2011 Ford F-150: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Transmission · NY

Ford issued a recall for the Lead frame. Recall ID 19so7 & 16s19. My truck has experienced the issues associated with this recall. Last night it was more severe. The truck shifted from 5th to 1st gear unexpectedly. I have already tried to remedy this with ford. I made the appointment on their website to have this fixed in the beginning of spring this year. I was told when i brought it in that it wasnt covered anymore because its over 10 years old and over 150,000 miles. This should not matter when we are talking about a serious safety issue. The truck is in good shape and this is the only issue I've had. Now, im afraid to drive it at all. It never downshifted like thos before. The most it did was, all of a sudden, the "wrench symbol" would appear and my speedometer would stop working and it wouldnt shift properly. I'd pull over and it wouldnt go into first. If I restarted the truck it would reset and work again. But this would happen from time to time. Then yesterday it did exactly what the recall states it would do. Ford denied it was a recall to me and said it was a "customer satisfaction program" instead. But clearly its a recall and a huge safety issue.

Filed Apr 26, 2026 · Transmission · WV

When taking off the vehicle will shift into 5th gear trying to take off then hard shift down to 1st then up to 3rd and violently jerk forward. When pressing the brake pedal at a stop light it will jerk forward. When going uphill the vehicle will struggle in 5th gear and then downshift to 4th and loose power and gain power and doesn’t move unless at high rpm’s ( 3000-4000). When on the interstate it will start to move and then loose power then gain power over and over. It will be moving fine then but when taking off it will be stuck in 1st gear and refusing to shift which will then cause dangerous situations with going through intersections

Filed Mar 11, 2026 · Acceleration, Transmission · OK

Approximately one month ago, I noticed that the vehicle would not accelerate the way it normally does. A error code came on. I took the vehicle to Auto Zone for error code check. I was informed that the powertrain control module speed sensor had gone bad. I looked this up and found that Ford had a recall on 2011 Ford F-150s for similar issues. I disconnected the battery, as recommended on an internet site, and the vehicle began to operate normally. About one week later, I noticed that the vehicle would not shift above third gear and was accelerating very sluggishly. On further investigation I fount that the vehicle would not shift out of third gear (up or down). I again disconnected/reconnected the battery, and again it began operating normally. I contacted the local Ford dealership and they said that I should have received a letter in May 2019 about the PCM recall. I didn't recall receiving the letter, but Ford Motor Co. Customer Service says the PCM was actually reprogrammed on March 29, 2019 to repair the issues related to the recall. My concern is that the PCM speed sensor is malfunctioning again even after the repairs were supposedly performed by Ford. I am concerned that the vehicle may again be potentially unsafe to operate at highway speeds. I wanted to make the federal safety agency aware of the potential for ongoing safety issues with this vehicle even after Ford's proposed fix.

Filed Feb 9, 2026 · Transmission · VA

Trans mission input shaft speed sensor. Transmission is downshifting and going into limp mode while driving.

Filed Aug 15, 2025 · Transmission · MA

Speedometer stopped working and automatic transmission would not shift out of first gear without manually shifting. Transmission then would not come out of third gear.

Filed Feb 13, 2025 · Electrical, Transmission · GA

I’ve had this specific issue happened a few times over the last year. Basically, my truck will get stuck in first gear, a wrench will pop up on the dashboard, and my odometer will go blank. Usually, my truck will stay in first gear until I put it in park and shut off the truck (to kind of “reset it”) and then crank it back up. Sometimes it takes multiple cycles of this. One time, I got stuck in third gear and had to use manual to shift it down to first gear (while driving), and then do the steps previously mentioned to “reset it”. Because of this, my truck has thrown a P0720 code. After research, it seems like the problem is with the molded lead frame. I have contacted multiple Ford dealerships, and they are definitely aware of the issue because each time they tell me that this issue used to be covered under warranty. The problem is, every dealership has said that this warranty expired some time ago (before I own the truck and before this started happening). Now they are saying the only way to prevent it is to spend $1600 for them to fix it. I don’t have $1600 to drop on a safety issue that is beyond my control. Especially since Ford knows about it. I have a video showing the last time it happened. I really hope this gets fixed because I do not want to be driving 60 miles an hour on the highway and suddenly drop into first gear.

Filed Jan 2, 2025 · Transmission · GU

I was driving and my truck went into a limp mode. I pulled to the side of the road to try and figure out the problem but I had no clue. I shut off my truck and started it back up and everything was normal. When I started driving back on the road again about a mile from where I pulled over at I was going about 40mph and all of a sudden my truck rear tires locked up and I noticed my gear shifted to 1st then went back to 6th gear.

Filed Dec 24, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · AK

Ford has a "safety compliance" which has an expiration date of 10 years or 150,000 whichever was first. How is that even allowed? A major issue with the transmission range sensor which doesn't show a driver what gear there in...the lights all disappear so driver doesn't know if there in P, R, D, N, etc...its extremely dangerous! It also forces my truck to go into limp mode which is very dangerous especially when driving down a highway at 55. The truck was "reprogrammed" a few years back to stop the sudden downshift issue from occurring but it didn't eliminate that problem. Do you know how scary it is to be driving down the highway at 55-60 WITH YOUR TODDLER IN THE BACK...and then your truck suddenly on its own shifts down to 1st gear and there's nothing driver csn do but hope they don't hit or get hit by another vehicle?? These are just a few major issues I've had with the truck since buying it 5 years ago. I've barely drove rhe thing since the sudden downshift occurred and could have killed my son and I. The back window quit working. The transmission seems to have alot of issues and I was told because I am past 10 years..yet still under the 150,000 miles id have to pay full price for the backordered part through Ford only which was quoted at $470.00 and that doesn't include any labor. Ford is letting people down majorly. I wish I never bought the truck because it was so exciting to finally have a nice vehicle only to be let down in numerous areas. I drive my 1989 suburban more than my truck due to safety issues and because I am not going to spend thousands on it for an issue that they know has been a major problem for so many customers but yet it wasnt ever an official recall. Total BS!! I can't even believe they can get away with such issues. It's appalling and I'm beyond disappointed with my basically useless truck.

Filed Nov 24, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · NE · crash

Transmission, shifted into 4th gear and would not shift out of 4th, Take the truck and inspect it if need be! Safety of my self and others as truck down shifted to 4th gear while driving speeds of 45mph, shot rpm’s over 6k. Problem has not been reproduced yet as of today 11/23/2024 Component wasn’t inspected by any option listed above but was mentioned in the NDOT accident report attached. No symptoms or warning likes before it appeared. Truck has NO warning lamps on including but not limited to check engine light or abs.

Filed Oct 26, 2024 · Acceleration, Wheels · TX

At 45 mph the gear downshifted causing back tires to skid. Then gear illumination disappeared and wouldn't go into gear(while trying to leave a steep boat ramp) very scary!

Filed Aug 16, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · 250,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The check engine and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The tachometer and speedometer were inoperable. The contact pulled over, and the transmission remained stuck in first gear. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the engine and determined that the transmission position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

Filed Jul 6, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

My truck is doing exactly what the recall on all the others. Check engine light on for input shaft speed sensor. Speed odometer quit working then engine light came on for speed sensor. Now when you drive on highway it will be fine then all of a sudden throw a wrench light and truck goes into limp mode and barely moves. You stop turn it off it resets but still isn’t right it doesn’t seem to shift at proper times seems to be shifting to often.