NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Exhaust manifold leak because of poor engineering at approximately 55000 miles
While driving at 60 mph on highway my transmission will switch from Drive into Neutral and alternate in from Drive to Neutral randomly. Crash prevention sensors stop working at the same time. This causes safety issues for me and passengers as I am not able to control speed. It shifts out of high gear into a lower gear and feels like it is only operable in this one gear. Unable to tell which gear because the gear indicator lights on dash stop working during this time. Many warning icons pop up on dash readout during this (check engine, wrench, cross traffic collision, lane assist, etc.) I see on the internet this problem is extremely common due to the 6R80 Transmission Molded Lead Frame failure which has been involved in millions of recalls but for some reason not my vehicle. this is extremely dangerous and could be life threatening to my auto occupants and others in traffic. I have an appointment to have it looked at by my dealer where i purchased the vehicle new in 2015.
After driving until the engine is warm, the engine stalls when coming to a stop. It is intermittent. The engine restarts and acts normal. This happened a few years ago and then a few months ago and then a few weeks ago on [XXX] and [XXX]. It took two dealers to work on problem. There are no engine codes to point to problem. In the shop now. Apparently, it is the VCT solenoid. A known safety problem. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear window. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear window assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
My truck downshifted from 5th gear to 1st as I was going on a highway ramp . I was inches from being hit from behind by an 18 wheeler. Tbis started a few months ago it would downshifted when accelerating went from a few time a month to it happening weekly . I have counted ford and they hav said there’s no recall for my year .
I was driving down the interstate when my truck abruptly started hard shifting and wouldn’t come out of 3rd gear had to pull off the road put the truck in park and turn the truck off. After turning the vehicle off and back on the check engine light came on and a yellow wrench illuminated on the dash board saying “see owner manual”. I attempted to put it in drive with success it will showed me in 3rd gear and had a hard time gaining speed. I drove the truck safely to auto parts store and they attached there OBD scanner to the truck and got faulty codes for p07021abd p07022. They said it was a lead frame assembly sensor failure. My truck was working perfectly fine before this incident had occurred.
[XXX]: check engine light was on and codes P2196 and P2198 were present. The dealer suspected it was the purge valve, causing the problem so they replaced it and reset the codes. 10/10/24: I brought the truck in to have it looked at due to the check engine light being on again. I was told the lead frame needed to be replaced but was on backorder. The bill to diagnose this was 196.80 and I was told I could still drive it. On [XXX], I had to bring my truck in to be inspected because while I was going about 70 mph it all of a sudden downshifted and jerked me forward like it was going to abruptly stop. The check engine light came on and I had to drive pretty slow to avoid a breakdown on the interstate. Very scary to have this happen in interstate traffic It could have easily caused an accident. At this time, It was brought to my attention that the downshifting could also be related to technical bulletin 1495. Since we couldn’t get a real definitive answer on what was going on and the lead frame was on backorder, I decided to try and have the case connector in the bulletin removed and replaced as well as do a transmission tuneup on 10/23/24. This bill cost me $383.77. All codes were cleared and all appeared to be working correctly. On [XXX], I was driving on the interstate at about 70 mph and my truck seized up again and jerked forward, again scaring me and potentially causing an accident. I drove it very slowly directly to a repair shop. It was there until November 7, 2024 after the lead frame was replaced. That bill cost me $1321.68. I decided to file this complaint after I had seen a news article that this downshifting was being investigated for the same year as my 2015 Ford F150 for a safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently and downshifted unexpectedly to first gear. The shifting lights began to flash and then cleared. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle suddenly jerked and the engine revved. The gear selector lights were flashing. The instrument panel lights were flashing before starting to work as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
Was traveling 75 MPH while towing a trailer. Truck was in 6th gear cruising. No fault codes whatsoever, no warning lamps etc. Suddenly the truck briefly downshifted into 1st gear, then upshifted back to 6th gear again. Issue occurred during heavy rain. I cleaned the bulkhead connector on the transmission afterwards and put dielectric grease on the connector o-ring. Connector Did not appear dirty or corroded. Issue had not occurred again for 8,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating, after which he observed excessive white smoke emanating from the exhaust prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.
The Lead Frame in my truck went bad. I was driving on the highway doing 70mph, the truck downshifted to 5th and I lost control of what gear I was in. When I came to a stop the truck was still in 5th gear and it died. I was unable to restart the truck and had to get it towed.
i was driving on the highway at 50MPH in 5th gear. the truck goes in neutral on its own and then 1st gear for about two seconds and then back to 5th gear. the ground was wet and the rear tires skid. i believe that's what prevented the tires locking up and getting out of control it was a very scary situation that could have ended very bad.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH on two occasions, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle slowed down abruptly, and the rear wheels locked up and squealed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
The lead frame on the 6r80 transmission is faulty causing a sudden stop in operation while the vehicle is moving.
I bought the vehicle 3 to four weeks ago. For about a total of 6 or 7 times since I purchased the vehicle, the vehicle unexplainably goes into Limp Mode for no apparent reason. The engine is idling but will not accelerate at all, which in my case was extremely dangerous. In one instance, I was going up a mountain pass in an area that is steep with many sharp turns creating a blind turn issue. The truck suddenly went into limp mode just on the other side of a sharp turn. Vehicles behind me had absolutely no warning that I was stopped in the middle of the road. A second time, I was accelerating into heavy traffic when it occurred. This created all sorts of havoc as I tried to warn other drivers that I was disabled. THIS IS CRITICAL and needs to be investigated.
Front passenger side brake line (plastic) burst - causing no braking on vehicle. This happened when parked and just starting to drive vehicle out of carport. Vehicle was towed to service center (Car Fix Western Ave Knoxville, TN), damaged confirmed by tech. Both front brake lines were replaced, system flushed and tested. Incident occurred [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The transmission is having deceleration at high rates of speed on the highway. It is have severe hard metal clicks that cause the front end to lock up and squeal tires at over 50 miles an hour. It is failing to take gear especially in drive. It is resulting in rolling backwards (I live in the mountains and at times haul a trailer resulting in high safety issues.) Unable to take gears and take off from a stop at times. This is all putting me at high risk of having a wreck and losing control especially on narrow mountain roads and traveling busy highways. I live off a corner and people come around fast and the transmission is failing. The issues with the 2014 is the same issue I am having with the 2015. I am struggling to get the dealership to manage the issue. It varies in frequency, but is profoundly limiting my ability to do my second job and travel due to fear of getting in an accident injuring myself, my livestock, or others. The truck at times will flash a wrench symbol, but other times will not. They started earlier this year. I have had the truck at the dealership 2x and get poor service since it is not a 2014, but experiencing same issues as that model.
I left work was driving down a highway in Wichita going 75 felt like I got rear ended and all of the sudden was going 50 no one was around nothing happened scared me very much, I work for Christian brothers automotive my Forman reset shift adaptives the next day haven’t had anything like that happen again but in the last two years I’ve owned the truck second gear has been getting worse and worse it shifts very hard no matter what after it reaches operating temps also kinda shutters going around corners transmission has been serviced twice in the past two years with BG quick clean and conditioner not sure if it has any codes but with second gear getting worse and hearing everything about the vehicles flipping and with my experience that time I thought i should reach out
The transmission failed at the start of a 900 mile trip while traveling on [XXX]. After stopping at the toll booths the car intermittently would not engage into first gear. Several times I had to turn the vehicle off either in the toll lane and try to start it again, or pull the car off the road for a short time. Once the car was moving it would not shift through the gears properly and I had to drive at a slow speed in the right lane while the normal, faster traffic passed us. Fortunately we were 10 miles from Capital Ford in Charleston, WV and it was on a Wednesday so they were able to check the car that morning. The transmission technicians diagnosed the problem and replaced the Leadframe which they had in stock. After approximately 7 hours waiting we were able to get back on the road. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other people other than the service center at Capital Ford in Charleston. No engine warning lamps or messages appeared prior to or after the incident. Once we returned home I stopped into the service center at my local Ford dealership to discuss the issue and check on recalls or extended warranty programs but was told there were none for this particular vehicle year. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving at approximately 35 mph, the blind spot warning and rear traffic warning system indicated that there was a failure to the system. I parked the truck and then tried to restart the vehicle. The truck would not start. When it was diagnosed at the dealer, they found a faulty lead frame in the transmission. This part was then replaced. I have checked with Ford and my vehicle is NOT being recalled at this time. I have seen other recalls involving lead frame in other fords that have the same transmission as mine.
Erratic shifting, lead frame sensor causing safety issues and causing truck to not start if shut off. Erratic downshifting at highway speed. Known safety problems with Ford and needs to be fixed. Significant loss of power and lose dashboard data. Issue starting to happen more frequently, almost every time driven
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the transmission erroneously downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. The contact stated that after the failure, the transmission failed to shift out of 1st gear. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Action Number: PE25002 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 105,000. The VIN was not available.
During the course of driving on the interstate at 70mph the vehicle decelerated and went to a lower gear. The dash panel of the truck did not show all of the gears available. An emergency stop on the side of the road and turning the vehicle off and back on temporarily resolved the issue. It occurred intermittently and without warning. The truck continued to show problems and was taken to a transmissions shop which checked the transmission, replaced a line for a small leak and said everything seemed to be in order. The cause was not found to be a lack of transmission fluid as the levels were normal. The truck continued to intermittently decelerate. The last time that occurred, the back wheels locked up while on the road. The truck is now sitting due to the safety risk it poses and the locked up transmission on the rear end. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety and that of others was at risk. The problem was not replicated in a service center. The vehicle was inspected beforehand but not after the last issue, (it needs a tow as the back wheels are frozen). There was a warning light for the engine camshaft that came on and the problem was diagnosed at Ford as a camshaft issue though they could not understand the deceleration issue. The truck was taken first to Ford then to an independent transmission shop. Due to the issue the truck is not in use.
noticed leaks from under radiator which kept getting worse so had triple a tow to dealership and when starting it to load on rollback within a minute it was smoking from under hood and about to catch fire luckily i shut down the engine in the nick of time. was the transmission cooler line spraying trans fluid on manifold. work done at selinsgrove motors in pa.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear sliding window fell onto the rear seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rear sliding window needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,770.
When driving the transmission tends to constantly down shift and feels like a vibration/and grinding when doing so. Also the rear wheels sometimes lock up briefly when when accelerating. (the symptoms are very similar to the 2014 f150 transmission issues). This has been going on for appx 1 yr and tends to happen more frequently.
Transmission body failed, losing power while driving down road. Like it lost all power. Why would this happen to a one owner with low miles! Now we have to pay over $3,000 to have repaired. I’ve seen many complaints about the same issue. Ford needs to own this problem and fix the faulty parts.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. During the failure, the vehicle abruptly decelerated, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the driver almost lost control of the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 170,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated that his wife and minor children were passengers inside the vehicle during the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
Driving down the hyw the 2015 f150 will shut down to limp mode can not excelarate lose of power have to stop and restart did this 4 times. As this happen I was just about rear-ended.
STARTED TRUCK AND DROVE ABOUT 1/4 MILE WHEN IT LOST ALL POWER AND NUMEROUS MESSAGES STARTED FLASHING ON THE SCREEN. TRUCK HAD NO POWER AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE BLVD TO LET OTHER TRAFFIC PASS. SHUT ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED. STARTED OKSY BUT RETURNED HOME. LEARNED FROM MY MECHANIC 180 MILES AWAY THAT IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY, A COMMON PROBLEM TO WHICH THERE IS NO RECALL BUT POSSIBLY AND EXTENDED WARRANTY. TRUCK HAS 49,253 MILES ON IT.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the contact observed condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil pan was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The vehicle loses its sensor for gear placement. The wrench icon appears and the engine fan starts running fast. The vehicle will not shift and causes an extremely dangerous situation while on the road. The gear shift panel doesn’t show an engaged gear. When it’s safe to stop and shut of the vehicle, it won’t turn back on. Eventually the vehicle clears the error itself and is drivable again until the next incident.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, white smoke was coming from the base of the driver's seat belt clip. The contact stated that the air bags warning light illuminated with a message that the driver's side door was opened; however, the door was not open. The contact's son was able to safely pull the vehicle to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the local dealer. The contact related the failure with an unknown recall; however, the manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 191,845.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Transmission lead frame - error P072 - traveling on the interstate at 65mph and transmission downshifted in 1st gear nearly causing the car behind me to rear-end me. Lucky i wasnt killed or serioiusly hurt. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? yes Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the abnormal rattling sound ceased after the engine warmed up. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,200.
I was driving at 65 mph when my 2015 F150 shifted into 1st gear. I started skidding sideways and almost flipped but was able to run through the gears quickly and got it into Neutral. This has happened a few other times since the initial incident. I constantly receive codes related to lead frame assembly issue: P0720, P0721, P0722, P161B, etc. I am in desperate need of a new lead frame assembly so my vehicle does not crash on the highway. Thanks!
I am driving back to Florida on [XXX] and my engine light comes on and the wrench symbol on my dash, as I am going about 70 mph and accelerate suddenly my truck going from gear/speed 6 down to 5. I take my foot off the accelerate and it goes back to speed /gear 6. If i stay at one speed and do not accelerate its ok, the minute I accelerate it changes speed. I took it into the Ford Dealer in Daytona Beach, and they are fixing the problem, but I don't have all the details. I am wondering if this is related to your recall to the 2014 F-150 where the problem is exactly like mine. I have not gotten the truck back, only that it is costing around $2400. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Twice now in the past 2 weeks I was accelerating from a stop when soon after my truck shifts from 4th to 5th, it’ll slam back down into 2nd gear. Both times my rpms spike, obviously, and my tires briefly screech. Then the truck just shift back up and seems completely normal. There was zero indication of any issues prior to either of these incidents. One of the times, I had my wife and two toddlers in the truck. It was lucky I didn’t lose control either of the times. From the forms that I’ve read, it sounds like I have a faulty transmission range sensor or may need a software update. I have not yet had a dealership officially diagnose my vehicle.
Fuel inlet light on
Transmission changing gears on its own while driy
While driving truck on road at approximately 45 mph, truck suddenly and without warning shifted into first gear. After the sudden downshift, the truck then recovered normal shifting for the remainder of the drive. This is the third time this has happened in one year. The first time it happened, I was towing an empty small lawn trailer on a secondary road, with truck in "tow" mode. while descending a hill in a sharp curve, the truck suddenly down shifted to first gear, remained there for a few seconds and then started shifting normally. After this happened, when trailer was unhooked, the display continued to show that a trailer was attached to truck for several days and then the display went back to normal. The second and third time this occurred, there was no trailer attached, and truck was in normal driving mode, and there was no warning, wrench, or check engine lights visible on the dash display before or after the downshift happened. Fortunately, up to this point, I have been able to avoid crashing the truck during these downshifts, but I feel this is a very dangerous and serious safety concern to myself and others. I have contacted the local Ford dealership twice regarding what to do about this problem. Today was told to "monitor" it, that they were booked for weeks ahead, and suggested I may want to go to another dealership. After the second time it happened, I inquired about paying out of pocket for any software update that may help with this problem and told that since my truck was not shown on a recall, that it may make the problem worse, and advised they could not do it. It was also suggested that with no lights on dash display and it being a random occurrence, it would be difficult and expensive to figure out. The vehicle is available for inspection at any time.
6/25/24 I PUT MY 2015 F150 IN REVERSE AND GAVE IT JUST A LITTLE ACCELERATION AND IT IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED FAST CROSSING THE STREET AND HITTING A UTILITY POLE TOTALING MY TRUCK. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON A FORD FORUM AN SAW WHERE OTHE PEOPLE HAD HAD RAPID UNEXPLAINED ACCERATION.ONE PERSON SAID IT WAS BECAUSE OF A FAULTY ACCELERATO PEDAL POSITON ALSO KNOWN AS APP. MY SAFETY AND ANYONE WALKING OR DRIVING BY MY HOUSE WERE GREATLY PUT AT RISK. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REPRODUCED OR CONFIRMED BY ANYONE. THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS OR MESSAGES. THIS NIGHTMARE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.
I was driving approximately 65MPH when my transmission suddenly dropped into 1st gear and my rear tires locked up causing the rear end of my truck to swing out. This is the same issue that the 2014F150's have been recalled for. There were no warnings that this was going to happen. The event was sudden and unexpected. Fortunately I was able to gain positive control of the vehicle and get us to safety. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone and is currently sitting in a mechanic shop parking lot. Luckily this happened on pleasant summer day with optimal driving conditions. Had this happened in the winter months I am uncertain we would have been so lucky. My concern now is that I am going to have the repairs done and the truck will repeat the problem.
Put truck in reverse and backed up. Then put gear shift into Drive and the gear got stuck in Neutral and won't budge. A Ford recall for 2014 was issued the same day but I believe based on this same issue, 2015 models need to be included in the 6/25/2024 recall also.
While I'm driving the windshield wipers comes on by itself at times when it is turned off
While driving vehicle slows down/loses power. Dash reads "see manual". Started happening a few days ago. Took to mechanic today and they stated this is a known issue from Ford transmissions, I should inquire about a recall as the parts are backordered three weeks and the costs is a substantial amount. Recall only covers 2014 not 2015, from what I am reading the same issue happening to my 2015.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and unexpectedly downshifted. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for several minutes until the vehicle had returned to normal operation. The failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer made the contact aware of an undisclosed recall however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
While driving and letting off accelerator the rear-end locked up causing the truck to slide, my truck is not on recall list for the tranmission issue but from what I can read from others this seems like it could be that problem.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026