Ford is recalling 1.4 million vehicles over a software defect

Ford $F is recalling about 1.4 million F-150 pickup trucks in the U.S. after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration linked unexpected downshifts in the vehicles to two injuries and one accident.

NHTSA said the recall covers 2015–2017 F-150 models equipped with the '6R80' transmission. The remedy will be a software update to the trucks' powertrain control module, to be carried out at dealerships at no cost to owners.

According to Ford, deteriorating electrical connections — degraded gradually by heat and vibration — are a likely culprit, as the resulting loss of signal from the transmission range sensor can send incorrect data to the system. NHTSA has concluded that when the sensor feeds bad data, the vehicle can unexpectedly drop into a lower gear.

The regulatory scrutiny stretched over more than a year: NHTSA first took up the matter in March 2025, later broadening the scope of its probe before Ford ultimately moved to issue the recall.

Ford has been among the most active automakers on recalls in recent years. In the first half of 2025, Ford issued 88 separate recalls, according to The Wall Street Journal — a pace that at the time appeared to be putting the company on track for the most recalls by any automaker in a single year. Ford COO Kumar Galhotra told the Journal that the elevated recall activity reflects an "intensive strategy to quickly find and fix any hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to protect customers," adding that the company has doubled its safety team and expanded testing on critical systems.

Software problems have played a big role in Ford's recent recalls. The company recalled over 254,000 Lincoln and Explorer SUVs because image processing software could reboot on its own, which would turn off rearview cameras and driver assistance features like pre-collision assist and lane-keeping assist.