DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling greater than 550,000 pickup vehicles within the U.S. as a result of the transmissions can unexpectedly downshift to first gear regardless of how briskly the vehicles are going.
The recall covers sure F-150 pickups from the 2014 mannequin 12 months. Ford’s F-Sequence pickups are the top-selling automobiles within the U.S.
Ford says in paperwork posted Tuesday by U.S. security regulators that the downshifting could cause drivers to lose management of the vehicles, rising the chance of a crash.
The remembers come after U.S. auto security regulators in March started investigating complaints that greater than 540,000 Ford pickup vehicles from 2014 can abruptly downshift to a decrease gear and enhance the chance of a crash.
Paperwork say the issue is brought on by a misplaced sign between a transmission pace sensor and the powertrain management laptop. There additionally could possibly be corrosion and issues with connector pins.
Sellers will replace the powertrain management software program for free of charge to house owners, who will likely be notified by letters in early July.
In a press release Tuesday, Ford mentioned it expects repairs to be accessible within the third quarter of this 12 months. House owners will be capable of use cellular service or pickup and supply at collaborating sellers.
Ford says in paperwork posted Tuesday by the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration that it has 396 guarantee and area studies and 124 buyer complaints about the issue, protecting 482 vehicles.
The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker says it is aware of of 130 complaints to the federal government, with 52 alleging that rear wheels locked up or that drivers misplaced management of the vehicles. Two of the complainants reported accidents and one reported a crash that would have been brought on by the issue, Ford mentioned.
Ford’s assertion mentioned that earlier than the vehicles downshift, drivers may see a malfunction indicator gentle on the dashboard. In some circumstances, indicators could be restored whereas the vehicles are transferring, and they are often pushed usually. In different circumstances drivers could must cease and restart the engine to get the transmissions to work correctly.
The corporate says it expects fewer than 1% of the recalled automobiles to have the issue.
NHTSA mentioned it began its investigation in March after getting complaints about sudden downshifts within the vehicles’ computerized transmissions.
The company is wanting into whether or not these vehicles ought to have been included in earlier remembers for the issue.
Ford began recalling vehicles and different automobiles from the 2011 and 2012 mannequin years in 2016, and added two remembers in 2019 protecting pickups from the 2011 to 2013 mannequin years. The remembers lined about 1.5 million automobiles.
The corporate mentioned it’s working with NHTSA to help the investigation.