Transmission downshifts from 6 to 5 and locks up. I have taken to dealership many times still not correcting the problem. They have replaced celluloid ,spark plugs as well as coils. Although better it is dangerous to rapidly accelerate especially when changing lanes or pulling onto a highway because it loses power.
2016 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 9 of 22: complaints 221 to 250 of 618, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Transmission will randomly shift gears. At speed sometimes it will shift into a lower gear causing rapid deceleration. From a start it will jump to 5th then back to 1st and stall the rear tires.
Transmission lead frame failed.
Transmission unexpectedly down shift.
My truck has had multiple issues with randomly downshifting while on the freeway, i'm getting a code that leads back to the "Lead frame" wiring every now and then. The code comes and goes without having it cleared. I've had this issue before and have replaced it with the Ford Manufactured part. Its now doing it again but now more frequent not even a year and a half after replacement. I have been almost rear ended multiple times due to it locking up the rear tires and once it locked up the tire on ice and it caused me to slide into the median. There are multiple reports of this issue currently on many Ford Truck Forums. I am currently in the process of contacting Ford again as last time they said to just replace the wiring. My truck is equipped with the 6-speed transmission
The component that malfunctioned is the transmission, specifically the internal transmission lead frame and related sensors. This vehicle previously required a transmission lead frame replacement in December 2023 after experiencing loss of power, erratic shifting, wrench warning lights, and limp-mode behavior. After that repair, the vehicle operated normally for approximately two years. Beginning in December 2025, the same symptoms reoccurred, including unexpected downshifts, RPMs not matching vehicle speed, reduced acceleration, flashing or erratic gear indicators, wrench warning lights, and intermittent reduced-power or limp-mode operation. During the recurrence, the vehicle experienced loss of power at highway speeds, creating a safety risk during normal driving conditions and requiring me to quickly pull over. Although no collision occurred, the sudden loss of power at highway speed presented a safety concern for maintaining speed and safely interacting with traffic. Shutting off and restarting the vehicle typically clears the issue temporarily, but the problem may return unpredictably, sometimes within as little as 10 minutes or other times not reappearing for days or weeks. Prior to the most recent failure, intermittent symptoms occurred for several weeks, including occasional wrench warning lights and hesitation. The issue was previously confirmed by an independent transmission service center (AAMCO), which diagnosed and replaced the transmission lead frame. A Ford dealership inspected the vehicle but was unable to identify or resolve the issue. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. Occurred at 97k and 123k mileage.
I have a 6-speed (6R80) transmission. My V8-FORD F-150 2016, truck transmission has been experiencing SHIFTING issues for quite some time now. I reading now that all of these same problems that has been going on with my truck might be a recall. My truck downshifts very aggressively and I was told it does not need to be replaced but it could be something electrical. I have taken my truck to numerous mechanic shops and all of them have told me the same thing it could be something electrical but they cannot figure out what that might be without just replacing the entire Transmission which cost $8K to do, this is the only issue that has been wrong with my vehicle. I cannot drive over certain speeds on a highway and sense this might become apart of this recall and every issue that I have been experiencing, I would rather have it fixed if it is a recall instead of replacing an entire transmission if the issue is ALREADY known by FORD. Current Miles 154,395
While driving at normal highway speeds 65 to 70 the truck downshifts to 1 gear which locks up the rear wheels
Oil leak at transmission fittings requiring repair.
Transmission failure resulting in replacing transmission. Vehicle was shuddering when driving. This happened multiple times causing excessive shaking when driving on the hwy.
My transmission has unpredictable and harsh downshifts as well as downshifts to a to low of gear
Transmission down shifted and a wrench came up on the dash. I took it to a Transmission repair shop and they confirmed what the codes read, lead frame problem. I had them repair it. Cost me nearly $2000. I did call Ford in advance of the repair and I was told there are no recalls for this on my truck. Now 2 weeks later I see many trucks have recalls for this very issue, yet after checking the VIN, my truck still has no recall. I believe my truck should have the recalls and I should get reimbursed. My truck is a 2016 with only 82000 miles on it. Let me know what can be done to help me. Thank you
The truck would fall out of gear, going down the highway it would shift into 1 or 2nd gear reving the engine. I would have to put it in neutral and at times have to shut it comeplete down to have it reset.
Going down the Hwy 6th gear the transmission will go from 6th gear lit up on dash down to 1st gear lit up. Hasn’t engaged in 1st gear (yet) then goes back to 6th gear. No warning lights on the dash.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly slipped. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the transmission unexpectedly shifted upshifted and downshifted on several occasions. The vehicle was turned off and restarted to temporarily correct the failure. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
I’ve been having persistent issues with my transmission for some time now. It occasionally would have a hard shift or a lagged shift where it would rev high and not go into the next gear for a few second. This has been accompanied by an odd “clown honk” type sound whenever shifting from 3rd gear into 4th gear after the truck is warm. Sometimes it would get stuck in one gear or another or unable to shift to certain gears until it was shut off and reset. These problems are sometimes accompanied with each other and sometimes on their own. Not until recently did my transmission downshift on its own when I was going around 50-60MPHs to first gear, throwing my back end out and almost causing me to crash. Luckily I was on open and empty road. This occurred sometime in December and it finally threw a code which it had not for any incident previously. This issue has not happened again since. Not only was the incident itself a case of deja vu but when I was able to have the code read, It was almost the exact same issue/code that I had with my previous truck, a 2013 Ford F-150. My 2013 ford f-150 did the same exact thing, almost causing an massive accident as I was merging onto I-85 at 4:30 PM. This issue was recalled and fixed by Ford in the 2013 F-150 but has no correction for my current 2016 F-150. I believe the cause of this is a faulty lead frame and/or Output Speed Shaft Sensor on the 6R80 transmission from Ford. I’ve now had two of these power trains (5.0/6R80) and both have had problems occasionally up until around 120K miles then the problems become consistent and the downshifting issue started which throws the code/is the real dangerous issue. I have reported the Issue to Ford through a dealer and called the customer support line but since there is no open recall on my specific VIN for this issue they are unable to offer assistance. The truck is open for inspection and has the code stored. This can be a very dangerous issue and needs to be addressed.
The transmission will go into limp mode at high speeds. Failing to correct itself. I will pull over and shut off vehicle then restart the vehicle and it works fine until it happens again. This has happened several times. I had transmission looked at and in the drain pan were pieces of metal and debris. I have had transmission issues frequently. I am now having to replace the transmission for a safety precaution.
I was driving home and the truck started to shift very harshly and had died at a stoplight , I put it into park and restarted it and the engine light came on tried to put it into drive and it had jumped forward very rough as soon as I did, started driving again and then the truck shifted into 5th gear and would not shift out of 5th gear at all was very slowly leaving from stop signs and the high speed fans had turned on and ran the entire rest of the time. Causing very irratic shifting where at times it would down shift and skid the tires
transmission is downshifting early and hard. it is clunking and causing erratic speeds and shifting patterns. the hard shifting and downshifting is not normal and dangerous.
Sudden downshifts of my transmission. Traveling on the highway at 65mph and all of a sudden the transmission shifted down to a lower gear, causing my wheels to lock and vehicle to shudder. Then after stopping on the side of the road, it took the vehicle several minutes to re-engage. I was able to limp the vehicle to the dealer where they replaced the Molded Lead Frame and Transmission Control Module. Very unexpected repair cost.
The transmmission down shift when going 60 MPH
While decelerating from approximately 80 mph to 65 mph under very light throttle, the transmission in my vehicle unexpectedly shifted into 1st gear for a brief moment at highway speed, without any driver command. This caused a sudden and severe deceleration event and created a loss-of-control safety risk, especially in traffic. The transmission immediately corrected itself, however after the event the vehicle avoided normal downshifts and remained in higher gears (5th and 6th), indicating abnormal transmission behavior following the incident. No warning lights or messages were displayed at the time of the event. The vehicle is a 2016 Ford F-150 5.0L equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission (6R80). The vehicle has approximately 91,100 miles. The automatic transmission was serviced at approximately 80,000 miles, including fluid and filter replacement only. No transmission flush was performed. The vehicle has a new AGM battery, properly programmed to the vehicle. The vehicle was originally sold in Canada and is currently operated in the United States. The defect occurred during normal on-road driving and presents a serious safety concern due to the possibility of unintended wheel lock or loss of vehicle control at highway speeds.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shuddering. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with heater exchange failure and coolant intrusion in the transmission. The contact was informed that the heat exchanger needed to be replaced, and the transmission needed to be flushed and refilled. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the heater exchange part was on back order. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the repair was performed. The contact visited a chat forum online, which advised the contact to report the failure to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that during the failure, there were no warning lights illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,200.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change and tire rotation, the contact was informed of an unstated fluid leak and that the rear brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to Classic Ford of Madison (6251 N Ridge Rd, Madison, OH 44057); where additional repairs were performed. The dealer test-drove the vehicle and noticed that the vehicle was experiencing hard transmission shifts and shuddering. The dealer replaced the transmission, the front sway bar and links, and the stabilizing bar. Additionally, the transmission adaptive learning was reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,867.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral(N) as indicated by the gear shift indicator. After which, the contact smelled a burning odor inside the vehicle, prompting the contact to turn off the vehicle. After the contact restarted the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Transmission failing due to torque converter issues. It is available for inspection. Sudden loss of power or slipping transmission. It has been inspected by technician. No warning lights prior to experiencing the problem.
The truck will down shift while on the highway. There is also a hard shift from gears 4 through 6. But mostly between 5-6. There are also times when the RPM go high to change gears when taking off. Yes it has put my family and I at risk when it does a sudden down shift while cruising at highway speeds. I am taking it to a shop to be looked at. There was no warning, or lights before this happened.
Shifts from 6th to 5th gear without warning. Cruise control is deactivated and can’t shift lower than 3rd gear. Sometimes will only stay in 5th gear. Possible faulty output shaft speed sensor.
vehicle going downhill at about 65 mph shifted to lower gear and warning light (wrench image) comes on dash. truck would not accelerate going up next hill for several seconds and then warning light went off and operation/acceleration resumed and secondary light also cleared This had occurred on another occasion but second warning light stayed on. Service station checked code and indicated that the code was for a sensor in the transmission which they cleared. Have had several instances of intermittent warning light and loss of acceleration which have cleared after several seconds or when I pulled off road and put it in Park and then back in Drive
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear and the engine revved abnormally. The vehicle returned to normal functionality after driving a short distance. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
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