2016 Ford F-150: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Transmission · 163,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); however, the failure occurred after the recall repair. While starting the vehicle, the transmission started out at 5th gear with the engine revving, and while driving at various speeds, the transmission slammed into gear before accelerating. The vehicle then went into LIMP Mode with the transmission and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the lead frame and PCM were normal, but the transmission might need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Transmission · TN

I responded to recall 26V237 by bringing my F150 into our local Ford dealership, Lenoir City Ford, in Lenoir City, Tennessee, on [XXX]. At the time the truck was dropped off for the recall fix, it was running and operating normally, without any issues. I picked up my truck on [XXX] after the dealership applied the reprogramming fix. As soon as I pulled out of their parking lot onto the main road, the truck started acting up: erratic shifting, delayed shifting, spontaneous downshifting, lack of response from acceleration, and loud rattling noises. I immediately returned to the dealership and had the service technician ride in the vehicle with me. She asked me to turn around immediately and had the service manager ride in the vehicle. He also immediately told me to turn around and return to their parking lot, saying the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The only way to got the vehicle back to the parking lot was to use the manual shift mode and shift with the paddles. As of the date of this filing, the truck remains in the possession of Lenoir City Ford and is undriveable. The Ford dealership has completed all troubleshooting requirements with Ford Motor Company. It has been determined that the transmission needs to be replaced. Ford Motor Company is refusing to make the necessary repairs to the vehicle that their software fix created. The dealership continues to try to resolve this through their channels, and I keep reaching out to Ford Motor Company to resolve it. I have a case file started with Ford, [XXX]. Since this started, Ford Motor Company issued an internal memo to all dealerships instructing them to stop performing the recall software fix, which is under investigation. See attached. The vehicle is still in Lenoir City Ford's possession. On October 14th, the dealership will have been in possession of it for one month. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 7, 2026 · Transmission · PA

The automatic transmission has experienced repeated unexpected downshifts and other abnormal gear-selection behavior. Before the recall repair, the vehicle experienced multiple unexpected downshifts, including a shift from 4th to 2nd gear. Safety Recall 26S28 was performed on July 20, 2026, consisting of a PCM software update. The problem continued after the recall repair. Approximately one week later, while operating in 3rd gear, the transmission momentarily shifted into 1st gear and then returned to 4th. On August 31, while operating in 5th gear, it again momentarily shifted directly into 1st and then returned to 4th. The vehicle was returned to an authorized Ford dealer in September for evaluation. The dealer road-tested the vehicle three times and scanned the PCM but could not duplicate the condition and found no diagnostic trouble codes. The dealer contacted Ford regarding the condition, but no additional repair was authorized because no qualifying codes were present. The problem has continued. I have manually limited the selectable transmission range to 4th gear in an effort to reduce the possibility of another unexpected downshift. On multiple occasions, without any driver input, the selected maximum transmission range has changed from 4th back to the full 1-6 range. On October 3, 2026, the vehicle experienced a hard shift into 4th and then shifted back and forth between 5th and 6th. During this event, the transmission range display went blank and subsequently returned. On October 4, I again manually selected 4th as the maximum gear. During a drive of less than three miles, the selected range independently returned to the full 1-6 range multiple times. There have been no warning lights associated with these events. The condition is intermittent and was not reproduced during the dealer inspection. The vehicle remains available for inspection. I am concerned about the risk of loss of vehicle control from an unexpected downshift. The condition has continued afte

Filed Oct 2, 2026 · Transmission · 150,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to shift into first gear unless the accelerator pedal was released for up to thirty seconds, after which the transmission shifted hard into second gear. The check engine and power train warning lights illuminated after the hard shift. Additionally, the vehicle only shifted between third and fifth gears while driving. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train) and contacted the dealer by phone; however, the dealer informed the contact that the recall repair could not be performed because the manufacturer had placed a pause on the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Transmission · VA

dangerous, unpredictable transmission behavior Violent Downshifting Sudden jerks and Deceleration and Power Loss: heavy jerking loud clunks gears making noises following the forced downshift, the truck will experience a massive, unexpected drop in speed, sluggish and difficult maintaining speed like limp mode driving in normal speeds then loss of power engine stalling in the middle of rush hour traffic The Orange Wrench Light and check engine light will come on with codes p0720 I went did the reprogramming as recommended Ford dealer performed Safety Recall 26S28, which immediately aggravated the transmission failure and left the vehicle completely disabled. in the highway the dealer's recall software update directly caused a total transmission failure the next day, and i feel unsafe driving the vehicle due to the severe unprompted downshifting risks outlined in the federal safety agency Campaign 26V237 Felt unsafe to drive truck and also it became undrivable and had to have it towed to the Ford dealership that did recall.

Filed May 27, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · WI

Low idol sputters then dies down shifts clunks and stays stuck in 3rd gear cruse control fails different modes stop working wrench light on dash truck is lurching on takeoff basically just destroying itself while in operation rendering it undriveable

Filed Apr 23, 2026 · Transmission · 155,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking, the engine made a clunking sound, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The power training warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with the failure of the module or electronic system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Transmission · WA

transmission not shifting properly and shutting down not able to drive,hard shifting from 3rd to 4th, it iS A 6 speed V8

Filed Mar 19, 2026 · Transmission · WI

Date of occurrence 3-11-2026 2016 F-150 5.0 6R80- Vehicle down shifted to first gear sporadically locking rear wheels up around 30-35 mph. Wrench light came on saying see manual. Shortly after the check engine light came on. I came to a stop and the truck wouldn’t shift properly. When I would put it in reverse it would slam into gear. The dash would not show if I was in park, drive or reverse. I shut the vehicle off and it would not restart or turn over. I was only a mile or two from home. Was able to get it home in neutral with the truck off with a short tow. The truck started fine and acted fine the following day. I thought it was just a glitch so I drove it around in the driveway. And once the truck and trans got up to full operation temps the same problem occurred. Thankfully it was still in the driveway so that’s where it sits now. It is very unsafe and unstable to drive. 130,000 miles. I was able to hook my code reader up to it and now I’m getting codes P0707/P0706 all Transmission range sensor codes. P0707(1/ 6) Stored Transmission Range Sensor 'A' Circuit Low DTC Severity 2 of 3: This fault may pose damage to components and should be repaired as soon as possible.//// P0706(2/6) Stored Transmission Range Sensor 'A' Circuit Range/Performance/// P0707(4/6) Pending Transmission Range Sensor 'A' Circuit Low The vehicle is still at my residence I have not moved it since the occurrence. Has not been inspected by dealer or mechanic. Will have to arrange a flatbed tow to a facility so there is no risk of injury or causing any more possible damage if any exists.

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Acceleration, Electrical · VA

Today I was driving my truck at 55mph on a local highway and all of the sudden I felt/heard/experienced a massive clunk out of nowhere - almost like the truck tried to downshift into 1st or something similarly jarring. It only lasted a second, and then I got a dash light on that said Service AdvanceTrac. Based on the service codes I'm seeing (two of them that are both UO100 codes which indicate loss of communication), I did some research and found out about the OSS sensor issue and think that's what is going on with my truck too. Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a Ford dealership to do anything about it since there isn't an official recall, and I'm afraid to keep driving it as this is likely going to keep happening - but fixing it myself is going to be expensive I think. It is available for inspection upon request. I felt that my safety was and continues to be at risk - downshifting into 1st gear, or whatever that was, while driving high speeds is dangerous and could potentially significantly damage my vehicle and myself. I have not taken it anywhere yet to be reproduced or confirmed - just plugged my scanner in and did a bit of research. No one has inspected it.

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Transmission · AL

Had issue with sudden downshifting ,not changing gears ,hard shift as well. Took the vehicle to AAMCO and was told the transmission needed to be rebuilt. So i did just, at 99,000 miles. Not sure if this helps your findings.

Filed Feb 19, 2026 · Transmission · WI

I was driving down the road with the cruise set at 60 mph when I came over the top of a hill and I started to decend down the hill if felt like my truck had down shifted and the back tires locked up and screeched a little bit then a big bang happened and had no more drive gear as I hit the gas it just reved the motor up and didn’t move. Upon further inspection I pulled the rear differential cover off and my spider gears and the shaft holding the gears in place was snapped in 2 different places, chips in the gears. My transfer case chain was snapped in half and my transmission had hard shift from first to second gear and a loud buzzing noise. . I took the truck to my mechanic and hooked a scanner up to it and took it for a test run. As it was driving a sensor was telling the truck to shift into park as it was shifting from first to second or second to third causing a hard shift and buzzing noise and eventually losing all connectivity to the transmission and internals as well. I have sense replaced the whole rear axel, transfer case myself with used parts and is currently in the shop swapping transmissions as I needed my vehicle to continue working. Safety of myself and or others was definitely at risk when my rear tires locked up the rear end could have slid out cause me to wreck and possibly wreck into someone else. There was also no warning lights or anything on my dash before this incident occurred.