2015 FORD F-150 Complaints

Full transmission failure after switching to 4 high on snowy highway. Speed during shift was about 50 mph. We were left stranded on a busy highway outside of Steamboat Springs, CO in wintry conditions for almost 2 hours while waiting for roadside assistance. Vehicle was towed to Phil Long Ford in Littleton, CO. There was no warning on the dashboard until the “wrench” light went on as the truck lost power. The mileage on the vehicle at the time of incident was 100,368. Response from Ford was that the vehicle was beyond the warranty period. I was given a repair estimate of $9701.90 plus an inspection bill of $250.00. The truck has been towed to an independent garage for a new transmission. I have not been given an explanation for the transmission failure as yet. ( date of event: [XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to maintain the desired speed while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was unknown. The contact stated that unknown repairs were completed by the local independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was scanned with an OBD2 scanner and DTC: P061C was retrieved. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

The transmission will down shift without warning. It has occurred 4 times in the last 60 days. Near miss accident in one occasion.

[XXX]: check engine light was on and codes P2196 and P2198 were present. The dealer suspected it was the purge valve, causing the problem so they replaced it and reset the codes. 10/10/24: I brought the truck in to have it looked at due to the check engine light being on again. I was told the lead frame needed to be replaced but was on backorder. The bill to diagnose this was 196.80 and I was told I could still drive it. On [XXX], I had to bring my truck in to be inspected because while I was going about 70 mph it all of a sudden downshifted and jerked me forward like it was going to abruptly stop. The check engine light came on and I had to drive pretty slow to avoid a breakdown on the interstate. Very scary to have this happen in interstate traffic It could have easily caused an accident. At this time, It was brought to my attention that the downshifting could also be related to technical bulletin 1495. Since we couldn’t get a real definitive answer on what was going on and the lead frame was on backorder, I decided to try and have the case connector in the bulletin removed and replaced as well as do a transmission tuneup on 10/23/24. This bill cost me $383.77. All codes were cleared and all appeared to be working correctly. On [XXX], I was driving on the interstate at about 70 mph and my truck seized up again and jerked forward, again scaring me and potentially causing an accident. I drove it very slowly directly to a repair shop. It was there until November 7, 2024 after the lead frame was replaced. That bill cost me $1321.68. I decided to file this complaint after I had seen a news article that this downshifting was being investigated for the same year as my 2015 Ford F150 for a safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

During the course of driving on the interstate at 70mph the vehicle decelerated and went to a lower gear. The dash panel of the truck did not show all of the gears available. An emergency stop on the side of the road and turning the vehicle off and back on temporarily resolved the issue. It occurred intermittently and without warning. The truck continued to show problems and was taken to a transmissions shop which checked the transmission, replaced a line for a small leak and said everything seemed to be in order. The cause was not found to be a lack of transmission fluid as the levels were normal. The truck continued to intermittently decelerate. The last time that occurred, the back wheels locked up while on the road. The truck is now sitting due to the safety risk it poses and the locked up transmission on the rear end. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety and that of others was at risk. The problem was not replicated in a service center. The vehicle was inspected beforehand but not after the last issue, (it needs a tow as the back wheels are frozen). There was a warning light for the engine camshaft that came on and the problem was diagnosed at Ford as a camshaft issue though they could not understand the deceleration issue. The truck was taken first to Ford then to an independent transmission shop. Due to the issue the truck is not in use.

Was traveling 75 MPH while towing a trailer. Truck was in 6th gear cruising. No fault codes whatsoever, no warning lamps etc. Suddenly the truck briefly downshifted into 1st gear, then upshifted back to 6th gear again. Issue occurred during heavy rain. I cleaned the bulkhead connector on the transmission afterwards and put dielectric grease on the connector o-ring. Connector Did not appear dirty or corroded. Issue had not occurred again for 8,000 miles.

I was driving down the highway then my vehicle randomly dropped down to gear 2 from 6 and went from 65mph to 30 and redlined my vehicle. It was extremely scary and took it to the shop immediately and then they replaced my lead frame and cost me $2,000. I definitely believe it has damaged my transmission and won’t last as long now.

The vehicle has downshifted to a low gear several times since I’ve owned it new in 2015. Usually has happened when starting to slow down to exit the highway. Driver and passengers were jarred and thrown forward unexpectedly. Driver was startled. Backend of truck swayed. Dealer service has been told over the years. They said they were aware but there were NO RECALLS and Ford didn’t have a FIX as of yet. They said it was COMOUTER RELATED causing the transmission to downshift. I also said sometimes it takes longer than normal to shift from the start position they claimed they were waiting for a fix from FORD. Dealer inspected. No warning lamps or messages appear on the dash as a warning. They said they would inform me of any fixes for the problem as they came down from the manufacturer.

I am experiencing dangerous shifting failures with my 2015 Ford F-150 equipped with the 6R80 automatic transmission. My truck intermittently fails to shift properly, holds onto gears too long, or refuses to shift into 6th gear. It also enters fail-safe mode, displaying a wrench icon on the dashboard. Restarting the vehicle temporarily resolves the issue, but it keeps coming back. The truck recently threw diagnostic trouble codes P0720 and P0722, which are related to the Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor, a known failure point in the 6R80 transmission lead frame. Ford previously recalled 2011-2013 F-150s (Recall #19V-075, Ford Recall 19S07) for this exact issue because it can cause a catastrophic downshift from 6th gear to 1st at highway speeds, leading to loss of control. However, 2015 models were not included in the recall, despite using the same transmission and lead frame. I am concerned that Ford’s recall did not go far enough and that my 2015 F-150 should be included due to the identical symptoms and part failure. This is a serious safety hazard, as a sudden downshift at highway speeds could cause loss of control, an accident, or even fatalities. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this issue and expand the recall to include 2015 F-150s with the same 6R80 transmission and defective lead frame.

The sliding rear window assembly which is attached with 4 adhesive tape strips have come loose. The sliding window comes out of the frame and could become airborne if hit from the rear or in a front end collision. It is a very poor way to attach a sliding rear window and the failure rate is high. The bad part of this is most people are probably not aware of the problem other than the window frame will rattle sometimes when your on a bumpy road. It is a poor design and could be dangerous in any collision. The body and glass repair shops are aware of the problem on the rear windows of Ford pickups. This should be fixed with a recall before someone dies from the window becoming airborne in a crash