffic, presenting an immediate collision risk. The vehicle had to be limped back into the dealership service drive immediately. Remedy failure & denial: the dealership acknowledged that the recall-mandated pcm software calibration update triggered the severe transmission failure. However, both the manufacturer and the dealer are now claiming the failure is a "pre-existing condition," refusing to complete the safety remedy without charging the owner $7,000 for a full transmission replacement. The safety defect that prompted the recall was not remedied and was instead exacerbated to total mechanical failure during execution of the recall procedure. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Pcm not communicating with throttle body causes wrench light to come on and we loose control of the gas and slows the car abruptly.

Vehicle suddenly seemed to shift while driving causing a loud sound, jerk and caused a loss of control suddenly.

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The clock spring in the steering has failed causing the airbag to no longer work on the driver side. The cruise control turns on and shuts off on its own. Sometimes won’t even let you set it. Volume controls no longer work. Horn no longer works. Steering has a clicking catching sound now when turning. Steering controls no longer light up and none of the buttons work.

I was driving on interstate approximatly 70 mph when it downshifted into second gear and and almost got rearended by a semi truck that was following behind my truck and luckily was able to swerve to miss hitting us. I believe it is the 6r80 transmission conductor plate that is the cause of the issue.

I am the owner of a 2014 Ford F-150 that is experiencing sudden, unexpected downshifts into a lower gear while driving at highway speed. This has happened on multiple occasions and has nearly caused accidents, including loss of vehicle control momentarily. This defect matches the description of Ford safety recall 26s45 (loss of signal between the transmission output shaft speed sensor and the powertrain control module, causing unexpected downshift into first gear). Despite this, my vehicle was not included when I checked recall status, even though I have an open Ford claim number: cxh-08412521-f6l5j4. I am filing this complaint to ensure this incident is on record given the ongoing safety risk, and to request that NHTSA confirm whether my VIN should be captured under recall 26s45 or a related campaign (24s37/24v444). Description: transmission suddenly and dramatically downshifts at highway speed without warning, causing loss of vehicle control and near-accidents.

Ford motor company put out a recall on the pcm. I had the recall performed and it has caused more damage to my truck. It now has eratic shifting, stuck gears, and going into limpmode. Ford forums show that this is an ongoing issue after the reset is performed creating an unsafe vehicle to drive. The check engine light is now on and was not prior to this recall reset.

While driving in sport mode on an interstate, during descending downhill, the transmission started down shifting. At that time near the bottom of the hill was standing water on an area. It was suddenly like hitting the brakes & I hydroplaned, but luckily I never touched the brakes. The down shifting at the same time as hitting the water caused the vehicle to loose control of the road. Luckily I regained control by steering and did not wreck. There should be a safety warning on this issue or a correction in the vehicle down shifting.

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On July 2, 2026, the vehicle was brought to an authorized dealer for a scheduled appointment to resolve active safety recall 26s45 / NHTSA campaign 26v378 (6r80 transmission sudden downshift defect). The dealership refused to perform the recall software update, claiming it was not needed for the vehicle. On July 12, 2026, while traveling at highway speeds on a public highway, the transmission suffered the exact un-commanded sudden downshift described in the recall. The violent mechanical force instantly snapped the rear driveshaft in half and severed the undercarriage air conditioning lines, creating a sudden, life-threatening loss of control and wheel speed reduction on a live highway. The vehicle is now permanently disabled due to the dealer's refusal to fulfill a federal safety mandate.

I'm not sure what failed but a google search with symptoms tells me it's a "throttle-by-wire" malfunction. The f150 truck accelerates immediately and aggresively to full throttle when I floor the gas peddle to merge traffic on freeways. It continues at full throttle regardless what I do. Braking gives a pop up window on the dash that reads "brake applied power reduced", and the brakes do slow the vehicle and even stop it but the engine revs at full throttle. This occurred the day I bought it driving home from dealership, testing it, I floored the gas peddle while on the freeway to see how it performs accelerating while passing other vehicles. It took over that day, I thought it had somehow activated cruise control being a new vehicle and me unfamiliar with operations, I would figure that out later and forgot. I pulled over that day, killed engine, restarted and it was fine. It repeated this malfunction two maybe three other times since that first day. Yesterday, xxx, would be the third or fouth time it has occurred and it wouldn't correct. I pulled over three times, put it in park and it reved full throttle, killed it, waited two minutes, restarted and it went to full throttle. It is parked in my driveway and will accelerate to full throttel immediately even in park. I am going to have it towed this morning, xxx to brinson Ford in [xxx]. Therefore, a dealer has yet to look at it or try and reproduce problem. The first occurrence was the day I bought it which was September 12, 2025. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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While driving at highway speed my f150 justdown shited to third gear after stoopping it wouldn't take off. Ihad to shut engine off to get back to first gear .

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Component; likely the transmission safety revs went to almost zero on highway. Transmission seemed to stop the truck. Then intermittent on and off transmission. Seriously struggled to get the truck off the highway momentarily no ability to control speed: then on and off with the acceleration. Very scary! sudden drop in speed on the highway could have caused an accident with no brake lights on problem been reproduced: not to my knowledge. Its at a dealer now. Not safe to drive been inspected: at dealer now prior warning - lamps etc: none whatsoever oil lamp came on, then the check engine light came on well after the initial scare.

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Made a complete stop and vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed and could not stop.

Ford corporate case number: cxh-09262770. My 2015 Ford F-150 has experienced sudden, dangerous transmission downshifts at highway speeds that nearly caused a fatal collision. I complied with Ford's mandatory recall 26s28 software flash, but the dangerous hardware symptoms remain active. The vehicle is currently grounded and unsafe to drive at the dealership lot, but Ford corporate is denying the physical lead frame replacement due to narrow diagnostic code restrictions. ".

On Thursday, xxx, at approximately 5:10 am, I was driving my Ford F-150 XLT (VIN: [xxx]) eastbound on [xxx]. While exiting the elevated bridge at the intersection of [xxx] and [xxx] at 55 mph (6th gear), the vehicle experienced a sudden, uncommanded transmission downshift directly from 6th to 1st gear. This caused immediate extreme deceleration, engine over-speed, and locked the rear tires, causing tire slippage and an absolute loss of traction control on a high-speed highway. This severe event put my life and my wife's life in imminent danger of catastrophic injury. After safely pulling over, the malfunction indicator light (check engine) and the powertrain fault warning light (wrench icon) illuminated. The electronic cluster froze and failed to display the gear position. Drive (d) mode was completely unresponsive. I managed to vacate the active roadway using manual (m) mode. While driving in 4th gear in manual mode under extreme caution, a second violent, unintended downshift to 1st gear unexpectedly occurred, confirming the persistent, dangerous nature of this failure. Consequential mechanical damage includes severe transmission clunking noises during gear engagement and a constant internal metallic knocking sound from the engine block caused by the forced over-speed. This failure perfectly matches the technical failure mode described in NHTSA safety recall campaign 26v237 (oss to pcm signal loss). On xxx, at 11:10 am, I personally visited arceneaux Ford inc. (authorized dealership in [xxx]) to report this safety defect, open a service case, and request a safe vehicle inspection and loaner. The dealership explicitly refused to open a case or take action, stating that "Ford motor company does not currently have an engineered solution for this problem," leaving me stranded with an unroadworthy, highly hazardous vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving at 40-45mph, the vehicle abruptly slowed to 15-20 mph, with no warning whatsoever. I narrowly avoided being rear ended by a box truck by moving into the turning lane. Had I been on the highway, this would have led to a catastrophic accident. I am concerned for the safety of my family, myself, and other drivers. Please reinstate/ extend the statute of limitations, or make exception for recall campaign 19n01, for this safety issue, as the Ford dealership I contacted about this issue declined to correct this safety issue under recall terms. Thank you for keeping roads in this united states as safe as possible!.

Hello, I recently brought my 2014 Ford F-150 (VIN: [xxx]) to the dealership regarding recall 24s37. The vehicle experienced the following symptoms: • check engine light illuminated. • wrench light illuminated. • intermittent loss of power. • abnormal transmission behavior. • intermittent no-start condition. • vehicle would only start after moving the gear selector. The dealership informed me that no physical repairs would be performed because the diagnostic trouble codes retrieved were different from those associated with recall 24s37. However, the vehicle continues to exhibit transmission-related symptoms, and I am concerned that the underlying condition may be related to or aggravated by the conditions addressed in recall 24s37. I am requesting that Ford review this case and determine whether additional diagnostic evaluation or repairs should be considered. However, they refuse to accept that the codes have anything to do with the recall, even though it is the same part and the affected sensor that is triggering the error codes on the scanner. They are asking me to pay for the transmission repair because the codes are not the ones approved for the recall, but based on the signs and symptoms the truck is showing, it is a chain reaction that triggered the previously mentioned failures. Thank you information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owned a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power while approaching a stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a Chevrolet tahoe. The wrench symbol warning light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The air bags deployed as intended. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company towed the vehicle to the total loss yard, where the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 310,000. The VIN was not available.

My truck has shown wrench on dash multiple times, dropped gear several times suddenly. Less than 10 years old but over 150,000 miles so Ford has agreed to a fix under extended warranty program 26n04. Unfortunately they were allowed to add the phrase whichever comes first. This eliminates me from getting them to fix the cause which is the lead frame module. A pcm will not fix a bad part. This is a dangerous safety issue that should be fixed by Ford. Please save lives and get them to replace all lead frame modules if code finds it bad. It could affect anyone’s family member if an accident results.

The speedometer on my vehicle recently indicated a speed 10-15 mph lower than the actual highway speed. Approximately one week later, while operating the vehicle with cruise control set at 58 mph and descending a decline, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from sixth to first gear. This abrupt shift resulted in a violent jolt to the rear of the vehicle, nearly causing a loss of control. Upon contacting Ford regarding this issue, I was informed that they are aware of the problem and that an extended warranty campaign is in place for the transmission lead wire frame and vehicle speed sensor. Ford offered to repair this free of charge, with the caveat that the campaign covers vehicles up to 150,000 miles, originating from 36,000 miles. According to various owner groups and online forums, this issue is prevalent in 2013 F-150 pickups equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission, often manifesting well after the 150,000-mile mark, as was the case with my vehicle. While Ford acknowledges this known problem and its potential consequences, the warranty repair cutoff at 150,000 miles could lead to catastrophic outcomes, as demonstrated by my near-loss of control incident. It is important to note that the same transmission and speed sensors have already been recalled in 2014 models, which share an essentially identical powertrain, yet the 2013 models are not included in this recall. This presents a significant safety concern, as the manufacturer is aware of the issue, but their current campaign does not adequately cover the mileage at which many of these problems are emerging.

The truck has sporadically gone into “limp” mode for 6+ years. In the last 4 weeks it has happened a total of 6 times while driving. On Tuesday 6/9/2026 it happened while leaving a driveway. I was able to disconnect the battery and let the throttle body reset. I reconnected the battery, it started and drove without problems. I connected a loaded horse trailer, drove approximately 12 miles and it happened again, this time on a two lane road with a soft , uneven shoulder going from 60 miles per hour to 8 miles per hour very quickly. I was able to turn on my hazard lights and pull onto the grass, but only about 5 inches off the 60 mph road. In order to reset the throttle body, I disconnected the battery again, disabling the hazard lights while vehicles passed by narrowly colliding with us several times. The check engine light was illuminated, but I was not in a safe place to scan the truck. It usually disappears after resetting the throttle body, but did not this time. After 10 minutes, I heard the throttle body click, it started up and I drove another 15 miles when it happened again. This time at a temporary stoplight with no shoulder. I was able to scan the computer and the p2111 code was displayed. I reset the throttle body again, drove 5 miles and it happened again. I was able to navigate to a safer area, reset the throttle body again and drive less than two miles home. On 6/11, after letting the truck sit for two days, I started it with no issue to move the trailer and it happened again. I tried resetting the throttle body again and if did not work. The p2111 code is still showing and the throttle body will not reset. The truck is currently inoperable. It will only idle, roughly, and pressing the accelerator pedal had no effect on the truck.

My local Ford dealer (tallahassee Ford) which I had just purchased the vehicle from two weeks prior. Refused to repair NHTSA recall number26v237 they wanted to charge me over 2000 dollars to fix even though it has a recall. I ended up getting the lead frame replaced at a local transmission shop for little over 1000 dollars. I would like to be reimbursed for the money and time I spent.

I am having a lead frame issue. At various speeds, the vehicle will just down shift, locking the tires and causing a hazard for other drivers which could be a very dangerous situation. I was impacted from the rear due to this occurrence. It causes extreme jerkiness when doing this which is also injurious to my back and neck and shoulders.

The truck exhibited the abrupt downshifting upon driving out of the parking lot, this caused great stress and possible accidents to me and family. The transmission continued to get worse and we were in fear of our lives to drive the vehicle on the highway. Once we got the vehicle home it literally would not shift into gear and has been disabled since the first week in xxx. We are plumbing and heat contractors and have lost a great deal of business due to not having a truck/this truck to use for work. We had it towed to greico Ford in [xxx] on advice from keith, the service mgr. We know the recall is due in xxx. This dealership is now trying to tell us that all the hoses are damaged and wants to charge us $2,000 to repair the hoses. We obviously don't want to do this since we believe the violent jarring and downshifting of the transmission caused by this mfg defect probably caused this and a lot more other problems. Mfg recall #26s28, NHTSA recall# 26v237. I need to know when this recall remedy will be submitted and what are my rights to get this fixed? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2019 F-150 has only 25,000 miles. The dealership has confirmed transmission failure requiring a $9,000 replacement. A transmission is expected to last significantly longer than 25,000 miles. I have maintained the vehicle. This is an extraordinary premature failure on a critical part of the vehicle and it poses a massive safety liability.

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While driving the car immediately downshifted and I could not accelerate. The hill assist came on and service advance trac came on. This happened 3 times. The first time we towed it to the dealership April 17th, and they changed the oil and tested the battery secured wires and verified after the repair on April 26th. After we picked the truck up on April 26th it stalled on the highway on the home and we had it towed again. They kept it for 4 days drove it 80 miles and said nothing was wrong no repair was done or needed. On may 13 it stalled again in front of train tracks. Luckly I was able to stop and start it quickly to drive it to a near dealership. We picked up the truck today, and it stalled again on the way home. We drove it back to the dealership today, may 23rd, hopefully they can figure it out. We are again without a car for a long period of time. We have paid $1,964. 10 in repairs that have not fixed the problem. The way the truck stops so suddenly is very dangerous as it happened once getting on the highway and once in front of a train track.