Ford Motor Company announced a recall of 1,392,935 F-150 trucks due to an issue with the vehicles’ transmissions that could result in an unintended downshift into second gear at high speeds.

According to a recall notice posted April 17 on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s X account, the affected trucks were manufactured between March 2014 and August 2017 and span model years 2015-2017. The downshift problem, federal regulators say, stems from degraded electrical connections in the vehicles’ six-speed transmissions’ lead frames, which are caused by repeated thermal cycling and vibration.

A sensor in the transmission may send a faulty signal to the transmission’s power train module that could result in a temporary and unintended downshift into second gear, the NHTSA said.

“An unexpected downshift to a lower gear may cause an abrupt wheel speed reduction for a short duration, which in some situations could cause the rear tires to slide until the vehicle speed slows,” the recall report stated.

In some instances with vehicles in the recall population, the NHTSA noted, drivers may notice a malfunction light or a wrench icon illuminate on the trucks’ instrument panel when there’s a problem with the transmission range sensor.

Ford said its Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG) became aware of the issue in October 2024 after reviewing data from questionnaires provided to truck owners related to unintended downshifting in vehicles equipped with Ford’s six-speed automatic 6R80 transmission. From November of that year through February 2025, Ford said its CCRG learned of an electrical problem within the transmissions in older trucks with a lot of miles.

“High mileage vehicle transmissions can experience a wide range of issues with different failure modes and performance consequences due to wear and aging of subcomponents,” the recall notice stated.

Ford said that as of April 2, it had received 444 warranty claims submitted between April 2015 and November 2025 that are related to the transmission signal and downshifting issue. Two injuries and one accident were reported during that span, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker noted.

Ford said it will begin notifying owners of older F-150 trucks about the recall beginning on April 27, with additional notices going out in July once a final remedy has been implemented. Truck owners can take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the power control module software updated at no cost. If the trucks have previously generated diagnostic trouble codes prior to the software update, dealers will replace the lead frame in the transmission at no charge, Ford said. The molded plastic lead frame houses internal wiring and sensors for Ford’s six-speed transmissions.

Ford owners can search the NHTSA’s online recall portal using their unique vehicle identification number to determine if their trucks are part of the recall. Owners also can contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332 and reference recall number 26S28.