Ford issues massive recall for its most popular model

Ford is well aware of its quality control issues, but the company can’t seem to do much to fix them. On Friday, Ford was forced to issue a recall for over a million Ford F-150s, its most popular model, due to a dangerous issue that puts everyone on the road at risk.

This week, the NHTSA issued a recall for nearly 1.4 million model-year 2015-2017 Ford F-150s over the risk of a sudden gear-downshift that could cause drivers to lose control of their 3-ton vehicles.

I’ve been covering Ford and other Detroit automakers for some time now, and the issue that keeps popping up with Ford is quality control. The data bear this out.

Over the last 365 days, Ford has issued 143 recalls, accounting for 33% of all recalls issued over that period, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration.

Between January 2024 and mid-2025, Ford initiated 94 recalls affecting nearly 6 million vehicles, Indy Auto Man noted. By July, Ford had issued its 89th recall of 2025, easily surpassing GM’s 2014 record of 78 recalls for the entire year.

The issue has been so bad that the company addressed quality control issues during its third-quarter earnings call.

COO Kumar Galhotra opened his comments on the call.

“Improving quality is the single biggest driver to close our cost gap. Better quality
lowers warranty expense and reduces recalls,” Galhotra said. He also admitted it would take time for the company’s quality improvements to show up in its stats.

“You need time to clear the car park of old issues. It all starts with a clean launch. A bad launch creates years of warranty and recall problems. Over the past two years, we have radically improved our launch quality,” Galhotra said.

Ford forced to recall F-150 after NHTSA probe

Last March, investigators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationopened a preliminary evaluation into 2015-2017 model year Ford F-150 pickup trucks after 138 customers complained about an issue with the truck’s gearbox.

This week, Ford and the NHTSA took action.

According to the recall, a loss of signal between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the vehicle’s transmission to unexpectedly downshift into second gear without driver input.

Related: Popular Ford pickup faces expanded NHTSA probe over dangerous issue

To fix the issue, dealers will update the powertrain control module software. Letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed on April 27, and additional letters will be sent once a final remedy is available, anticipated in July.

There are warning signs that your truck is defective. In some cases, “a driver may notice an illuminated malfunction indicator light or wrench light in the instrument cluster,” according to the NHTSA.

Affected owners should contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 to check the status of their vehicles. Ford’s number for this recall is 26S28. You can also use your VIN number to search the NHTSA website to see if your car is affected by the recall.

Ford reviewed plant records to determine that the affected trucks were built between March 2014 and August 2017.

During the investigation, Ford drivers reported that their F-150s unexpectedly downshifted to lower gears while traveling at highway speeds, followed by rapid deceleration, without the driver touching anything or the vehicle displaying any warning, according to the complaints.

Complainants had similar stories about their vehicles. Their cars would rapidly decelerate without warning, and the rear wheel would either lock up, seize, or skid temporarily, causing loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.

“The truck automatically shifted from 6th Gear to first gear, nearly throwing me through the windshield” while traveling 70 miles per hour on the highway, one complaint read.

The NHTSA confirmed a safety issue with 2015-2017 model year Ford F-150 pickup trucks.

Photo by Bill Pugliano on Getty Images

Ford promises recall troubles are in the past

Ford has addressed its quality issues multiple times in recent quarters during their earnings calls.

CFO Kumar Galhotra identified four areas of focus for the company:

Seamless launch executionMinimal defectsGreater reliabilityTime

Ford says it is already making progress and is “on track” for best-in-class performance across six of its nameplates, with three other nameplates in the top quartile, according to J.D. Power warranty analytics data.

“You need time to clear the car park of old issues. It all starts with a clean launch. A bad launch creates years of warranty and recall problems. Over the past two years, we have radically improved our launch quality,” Galhorta said.

The company also reported lower year-over-year third-quarter warranty costs, down $450 million.

In 2023, Ford spent $4.8 billion fixing customer vehicles, a 15% increase from the previous year. It set aside $1,203 for warranty repairs on each car it sold that year, according to Warranty Week.

A recent study by iSeeCars.com, analyzing 31 years of recall history, found that Ford is the least proactive car brand when it comes to issuing recalls. Fewer than 30% of the cars recalled over the last three decades were due to a problem Ford found on its own.

To remedy this problem, Ford in 2024 initiated a new quality assurance program that incorporates “testing vehicles to failure,” running them “at extremely high mileage” to find potential problems before customers do.

At the time, CEO Jim Farley said the new approach would “reduce warranty (costs) over time.”

Related: Ford Motor adds to record it is embarrassed to hold

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