2013 FORD F-150 — Complaint #2161989
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION filed December 31, 2025
NHTSA complaint #2161989 (ODI reference 11708096) concerns a 2013 FORD F-150 and was filed on December 31, 2025. The owner reports the failure occurred on December 31, 2025. The vehicle had 152,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Delaware based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as power train:automatic transmission, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 1, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD F-150 cohort independently describe similar power train:automatic transmission failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2013 FORD F-150 shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted from 6th gear into a lower gear, and the check engine and transmission warning lights illuminated. As a result of the failure, the vehicle crashed into bushes. The contact also stated that the air bags did not deploy during the incident. The contact sustained a left foot injury; however, no medical attention was sought. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not towed, and the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact further stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on another occasion, the vehicle unexpectedly entered limp mode and remained in 3rd gear. The contact also reported that the vehicle felt sluggish when attempting to accelerate from a stop, with the check engine and transmission warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission lead frame had failed and re
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2161989 |
| ODI Number | 11708096 |
| Date Filed | December 31, 2025 |
| Failure Date | December 31, 2025 |
| VIN | 1FTFX1EF3DF |
Similar POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Complaints for 2013 FORD F-150
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly downshifted from 6th to 1st gear. The battery and the powertrain warning lights were illumina
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle w
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle could
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster became inoperable and the vehicle lost drive power while the RPMs were significantly high
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an inde
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.