I was traveling [XXX] near Liverpool, PA at 60mph, the truck flashed a quick code on the dash and then suddenly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st almost spinning the truck as the rear wheels locked up momentarily. It would not upshift past 3rd gear and had to travel 35 miles home like that. I called my local Ford dealer (Parsons) and they said bring the truck in for diagnostic testing, so I did. Meanwhile I searched the internet to see if others had the issue. Turns out they did, BUT my 2015 with the 6R80 was NOT in the recall notice. Ford said it was the lead frame and needed to be replaced. IF it was a known problem, why not inform owners of these trucks. That said, Ford wanted $1500 to fix it, BUT they did not have the part. So I drove the truck (never with my family in it ever again) after I cleared the code with my reader...again traveling [XXX] @ 75mph it downshifted IN TRAFFIC. Luckily I was in the right lane and made a quick move to the shoulder to avoid being run over. In Carlisle, PA there are hundreds of trucking companies and warehouses, so the truck traffic is very heavy. That was it. I searched out the part, paid for it myself and had a Ford mechanic that does work on the side fix the truck. I have been a loyal Ford guy for over 30 years...I reached out to Ford via telephone, chat and even Facebook. All they say is it is NOT under any recall. Hard to swallow that when I am driving a $75K truck THEY built and they will NOT stand behind a $2K fix. Well goodbye Ford, as a business owner for over 25 years. If I make an error I fix it NO MATTER what. I gave Ford the opportunity to stand behind truck and they did...JUST FAR behind it and passed me as I sit on the shoulder of the road. This in my opinion INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2015 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 11 of 16: complaints 281 to 310 of 441, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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 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.
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 federal safety agency investigate this issue and expand the recall to include 2015 F-150s with the same 6R80 transmission and defective lead frame.
The vehicle will randomly shift into 1st or 2nd gear no matter what speed you are traveling. This causes a sudden slam of vehicle and slows town rapidly even causing the tires to skid. This feels extremely unsafe. There aren’t any recalls on my year and model specifically, however this is a very known issue with Ford 6-speed automatic transmissions. There is a safety recall on 2011-2013 Ford F150 models for the same issues I am having with my 2015 models. Occasionally the engine light will appear and the code reads transmission range sensor circuit. Also, occasionally the vehicle won’t start and the “see service manual” message will appear.
This vehicle started having periods of time that felt and sounded like you were running over rumble strips. This started happening at 38,000 miles and it would happen every 30 seconds to 1 min when going a steady speed. Also when shifting into different gears. Took it to a private mechanic and had the transmission fluid and filter changed which seemed to help a little. Then gradually started coming back more and more again. At 40,000 mi we decided to take it to the Ford dealership in portage, Wisconsin. They diagnosed the issue as a torque converter and torque converter solenoid. All together. This will be costing us $5,000. Upon looking up potential recalls for this problem, I noticed many F150 2015's with the same problem that were included in a recall. For some reason this vehicle is not but obviously should be. I contacted Ford and they told me to discuss the situation with the dealership that is doing the repair on the truck. Ford dealership told me to contact the Ford office. After getting bounced back and forth, I just decided to file this claim with you. I don't know what the next steps could be.
I was driving at 65 mph when my 2015 F150 shifted into 1st gear. I started skidding sideways and almost flipped but was able to run through the gears quickly and got it into Neutral. This has happened a few other times since the initial incident. I constantly receive codes related to lead frame assembly issue: P0720, P0721, P0722, P161B, etc. I am in desperate need of a new lead frame assembly so my vehicle does not crash on the highway. Thanks!
My truck downshifted from 5th gear to 1st as I was going on a highway ramp . I was inches from being hit from behind by an 18 wheeler. Tbis started a few months ago it would downshifted when accelerating went from a few time a month to it happening weekly . I have counted ford and they hav said there’s no recall for my year .
While driving at 60 mph on highway my transmission will switch from Drive into Neutral and alternate in from Drive to Neutral randomly. Crash prevention sensors stop working at the same time. This causes safety issues for me and passengers as I am not able to control speed. It shifts out of high gear into a lower gear and feels like it is only operable in this one gear. Unable to tell which gear because the gear indicator lights on dash stop working during this time. Many warning icons pop up on dash readout during this (check engine, wrench, cross traffic collision, lane assist, etc.) I see on the internet this problem is extremely common due to the 6R80 Transmission Molded Lead Frame failure which has been involved in millions of recalls but for some reason not my vehicle. this is extremely dangerous and could be life threatening to my auto occupants and others in traffic. I have an appointment to have it looked at by my dealer where i purchased the vehicle new in 2015.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, causing the vehicle to decelerate. The contact heard a loud grinding sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the transmission fluid, but the failure persisted. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. 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 failure mileage was 88,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently and downshifted unexpectedly to first gear. The shifting lights began to flash and then cleared. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle suddenly jerked and the engine revved. The gear selector lights were flashing. The instrument panel lights were flashing before starting to work as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
I was driving down the interstate when my truck abruptly started hard shifting and wouldn’t come out of 3rd gear had to pull off the road put the truck in park and turn the truck off. After turning the vehicle off and back on the check engine light came on and a yellow wrench illuminated on the dash board saying “see owner manual”. I attempted to put it in drive with success it will showed me in 3rd gear and had a hard time gaining speed. I drove the truck safely to auto parts store and they attached there OBD scanner to the truck and got faulty codes for p07021abd p07022. They said it was a lead frame assembly sensor failure. My truck was working perfectly fine before this incident had occurred.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the front driver’s side interior door lock switch had intermittently malfunctioned, and the driver was unable to lock the doors while inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the front driver’s door locking actuator and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, while driving at various speeds the transmission erroneously downshifted causing the vehicle to decelerate abruptly. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 140,000.
The Lead Frame in my truck went bad. I was driving on the highway doing 70mph, the truck downshifted to 5th and I lost control of what gear I was in. When I came to a stop the truck was still in 5th gear and it died. I was unable to restart the truck and had to get it towed.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH on two occasions, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle slowed down abruptly, and the rear wheels locked up and squealed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
The lead frame on the 6r80 transmission is faulty causing a sudden stop in operation while the vehicle is moving.
The transmission failed at the start of a 900 mile trip while traveling on [XXX]. After stopping at the toll booths the car intermittently would not engage into first gear. Several times I had to turn the vehicle off either in the toll lane and try to start it again, or pull the car off the road for a short time. Once the car was moving it would not shift through the gears properly and I had to drive at a slow speed in the right lane while the normal, faster traffic passed us. Fortunately we were 10 miles from Capital Ford in Charleston, WV and it was on a Wednesday so they were able to check the car that morning. The transmission technicians diagnosed the problem and replaced the Leadframe which they had in stock. After approximately 7 hours waiting we were able to get back on the road. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other people other than the service center at Capital Ford in Charleston. No engine warning lamps or messages appeared prior to or after the incident. Once we returned home I stopped into the service center at my local Ford dealership to discuss the issue and check on recalls or extended warranty programs but was told there were none for this particular vehicle year. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The transmission is having deceleration at high rates of speed on the highway. It is have severe hard metal clicks that cause the front end to lock up and squeal tires at over 50 miles an hour. It is failing to take gear especially in drive. It is resulting in rolling backwards (I live in the mountains and at times haul a trailer resulting in high safety issues.) Unable to take gears and take off from a stop at times. This is all putting me at high risk of having a wreck and losing control especially on narrow mountain roads and traveling busy highways. I live off a corner and people come around fast and the transmission is failing. The issues with the 2014 is the same issue I am having with the 2015. I am struggling to get the dealership to manage the issue. It varies in frequency, but is profoundly limiting my ability to do my second job and travel due to fear of getting in an accident injuring myself, my livestock, or others. The truck at times will flash a wrench symbol, but other times will not. They started earlier this year. I have had the truck at the dealership 2x and get poor service since it is not a 2014, but experiencing same issues as that model.
The truck only goes through 1 through 3 and then when it shifts into 4 it doesn’t go anywhere and it throws a bunch of service codes that just go away when you turn the truck off it has dropped from 6th gear to 3rd and locked the tires up and spun me out almost causing me to wreck the truck
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
While driving at approximately 35 mph, the blind spot warning and rear traffic warning system indicated that there was a failure to the system. I parked the truck and then tried to restart the vehicle. The truck would not start. When it was diagnosed at the dealer, they found a faulty lead frame in the transmission. This part was then replaced. I have checked with Ford and my vehicle is NOT being recalled at this time. I have seen other recalls involving lead frame in other fords that have the same transmission as mine.
noticed leaks from under radiator which kept getting worse so had triple a tow to dealership and when starting it to load on rollback within a minute it was smoking from under hood and about to catch fire luckily i shut down the engine in the nick of time. was the transmission cooler line spraying trans fluid on manifold. work done at selinsgrove motors in pa.
See attached document for complaint.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. During the failure, the vehicle abruptly decelerated, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the driver almost lost control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 170,000.
The vehicle loses its sensor for gear placement. The wrench icon appears and the engine fan starts running fast. The vehicle will not shift and causes an extremely dangerous situation while on the road. The gear shift panel doesn’t show an engaged gear. When it’s safe to stop and shut of the vehicle, it won’t turn back on. Eventually the vehicle clears the error itself and is drivable again until the next incident.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated that his wife and minor children were passengers inside the vehicle during the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
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