The American automotive giant Ford has announced the recall of nearly 1.4 million F-150 pickups in the United States due to a technical malfunction that may cause sudden downshifting while driving. This decision was made following an investigation conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
This is reported by Finway
Reasons for the recall and Ford’s response
According to the NHTSA, the company received reports of two possible injuries and one accident that may be related to this malfunction. Ford dealers will perform a software update on the module to address the identified issue. It is emphasized that earlier this year, American regulators expanded the investigation into the safety of these vehicles.
Details of the technical malfunction and models subject to recall
Checks began back in March of last year after complaints were received from owners of F-150 pickups manufactured between 2015 and 2017 and equipped with the “6R80” transmission. Ford explained that the cause of the malfunction may be due to gradual wear of electrical connections from constant heating and vibration. This leads to a loss of signal from the range sensor.
Ford stated that the issue could be caused by the wear of electrical connections over time due to heating and vibration, resulting in a loss of signal from the range sensor.
As noted by the NHTSA, incorrect signals from the sensor are likely to cause unexpected downshifting, posing a safety risk to drivers and other road users.
It is worth noting that similar cases of vehicle recalls have not been uncommon recently. For instance, in the US, Porsche also announced a recall of over 173,000 vehicles due to an issue with the rearview camera image display while reversing.