2,832 of the
47,801 complaints filed about the Ford F-150
are about the throttle and cruise control —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2013.
2,832
Complaints
6%
Share of all complaints
198
Crashes
621
Fires
Acceleration & Cruise Control complaints by model year
My 2014 Ford F-150 was previously included in Ford Safety Recall 24S37 regarding unintended transmission downshifts caused by an intermittent Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor issue. The vehicle was inspected by a Ford mobile technician on January 20, 2026. No qualifying codes were found at that time, and the recall was closed under my VIN. The recall involved the risk of an unintended downshift into first gear that could result in loss of vehicle control. On August 20, 2026, while my husband was driving approximately 40-50 mph, the truck suddenly downshifted and rapidly lost speed. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 10-15 mph and had to be moved into a parking lot to avoid remaining in traffic. After parking, the truck would no longer move under its own power. The wrench warning light illuminated and the vehicle became undrivable. The symptoms experienced appear substantially similar to those described in Recall 24S37. The dealership has indicated that the current failure may involve the transmission lead frame and speed sensor system, but I am concerned that this event may be related to the same transmission downshift condition addressed by the recall. I am requesting that NHTSA document and review this incident.
NHTSA complaint #11758660 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving on interstate approximatly 70 mph when it downshifted into second gear and and almost got rearended by a semi truck that was following behind my truck and luckily was able to swerve to miss hitting us. I Believe it is the 6r80 transmission conductor plate that is the cause of the issue
NHTSA complaint #11758186 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Due to a dangerous design flaw in the 2021 Ford F150, I was put in a potentially dangerous situation by completely losing all power in the vehicle on a backroad. Design flaw is the DCN module, which floods into the vehicles electrical system/body of vehicle through the cowel drain that can supposedly be blocked by a singular piece of pine straw. Due to the design flaw, the vehicle completely lost all power and all electronics failed while driving down the road at 45 mph, putting both me and my father (riding passenger seat) in immediate danger. Ford knows and is aware of the design flaw and has refused to issue a recall, not only affecting my safety, but now I am going back and forth with ford over the fix to the tune of $2800 that they refuse to fix (vehicle is a gold certified cpo, has extended warranty). When asked how to prevent in the future, ford was and is not aware of how to prevent in the future, and I can not get to the cowel drain clog without professional equipment and ford performing. There is no way to tell the cowel drain is clogged or not, and there is not anything in the ford owners manual related to maintenance of the cowel drain. Again, due to the inappropriately designed drain, this caused water leakage into my truck, posing an immediate threat to my life and others around me. I have all of the videos and pictures needed to show the failure of the system to provide to move this forward to get resolved. I had complete loss of power and electronics on the road. I tried to attach video but it would not let me. I can attach via email when requested.
NHTSA complaint #11758129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a 2017 Ford F-150 on July 9th. It is covered under Safety Recall 26S28 (NHTSA Campaign 26V23700). On July 25th, the vehicle entered highway limp mode due to an Output Speed Sensor failure (Code P0722). A Ford dealership performed the 26S28 software flash but left the failing physical lead frame hardware in the vehicle. On August 15th, the truck reverted to a dangerous limp mode on the highway due to the same unaddressed P0722 hardware failure. Ford Corporate is refusing to authorize the physical hardware replacement under the safety recall framework, leaving the vehicle fundamentally unsafe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11757699 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When using cruise control (Blue Cruise fully automated driving or just regular cruise control), The truck changes the speed setting to 90MPH without any driver input and begins sudden acceleration. This has happened multiple times in speed limit areas from 70-75 on the interstate. The truck clearly displays the correct speed limit on the dash. The driver set speed of 70-77 is suddenly changed to 90 MPH (you can see it on the dash) without any driver input. This has happened multiple times (I live in a rural area). The vehicle only has 1,100 miles. No warning lights come on. Breaking will stop the sudden acceleration. This is a very dangerous situation and needs to be fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11757210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was at my granddaughters and I went to leave and it was like dead except the wrench came up in the dash panel , I waited before calling my husband and I went back to try and start it again and it started no wrench in the display or anything , this was in February 2026. In March of 2026 I was in the middle turn lane on [XXX] by Tuttle, Ok. And it stalled as I was trying to turn and would not move I put it back into park and then back to drive and it turned . Next incident was in April2026 and I was on [XXX] south of Mustang , Ok. And I was in the passing lane passing a vehicle going 65 mph and it just stalled and went down into 1 st gear I managed to get it to the shoulder of road an then it died it would not start but the radio and lights were still on and there was a wrench popped up in the panel . I waited for about 30 minutes and kept trying to start it after several attempts it started again and I made it home . The next incident my husband drove to doctors office and it did the same thing to him and would not move in the parking lot . About 15 minutes later he got it to start and he made it home . We quit driving it. Then we got a letter from Ford with the recall 26V237 .i waited for 2 nd letter and had not gotten it with a fix for it so I called the Ford Service Repir Center and they got us on the phone connected to a Ford Dealership in Yukon , Ok and they came and got the pickup on August 10 th and took it and brought it back on August 11 th and they did the soft ware update and told us no codes came up and we know better . When I had previously talked to the Ford Repair Center I was told if the wrench came up that they would replace the lead frame at no cost to us and give us a 150000 mile warranty. So it is now our word against the mechanics that the wrench ever came up INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756379 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ford Motor Company put out a recall on the PCM. I had the recall performed and it has caused more damage to my truck. It now has eratic shifting, stuck gears, and going into limpmode. Ford Forums show that this is an ongoing issue after the reset is performed creating an unsafe vehicle to drive. The check engine light is now on and was not prior to this recall reset.
NHTSA complaint #11756355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving, especially from a low gear (2-5), the transmission will downshift to 1, high revving, and then slam back into 4 or 5th, depending on where it downshifted. Sometimes the rapid acceleration causes the back of the truck to start to break lose. I notice this alot when trying to get up to speed, and can usually take my foot off pedal and it will slow the vehicle and upshift.
NHTSA complaint #11756057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I bought my f150 a year ago. now I’m experiencing timing issues, Vvt solenoid failure (all four) . Loss of power, limp mode, failure to shift etc … I’ve had several mechanics look at it .
NHTSA complaint #11754844 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My truck has shown wrench on dash multiple times, dropped gear several times suddenly. Less than 10 years old but over 150,000 miles so Ford has agreed to a fix under extended warranty program 26N04. Unfortunately they were allowed to add the phrase whichever comes first. This eliminates me from getting them to fix the cause which is the lead frame module. A PCM will not fix a bad part. This is a dangerous safety issue that should be fixed by Ford. Please save lives and get them to replace all lead frame modules if code finds it bad. It could affect anyone’s family member if an accident results.
NHTSA complaint #11754626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power while approaching a stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a Chevrolet Tahoe. The wrench symbol warning light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The air bags deployed as intended. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company towed the vehicle to the total loss yard, where the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 310,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11753426 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
To the Office of Defects Investigation:I am writing to formally report a critical data reporting error on NHTSA.gov involving a 2017 Ford F-150 (VIN: [XXX]).This vehicle is covered under NHTSA Campaign 26V370000 (Ford Recall 26S28) for the transmission downshift defect. I hold the physical manufacturer recall notification letter sent by Ford Motor Company confirming my truck's inclusion.The vehicle experienced the exact unexpected downshifting failure described in the campaign, resulting in a collision in [XXX]. However, when searching my VIN on both the Ford portal and the official NHTSA.gov VIN lookup tool, the database now erroneously reflects "0 Open Recalls."I request that the Office of Defects Investigation audit Ford's compliance reporting for this specific VIN. The manufacturer's database is generating false completion data, masking an active safety risk, and misrepresenting historical defect data to the public. I am having a hard time uploading my documents I will send via email. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11753381 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle Safety Hazard & Recall Remedy Denial Recall: 26S28 / NHTSA Campaign 26V237 Summary of Issue: I am experiencing active, unsafe vehicle symptoms directly tied to Recall 26S28, including intermittent transmission signal loss, warning lights, and abrupt downshifts while driving. I initially contacted Ford in April/May 2026 immediately following the recall notice, but was informed no remedy or repair parts were available at that time, forcing me to operate a vehicle with a known driveability and safety hazard for three months. Now that the vehicle is at the dealership, Ford is refusing to perform the physical lead frame replacement under the recall/field action solely because the vehicle has not latched a permanent Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC), despite the technician confirming physical hardware failure. Safety Impact & Systemic Failure: 1. Defect Root Cause: The lead frame degradation is the primary root physical defect of Recall 26S28, not secondary damage. 2. Unreasonable Safety Risk: Forcing drivers to operate vehicles experiencing active downshifting and loss of drive power until a specific DTC latches poses an immediate highway crash hazard. 3. Inadequate Remedy Program: Ford’s requirement for a specific stored DTC creates an unreasonable barrier to recall execution, denying necessary hardware repairs to vehicles experiencing the exact safety failure described in the recall. Ford must be held accountable for providing a functional physical remedy for vehicles exhibiting active recall symptoms, regardless of whether a transient electrical fault registered a permanent DTC code.
NHTSA complaint #11753033 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving on the highway at about 60-70 mph and my truck shifted into first gear with my tires basically locking up and slid along the highway. I brought my truck into a ford dealership and they told me they couldn’t get it to replicate the incident so they turned me away. I personally replaced my battery terminals and it hasn’t done it again. Now I will be driving and randomly my truck will rev bomb and my gauge cluster will shut off and it shows up with an orange wrench symbol but when I turn the car off it resets. The research I’ve done it can come from a speed sensor or the lead frame. I know 2014 fords have a recall on transmissions but my truck does not have a documented one but there is something funky going on with it.
NHTSA complaint #11752915 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I experienced an unintended-acceleration event in a parking lot while maneuvering at low speed. I was alternating between Reverse and Drive to adjust the vehicle’s position within a parking space when, after selecting Drive, the truck unexpectedly surged forward with substantial acceleration. I applied the brakes immediately and with significant force, but the brake pedal felt unusually soft and stopping response seemed reduced. The vehicle struck a large commercial trash bin; I narrowly avoided striking the building behind it. Damage was primarily superficial, but the incident had clear potential for more serious property damage or injury. I have prior experience operating EVs with one-pedal driving and do not believe this event resulted from driver error. Following the incident, I disabled one-pedal driving and have used traditional drive mode. I have not experienced another unintended-acceleration event since making that change. Given the low-speed maneuver, the sudden forward surge, and the apparent relationship to one-pedal-drive operation, I believe the event warrants formal documentation and technical investigation.
NHTSA complaint #11752270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My local Ford Dealer (Tallahassee Ford) which I had just purchased the vehicle from two weeks prior. Refused to repair NHTSA Recall Number26V237 they wanted to charge me over 2000 dollars to fix even though it has a recall. I ended up getting the lead frame replaced at a local transmission shop for little over 1000 dollars. I would like to be reimbursed for the money and time I spent.
NHTSA complaint #11751736 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The clock spring in the steering has failed causing the airbag to no longer work on the driver side. The cruise control turns on and shuts off on its own. Sometimes won’t even let you set it. Volume controls no longer work. Horn no longer works. Steering has a clicking catching sound now when turning. Steering controls no longer light up and none of the buttons work.
NHTSA complaint #11751383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.