1.3 million vehicles could be recalled!

A wind of panic blows on Ford. The NHTSA survey 1.3 million F-150 Pick-ups in the United States for a transmission problem.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examines complaints reporting sudden decelerations on Ford F-150 products between 2015 to 2017. The defect, linked to a six -speed automatic transmission, would cause an unexpected passage at the lower speed. No accident is identified, but the risk is deemed serious. Ford collaborates with the agency to clarify this case.

An investigation that makes the American giant tremble

This is a news that is not going to really please Fordone of the pillars of the American automotive industry. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal body responsible for road safety, opened a preliminary assessment aimed at nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150the manufacturer’s star pick-up, on products produced from 2015 to 2017. At the origin of this investigation: 138 complaints filed by worried driverswhich describe a phenomenon as sudden as dangerous. In full circulation, often at highway speeds, their vehicle would pass without warning high speed at a much lower speed, causing sudden deceleration. In some cases, the rear wheels would temporarily blockresulting in slippage or momentary loss of control.

Reuters reports that an Ohio owner, driving an F-150 of 2016, said his particularly disturbing experience. While driving at 112 km/h (70 MPH) on a highway, its gearbox would have brutally demoted from the sixth at first speed. “I almost went through the windshield”he reported in his complaint filed in 2023 with the NHTSA. This type of testimony, far from being isolated, prompted the agency to act. For the moment, no accident, fire or injury has been reported in connection with this defectbut the potential risk is sufficiently worrying to justify an in -depth analysis. Ford, for his part, does not remain his arms crossed. A spokesperson for the manufacturer assured that the company “Work with the NHTSA to support its investigation”.

A recurring defect that tarnishes the image of the Ford F-150

The models concerned by this anomaly embark a six -speed automatic transmissiona system already pointed out in the past. The current preliminary assessment will have to determine if the problem is serious enough to evolve towards a more advanced technical analysis, a key step before a recall is required by the authorities. This is not the first time that the Ford F-150, undisputed best-seller in the United Statesis found in the spotlight for transmission problems. The story of this model is punctuated by surveys and reminders linked to untimely downgrades. Last June, Ford had already had to recall 668,000 units of models produced in 2014 after similar reports. This measure followed an investigation opened by the NHTSA in March 2023, proof that the manufacturer has not finished with this mechanical puzzle.

Let’s go back even further: from 2016, Ford recalled 153,000 F-150 of the years 2011 and 2012 equipped with the same six-speed box to correct this defect. Then, in 2017, a new NHTSA survey led to an extension of the recall in 2019, relating to 1.48 million vehicles in North America, including 2013 models.
But even this operation had not closed the file. Ford had then had to recall 107,000 additional units from 2013, because the applied solution had proved imperfect. The manufacturer is not at its first setback with the authorities. In November, Ford received a civil fine of $ 165 million after the NHTSA held that the company had been too long in recalling defective reversing cameras.