While driving a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT Supercab with a 6-speed transmission and 5.0L V-8, the truck was acting abnormally where the rear tires locked up and chirped once, then acted normally. The following week I auto-started the truck to warm the engine up prior to leaving for work, the transmission clunked into reverse and moved, then when in forward motion the transmission lagged and heavily shifted upon acceleration. I turned around, came home, and switched vehicles. Upon arriving home after work, I took the truck for a test drive and it functioned normally, so I continued onto the grocery store. While traveling at 35mph, the transmission slammed into first gear and jolted me. The transmission began shifting on its own from 1st to 3rd back to 1st then to reverse. I was stopped in the middle of the road. I shut the truck off and waited approximately 5 to 10 minutes and tried to restart the vehicle. It wouldn't start, then it finally started and I pulled off to the side of the road. (There was no shoulder.) I gingerly pulled out and started my way back home. Luckily I made it home. There was no engine light (wrench) on the dashboard. I let the truck sit overnight. I started it the following morning, and then the light turned on. Now, if my family (wife and [XXX] ) would've been in the truck while pulling a trailer and 4-wheelers on our way out of state for the weekend and travelling at highway speeds (65-70 mph) and the transmission would've unexpectedly dropped into first gear, the truck and trailer would slam to a stop and there would be a pile up accident with death / mangling done to my family and myself. The truck was taken to a Ford dealer diagnosed with a [XXX] transmission wiring harness control being faulty, and replaced. I drove the truck for 2 months before travelling with a travel or allowing my [XXX] son anywhere near the truck. The repair fixed the issue, but we're strongly considering selling it. Repair cost ~$1800 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552
2016 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 13 of 22: complaints 341 to 370 of 618, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Transmission malfunction,stop working then slam back hard again working .Took to transmission shop (Hixson Tramsmission) and charged 100 dollars to tell me they found nothing wrong. Had fluids changed in transmission for another 400 dollars on a truck 2016 with 38000 miles on it. It jam back so hard then could find nothing. I was hard enough to make my back and neck hurt. If i had be on busy road it would have caused an accident.No warning light or signals till a couple days after i spent 500 dollars trying to find the problem the engine light came on after the fact.
While driving 35-40mph, transmission downshifted to a low gear and locked up rear wheels. This cause a loss of control for a moment. Check engine light came on, as well as wrench on dash. Engine cooling fans turned on high, and no indication of what gear was selected on the dash.
I have a 2017 F150 6 speed transmission. It shifts unexpectedly while driving
The contact's wife owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle jerked and hesitated. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before slamming into gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Unexpected gear downshift accompanied by a temporary rear wheel lock-up. This occurs at highway speeds and has shifted from 6th gear to 2nd gear multiple times at 50+ mph. This causes substantial safety concerns to both those in the vehicle as well as other vehicles on the road in the immediate proximity. When this occurs speed is restricted suddenly/immediately by a reduction of 5-12 mph. This causes severe impact to passengers. At low speed the gears shift sporadically between all 6 gear ranges impacting drivability. The vehicle has been inspected several times by Corwin Ford however they clear the codes and 'can not replicate' which correlates to the dealership deeming it safe to operate. There were multiple warning lights/lamps, messages when delivered to the dealership. Those were then cleared prior to 'diagnostics' as that was 'their process'.
Transmission dropped from 6th gear to 4th at 75mph and almost locked my axle
While traveling at 60mph transmission downshifted to first gear suddenly locking up rear end. Very dangerous situation Ford has. This could has caused a serious accident and injured people. No cel lights came on. Was reported to a Ford dealer who did not even care, and he's the one who sold me this truck.
My 2016 F150 it’s transmission downshifts just driving down the road the same thing they are recalling the 2014 F150 for
Transmission downshifts while driving at highway speed. Was going 50mph and trans was in 6 gear and dropped down to 2nd gear. Has happened multiple times and I needed to get the transmission fixed.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH uphill on several occasions, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to Lonstein's Motors Inc, where the gears were taken apart, and the mechanic diagnosed that the integrated wheel end (IWE) of the 4WD system was partially engaging unintendedly, causing gears to grind against each other and to become damaged. The mechanic noticed the presence of metal shavings. The mechanic replaced the left and right hub assemblies, two actuators, the vacuum lines, and the tubing solenoid. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 18-2273. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
happened a couple times within a week or so as the first time i was not sure what happened and there were no check engine lights but the second time i realized something was wrong and the check engine light was on. but while driving doing about 55-60 on my way home from work it happened and it seemed like the truck went from 6th gear to 1st throwing me forward and the dash went blank and then came back on after a split second and there was no response from the gas and then pedal was responding again. i pulled over and there were check engine lights on as well as the warnings for the cross traffic sensors. i then brought the truck into the local ford dealership and they said it was the valve body gone bad. they put in a new one and it wouldn't take programming so they put in a second one and i haven't had a problem since.
Po722 output speed sensor circuit replaced due to speed variations on the road was confirmed by dealer of danger to drive the warning was a wrench light repaired on ro#[xxx] at dealer paul miller ford east new circle rd lexington ky 40505 happened on [xxx] 180 miles away from home information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the wrench warning light illuminated, the instrument panel went black, and the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. A mechanic arrived on the scene and disconnected the negative battery terminal and waited for a while before restarting the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to the residence where the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with an internal sensor failure inside the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 148,000.
Unknown Downshifts for no reason
Occasionally on startup will hard shift then get stuck in 5th,3rd,or 1st gear and will move slowly upon accelerating.This will also happen when driving at different speeds.Cooling fan will also be running on high speed.Had lead frame and valve body replaced($2000) but within two weeks symptoms returned.Truck is now in dealer waiting for replacement transmission to come in($7000) Will add receipt when vehicle is returned.
The problem is my transmission a 6R80 my safety is put at risk when getting onto the highway. And the truck slips, third, and fourth gear causes me to gradually speed up on an interstate. The truck has been inspected by Ford. They replaced a torque converter, but not even a year later. Now it's slipping, gears and shuddering real bad.
Power train failed and truck began to jerk and I lost control of the throttle. I had to throw myself (the truck) on the shoulder to avoid danger. Blinking lights on the dash board occurred. San Leandro Ford diagnosed issue as bad transmission and replaced it in November 2024. Inspected on site by authorized dealer. Told me customer problem must pay to have it replaced!! When I tried contacting national Ford representative and Bill Brandt dealership in Brentwood where purchased in Oct. 2016, no one wanted to take responsibility.
In May of 2023, the transmission downshifted unexpectantly while going 50 mph from 6th gear to 1st gear for a second, causing the rear tires to lock up for that moment before shifting back to 6th gear. This caused a quick loss of control and reduction of speed while in traffic. Luckily no accident occured during this. If it had not shifted back to 6th gear, the result would have been much different putting myself and others on the road at risk of an accident at high speeds with traffic behind the vehicle and oncoming traffic. Prior to this incident the truck would occassionally not start and the gear selection indicator was not illuminated as normal and the engine light would occasionally come on. Speaking with Ford dealerships they identified it as the molded lead frame connector within the transmission. I'm unsure of the damage this has caused on other parts from the significant shift change at high speeds and I'm concerned of what has been damaged but not shown as of yet. They replaced the molded lead frame connector at a cost to me and the truck has not had that issue since.
Component/System: Automatic transmission. Yes, the failed transmission components are possible but not likely available for inspection upon request contingent on the repair shop not having scrapped them. I’ve had two transmission rebuilds due to repeated failures. Safety Risk: The vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear at highway speeds without warning, causing sudden deceleration. Also, at red lights causing jolting or delayed acceleration. This put my safety and others at serious risk of rear-end collisions or loss of vehicle control, especially during high-speed driving, in addition to other things. Confirmed by Service: Yes, the issue was diagnosed and confirmed by two independent repair shops. Each diagnosed severe internal transmission failure consistent with sudden mechanical shock. The failure of the transmission had codes displayed indicating such, and I have a print out from the mechanic prior to the rebuild as I wanted to confirm it was not any other issue before rebuilding. Inspections: The state of New Jersey has not inspected this vehicle. Warning Signs: There were no dashboard warning lights, error messages, or audible alerts prior to the failure that reasonably could have been linked to such event(s). The first rebuild occurred in early 2023, and similar failures repeated despite full rebuilds. No advance indication was ever given before the vehicle downshifted. Second rebuild was in the Fall of 2023. In prior instances to rebuilds, there were wrench light warning alerts indicated on dashboard, however they made no sense and clicking OK dismissed them with no re-alert or info pertaining to such. When this did occur, and since nothing could be linked to it in the average drivers head, it was assumed an accidental notification.
I was driving on [XXX]. In brookefield ohio on [XXX] at approximately [XXX] headed into work. I was driving 60MPH to 65MPH and my 2016 ford f150 went from 6th gear to 1st gear and which locked my rear wheels. I was wearing a seat belt at the time. The date of filling this complaint is 03/24/2025 and has not happened since. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My truck has locked up my rear wheels 2 times already as of this afternoon on my way home.It automatically goes from 3 gear or 4,5or 6th down to 1st gear causing me to almost get rear ended.It thrown codes and i have took it to local ford dealership and was charged to check it out only to be told it owe them 214.00 and it was gonna be 8000.00 to fix it since it was out of date.I have been told it is my leadframe part gone bad and will do this again.My wife has stopped letting my son ride in this truck until we can find 8000.00 to drive it safely. It's scary for me to drive it as I have found out it does this at random times.Ford dealership reset my codes but it did it again today.Its getting bad.What should I do.I have the repair invoice but it's at work as I write this up.But i have to drive my truck to get to work to pay for it!!!
The truck grinds when it down shifts to third gear when yoyr driving. While driving the truck skips and makes a terrible jerking motion. When it does it, it feels like the bottom of the truck is going to fall out. Sometimes you have to pull over and turn the truck off and on. The truck is available for inspection if requested. This is a huge safety issue especially when the gear sticks downshifting to 3rd and you have to pull over fast. The truck has been brought in to several shops and we get told unfortunately this is a known problem with Ford F150s. There was a check engine light that came on before it broke down this last time.
Transmission would not know what gear it was in and go into limp mode and at high speeds it would lock up the back tires. It would also not go into gear reliably after it warms up. I had this repaired 10/26/ 2024. I heard on the radio today that you were investigating this problem for a recall.
While driving my 2016 f150 truck was driving at 65mph, the transmission down shifted into first gear smoking the back tires and reduce speed in the matter of seconds, with cars behind me braking to avoid me. I had wrench light come on dash. My truck has been repaired at a crestview ford dealership.
Downshifted while driving- vehicle locked up temporarily
I was driving the truck and the wheels seized up. Making me skid. Luckily I wasn’t driving fast. So I looked up what could cause this and it stated it was the lead frame sensor. Before I could get it into the dealership for repairs the truck downshifted several more times. I was able to find the repair online. Unfortunately the dealership tried to sell me a new transmission. I relented and told them what the issue was due to investigating in F-150 chat groups. The rear collision sensor went off. Also the shift sensor went out as well.
I was driving at highway speeds and truck suddenly downshift to 2 gear and truck became slightly out of control. Gear shifter was not touched to cause this.
Driving at 65mph in 5th gear, unexpected downshift into 3rd gear causing vehicle to loose power, immediate decline in speed by 20 mph and no acceleration. Vehicles behind me were forced to slam on brakes to avoid collision. Vehicle had check engine as well as wrench pop up on dashboard when downshift occurred. Took vehicle to Ford Dealership for diagnosis and repair. Error code p0706, p0707,p1702,p1921. Recommend to replace, Molded lead frame with main control, gaskets, transmission filter, fluid. Total cost for repair $2979.54.
The transmission downshifts from high gear to low gear and rearend locks up .
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