While driving at speed, my vehicle experienced a severe safety hazard: the transmission jerked violently and the engine completely stalled on the road, causing an immediate loss of power. The dealership diagnosed the truck and stated that tree debris had plugged the cowl drains at the base of the windshield. Because the drains plugged, rainwater backed up and overflowed directly into the passenger cabin, soaking the Body Control Module (BCM) and crashing the central computer network. A vehicle's central computer network should not be engineered in a way that normal outdoor tree debris can completely flood an interior cabin module and cause a dangerous drivetrain shutdown while driving.
2023 Ford F-150: engine stalls while driving
6 of the 420 complaints about the 2023 Ford F-150 describe engine stalls while driving.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Engine stalls while driving by model year
What owners say
The torque converter inside my transmission on my 2023 f-150 “started coming apart” and has spread metal throughout my entire transmission and transmission cooler. There was no warning signs or lights that were shown to me other than when I noticed the problem which prompted me to immediately set up an appointment with my local ford dealer for a diagnosis and check up. It is a safety hazard because it can cause Sudden Gear Slippage & Power Loss: The torque converter may lose its ability to transfer power to the transmission, causing sudden drops in acceleration or unintended revving where the engine speeds up but the vehicle does not. This is extremely dangerous when trying to merge onto highways.Violent Shuddering: A faulty lockup clutch causes a harsh bucking sensation—often described as driving over a heavy rumble strip—usually between 35 and 70 mph. This can cause a sudden loss of vehicle control.Severe Overheating: Slippage and failing parts generate massive amounts of excess friction and heat. This boiled transmission fluid can melt internal seals, leading to fluid leaks, permanent clutch damage, and a potential engine bay fire if the fluid hits hot engine components. It can also cause Unintended Stalling and the vehicle shut off at stop lights or when driving. The truck is only 3 years old with 70,000 miles which is just outside of the powertrain 65,000 mile warranty. It was investigated and diagnosed by Trilakes ford in Branson. It has since been brought up to ford for a goodwill warranty claim to see what they can do to help with the $13,682 repair cost estimate that was given to me.
I am reporting a serious safety defect in my 2023 Ford F-150 Platinum SuperCrew (EcoBoost engine. The oil pressure warning light suddenly illuminated, indicating a loss of oil pressure. Immediately after, the engine suffered catastrophic failure (it "blew the engine"). At the same moment, with no input from me, the gear shifter automatically shifted from Drive into Park. This caused the transmission to lock up, resulting in violent skidding and the truck veering off the road. I was able to regain control and avoid a collision or rollover, but the incident created an imminent risk of serious injury or fatality, especially while towing. I have maintained it properly, never missed a payment on the $74,000 truck, and drove it cross-country from Arizona to Florida without prior issues. Ford Motor Company has claimed there were "70 warnings" prior to the failure, but I received **zero** dashboard warnings, lights, messages, or indications at any point leading up to or during the event. This is the second Ford F-150 I have owned with unexplained powertrain problems. I traded a 2018 F-150 for the platinum & it repeatedly stalled without reason & required the engine to cool before restarting; dealerships (FL & TN) could not fully diagnose it, with one suggesting an oil-pump-related overheating issue despite no warning lights. Repair estimates are extremely high: Gator Ford quoted $17,000, Brandon Ford quoted $14,000, Veterans Ford quoted $12,000, and an independent shop quoted $12,000 (notably, the independent shop knew the dealership quotes without me providing them). I believe this points to a potential defect in the EcoBoost engine's oil pump system (possibly excessive pressure or failure under load/towing) combined with an unintended shift-to-Park function in the transmission/shifter electronics, creating a dangerous loss of control at highway speeds while towing. This combination of sudden engine seizure and automatic shift to Park poses an unreasonable risk of crash.
Safety Defect: 4-6 second engine power loss/stalling while driving Life threating incident (recorded by Ford via phone call)Semi truck nearly collided with us as well as multiple other near misses road rage honking and obscene gestures all of which has my 13 year old son terrified to ride in the truck. First took it in 08/29/2025 @ 33,808 miles Second attempt 09/30/2025 still in shop at Gary Crossley Ford >30 days (unfixable) Ford Lemon Law Ford Case # CXHXXX 11/03/2025 Claim Manager Devin Dean Missouri Lemon Law MO AG CASE#XXX 11/04/2025 filrd today for **Mandatory Repurchase** Request: Investigate this safety defect and force immediate buy back. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The vehicle has had its automatic transmission replaced twice by a ford dealership within a one year period due to mechanical failures within the transmission. The dealership confirmed the same issue both times. Each transmission replacement was new from the manufacturer. The transmission failures caused hard shifting and stalling, which has posed a safety risk. An indicator that the transmission was failing had been the presence of a loud banging/clunking noise when shifting gears.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the wiring harness had failed due to rodents chewing on the wires. The contact was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This article supersedes TSB 26-2116 to clarify the prior approval statement
- This article supersedes TSB 25-2323 to update the Service procedure, Parts list, and add a clarification...
- Rattle/scraping noise upon startup that may remain after the engine is running
- Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0299 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM) and may also exhibit a...
- Illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with DTCs P0301-P0306, P0201-P0206 and/or various other...
- Rattle/scraping noise from the bellhousing area on start-up. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 Engine...
- Some 2021-2023 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost engine, 2021-2023 Aviator vehicles equipped...
- Rattle/scraping noise from the bellhousing area on start-up. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 Engine...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2023 Ford F-150 stalling
Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2023 Ford F-150?
6 of 420 owner complaints about the 2023 Ford F-150 (1%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2023 Ford F-150?
There are 0 recalls and 44 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2023 Ford F-150
Grinding brakes 20Jerking 18Collision warning 13Harsh shifting 13Loss of power 13Adaptive cruise 8Check engine light 8Slipping 7Sunroof shattered 7Headlights 6Sudden acceleration 6Water leak 6Backup camera 5Brake failure 5Fire or smoke 5Transmission failure 5
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