2016 FORD F-150 Complaints

In April of this year my 2016 F150 began having issues related to the automatic transmission. Symptoms included unexpected and irregular downshifting from 6th gear into 4th gear while traveling on the highway, random and irregular shifting from gear to gear, and not gearing down below 3rd gear when coming to a complete stop. While these symptoms were happening the truck displayed the MIL and powertrain warning lamp. These issues put myself and others at risk because having the vehicle unexpectedly downshift while traveling at a high speed causes the vehicle to become difficult to control, increasing the risk of a crash. It is also difficult for the vehicle to increase speed in a timely and safe manner when it is starting out in 3rd gear. In May I received a recall notice from Ford, eventually in July having the dealer closest to me perform a PCM software upgrade. While waiting for Ford to make this software upgrade available I received a notice from Ford referencing Customer Satisfaction Program 26N04. This notice states that if my vehicle set a MIL and/or powertrain warning light (which my vehicle did both) I may need to get the transmission molded leadframe replaced as part of this recall program. When I picked up my vehicle from servicing dealership I was informed my vehicle "did not have the appropriate code" to warrant this repair. However, the software upgrade performed has done nothing to fix the problem I am experiencing. My vehicle still downshifts randomly and unexpectedly while displaying a powertrain warning light, and making my vehicle unsafe for highway travel.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an undisclosed recall; however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while upshifting or downshifting between 4th and 6th gear. The same local dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the 4th and 6th clutches were burned. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 249,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a recall repair associated with the PCM reprogramming. Upon retrieval, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode while driving. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear, and the vehicle lost motive power. The dealer was contacted and provided the contact with an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact spoke with a supervisor, but no additional assistance was provided.

I would like to file complaint against Ford for their latest recall (26N041) and how they are not doing replacing the defective Lead Frame in customers vehicles. It's a big scam and a waste of time. I brought my 2016 Ford F-150 in for Ford’s latest recall (26N04) affecting 2015–2017 models due to the transmission leadframe issue. I explained that I’ve been dealing with an intermittent problem for the past seven months: while driving, the gear indicator lights on the dash begin to flicker, and when that happens, the transmission shifts extremely hard and slams into the next gear. Ford kept my truck for a week and told me they were unable to duplicate the issue. They stated that multiple technicians drove the vehicle and none of them observed any problems. When I arrived to pick it up, I was handed a bill for more than $250 for a diagnostic fee. Within four miles of leaving the dealership, the gear indicator lights began flickering again. It’s difficult to accept that several technicians drove the truck over multiple days and never encountered the issue I experienced almost immediately. The entire process felt like a waste of time and money, and I’m left without any resolution to a problem that clearly still exists. They are not honoring the recall, they are trying to charge customers for the repair.

Truck downshifts into low gear, yellow wrench and engine light come on and the truck goes into limp mode, no warnings or anything. These symptoms first started about 5 months ago and I have stopped driving the truck for that time. I took it to the dealer after looking it up and seeing there was a recall 26S28 for the molded leadframe. At the dealer they told me they couldn't perform the service because my truck was showing codes: P061A-00, P0720-00, and P0722-00 and they needed: P0705, P0706, P0707, P1702 to perform the recall service. My codes also point to the molded leadframe but the speed sensors instead of the range sensors.

XXX, my Ford F-150 began experiencing serious and unpredictable transmission shifting problems. The truck would downshift unexpectedly while traveling at various speeds. At times, it would not downshift properly when coming to a complete stop, and it would sometimes shift back up into third gear from a complete stop at a stoplight.On one occasion, while traveling approximately 65 mph, the truck unexpectedly downshifted. The sudden change in the vehicle's behavior was extremely unsettling and made me concerned about maintaining control. What made the situation even more frightening was that I had no center lane or safe area to pull over without potentially becoming a hazard to the traffic around me. I had nowhere to simply get out of the way and figure out what was happening. That is an extremely unsettling feeling when you are traveling at highway speeds. Another incident was even more frightening. While traveling approximately 55 mph on the highway, the truck unexpectedly downshifted while a logging truck was traveling directly behind me. Fortunately, I was able to maintain control of the vehicle and safely pull onto the shoulder. I contacted my local Ford dealer and was told that its a Software repair, was not yet available and that I would need to wait for Ford's software fix. Extremely concerned about continuing to drive a vehicle that was behaving this way, I contacted Ford directly and asked Is it safe to continue driving the vehicle? Response -Ford was not advising owners to discontinue operation of the vehicle. Took place on XXX, at approximately 8:11 a.m. with Ford representative [XXX]. On XXX, I bring the truck to the Ford dealership for the software update. I received the vehicle back the same day, expected the problem had finally been corrected. Like I never had the truck "software" fix. Back to dealership - they redid the software fix, not fixed. No codes, and still no fix for the transmission shifting. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number : 26V237000 (POWER TRAIN) and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was remedied. The contact contact continued to drive the vehicle when the failure occurred while driving at 60 MPH the transmission downshifted from 5th gear into 3rd gear, the service vehicle soon warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the molded plastic lead frame was faulty and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.

On August 21, 2026, my 2016 Ford F-150 was serviced at Five Star Ford to perform safety recall 26S28 (Powertrain Control Module software update). Immediately following this software flash, the transmission's shifting logic became severely corrupted and unsafe to drive. The vehicle currently acts as if it has completely lost 2nd gear, experiences a severe lag when shifting up into 6th gear, and repeatedly fails to lock itself into 3rd, 4th, or 5th gears. The dealership is currently using a temporary lack of hard Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) to deny coverage for an internal physical lead frame component replacement under the 26S28 extended warranty guidelines, claiming instead that a complete, out-of-pocket transmission replacement assembly is required. The safety update has directly induced a severe driving hazard, leaving the vehicle unable to properly find or maintain standard highway gears.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not experiencing any failure prior to the recall repair; however, after the recall repair was completed, the transmission started downshifting roughly and would not shift beyond second or third gear, creating a severe road hazard while driving on the highway. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure but informed the contact that the issue could not be resolved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the dealer; however, the dealer was unwilling to assist. The failure mileage was 200,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated to maintain acceleration while the accelerator pedal was depressed, which caused the vehicle to jerk forward into the rear bumper of another vehicle in traffic. The front bumper struck the rear bumper of the other vehicle. A warning message reading "Cannot Exceed 80 MPH" and an additional unknown warning message were displayed. The air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the front bumper was replaced at the contact's expense. The vehicle was later repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Powertrain); however, the repair failed to prevent the failure from recurring. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, where it was determined that the vehicle needed further diagnostic testing for a possible transmission repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.