NHTSA Complaint #10981564 — 2007 FORD EXPEDITION

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. PRESSED ACCELERATOR TO PASS A TRACTOR TRAILER. THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED TO PASS (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION), BUT THEN DOWNSHIFTED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 1ST GEAR ON ITS OWN, WHICH IMMEDIATELY REVVED THE ENGINE UP TO RED LINE (5000 RPM) AND CAUSED THE REAR TIRES TO START TO SLOW TO LESS THAN VEHICLE SPEED. AS A RESULT, THE TIRES STARTED SMOKING AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SKID SIDEWAYS TO THE RIGHT OFF THE ROAD AND DOWN THE EMBANKMENT. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN SOME CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DOWN THE GRASSY EMBANKMENT AND FINALLY GET THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE REAR TIRES AND NARROWLY AVOID CRASHING. THE ONLY REASON THERE WAS NOT A CRASH WAS DUE TO THAT SECTION OF THE INTERSTATE HAVING A RELATIVELY SHALLOW GRASSY DOWNWARD EMBANKMENT. 1000 FEET IN EITHER DIRECTION OF THAT INTERSTATE WOULD HAVE CAUSED A MULTI-CAR ACCIDENT. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK INTO GEAR AND DRIVE IT UP TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE SAFELY BACK TO MY HOME. ONCE HOME, I WAS ABLE TO RESEARCH THAT THERE IS AN EXISTING FORD RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT IT IS ONLY ON 2012 EXPEDITIONS AND 2011-2012 FORD F-150S WITH THE 6R80 TRANSMISSION. MY VEHICLE HAS THE 6R75 TRANSMISSION, WHICH WAS THE PREDECESSOR TO THE RECALLED ONE ABOVE.