Ford has issued a recall for 552,188 2014 model year Ford F-150 pickup trucks because they can downshift into first gear, with no warning, while being driven.
Ford’s team reviewed manufacturing records to determine the population of affected vehicles,” the company said in a bulletin to dealers. “The Ford process is capable of tracing Powertrain Control Module calibrations to the vehicle in which the calibrations are installed.”
Some vehicles may experience an intermittent loss of the transmission Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor signal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), potentially resulting in a temporary, unintended downshift into first gear.
Depending on the vehicle speed at the time of an intermittent OSS failure, Ford said an abrupt transmission downshift to first gear could occur. A downshift to first gear without warning could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
What to do
The vehicles included in the recall are not produced in VIN order. Information as to the applicability of this action to specific vehicles can best be obtained by either calling Ford’s toll-free line (1-866-436-7332) or by contacting a local Ford or Lincoln dealer who can obtain specific information regarding the vehicles from the Ford On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS) database.
Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the PCM calibration updated. There will be no charge for this service.
Ford provided the general reimbursement plan for the cost of remedies paid for by vehicle owners prior to notification of a safety recall in May 2023. Owners who have paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense may be eligible for reimbursement, in accordance with the recall reimbursement plan on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).