Reporting an ongoing off intermittent malfunction of the 6speed transmission electrical/sensor components causing unexpected downshifting and upshifting without any driver input or warning. this occurs semi regularly and is very concerning for the safety of the driver, passengers, and those on the road. I’ve been made aware of this ongoing investigation regarding the transmission issue, and am filing a report as a result. No road accident has resulted yet from said issue, but there is growing concern for the safety conditions in said vehicle as it continues to be used.
2017 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 7 of 20: complaints 161 to 190 of 560, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Wheels lock up and down shift at high rate of speed. Code on dash is a PO720.
Lead frame failure on 6R80 transmission. Caused loss of 3 gears, sudden downshifts, hard clunky shifting of the ones that do work, and loss of manual shifting function. After replacement, use of all gears returned but manual shifting still does not function.
I bought my 2017 Ford Shelby F150 (V8 5.0L, 6R80 transmission) used from a dealership in 2022, and noticed when depressing the Sport mode on the shifter, and hard acceleration, that the truck will suddenly downshift to a very dangerous gear while on the freeway. I heard the NTSA engineering analysis that is ongoing, and wanted to include my experience. Since I don't touch the Sport mode on the truck, it has not happened since. Ford needs to do a recall on this VERY dangerous issue.
While driving my truck roughly 60 mph, I experienced a sudden and uncommandded shift from 6th to 1st gear for roughly 3-5 seconds. When this occurred the engine RPMs jumped up to near Red Line and I experienced a rapid deceleration. I was driving on a dry road with new tires and did not experience any wheel lock up or skidding. However, this could have very easily posed an extreme safety hazard to both me and other drivers around me had I lost control of the vehicle which would have been highly likely in less optimal conditions. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center and the components have not been inspected. While the downshift was occurring there were some lights that flashed on the dashboard. I believe it may have been a check engine light, but my focus was on maintaining control of the vehicle so I did not have time to focus on the lights. Once the engine shifted back to normal there were no remaining lights or cautions. The symptoms of this incident very closely match those discussed in the ongoing Investigation EA26001.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, while downshifting to a lower gear, the transmission shifted hard. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer where the vehicle was purchased was made aware of the failure. In addition, the contact stated that the 4WD module was recently replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 127,650.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into gear. The contact stated that the transmission shifted into a lower gear. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and turned off. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started, and the transmission was independently reset. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the transmission independently shifted into gear, and the failure was displayed on the instrument cluster. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission fluid was flushed, and the filter was replaced. The failure recurred approximately 8 months later. On another occasion, while driving 65 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear and flashed between drive(D) and manual(M), and the rear tires locked up. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, but the transmission fluid was checked by an independent mechanic, who observed a full reservoir. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from sixth gear to third gear, causing the rear wheels to lock up temporarily for several minutes. The transmission fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the right side of the road and turned off for ten minutes. The vehicle was restarted and operated as intended. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred four times. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,598.
Transmission switching gears (downshifting)at highway speeds to lower gears causing the rear wheels to slide on pavement. Transmission will occasionally get stuck in 3rd or 5th gear at red lights causing dangerous interactions in intersections where the truck will not get upto speed fast enough to keep up with flow of traffic.
I had a check engine light come on for an oss sensor. Shortly after that started my truck would aggressively downshift to lower gears and lock up. I’m now having to replace the transmission.
Transmission would down shift and lock up when being driven in traffic. Locked up while in traffic almost causing an accident . Took it to a transmission shop and the damage to the transmission was bad enough that it had to be replaced with a factory rebuild. There were no warning lamps that came on during these occasions.
The original transmission was replaced due to hard shifting from 1-2 gear 3-4 gear when slowing down. I purchased a ford certified refurbished transmission and had the same issue with shifting from 1-2 and 3-4 gear. Ford replaced the parts under warranty. On both occasions I felt unsafe with staying in gear.
Shift hard while driving. Hesitates from the stop position to go when pressing the gas
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle momentarily lost motive power while shifting into gear, and the transmission shifted hard. The power train warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The warning light was illuminated after each failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission CDF drum had failed. The dealer had not yet provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
Vehicle would randomly shift in an out of gear while driving.
Coming down an incline in a parking garage and had a hard down shift while lightly applying the brakes issue is following pre warning signs for safety issues under investigation
Truck sometimes roughly downshifts. I always thought it was normal, but I see that others may be experiencing the same transmission issues. It has happened many times. I only have 77,000 miles.
I live in Canada.While driving, my 2017 Ford F-150 with the 6R80 automatic transmission suddenly shut off without warning. The vehicle lost power while in motion, creating a dangerous situation. The incident was accompanied by multiple powertrain fault codes (5 P-codes). This appears to be related to sudden transmission faults and loss of gear position. No prior warning lights before shutdown.
While driving my 2017 Ford F150, on or about 10/16/2025 the vehicle began jerking significantly. It was intermittent smoothing out then jerking severely again. The problem persisted so I took it to Ford of Spartanburg, SC. They diagnosed a slip found with the torque converter under load. they recommended replacing the torque converter and replacing the transmission filter. I only had 80,006.0 mileage on my truck when this happened.
During acceleration it feels like the transmission is shifting hard and when slowing down something is shifting hard, you can feel it cause you cringe when it bangs into gear. One day my rear tires were skidding driving forward. The shop told me my rear end locked up. I couldn't get a new rear end cause of tarrifs so they rebuilt. Also, there has been squealing coming from under the truck so they capped some vacuum lines but I can still feel a grinding coming through the peddles. They said they did a transmission reprogram but it is still hard shifting during coasting. Thank you for looking into this, I respect ford but I feel the design on this drive train is so poor.
While driving, my 2017 Ford F‑150 experienced a sudden loss of the Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor signal, causing the transmission to stay stuck in a higher gear and triggering the wrench light. The truck lost power and would not shift properly. A diagnostic scan showed two transmission codes: one for the OSS sensor and a second code indicating an intermittent electrical signal drop. I contacted a Ford dealer before the repair, described the symptoms, and asked for an estimate. The service advisor did not disclose any known issues and never called me back after saying he would check parts availability. These symptoms match the known failure pattern of the molded lead frame in the 6R80 transmission. My truck exhibited intermittent behavior, harsh shifting, and unsafe drivability. I had to pay $1,250 out of pocket to replace the lead frame to restore normal operation. I later learned that the federal safety agency has opened an Engineering Analysis into 2015–2017 F‑150 trucks for this exact issue (OSS signal loss due to internal electrical degradation of the lead frame). My vehicle’s symptoms, diagnostic codes, and required repair are consistent with the defect under investigation. This failure creates a safety hazard because the truck can suddenly lose the ability to accelerate or shift correctly, especially in traffic or at highway speeds. I am requesting that the federal safety agency include my vehicle in the investigation and that Ford be required to address this defect.
My 2017 Ford F150 has a terrible downshift issue. I am surprised it hasn't dropped the transmission on the road. It has been an issue for several years. It happens a lot when you let off the gas going into a curve, which scares me based on what I am seeing with the ongoing investigation. This needs to be fixed.
Prior to 5/30/25. On 3 or 4 different occasions, I had experienced a very harsh transmission downshift. Most instances occurred under 15 mph from second to first gear. On 1 occasion, transmission downshifted from third gear right to first, at around 30 mph. All of these incidents happened while coming to a stop. On 5/30/25, again while coming to a stop. Transmission downshifted, very harshly. This time the digital speedometer went haywire. Lights flashed everywhere, but no check engine light. Attempting to move forward, transmission shifted randomly and erratically to any gear it desired, both up & down. Vehicle would not go over 18 mph. Vehicle was towed to a local transmission shop. Upon further inspection, they determined that a faulty transmission range sensor was causing these issues. Shop replaced the range sensor, wire harness, transmission filter and fluid. Cost $1155.00. Mileage at that time was 74846. No issues since the repair was completed.
On 2/19/25, I was driving to work. Approximately 2 miles from home I started to hear a grinding / humming noise coming from the front differential, like the 4 wheel drive was engaged. I pulled over and confirmed the 4 wheel drive switch was turned off. I backed up about 20 feet, to disengage the 4 wheel drive. I continued on my way. About 3 miles later the noise returned. I could tell the 4 wheel drive had definitely engaged at around 40 mph. Again, I pulled over. When I got under 10 mph, the 4 wheel drive disengaged by itself. This happened 2 more times within the next 5 miles. Had the truck towed to Ford dealership. Technician could not replicate the condition. They performed a Ford TSB (24-2188) Transfer case control module reprogram. Out of caution, I paid them to replace the 4 wheel drive actuator ($445.00 repair). Mileage on vehicle 74354. Problem seemed to be resolved, until 9/13/25. I was driving on a very busy interstate, approximately 60 mph, I hear a loud thump, like I ran over something on the road. Loud humming and bad vibration coming from front end. No place to pull over safely, reduced speed to 45 mph. As I pull to side of the road at about 5 mph, the 4 wheel drive disengages, vibration & noise goes away. Again this happens 3 times in the next 40 miles. (Mileage on vehicle 75529) No issues since - current mileage 77606.
During the last two years with my 2017 Ford F150 XLT 4X4 5.4L, I've replaced the brake pads 8 times. I've also replaced the rotors on all 4 wheels. Each time, with less than 30,000 miles between needing to replace the pads, the front pads have worn down the entire pad at an unreasonable rate. I do not brake hard, and I drive mostly on highways without much traffic, so having to replace the pads every other month is excessive. With new rotors, still the pads continue wearing down to plate quickly. I've also had to replace the calipers on each wheel more than once because the caliper pins seize and will break when trying to adjust the caliper. The brakes and all the components are a major safety hazard as I'm always worrying if the brakes will function properly any give time I need to slow down. Also, the transmission shifts roughly and even downshifts without cause on occasion. It startles me when I'm driving and suddenly the transmission decides it wants to shift with a violent jolt as though briskly stepping on the brakes. I've had the transmission fluid changed twice in the last 2 years, which did not have any effect on the issue. Prior to each flush, the transmission has also developed a significant leak, which I led to the decision to flush the fluid and replace the pan and gasket. However, after doing so, the transmission continues downshifting and leaking. Once again, these issues have a significant impact on how safe I feel while driving my truck. I love my truck, but I hope my complaint helps Ford fix these little big issues and can develop a fix for future models.
Unexpected down shift with acceleration usually between gear 3 and 4. Shifts hard like ive been hit. Very startling. Doesnt always happen. Usually on hotter days. No warning lamps. No crash occured. Had machanic diagnose and flush and conditioning treatment on the 6r80 transmission and also replaced internal transmission wiring harness that showed signs of over heating at 115k.
I seen there were some issues going around with the 6r80 and wanted to voice my concerns as I am having this issue as well. Intermittently ive been having issues where ill be driving, could be doing 65 down the highway. The wrench light pops up for a second and my truck slams down into 2nd or 3rd gear and goes into limp mode. This could happen at any given time without warning. This just happened to me on Monday, went and got a code reading, and have a code for the output shaft speed sensor. Although I was fine, it is certainly not okay the truck just decided to slam down into gear ultimately slowing down the vehicle tremendously fast while being in traffic. Could have caused an accident or worse.
Transmission will downshift and bang very hard. Took to dealer approximate 3 times and was told they couldn't replicate the issue. Warranty expired so I didn't have it rechecked. They did do a computer reset on the transmission.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to overtake another vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as needed, and the transmission remained in 6th gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as intended while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
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