Ford is recalling nearly three full years of F-150 production. That's 1.4-million pickups in total, equipped with every engine from the 3.3-liter base V6 to the 450-horsepower twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. The problem is with the transmission suddenly downshifting for no apparent reason. If this all sounds familiar, you're definitely not wrong. But this new problem is the same as those which have come before. Ford Has More Transmission Troubles With Its Trucks Ford 1,392,935 Ford F-150 pickups, covering model years 2015-2017 are affected by the recall. All of the affected trucks use Ford's six-speed automatic transmission, and were built between March 12, 2014, and August 18, 2017.Ford has identified the cause of the problem as bad electrical connections in the "transmission lead frame" that are caused by thermal cycles over time as well as the vibrations you'll find in a transmission. The lead frame is a complex piece that matches the exterior electrical connector to the solenoids and sensors inside the transmission.That faulty electrical connection causes the Transmission Range Sensor's signal to the powertrain control module to degrade. In English, it means the sensor that tells the truck what gear it's in can fail, so the truck doesn't know what gear it's in. In response, it can drop the truck from sixth all the way down to second gear, and then bad things happen.FordAside from possible internal damage to the transmission or an engine over-rev situation, the sudden downshift can lock up the rear tires, causing the truck to slide. That can lead to a loss in vehicle control until the truck slows down, Ford said, and increase the risk of a crash.In the NHTSA documents, Ford said that it first began investigating the issue in November 2024. In March 2025, the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened its own inquiry into the issue. In January 2026, Ford submitted its findings and response to the NHTSA. Different From Previous Ford Transmission Recalls Ford The fix is a new software update for the Powertrain Control Module. With the new software, the vehicle will wait longer before commanding a shift to make sure that it isn't a bad connection error. Some vehicles will get a new transmission lead frame, and there will be no charge for owners.This is not Ford's first recall for unexpected downshifts from the six-speed automatic in Ford's pickups. In 2024, the automaker recalled 552,000 2014 model year trucks that could downshift into first unexpectedly. This was traced to a loss of signal between the transmission output shaft speed sensor.Another recall from early 2019 involved 1.3 million 2011-2013 F-150 pickups with the same transmission. This one was for the speed sensor, not the range sensor.Ford dealers have been notified of the recall already. Letters to owners will go out starting April 27, and the fix should be ready starting July 13. Owners can check Ford's site or the NHTSA's recall portal to see if their vehicle is affected.