Your Ford pickup could be one of the half million trucks being recalled for suddenly shifting gears
Ford issued a recall notice for over half a million F-150 trucks after receiving complaints of dangerous sudden downshifts to first gear.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- Ford has issued a recall notice for over 550,000 of its 2014 model F-150 pickup trucks in the US.
- The recall came after users complained that the trucks would suddenly drop to first gear.
- At least two injuries were reported as a result of the transmission issue.
Ford has issued a recall for half a million of its F-150 pickup trucks after receiving hundreds of complaints that they suddenly downshifted to first gear.
The auto manufacturer will call back 552,188 units of its 2014 model truck in the US, according to documents by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filed on June 14.
The total number of recalls worldwide is 668,000 units, per Reuters.
Ford said that it received 300 warranty reports, 96 field reports, and 124 customer complaints concerning some 482 vehicles, per Reuters. And vehicle users said they faced problems with their truck's transmission shifting unexpectedly to first gear, Reuters reported.
"A downshift to first gear without warning could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash," per the NHTSA document.
At least two injuries have been reported from the issue, per Reuters.
Ford said in the NHTSA document that owners would be notified by mail by July 1 and "instructed to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the PCM calibration updated."
PCM refers to the Powertrain Control Module, which manages the functions of the car's engine and transmission.
The company said in the document that it would foot the cost of the repairs.
This week's recall is not the first time the company has had to bring in its pickup trucks because of this issue.
In 2019, it recalled 107,000 units of its 2013 F-150 model because it did not have the updates necessary to prevent a potential unintended downshift into first gear.
Last July, the company took back 870,000 trucks of its 2021 to 2023 models after receiving complaints that their parking brakes activated randomly while driving.
Despite the problems, Ford's F-series trucks have been one of the top-selling vehicles in the US for decades.
Other automobile companies have also had a bad week. On Tuesday, Tesla recalled 11,688 units of Cybertrucks after issues were detected with the vehicles' single giant windscreen wiper.
Released in November, the Cybertrucks have had a shaky rollout. Also, on Tuesday, 11,383 units were called back to address a separate issue with a trim in the trunk bed that could have been improperly attached.
And in April, nearly 4,000 units were recalled over a fault that could cause the vehicles' accelerators to jam.
Ford didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular working hours.