2013 Ford F-150: sudden loss of power

Filed Oct 7, 2026 · Engine · GA

I am submitting this complaint because my 2013 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost developed a serious and potentially life-threatening engine defect that placed me and my family in immediate danger. While traveling on a major interstate/highway, the engine warning light and wrench light illuminated, and the truck subsequently lost power and stalled while I was driving. This occurred in active highway traffic, creating an extremely dangerous situation. My family and I were almost killed because the vehicle unexpectedly lost propulsion while we were traveling at highway speed and surrounded by other vehicles. The defect is especially hazardous because the failure can occur without providing a safe opportunity to move the vehicle out of traffic. An unexpected engine shutdown on a major interstate can leave the vehicle disabled in an active travel lane or in an unsafe location, exposing the occupants to a high risk of being struck by another vehicle. The loss of engine power also compromises the driver's ability to accelerate away from dangerous traffic situations. The condition is consistent with the **timing-component degradation and engine performance/stalling concerns described in Ford's technical-service information, including TSB 18-2305**, concerning the 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The timing components can deteriorate to the point that the engine experiences serious drivability problems and may stall. In my case, this was not merely a warning light or minor mechanical issue—the vehicle actually **stalled while being driven on a major interstate with my family inside**. This defect represents an immediate **hazardous safety condition** because an engine that unexpectedly stalls at highway speed can cause a driver to lose the ability to maintain speed, merge, maneuver, or safely remove the vehicle from traffic. The danger is substantially increased when children or family members are passengers. Ford is well aware of this defect. I am asking the federal safety agency to investigate

Filed Aug 27, 2026 · Transmission · MN

I have experienced several downshifts at high speed to low gear while driving. This defect can cause sudden downshifts at highway speeds, creating a serious risk of loss of control, skidding, or collision. The vehicle experiences sudden downshifts, wrench‑light warnings, and loss of power, which matches the defect described in recall 19S07. I contacted both a local dealer and the regional Ford representatives, Ford marked the recall as completed, but the repair was either not performed or performed without resolution and the defect symptoms continue.

Filed Aug 17, 2026 · Transmission · AZ

Despite the federal safety agency and Ford stating the "recall" has been fixed on my 2013 Ford F150, my truck still performs the exact symptoms of a Transmission molded leadframe failure. Not only my safety, but the safety of others was put as risk when my truck suddenly downshifted into what appeared to first gear, while traveling on the road, with no indication. I lost power and was no longer able to move at the speed of traffic. Had this happened at highway speed I would have almost certainly lost traction and could have crashed. I was sitll forced to take evasive action and move to the side of the road, where my truck would not shift out of first gear until after a full restart. No warning lights, lamps, or other messages were displayed before or after the incident.

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · OH

Subject: Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2013 Ford F-150 Flex Fuel Transmission Failure I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2013 Ford F-150 Flex Fuel due to a serious and costly transmission failure that I believe warrants investigation by the federal safety agency. I purchased this vehicle in 2020, and since that time it has experienced ongoing transmission problems. The transmission has progressively worsened and now slips during operation, creating a safety concern when accelerating, merging into traffic, or crossing intersections. The vehicle does not consistently respond as expected, increasing the risk of a crash. After having the vehicle inspected, I was informed that the transmission requires complete replacement at a cost of more than $7,000. This is an excessive repair expense for what appears to be a known issue affecting Ford F-150 trucks. I am aware that Ford has issued recalls and service actions involving transmission problems on other model-year Ford F-150s. Given the nature of the transmission failure in my 2013 F-150 and the widespread complaints from other owners, I believe the 2013 Ford F-150 should also be investigated for similar transmission defects. This failure is more than an inconvenience—it is a safety issue. A slipping transmission can result in unexpected loss of power, delayed acceleration, or failure to properly engage gears, placing drivers, passengers, and others on the roadway at risk. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency investigate transmission failures in the 2013 Ford F-150 Flex Fuel and determine whether this model should be included in any existing or future safety recalls or other corrective actions. Owners should not be responsible for thousands of dollars in repairs when the failure may be the result of a widespread defect. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Filed Jun 30, 2026 · Transmission · FL

I have had error messages displayed on the dashboard that there are a Hill Descent Control Fault and Service Advance Trac. These are immediately followed by loss of throttle response and/or loss of engine power. This has been occurring since April 2025 till presently June 2026. I have all documents from the dealership stating the faults exist and invoices stating they had been fixed. My truck has been serviced for the same problem six times at a cost of over$1800 over the last year and I am still having the same exact problem in traffic, which include loss of throttle and/ or power where I must stop completely in the lane I am in. I recently was almost struck in the rear of my vehicle because a truck did not notice be stopped off center lane. This is a danger to me and others on the roadways. It is continuing to get worse; I have photos of me pulled over in roadways, medians, shoulders having to stop put the truck in park to restart and proceed like normal until the next error and safety situation arises. It has occurred up to four times in one outing on the roadways. They have replaced Throttle body, throttle shaft twice, actuators, fuel pump relays and a fuse box relocation because of a ford TSB that a tech found on web. But my problem still exist they presently have my vehicle again, and I was told today they wanted to charge me for sparkplugs because that may be the cause. IDK. Please help.

Filed Jun 27, 2026 · Transmission · CA

While driving approximately 45 MPH on a multi-lane road in moderate-to-heavy traffic, the truck shuddered as if caught between gears, then the engine revved past 4500 RPM on its own. Lifting off the accelerator had no effect on RPM, and pressing it produced no change in engine or vehicle speed. Moments later the drivetrain engaged violently: the rear tires chirped, the rear of the truck stepped sideways, and the vehicle decelerated abruptly from about 45 MPH to under 10 MPH with no brake input from me. Because there was no braking, I do not believe my brake lights illuminated during this sudden deceleration, creating a serious rear-end collision risk for any following vehicle. At onset, the speedometer dropped to zero (drifting down as if the engine had shut off), the odometer displayed only dashes, and the wrench/powertrain warning light illuminated. After the downshift, the wrench light cleared and the airbag warning light came on. The tachometer stayed elevated and the gear selector would only indicate gears 1, 2, and 3. I pulled over, shut off and restarted the vehicle, and drove home slowly under 15 MPH. This same failure recurred on 06/24/2026 while driving to the dealer. A Ford dealer technician inspected the vehicle and confirmed the transmission molded leadframe had broken, producing diagnostic trouble code P0722 (Output Shaft Speed Sensor Circuit, No Signal). The failed component is available for inspection. The sudden, unintended loss of power and severe deceleration in live traffic, with no driver input and likely no brake-light warning to following traffic, is a significant safety hazard.

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Steering · LA

I was driving down the road when my power steering went out in the middle of a sharp turn. As the power steering was going out the screen on the dash showed “Service power steering now” and beeped three times, giving me only about a second to read the message and react to losing power steering. The steering wheel jerked right and I almost drove off the road. I have since taken it to a ford dealership where they informed me that the entire rack and pinion needs to be replaced.

Filed Mar 13, 2026 · Acceleration · OK

I am an owner of a 2013 F150 with a 5.0 liter V8 engine my transmission speed sensor malfunction causing my truck to abruptly lose power as I was doing 85mph down the turnpike as to where I had to coast to the shoulder of the road and my dash cluster I had no readings of digital components and I had a wrench symbol on my dash board as I was confused of what just happened I killed the engine and restarted it and I took off to get home asap during my ride home I encountered this problem a couple more times , I took it and had a diagnostics on it and it showed a code of p0720 which indicated a transmission speed sensor problem so I looked up any recalls on this issue and found that in fact my truck had been recalled for this issue so I contacted Ford and they have my truck under the customer appreciation program and informed me that I was past the extended warranty program and my truck was over 150,000 miles so basically they were no longer responsible to fix it but my truck is actually under the recall status because it has the 5.0 liter engine and that recall calls for a programming and molded lead frame replacement and from what I read that recall don't expire because it is a safety issue and the code is stored in my PCM and cant be erased so my question is , is my truck still covered under the 19S19 recall since my engine is the 5.0 liter v8 coyote engine ?

Filed Mar 10, 2026 · Acceleration, Steering · VA

2013 Ford F‑150 Limited – VIN [XXX] On [XXX], my 2013 Ford F‑150 Limited experienced a sudden and dangerous transmission failure involving the transmission conductor plate (lead frame). My son was driving the vehicle when the dashboard abruptly shut off, multiple warning lights illuminated, and the truck lost engine power. Shortly afterward, while braking, the engine attempted to accelerate on its own, and the vehicle resisted slowing down. This created an immediate and life‑threatening situation. These symptoms match the known failure mode of defective 6R80 transmission lead frames, which the federal safety agency has previously identified as a serious safety hazard due to sudden loss of power, erratic shifting, unintended acceleration, and dashboard failure. The vehicle became undriveable and could not be safely transported to a Ford dealership. It had to be repaired at a nearby independent shop (Auto Stop Elite of Purcellville, VA). The conductor plate was replaced on February 12, 2026, at a total cost of $1,689.59. Despite this being a well‑documented safety defect affecting many Ford F‑150 owners, no recall or service campaign was ever issued for my VIN. No warnings appeared on Ford’s website, Carfax, or through any Ford communication. Other owners have received reimbursement from Ford for the same failure, yet Ford provided no notice or remedy in my case. This defect placed my son’s life in danger and represents a clear safety issue that should be addressed. I am requesting that the federal safety agency review this incident as part of the ongoing pattern of conductor plate/lead frame failures in Ford’s 6R80 transmissions. We are informing you because we have contacted Ford and they have done NOTHING to resolve this. We had to have it repaired and were never aware that there was a safety recall. We expect to be reimbursed in full for this repair by Ford. To date - we are being ignored and will now pursue with the Virginia Attorney General's office as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 55

Filed Nov 24, 2025 · Transmission · CO

.Driving on the interstate cruise control set on 75 all of a sudden, lose power speedometer to 0. Transmission, jerks have to pull over. Get home check the code. Said it was the transmission lead frame, oss sensor. Im lucky I didn't wreck. It's a safety concern, should be a recall.

Filed Sep 10, 2025 · Electrical · TX

The incident occurred while entering a limited access roadway. I was accelerating and merging into the main lane of travel. As I was accelerating, the engine cut off and several warning lights appeared. The Check Engine light came on first, followed by the Check Battery light. As a result of the loss of power, the vehicle behind me almost rear-ended my vehicle. I was able to roll to the side of the highway to the emergency breakdown lane without engine power. I have subsequently had the car inspected by a mechanic. The root cause of the loss of power was related to a cracked fuseblock mounted above the radiator in the middle of the truck. The mechanic indicated that he has seen several of these fuseblocks failing due to cracks. Leading up to the incident, the truck has experienced intermittent issues starting. The engine will crank, but it does not run. After tapping the fuseblock mounted above the radiator, the engine would run.

Filed Sep 8, 2025 · Transmission · 67,819 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 53-54 MPH and overtaking another vehicle, the vehicle sputtered and shuddered temporarily. An unknown warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the power train warning light illuminated, and the speedometer became inoperable. The contact noticed that the turn signal had failed to disengage immediately after making a turn. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was driving under reduced power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a faulty wiring in the transmission lead frame. The dealer determined that the wiring and the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related to the failure of Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 (Transmission Molded Lead Frame Extended Coverage). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,819.