The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation that impacts almost 1.3 million Ford F-150 pickup trucks. And as one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States, this has most definitely made headlines.
According to the NHTSA, 1,270,970 Ford F-150 pickups from 2015, 2016, and 2017 are under investigation. Drivers have been reporting an issue with the 6R80 automatic transmission. Opened on January 30th, 2026, the findings have identified a signal loss in the transmission’s Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor due to faulty electrical connections in the lead frame, causing the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS) to also lose its signal.
In other words, the transmission may shift at random, locking the rear wheels. The NHTSA’s Vehicle Research Test Center has also found that this leads the pickup to change direction. For example, an F-150 reversing up a hill will suddenly shift into neutral, rolling forward. It’s generally not ideal to suddenly have your 4,000-plus-pound vehicle rolling forward unexpectedly, especially in the winter.
At the time of the investigation’s opening, 329 drivers had reported this transmission issue, resulting in one crash. Some owners reportedly stopped using their trucks after experiencing multiple wheel lockup incidents, with the rear tire “schreeching” or “skidding” during the sudden downshift.
Ford just can’t seem to catch a brake*
At this point, “Ford under investigation” isn’t really news. In fact, it’s getting difficult to even tell if it’s a new issue or one that’s already been investigated. They’re all blending together and my colleague even asked me if this was a new incident or one that’s already been reported on. Ford even said in the recent report that this is a different investigation from the previous OSS-related failure that resulted in the carmaker issuing four separate recalls for F-150s made in 2011 to 2014.
Yesterday, Ford also recalled 2,403 Ford Focus (2016-2018) and Ford Explorers (2019 and 2024) over an issue with the engine block heater. Apparently, the block heater could overheat, resulting in a coolant leak that led to short-circuiting. The risk was only present when the block heater was plugged in.
In January 2026, Ford recalled 116,672 vehicles for a similar problem. Ford Focus (2013-2018), Lincoln MKCs (2015-2016), and Ford Escapes (2013-2019) were experiencing the same possible short circuit issue if they had an engine block heater installed on a 2.0-liter engine.
How to know if your Ford F-150 is impacted by the recall
This most recent NHTSA has not led to a recall just yet, so you may not be able to currently see if your pickup is impacted by this latest transmission issue. However, if you have a Ford F-150 pickup from 2015, 2016, and 2017, you will likely be part of the recall if it ever gets to that point. If it does, you’ll be able to bring your vehicle to a nearby dealer for a free inspection and possibly get faulty parts replaced.
It’s luckily pretty easy to find out if your vehicle is part of a recall. Simply enter your F-150’s VIN on Ford’s recall center. If you don’t have the VIN handy, try searching by the model and year. If there’s an active recall for your vehicle, you’ll see the recall title and description pop up. The recent transmission issue is not currently active.
*Pun intended
