Ford recalls 550k F-150 trucks due to transmission problem that causes gears to randomly shift and risk crash
- The affected vehicles can shift unexpectedly into first gear at any speed
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Ford issued a recall for more than 550,000 faulty pickup trucks in the US on Tuesday.
The affected vehicles can randomly downshift to first gear no matter how fast the trucks are driving due to an issue with the transmitter, Ford said in a statement.
The downshifting can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles, increasing the likelihood of a crash, documents released by the safety regulator revealed.
The recall effects 550,000 of the country's best selling F-150 pickups from 2014 but Ford expects fewer than 1 percent of the recalled vehicles to have the problem.
An investigation was opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in March after receiving complaints about the 2014 trucks lurching down to first gear unexpectedly.
The recall effects 550,000 of the country's best selling F-150 pickups from 2014
One F-150 pickup owner 'experienced an unexpected downshift causing his vehicle to crash into a concrete barrier'
The carmaker said it is aware of 482 vehicles that have experienced the issue.
There have also been two injury reports and a crash related to the trucks downshifting without warning.
One F-150 pickup owner 'experienced an unexpected downshift causing his vehicle to crash into a concrete barrier and another vehicle, injuring both him and the driver of the other vehicle,' according to the NHTSA.
The regulator concluded the problem is caused by a lost signal between a transmission speed sensor and the powertrain control computer.
There also could be corrosion and problems with connector pins, the NHTSA said in the released documents.
Owners of the affected vehicles will be notified by letter in July. Ford expects the repair, via a software update, to be available in the third quarter of the year.
Once the repair is ready, customers can use mobile service and pickup and delivery at participating dealerships to complete it.
Ford said a warning light 'may' come on before customers experience a downshift to first gear.
In some cases, the gear shift will quickly sort itself. But in other cases, the vehicle may need to be stopped and restarted.
They can also contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332 using Ford's recall code
'24S37.' Or they can contact NHTSA's safety hotline at (888) 327-4236 (toll-free at 1-800-424-9153) or go to www.nhtsa.gov for further information.
Ford said it is working with NHTSA to support the investigation
Dealers will then update the powertrain control software at no cost to owners.
Ford expects the necessary repairs to be completed by the third quarter of this year.
The NHTSA is also investigating whether the affected trucks should have been included in previous recalls for the problem.
Ford started recalling trucks and other vehicles from the 2011 and 2012 model years in 2016, and added two recalls in 2019 covering pickups from the 2011 to 2013 model years. The recalls covered about 1.5 million vehicles.
Ford said it is working with NHTSA to support the investigation.
