NHTSA Complaint #11703180 — 2017 FORD F-150

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, and up a slight grade, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted. The contact was towing an empty 12-foot, single-axel, flatbed trailer. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was on a two-lane road and was unable to pull over. The vehicle lost motive power and failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was unable to exceed 20 MPH while driving. The contact pulled into a service station where a mechanic checked the vehicle. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine had overheated and that the oil level was low by 3 quarts. The contact had the mechanic top off the oil and waited for the engine to cool down. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. The mechanic jump-started the vehicle, and the contact stated that the engine was making abnormal metal-on-metal grinding and knocking sounds. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that metal shavings were found in the oil pan and recommended that the engine and the turbocharger be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure of the inadvertent downshifting had not been addressed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to a known issue with inadvertent downshifting. The failure mileage was 88,366.