Regulators expand probe into nearly 1.3M Ford F-150 pickup trucks over transmission issues

Federal regulators are expanding an investigation into 1.27 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks after reports of safety issues related to the vehicles’ transmissions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it received reports from drivers that the trucks faced an unexpected transmission downshift that came without warning or driver input. The auto regulator said drivers reported that the issue was often accompanied by a temporary rear-wheel lockup or skidding that increases the risk of a crash.

The probe covers model years 2015-2017 F-150 trucks equipped with “6R80” transmissions. The F-150 is the perennial best-selling pickup truck in the U.S.

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NHTSA’s investigation follows a preliminary evaluation that it opened on March 21, 2025, after receiving complaints about the 6R80 transmission.

In its response to NHTSA’s information request, Ford said the alleged defect in the 2015–2017 F-150s differs from the issue that prompted four safety recalls covering 2011–2014 models.

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Ford added the earlier recalls were caused by manufacturing problems with a part supplied by an outside vendor, which led to loss of signals from a speed sensor.

The automaker said the alleged defect in the newer vehicles could be caused by electrical connections wearing down due to thermal cycling and vibration over an extended time in service, leading to signal loss from the transmission range sensor (TRS).

FOX Business reached out to Ford for comment.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation also identified another potential safety defect related to the alleged issue with the TRS. In preliminary testing, the agency found that vehicles suffering TRS signal loss while moving up an incline while in reverse could shift into neutral, causing the vehicle to roll forward.

ODI said it had opened an engineering analysis to conduct further testing and review additional technical data.

Reuters contributed to this report.