Ford Issues Another Recall for F-150 Trucks

Ford Motor Co. is including an additional 123,000 units of the 2013 Ford F-150 pickup to its previous recall.

The latest recall applies to trucks that have not undergone a transmission software update, as well as models that have previously received it, the company said on June 12.

According to Ford, the problem is in the powertrain control module of Ford F-150 pickups from the 2013 model year, which were equipped with 5.0-liter or 6.2-liter V-8 engines. There is a possibility for the software to control the transmission and downshift it to first gear due to bad software and sensor failure. The bigger problem is that the downshift may happen without prior warning. Depending on the speed at which the downshift occurs, it could cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

The company didn’t release the exact numbers of trucks that have already been fixed from the previous recall, but it said that these same trucks will have to be returned to dealerships for another update on the transmission software.

The automaker also said that the original fix that was announced was not complete and it didn’t include the remedy to prevent the downshifting to first gear.

F-150 owners are instructed to bring their vehicles back to dealerships for a software reprogramming that will completely fix the problem. As for those who haven’t addressed the previous recall, they will be getting the final version of the software that includes the fix to the unintended downshift.

Ford has clarified that it is unaware of any injuries or crashes related to the latest issue on the transmission software.