My 2013 F-150 suddenly downshifted (without warning) from sixth to first gear at 55 mph on March 21, 2025. My engine was at risk of blowing out because of that incident. Fortunately, no one was tailgating me at the time, also. A "recall repair" was performed at a Ford dealership on June 27, 2019. This vehicle is currently being diagnosed at a local transmission repair shop.
2013 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 9 of 46: complaints 221 to 250 of 1,346, newest first, as owners wrote them.
traveling on highway at speed of 65 to 70 mph and vehicle suddenly downshifted and experienced a loos of power. dashboard went off and I lost control of the vehicle. my safety was put at risk due to loss of power of vehicle. I could not identify anything wrong with the vehicle before it happened.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear and the vehicle lost motive power. The power train and check engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, when the vehicle downshifted, the information on the infotainment screen disappeared. The vehicle was restarted, and the screen reappeared. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the transmission erroneously downshifted causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate, almost causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure was later self-corrected. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V433000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the transmission was replaced. In addition, the contact stated that several other unknown repairs were performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
unexpected down shift transmission jumping gears
Component: Vehicle, travelling at 70mph, downshifted to lower gear. Legal speed limit on Hwy 7 Comanche Co, OK. Remained in lower gear and would not upshift. After stopping, stopping engine and re starting, did same, downshifted at 60mph. Took vehicle to Ford dealer service dept. Identified as Lead Frame harness/connector. Safety; driver safety was at risk with sudden downshift jolting vehicle. Other drivers at risk with swerve to adjacent lane. Trailing traffic at risk by sudden slow down & stoppage. Problem; problem confirmed and replacement parts completed by Ford dealership 09/25/2024 at cost of $1,121.80 Vehicle inspection: by Ford dealership service dept technicians Symptoms: NO warning whatsoever. Downshifted at 70mph Made a phone call to Ford Corporate to complain and request Ford cover costs, refund or assistance. Was told NO way. FOX news report 03/24/2025 identified 2015-2017 F150 issues with same conditions. the federal safety agency, ODI investigating.
The 2013 f150 has the same problem with the transmission dropping into 1st gear!
This is in regard to the current investigation concerning the transmission downshifting unexpectedly. My 2013 F-150 has done the same thing several times since I bought it new. Fortunately I was not driving at a high speed but each time lower than around 35 MPH. It has a 6 speed auto transmission and would drop down into 1st or 2nd gear and show it's in tow/haul. Also sometimes when I first start to drive it, the transmission is in tow/haul when I never selected that. I notice when I hear the engine rpm high and notice I don't have good pickup speed. To remedy both issues I push the button in on the gearshift lever and it immediately starts to work properly. I have reported this to the Ford dealership maintenance representative a couple times but they said they never heard of any trucks doing this. Nothing was ever done about it. I continue to drive it and have 138,000 miles on it. I'm letting you know this because according to what I am reading, 2013 models are not included in the investigation.
While driving on highway the vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear causing my rear tire to lock up and the momentary loss of vehicle control. I deviated from my lane and as the rear of my vehicle skidded in a fishtail type action. Following this incident the vehicle has shifted into first multiple times at lower speeds in conjunction with loss of speed indication.
I had the transmission issue that's been reported of downshifting to 1st gear will traveling at speeds around 65 mph and recalled on F150 trucks, but for some reason my truck was never under recall so I had to pay $5700 for a new transmission before it killed me. If I had the same issue that has been recalled, why wasn't I covered under the recall?
Truck has been thrown into limp mode multiple times with codes P0720 and P0722 being thrown per OBD scanner. Turning the truck off and on gets rid of the wrench and check engine light and allows the transmission to work normally again. The first two times were on acceleration, months apart. It now does this consistently at highway speeds so I am unable to take it on busy roads, the last time I was on the interstate I was going below traffic speed with hazards on until the exit because the truck slowed from 80 to 40. It couldn't get up the ramp after pulling off so I took side roads home. As far as I can tell this is associated with customer satisfaction program 19N01 and Ford sold these trucks with a faulty lead frame. The truck is 12 yrs 120k miles instead of the 10 yr 100k warranty Ford offered for this part specifically, I don't see how the age makes a difference if Ford has admitted to using faulty parts in the transmission already
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started to jerk. The contact stated that the transmission downshifted to second gear. The failure became more persistent over time. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the output speed sensor circuit needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to 1st gear, the vehicle shuddered, skidded, and the rear wheels locked up. The contact was able to coast over to the side of the road. The power train warning light was illuminated with the wrench symbol and the air bag warning light briefly before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact detached the battery and waited for a while before reattaching the battery, restarting the vehicle, and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred approximately every 5 miles. The dealer was contacted and decided to charge the contact to diagnose the vehicle to determine the cause of failure, instead of completing the recall repair free of charge. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Three times in the past couple of weeks, my vehicle has lost power at high speed. Once when I was trying to merge and again while just driving at high speed and giving it gas to avoid a situation in front of me. The first time it happened, the gauges in the fuel economy mode screen stopped working, including the speedometer, giving the vehicle Gas did nothing but rev the engine up like it was in neutral. I coasted to a parking lot on my trucks own forward momentum, shut the vehicle off restarted the vehicle. The gauges were working again, and the transmission seemed to be working as well. The second time it happened to me was while I was driving and it did the exact same thing, but I did not have to pull over to restart the vehicle. It started working again suddenly, at that time, the gauges were working. My husband was on the highway trying to pass another vehicle when he gave it gas, the truck suddenly lost all power, the transmission sounded like it was in neutral revving up due to giving it gas. Then just as suddenly it slammed really hard back into gear with a loud boom, so hard in fact, he thought he was hit from behind and was jerked forward in the vehicle violently. I contacted the dealership who works on our car and was told without a check engine light or a code there’s nothing they can do but to bring it there when it does that. The problem occurs intermittently and corrects before we can get to the dealership. I told the Ford dealership about the recall on the six speed transmission, 19S07, and was told that recall was taken care of in 2019 at Auffenburg Ford where we bought the vehicle. What is going on now is exactly the description of that recall, but because there are no active recalls for my vehicle the dealership does not want to even look at the vehicle. I and my husband or another driver could have been killed with high speed power loss like this. How do I get this recall re-added so the dealership will do something before a fatality?
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission failed to shift above fifth gear. In addition, the contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle only downshifted to third gear while decelerating. The contact stated that a wrench symbol was displayed, indicating a failure with the transmission. The contact was forced to restart the vehicle to resume normal operation. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The contact used a code reader that showed a failure with the output speed sensor circuit inside the transmission control unit. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
When on interstate or main road it shifts from 6th gear to first gear called Ford they said there is no recalls for my vehicle it shifts down so hard that my back tires slide without warning it is a danger
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to first gear with the wrench warning symbol displayed. The contact was forced to reset the vehicle by turning off the vehicle, disconnecting and then reconnecting the battery, for the vehicle to resume normal operation. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); which was linked to the failure. The contact used a code reader that showed a defect with the speed sensor inside the transmission control unit. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle. The contact drove for a short while however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the engine revved, and the mileage gauge went to zero. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 19N01 on the Ford App. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the mileage eliminated the vehicle from the Extended Warranty. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from sixth gear to first gear. The speedometer and RPM fell to zero. The accelerator pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The wrench symbol was displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and confirmed there was no warranty coverage for the failure. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,300.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted to first gear, and the rear wheels locked up, almost causing a collision. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pulled over to the side of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had gone into LIMP Mode several times. The contact stated that upon disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, the vehicle responded as needed, occasionally. The vehicle was taken to GN Automotive, where it was diagnosed and determined that the output shaft speed sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
I was driving on [XXX] in Georgia. I was going around 75 mph and my transmission dropped from 6th gear to 1st Gear my speed dropped from around 75 mph to 25 mph in less than a second. My safety and the safety of other vehicles/people were put in danger, I almost lost control of my steering and hit somebody in the right lane next to me. Three Vehicles behind me had to slam on their brakes and swerve around me to avoid rear ending me. When the vehicles transmission dropped gears rapidly, at the same time I got a gear wrench symbol across my cluster display, and I lost functionality of the vehicles mph gauge and gas gauge. The fasten seatbelt light was also on but no audible warning tone was heard.. The vehicle also lost acceleration power. I was able to get the vehicle home and turned the car on and off and everything went back to normal. This is an intermittent issue with no warning when it will happen. There was a recall from ford for a programming issue with the tranny and currently a CSP with campaign #19N01 for a Transmission molded leadframe extended coverage. Basically the lead frame needs to be replaced to correct the problem which is 4,000 to 6,000 dollars. Ford will not fix my lead frame because I am past certain dates and over the mileage by 2,200 miles. I also needed to be displaying symptoms and the code for ford to fix the issue if I was within dates and mileage. I didn’t display any codes or symptoms until I was 2,200 miles over the CSP warranty coverage. I also just bought the truck in September of 2024 and was not aware of this issue. I can’t express enough how dangerous going from 75 mph to 25 mph in a second on a busy freeway is. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and resume driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving and while at a complete stop. The contact was able to drive to the residence at 5 MPH after the last failure. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle was stuck in fifth gear and failed to return to normal operation. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the lead frame in the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The truck downshifts into first gear,or gets stuck in a certain gear,and speedometer doesn't work and wrench light illuminates.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact was driving on a snowy road surface. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle slid across the road. The contact was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact's minor child was an occupant in the vehicle at the time of the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure and the contact was notified of a recall for the failure however, the recall had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
My trucks transmission will down shit on its own out of know were it will be in like 5 th gear then it drops down into 3 erd r 2 end gear
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to first gear with the wrench warning symbol illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle entered LIMP Mode. The contact shut off the vehicle, disconnected, and reconnected the battery for the vehicle to resume normal operation. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train) which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under recall. The contact stated that upon exiting the dealer's parking lot; the failure immediately returned, and the vehicle was taken right back to the dealer. Despite the immediate failure, the contact was informed that no additional assistance could be offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. In addition, the contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed lead frame. The contact was informed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); in 2022. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
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