NHTSA Complaint #11705696 — 2013 FORD F-150

While taking my daughter to a friend's birthday party, we were traveling at a speed of ~50 miles per hour when the transmission downshifted from 5th or 6th gear directly to first gear for no reason. The back tires locked up when the RPMs drastically increased, and the truck went into a skid. I believe my limited experience working on cars gave me the instinct to throw the shifter into neutral while applying the brakes. I was able to gain control of the vehicle prior to it fully going off into the ditch. After researching the issue, it became apparent this was a common problem with the 6R80 transmission that Ford knows about. I read numerous stories of the safety issues owners have had with this 6R80 transmission in the 12th gen F150. I brought the truck to my dealer, and they confirmed it was from the "LEAD frame" that Ford provided an extended warranty on. I was told the warranty didn't cover my vehicle (10 year/150K mile). This vehicle was purchased from the Ford dealership new in 2013 and has been in the family ever since. It currently only has 65K miles on it and has never had any work done to the transmission expect for a program flash at 26K miles in an attempt to prevent this exact issue. Outside of being disappointed that Ford was not willing to help with the expensive repair, my mind went to the safety aspect of what's going on. I believe Ford made the decision to not classify this as a safety recall to prevent paying for the replacement of the plastic LEAD Frame on all 6R80 transmissions. While I understand this is costly to an auto manufacturer, I can't help but think of what the result of this safety issue would have been if my wife or an unexperienced driver was under control of this vehicle that day. I reached out to the Ford Customer Service rep and explained my safety concerns. I was told she would file it under safety and that I may or may not get a call. This confirms their lack of concern; hence I'm reaching out to the NHTSA.