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US opens probe into nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150 trucks over unexpected gear shift

Posted by ethamaxx@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 88 comments

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88 Comments

degenova28@reddit

Had to pay to get lead frame repaird on my 2016 recently. Hopefully this goes under recall so I can get refunded for this issue. (Someone please comment on this if this ever happens)
View on Reddit #65254256

Competitive-Reach287@reddit

Is this going to affect other vehicles that use this transmission as well? There's a lot out there.
View on Reddit #51973593

comakazie@reddit

GM currently has a recall for their 10 speeds "momentary lock up" where the valve body wear isn't monitored correctly and let's check balls slip out of position. New software update monitors the conditions and sets a check engine light before it happens. On a side note, I'm not sure why Ford continually ignores problems with their vehicles other than it's become tradition at this point.
View on Reddit #51977148

Daneth@reddit

FCA gets justifiably criticized on here, but they tend to get their transmissions right ... because they don't make any transmissions themselves, they buy them from ZF. They claim the same "lifetime fluid" bullshit that everyone else does, but if you ignore that and change it at a reasonable interval the ZF8 most of their vehicles have is quite solid.
View on Reddit #51984544

aprtur@reddit

>but if you ignore that and change it at ~~a reasonable interval~~ the interval ZF recommends FTFY.  It truly is ridiculous that the manufacturers say lifetime, and ZF themselves say "uhh, don't do that".
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spongebob_meth@reddit

To be fair lifetime in a modern Chrysler product is like 65k miles
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Felony_vandal@reddit

I’ve got an 08 300 with the 2.7 v6 and 240k miles. Shes my ol’ reliable ironically.
View on Reddit #56127999

apoctank@reddit

The transmission in the article is a ZF6. I'm not sure if Ford tweaks it or just drops them in but it is also a ZF design, and generally very reliable(money shifts notwithstanding)
View on Reddit #51987708

gothicserp3nt@reddit

ZF licensed the design to ford and ford builds their own version with their revisions. Their 10R80 has issues too, due to a parts issue with a bushing
View on Reddit #51989772

velociraptorfarmer@reddit

Wrong transmission that's affected by a massive recall and class action lawsuit.
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comakazie@reddit

Ok
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velociraptorfarmer@reddit

It's ok, it's confusing considering Ford has at least 3 of them that I'm aware of now.
View on Reddit #51983958

comakazie@reddit

I was more describing a similar issue with a gm transmission irregardless of whether it's a shared platform. I would wonder if they're made by the same supplier and it's a wider issue that we'll see crop up more often.
View on Reddit #51984248

Kalcuttabutta@reddit

This is still an issue, it just recently happened to me in my ‘23 Ranger. Went from 2k to 6k rpms randomly
View on Reddit #51979450

BrashHarbor@reddit

>GM currently has a recall for their 10 speeds "momentary lock up" This probe is for the 6R80, not the 10 speed
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comakazie@reddit

Ok
View on Reddit #51978281

BraveFencerMusashi@reddit

Yeah like 15-17 S550 Mustangs
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bernard06z@reddit

Who knows what would be a good gift for dad?
View on Reddit #53062239

deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]
View on Reddit #55390003

AutoModerator@reddit

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View on Reddit #55390004

LogicalBlizzard@reddit

I have a 2007 Mazda 3, bought as a winter beater. In poor shape, but starts, runs, and goes from point A to point B. Sometimes point C. It developed a TCM issue where it loses communication with the rest of the car. When this happens, it at least goes to 3rd gear. So no money shifting, unless at very high speeds.
View on Reddit #52561293

ethamaxx@reddit (OP)

A quick snippet from the article, "Complainants alleged an unexpected transmission downshift to a lower gear while traveling at highway speeds without any prior warning or driver input, followed by the vehicle rapidly decelerating."
View on Reddit #51970671

Shadax@reddit

Automatic money shift, that's a new one.
View on Reddit #51973194

sdhu@reddit

Cars just last too damn long. How is a poor mom'n'pop business like Ford supposed to make money if people don't buy more new cars sooner?! /s
View on Reddit #52222543

bamahoon@reddit

I've been in two Broncos that decided 10th was appropriate at 45 up a hill when the throttle was pressed, followed by a "well, fine" shift to first. My work Transit 10-speed has to be thrashed or else every shift feels like I'm being rear ended.
View on Reddit #52035732

Sun_Aria@reddit

Ford F150 owners granny shifting not double clutching like they should.
View on Reddit #51977379

EqualDatabase@reddit

You almost had me? You never had me. You never had your *truck*.
View on Reddit #52025753

Shadax@reddit

#Danger to manifold
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lowstrife@reddit

F150's trying to pretend they're Mustangs. Did there happen to be crowds around when these downshifts happened?
View on Reddit #51980586

JimPalamo@reddit

Could be worse. It could suddenly decide to grab reverse.
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Mimical@reddit

Sales department: *"Sales are down, what do we do?*" Manager *"Make the transmission decide to money shift the truck without warning. Don't cover it under warranty*" Sales: 💰
View on Reddit #52068942

wilco-roger@reddit

Sounds potentially extremely dangerous. Would expect nothing less from the highest selling truck in the entire country.
View on Reddit #51972491

ReducedToMereFilth@reddit

Best selling vehicle, not just truck.
View on Reddit #51975077

RumpelFrogskin@reddit

>Best selling vehicle **Series**, not just truck. FTFY. It's the entire F series, not just the F-150.
View on Reddit #51979618

SwiftCEO@reddit

My F-150 had this. The first time it happened I was only going 30 mph, but it felt like I blown out both of my rear tires. I had to pay $2k to get the “lead frame” replaced at an independent shop. The Ford dealer wanted $5k for the work.
View on Reddit #51970941

blacksmith92@reddit

You had to get the entire frame replaced?
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SwiftCEO@reddit

It’s a transmission component
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blacksmith92@reddit

Thank you
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potatoprince1@reddit

It wasn’t covered under warranty? That’s insane
View on Reddit #51971043

SwiftCEO@reddit

It was a 2014 way past the warranty period. Ford has known about this issue since for at least a decade now. The 6r80 had a recall in 2019, but only for the 2011 to 2013 model years. My truck has the same transmission, but was left out. Ford’s “fix” was a software update. The issue is corrosion on the sensors inside the transmission. That’s probably not the most accurate way of putting it, but it’s not something that can be fixed by a software update.
View on Reddit #51971322

spongebob_meth@reddit

A software update would fix the catastrophic nature of the problem. When it loses the speed signal (due to corrosion on the connector) it just rams the truck down into first gear. A hilariously stupid bit of logic that I can't believe made it through QC.
View on Reddit #51973764

MaybeNext-Monday@reddit

Insane thing to have in the software. You’d think “what happens when each sensor suddenly loses signal in motion” would be at the **top** of the integration test plan.
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spongebob_meth@reddit

It makes you wonder if their other models have similar logic
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RogerZRZ@reddit

You’d think they have an integration test plan to begin with (that isn’t just for show or hand waving).
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SwiftCEO@reddit

Agreed. They weren’t offering lead frame replacements initially. They were offering the software update as if it were the end all be all solution.
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throwawaycasun4997@reddit

Keep an eye out for a recall notice on that. Does should reimburse you for the repair if it does turn into an actual campaign.
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evol450@reddit

I had a 2012 that had this issue. I paid out of pocket and when Ford released the extended coverage on the lead frame, they reimbursed me for the full amount. I was very happy!
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ShadyDrunks@reddit

Damn I was hoping to buy a Gen 2 coyote specifically because 6R80 is a tank compared to the 10R80, interesting bit of info
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potatoprince1@reddit

Gotcha. That sucks.
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Mariska_Hagerty@reddit

Hope everyone has their receipts. Easier to get paid back once it's a proven defect/recall.
View on Reddit #51988784

austgriff@reddit

He didn’t say anything about year or mileage 😂
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potatoprince1@reddit

That’s why I asked 😂
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GoonDawg666@reddit

Haven’t read article yet, are you talking about the lead frame in the transmission? I had to get mine replaced in my 2015 5.0, only cost me like $800 tho at a local transmission shop
View on Reddit #51980875

ethamaxx@reddit (OP)

Interesting. The issue seems so common that Google immediately provides a detailed breakdown of the issue when "F150 lead frame" is searched. Sorry this happened to you tho and glad you didn't have to pay the "stealership" more than you had to.
View on Reddit #51972335

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View on Reddit #51972336

mulletstation@reddit

Fix ort ragain dony
View on Reddit #52045912

deelowe@reddit

Fords are complete shit these days. I'll never buy another. I love the look of my raptor, but the transmission is dogshit, the hub lockers are so bad that ford recommends deleting them, despite years of trying, the cam phasers are still crap, and the oil pan leaks and the recommended fix is just to let it leak until it becomes too big of a problem and the ENTIRE LOWER BLOCK has to be replaced.... Why people still buy ford is beyond me.
View on Reddit #51981142

withoutapaddle@reddit

I mean, the problem is ALL the car companies do (or have done recently) something that should be a "deal breaker" and make people not buy their vehicles. So you can't buy nothing. If I should avoid VW because their diesels were poisoning me with 40x the legal limit of NOx, and avoid Ford because they are unreliable or I remember the Firestone/rollover days, avoid GM because they killed people with their ignition problems, etc, etc... If you follow the industry long enough, there are NO car companies that deserve your money, because they are all happy to fuck you over to make a buck. I have stopped having loyalty to any brand. I just compare individual vehicles and focus on that. Lots of companies make both good and crappy vehicles. I also never buy anything near the beginning of a new generation. Too many problems.
View on Reddit #51988957

deelowe@reddit

I go by repair rates and there are definitely some companies that are better than others. I'd put 2015+ GM above Ford for gas trucks for example.
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opeth10657@reddit

> I'd put 2015+ GM And that means exploding lifters
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Andoo@reddit

I drove both ford and gm work trucks. Our GM work trucks had bad lifters on multiple engines, including mine. We had a couple engines just blow after the 100k mark. The transmission issue on the Ford is no joke. I found myself being able to trigger it by driving longer distances in 10th gear. When I got off the highway and close to home, I would be coasting around 55 mph and if I just barely had the gas or let it coast and then accelerated again it would typically drop from 8th to 3rd gear and absolutely jolt the truck. It was completely unique from other posters here with it dropping into 1st. It never did that on mine, but other coworkers had bad transmission drops like I did. I firmly believe they have idiots writing the logic into these computers and got too fucking smart for their own good and I think they removed certain parameters,like the speedometer, out of the equation for some reason and let other factors decide for you.
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deelowe@reddit

Shit. I forgot about that. You're right
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withoutapaddle@reddit

That's a good point. But the data might help you decide if you should keep your current car/truck for 10+ years or just use it for 5-8 and sell it.
View on Reddit #51997935

deelowe@reddit

Not really. What I mean is that I can only see reliable repair data for cars that are out of warranty + 3 years or so because dealers don't share warranty repair data. The 3rd party shops all generally share their data. So, for an 8+ year old car, I can get great info on what's reliable and what's not. One thing I can do is pick cars with older power trains as that's generally a good indicator of quality. The older Toyotas were amazing, but they've been updating their power trains over the past few years and initial reports don't sound great. I know there was an issue with debris similar to the problems kia had b/c there's been a massive recall about it.
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-Innovade@reddit

I’ve wanted a raptor for a long time now. You’re making me think twice. They do look awesome though.
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velociraptorfarmer@reddit

My 2021 at 2 years old starting having electrical issues that made it think the rear doors were opening and closing constantly along with the horn getting stuck on until I pulled the battery cable. Not to mention obnoxious rattles on a damn near new vehicle.
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GreatSphincterofGiza@reddit

I had a ‘19 F150 with obnoxious dash and driver’s door window rattles. They both popped up at around 25,000 miles. The driver’s door window would buzz going down the interstate and the hard-touch dash plastic creaked like crazy. The dash also warped at the defrost vents within a few months of purchasing the truck. It was technically under warranty, but I didn’t want someone tearing apart the entire dash on a new vehicle. The 10R80 transmission would also randomly buck and slam into gear, even after the dealer reset the shift parameters. I dumped the truck at around 48k miles when I didn’t need it for work anymore. I feel like I dodged a bullet with that transmission.
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deelowe@reddit

> The 10R80 transmission would also randomly buck and slam into gear This is the main issue. Ford refuses to acknowledge it and quietly updated the design. The aftermarket figured out it's a problem with this large drum which has gear teeth cut into the outside of it. The metal is too soft and wears out spewing debris into the transmission. The replacement part is a much harder metal (confirmed via hardness tests), but ford still refuses to do a recall. There's an ongoing effort to get a class action created.
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deelowe@reddit

It amazes me that people defend this company. The tipping point for me was the hub lockers. The 4wd on this truck makes no god damn sense. There's axle lockers AND hub lockers. On top of that, the hub lockers are VACCUM actuated (WTF?). And, of course, predictable, those vacuum lines dry rot and develop leaks. Then your hub lockers fail. Wouldn't be a big deal if you could just replace the lines, but nope, that's a near impossible task so ford just recommends you delete them b/c they aren't needed anyways. What?! WHY?
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boldjoy0050@reddit

Chevy vs Ford is as toxic as identity politics. Us normal people cannot even begin to understand it.
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deelowe@reddit

Agreed. Brand allegiance is dumb. Honestly, all American truck manufacturers are garbage (except maybe rivian, but that's different) and Toyota seems to not care about competing in the full size space anymore unfortunately.
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Shmokesshweed@reddit

>Not to mention obnoxious rattles on a damn near new vehicle. My Maverick is a symphony. While it was at the dealer for warranty issues, I got an Expedition Max as a rental. Like 80k or something. Went over a bump and the entire headliner started rattling. I just chuckled.
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velociraptorfarmer@reddit

My parents had an Edge ST that went in twice for a rattling sunroof under warranty, and now have an Explorer ST that's been in twice for the same thing. They also had an Edge with the 2.0 Ecoboost that got a new engine at 20k miles because the cylinder walls cracked.
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RedSealTech2@reddit

What about all the 10 speed transmissions
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Additvewalnut@reddit

See it's stuff like this that makes me so scared of buying new cars. Would I like to own something that isn't 25 years old? Yeah! Do I want to pay for the transmission when it decides to money shift itself? Not really! The best part of old ass cars is that everyone knows what goes on with them and how to fix it
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OkDirection8015@reddit

Wow another ford recall? Unheard of lol. Seriously how tf does Farley still have a job there? Didn’t he say that improving reliability was a top priority?
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Lugnuts088@reddit

Quality has been job #1 at Ford since 1981.
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BrashHarbor@reddit

>The preliminary evaluation, which was opened on Friday, covers Ford's F-150 model years 2015 to 2017. Farley became CEO in 2020, so not sure how he'd improve the reliability of vehicles built before he took the job.
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WrongKielbasa@reddit

*Lazy worthless CEOs*
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TurboSalsa@reddit

Ford has a bit of Stellantis syndrome these days when it comes to the F150 - the trucks are more expensive than ever but the reliability of basic components is suffering, and the company seems more interested in developing new widgets to add to top trim levels.
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Intelligent_Top_328@reddit

Ota fixable or no
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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]
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[Rule 3:](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/about/rules/) "No memes, trolling, copypasta, or low-quality joke posts or comments." *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/cars) if you have any questions or concerns.*
View on Reddit #51990530

DayGlobal5653@reddit

Just get a manual lulz
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TheDirtDude117@reddit

The 6R80 is Ford's best transmission but they still have Ford jank. The software fix for the "idk what gear we are in, go to 1st" issue is just dumb but fine. Clearing and disabling adaptations seems to help too Actually cleaning the lead frame and adding the foam style pieces to 2011-2012 models helped The extra trans magnet on 2014s also helps The "lifetime fluid" and filter being properly changed makes a world of difference too
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Jondiesel78@reddit

The problem is the gear sensor which is part of the transmission conductor plate. I had to replace it on my 17 F-150 at 196k miles. It's about a 4 hour job and requires dropping the pan, filter, and valve body.
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phxees@reddit

5.2 million hours is a lot of hours.
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lol_camis@reddit

I'm personally upset that they didn't name this the Ford Probe
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