2017 FORD F-150 Complaints

When using the cruise control and going down hills, the transmission will unexpectedly downshift into one or more lower gears causing the rear wheels to chirp or actually slide on wet pavement. it only seems to happen when using the cruise control for some reason.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, causing the rear wheels to lock up. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the wrench symbol was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the vehicle was slow to respond. The vehicle was turned off for ten minutes and then restarted. While driving approximately 25-30 MPH, the failure recurred. The contact stated that DTC: P1702; indicated an intermittent failure with the transmission range sensor circuit (PRNDL sensor), potentially causing erratic shifting or even the vehicle entering LIMP Mode. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,700.

Vehicle unexpectedly downshifted and service now light came on. Speed was difficult to control as the vehicle would either rapidly decelerate or accelerate. Cruise control was unable to be used. I received a speeding ticket because I was unable to consistently maintain speed. Problem returns intermittently and is usually resolved by pulling over, turning off the vehicle and turning back on.

I was experiencing hard shifting in upper gears like 8, 9 and 10. At 118592 miles the Ford dealer told me the transmission needed to be replaced. I had them install a Ford remanufactured transmission. The dealer told me this reman should have all the upgrades of the latest transmissions. Reman number is JL3Z 7000L. At around 123000 miles I experienced the following. I had the cruise control set at 74mph. On an upgrade I felt a hard shift. I noted the transmission was in 8th gear. Then it shifted to 9th, 10th and then to 1st. The truck was suddenly slowing down for what seemed like 3 to 5 seconds before shifting into 10th. I did not hit the brakes. Cruise control was still engaged. Suddenly it repeated the shifting from 10 to 9 to 8 to 9 to 10 to 1st and then 10th. The wrench warning turn on and 10th gear was locked out. After cycling the engine off and on again I have not experienced this again. I did notice after the incident my vehicle had an oily residue on the exterior. I was traveling on a dry road with few cars around me and good tires. I did not consider it a safety concern until I read about the 6 speed transmissions experiencing this and the their safety concerns. What if someone had been behind me, what if the road had been slick, what if my tires had not been in good condition? I searched ford forums online and was surprised to find others as recently 2023 have reported exactly the same experience on 2018 F150. The fact that my transmission is supposedly what is in the 2025 concerns me. I waiting to get my truck back into Ford Service.

Truck is dropping gears/drop into neutral/reverse/park while driving. Problem initially began only within the instrument cluster, but as time went on it progressed to dropping gears with erratic gear indication on the instrument cluster (flickering through P N D R M 1 2). A video can be provided upon request, but cannot be attached to this inquiry. Once the truck was taken into the shop I was made aware of other F150s of the same year/model having the same issue, and that Ford is currently investigating. The technician at the Ford dealership correlated the issue to the lead frame harnesses part.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that during the winter months, the front driver’s side door failed to close as needed. Due to the failure, the contact was forced to use either a bungee cord or a ratchet strap to keep the door closed to prevent the door from opening while driving. Upon investigation, the contact discovered and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V652000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES); however, the dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for the repair; however, the failure returned soon after the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

While doing approximately 65 MPH on highway the transmission was in it’s highest gear, 10th on the automatic transmission. It suddenly down shifted to 4th gear uncommandedly .

While traveling at approximately 75 MPH, the transmission downshifted one(1) speed for about 5 seconds, then upshifted back into high Gear. I briefly got a readout that said "seeking parameters." This is a 10 speed transmission, my assessment is that what it did was drop from the "overdrive" gear into 9th gear. It was a single incident and did not create a safety hazard but may be a precursor for future problems. The vehicle has roughly 65000 miles on it.

This issue has happened multiple times. While driving at highway speeds, the truck downshifts too many gears and causes the back tires to almost skid, causing all the passengers in the vehicle to slam forward. When this happens, it doesn't matter if you try to accelerate, manually shift gears, put it in tow mode, nothing works. Then all of the sudden, it will shift back into a higher gear and let you accelerate again. It started a couple of years ago, but at the time Ford was just now addressing the issue with vehicles under warranty and recalled them. Ford was stating that it was a software issue, but after a few months, people that got the new software stated that the issue came back. March of 2024, Ford released a TSB on how to fix the issue, but refuses to admit that it is a safety issue and recall it. My truck was dropped off this morning at the Ford Dealership. I am hoping that the TSB is a permanent fix. IT wasn't until I got to work that I saw the news that Ford is finally being investigated for this as a safety issue. Hopefully it turns into a recall and I can get reimbursed.

My 2017 2.7l 6 speed f150 frequently experiences a random downshift to 1gear at various speeds and then it shifts to 5th gear and then 4th gear and then it stays in 4th gear. Multiple transmission shops have noted that the lead frame and valve body are potentially responsible for the downshift because the previous generation 6 speeds had the same issue. No codes are populating when the downshift happens and no CEL or Wrench light come onto the screen. The only way to get the truck to shift properly again is to turn it off and wait a while and then turn it back on. This problem has been reproduced by independent service centers.