No matter how quickly the vehicles are moving, the gearboxes in more than 550,000 Ford pickup trucks in the US may suddenly downshift to first gear.
Some F-150 pickups from the 2014 model year are included in the recall. The best-selling cars in the United States are trucks from Ford’s F-Series.
Downshifting may lead to drivers losing control of their vehicles, which increases the likelihood of a collision, according to Ford, according to papers released by US safety officials on Tuesday.
The recalls follow the start of an investigation by US auto safety regulators in March into accusations that over 540,000 Ford pickup vehicles model year 2014 had an involuntary downshift to a lower gear, so raising the risk of an accident.
Records state that a lost signal between the powertrain control computer and a transmission speed sensor is the root of the issue. Corrosion and connecting pin issues are further possibilities.
Owners will get letters in early July informing them that dealers will update the powertrain control software at no cost to them.
Ford stated in a statement on Tuesday that it anticipates having fixes ready by the third quarter of this year. At dealers that are involved, owners will have the option of using mobile service or pickup and delivery.
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According to records released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday, Ford claims to have 482 trucks covered by 396 warranties and field reports, 124 customer complaints, and other information on the issue.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based carmaker reports that it is aware of 130 government complaints, 52 of which claim that drivers lost control of their vehicles or that the back wheels locked up. According to Ford, two of the complainants claimed injuries, and one reported a collision that could have been brought on by the issue.
According to a Ford statement, drivers might observe a malfunction alert light on the dashboard prior to the vehicles downshifting. In some situations, trucks may be able to resume regular driving while their signals are restored. In other situations, drivers might need to stop and resume the engine in order for the gearboxes to function correctly.
According to the business, the issue should affect less than 1% of the recalled cars.
The NHTSA claimed that it began its investigation in March in response to reports of abrupt downshifts in the automatic gearboxes of the vehicles.
The government is investigating whether the trucks ought to have been covered by earlier recalls due to the issue.
In 2016, Ford began to recall trucks and other vehicles from the 2011 and 2012 model years. In 2019, the company announced two more recalls that affected pickup trucks from the 2011 to 2013 model years. Roughly 1.5 million cars were included in the recalls.
The business declared that it is assisting the NHTSA with the inquiry.
