NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Would be driving at about 55-60 mph on the interstate and the truck would drop into first gear slamming me forward almost causing an accident twice !!!! Not including the whiplash it gives you!
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the RPM decreased, and the vehicle decelerated to 15 MPH in first gear. There was a red wrench symbol displayed momentarily during the failure. The contact coasted to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The contact continued driving without the cruise control activated. On another occasions, while driving approximately 50 MPH with the cruise control activated, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission molded lead frame was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact learned that the failure was related to NHTSA ID Number: 10201087 (Power Train) however, the failure mileage had been exceeded. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front-end. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The vehicle lost motive power; however, the contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact waited for a while and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where it was diagnosed that the throttle had failed. The contact stated that on the last occasion when the vehicle experienced the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the cam phasers, valve cover, and throttle had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.
See attached document from complainant
2013 ford f-150 3.5 liter V6. The speedometer stops working while driving at highway speeds and the transmission downshifts suddenly into low gear. I dont think the safety issue needs to be explained in great detail. One minute i am traveling at 60 miles an hour and the next second the rear wheels are sliding as the truck downshifts into 1st gear and slows to 10 miles an hour. This issue was caused by a defective transmission lead frame output shaft sensor. The check engine lights and wrench icon appear and codes P720 and P722 are on computer. This was verified by the service dept. at Berglund ford of Bedford Virginia. There was a safety recall on affected vehicles "Safety Recall 19S07", but mine was not covered so they refused to fix my truck.
The vehicle shifts into first gear on the freeway. There is a known problem with the conductor plate or flex plate and makes the outboard shaft speed sensor malfunction and the speedometer turns off often on the freeway. When it does this the truck thinks it has come to a stop and shifts down to first gear. Luckily I didn't drop my transmission on the freeway and I've researched this problem ahead of han accident but I know ford knows about this because every mechanic I've spoken to knows what the problem is when I tell them my 2013 f 150 has the conductor plate issue. Apparently they changed my year truck to a plastic plate....
Complaint: Speedometer is not working, loss of function of speedometer while driving and Downshifting of the gear. The instrumental cluster showed a maintenance warning while driving in which will cause the speedometer to stop working. When trying to drive the vehicle on a stop position, there is a delay on the acceleration. Vehicle feels like it's on 2nd or 3rd gear. This may lead to loss of control on vehicle. I brought my vehicle to Ford service, I had them do a diagnose on my vehicle. The only issue they're able to find is the cooling system leak and rotor/brake pad replacement in which I ended up costing $3700. Knowing this would resolve the main issue. They had my truck for a month and after 24 hours of receiving my vehicle the main issue showed up and can't use it again due to safety issue. I believe the issue of my vehicle is part of 2013 Ford F-150 recall, but my vehicle has not received a recall. I believe this is the issue my vehicle experiencing below. recall no: 19V433000 recall no: 19V075000 How come Ford Service did not know about my vehicle issue when it is the 2013 Ford F150 Recall Problem. But they let me spend big bucks for nothing and still not to be able to use my vehicle until now.
Pickup would crank but not start. Fuel pump fuse melted. This should be a recall. This left me stranded 350 miles form home for a 10 dollar fix.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH uphill, the transmission failed to shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear, and there was a delay the response of the vehicle. The power train warning light was illuminated. A message indicating that the fuel tank would be empty in 35 miles was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted while driving below 50 MPH. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring more frequently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 19N01. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the campaign had expired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Truck would, from a stop, not shift into gear and it would also without warning from a stop not go into gear. If placed into park and then in gear it work. Last incident, driving on interstate felt like transmission disengaged and orange wrench appeared on my screen. Took foot off of accelerator and all my gauges disappeared. No speed, fuel level etc. drove into the next town, pulled into parking lot, shut off engine, restarted engine and all gauges came back up. On hands free phone call with my dealership service manager as soon as it happened and kept them on phone until I restarted engine and started driving. No more incidents and made it home. Vehicle has been repaired, but I never received a notification regarding this issue. and it was not an inexpensive repair.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into first gear while the speedometer dropped to zero (0). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was included in Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 for Transmission Leadframe Extended Warranty Coverage; however, the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,600.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the timing belt assembly and the camshaft cover gasket to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 18-2305, however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
This vehicle has a faulty lead frame assembly that is causing it to unexpectedly downshift at any speed. Additionally, the vehicle is unable to shift out of first gear without cycling the electrical system. At the time of writing (8/18/23), I reported this problem nearly five (5) months ago without any resolution from Ford Motor Company.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated intermittently and unexpectedly downshifted into first gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
Truck will randomly shift into first, second, and even shift up into 5th from lower gears. Sometimes restarting the truck fixes the issue, but other times it takes multiple restarts or even a battery reset.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to 1st gear, the vehicle shuddered, skidded, and the rear wheels locked up. The contact was able to coast over to the side of the road. The power train warning light was illuminated with the wrench symbol and the air bag warning light briefly before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact detached the battery and waited for a while before reattaching the battery, restarting the vehicle, and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred approximately every 5 miles. The dealer was contacted and decided to charge the contact to diagnose the vehicle to determine the cause of failure, instead of completing the recall repair free of charge. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Took my vehicle in for 145,000 mile check. Informed the gas pump fuse relocation was not performed, started to melt. For the fix I was asked to pay $336. This an electrical and fuel issue. It is a known issue by Ford. Should this not be a recall, if it is a safety concern?
On my way to work I turned on the rear defrost and heard a loud bang after 15 minutes. I pulled over to see what had happened and the read driver side windshield pain had shattered. it remained in the laminate but I got a replacement quote and its almost $1000 dollars. After doing research this is a major problem with the defrost mechanism on these trucks with no known fix. I'm glad it stayed in take but the glass is continuously cracking as I drive and i cannot get the repair done until Thursday and the dealer said they can do nothing except replace the glass and hope it doesn't happen again.
2013 f 150 xlt aquipped with 6 speed transmission fail twice in 11 years same issue , transmission out of the blu in high speed desides from high gear it shifts to low gear causing the truck in a very rapid down shift causing bodily injury and getting hit on the back do a sudden stop , I was lucky twice , fist time the repair were covered by the warranty but the second time I had to lay out of my pocket , I plead with FORD to help me with the bill they turn me down. I hope it doesn’t happen again.( frightened experience thank GOD I didn’t have any passengers on both incidents .
You can be driving and it will down shift into low gear just like the other trucks your recalling it shifts so hard it feels like someone rear ended you when it down shifts
Transmission Problem Gear. Sudden downshift then stuck in 1st or second gear.
Driving down the freeway, the vehicle lost response to the throttle and transmission resulting in no ability to safely move off the road and needing to coast to the shoulder. A wrench icon on the dash appeared along with an engine light which stayed illuminated and was reading a p0720 error code (Output shaft speed sensor). This occurred twice while going freeway speeds, and once at city street pace. The issue was able to be reset by turning the vehicle on and off, but repeated a couple more times. This is available for inspection as the check engine light has stayed illuminated. A similar issue has occurred where the vehicle will have a wrench symbol on the dash, with the speedometer mileage not working in addition to not shifting below 3rd gear and above 5th gear.
The defective part is the Transmission molded leadframe, their was a recall issued on Truck which I was not told until the problem occurred when I drivinh the truck I have taken truck in and told them the issue on the Transmission which I looked up and found the recall we contacted Ford Motor Company back in March 2023 and was told a letter would be sent to me for this recall to be done which I never received I contacted them again after I was told it would take 6 weeks to receive letter for the repair and was told the recall expired, this recall should of been fixed before truck was sold to me, I have tried to get this resolved it is not safe to drive the truck without this part being replaced, the engine light came on I took it in to Ford and had it checked and was told a recall was on the truck, it wasn't repaired and nothing has been resolved. Now they have said it would cost me $2000 to be replaced which was suppose to be replaced with the recall.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted into first gear and the vehicle fishtailed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded lead frame had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
I will be driving and next thing you know it will do a hard jerk down shift then may do it one more time then its ok. Happens least once a day almost going on 2wks. I see there is/was recall on this happening but no letter or anything was sent to me!! How can i get this fixed?
unexpected down shifting of transmission and sudden exceleration and loss of some control their was no warning light or check engine light
Locked up in 1st gear while driving.
While driving the truck at highway speeds the back wheels locked up over revving the engine. Ford is claiming destroyed engine is not related to the recall even though it was caused by the recall
We are having downshifting issues and the speed is randomly changing. The truck came to a stop while still driving. The speedometer doesn’t reflect accurate to the truck speed.
*cam shaft rattle on cold start up- started around 140,000 miles- safety issue *vacuum pump leaking causing other unknown problems, when running the heater and a/c, blows strong cloud of exhausted in the passengers face- safety and health issue *driver seat will not move- checked all power and seat motor- no issues found. dealerships unable to figure out issue. first the problem was intermittent now no movement - safety issue * A/c will not blow cold air, everything else works correct, full charge, fuse ETC. unable to find the issue. *PCM intermittent issues. safety issue *BCM- unknow if this is causing the problem Most of these issues are not throwing check engine light, they only say to check voltage. I have contacted several dealerships who agree that this is a on going issue with this make, model and several years. ford found the issue and corrected on newer model but refuses to help with the ones on the road.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown speed, the brakes became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder needed brake fluid added. The mechanic failed to locate a leak. The mechanic added dye to show a possible brake fluid leak. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder fluid had leaked into the brake booster pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the brake booster and brake master cylinder. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V345000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 64,438.
LCD panel goes blank, when i shift it, it smacks hard and does not go into gear. cuts out and speedometer fails. Have to shut off and restart
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was failing to start as needed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump fuse needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for repair. The vehicle had not yet been taken to a local dealer for repair. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled and was rear-ended. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 65-67 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted from 6th to 1st gear and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bag warning light, the power train and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, The speedometer and the odometer ceased to work. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A police report was filed. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that he was a certified mechanic and had diagnosed that the lead frame assembly needed to be replaced. The contact stated that he had received a notice of Ford Campaign Number: 19N01. The local dealer and other unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact that they did not have the parts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,248.
The rear glass on the drivers side shattered for no reason.
I'm having a problem with my transmission locking up on me it's Switching gears without no notice and there is a recall on this I need to be done
Driver side rear window shattered with no impact. Vehicle had been remote started with rear defroster on. Approximately 30 seconds after driving, I heard a loud pop and stopped vehicle. After inspecting, the driver side rear glass of the vehicle had “spider webbed” and shattered.
After driving the truck 5 to 1 minutes on highway or low speeds brakes loose pressure and brake pedal becomes very stiff. Truck almost doesn’t stop with brake pushed fully. Did some research and other model years have been recalled for bad brake booster vacuum leak
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the vehicle was jerking while driving, and the transmission failed to shift gears as needed. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to immediately stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown recall repair was performed to reprogram the transmission; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Sunroof / moonroof went to a 3rd party company in business for over 50 years and have had several ford f-150 vehicles with same sunroof issues that come in weekly. Ford specialist was able to give me a description of the issue and due to pricing shopped around and found out I am not the only one having this sunroof issue with screws coming off and sun roof getting Stuck all the time.
Ford knowingly has allowed a faulty design on its 3.5 Ecoboost engine where the exhaust manifold bolts shear off on it's first generation motor. The exhaust manifold bolts shear off allowing exhaust gases to enter the cab thru the firewall. The sheared bolts and leaking manifold also alter the emissions of the vehicle. Exhaust gases in the cab of the vehicle would explain my headaches when driving longer distances. The local Ford Dealer has inspected and confirmed this is a known issue with multiple F-150's manufactured from 2011 -2017. The manufacturer has redesigned the system in vehicles starting in 2018 but has refused to resolve the issue for previous years. The repair estimate from the dealer is $3944. There were no warning signs of the failure and no communications from the manufacturer of this issue prior to a routine service being performed by the local dealer. The manufacturer has been unwilling to resolve this issue to date.
This has now happened countless times. The truck will be in a gear, as I naturally speed up, the transmission will jerk and the truck will get stuck in the following gear. The truck will then be stuck in that gear and will not downshift. A big wrench light comes on, then turns off about 10 seconds later. In addition, the odometer lists dashes (---,---), no mileage measures. The speedometer stays at 0 mph even when driving in the stuck gear. Another light stays on, I think it is the airbag image. Everything stays as is until I turn off the truck. Once I turn off and turn back on, everything goes back to normal. I've taken the truck to Ford, but because there are no "check engine" lights and there are no codes, Ford will not cover. My mechanic has confirmed (without any codes) that the recall is TSB16-0008, which was issued in March 2019. Since my truck is showing no codes, and my truck is over 10 years old, Ford says they will not cover. This is extremely concerning. If the truck downshifts on the highway, or refuses to downshift when needed, I could be in a serious accident. As mentioned, this has now occurred countless times.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost electric power to the instrument panel and the speedometer went to zero. The odometer showed the dash marks. The wrench warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the molded lead frame needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the vehicle was not under warranty. The contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted to first gear. The service warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that after she drove home, she turned off and restarted the vehicle and the warning light disappeared. The contact stated that she researched online and noticed that the VIN was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number 19V075000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power control module needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The service warning light illuminated and disengaged the air bags. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure recurred. The contact then stated that the speedometer failed, and the gear shifter failed to operate as designed. Additionally, the contact stated that vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was again diagnosed that the leadframe failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that her vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 197,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph when the speedometer suddenly began dropping rapidly and the transmission shifted to 2 gear. The dashboard and a wrench displayed on it so the contact pulled to side of the road and waited about a minute to restart. Once the vehicle was restarted the check engine light was illuminated. They went home where they had a diagnosing machine which they ran on their vehicle and learned that the output speed sensor had no signal. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that their failure related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train) however their vin was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
The automatic transmission unexpectedly shifted into low gear while traveling at 55 mph on a two lane road. This is similar to at least two other incidents that occurred prior to the two previous recall for the same problem. No other vehicles were around and I was able to safely pull to the side of the road. The issue has not been replicated this time and it will be 2/16/2023 before the dealer can inspect it. The issue occurred unexpectedly.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle was jumping and revving up. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was referred to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer Walt's Live Oak Ford (1109 Ohio Ave N, Live Oak, FL 32064) where it was diagnosed with a sudden downshift and control module replacement. The codes were reset. The vehicle was not repaired. While driving, the vehicle revved up. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred him to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer where it was diagnosed with powertrain failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 123,000.
The contact’s daughter owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while her daughter was driving at undisclosed speeds, the transmission intermittently failed to shift to first gear, second gear, and neutral. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission molded leadframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 19N01. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 15 MPH. Additionally, the speedometer intermittently failed to operate while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N01 (Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage) however, the Extended Coverage had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal to slow down, the contact heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was associated with TSB: 20-2307 and TSB: 21-2076. The contact was informed that the vacuum plug hose needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.