Ford F-150 shifting in to 1st gear at highway speeds

Man, that sounds just like some of the Ford Focus "Powershift" issues. o_O Surely unrelated, but I don't know.
 
CKN said:
https://www.reuters.com/business/au...f-150-trucks-over-unexpected-gear-2025-03-24/

This is exactly why I traded in my 2020 F-150 w/the ten speed. I did not have the wheel lockup-but the traction control light coming on followed by a violent down shift.

I ironically-the 2020 isn't mentioned.
Click to expand...

Recognize that the transmission in your 2020 is not the one being discussed in the article - 2015-17 all had the 6R80 6 speed that had been in the F150 for many years prior...
 
MNgopher said:
Recognize that the transmission in your 2020 is not the one being discussed in the article - 2015-17 all had the 6R80 6 speed that had been in the F150 for many years prior...
Click to expand...
The 10 speed could be had in 2017 in certain applications. Either way we are doing a bunch of the lead frames on the 6 speeds, which of course are on backorder now :(
 
PF52 said:
Man, that sounds just like some of the Ford Focus "Powershift" issues. o_O Surely unrelated, but I don't know.
Click to expand...

Entirely different designs. The Powershift DPS6 is an automated manual and not an automatic at all. For all of its issues, I've never heard of it downshifting at high speeds.
 
bdcardinal said:
The 10 speed could be had in 2017 in certain applications. Either way we are doing a bunch of the lead frames on the 6 speeds, which of course are on backorder now :(
Click to expand...
Oh yeah - the 3.5 Ecoboost got the 10 speed in 2017. Forgot about that one...

Regardless, the transmissions in the article are the 6 speeds... (with their own issues... the one in my 16 F150 has been great. The one in my former '07 Explorer with the V8, meh...)
 
My 4R100, T-6060 or CD4E have never had an issue or misbehaved in any way...but if this issue is real, people can die like that. I assume the antilock brakes so not activate but is there any traction control features that would keep the tail end of the truck from coming around?
 
Fordiesel69 said:
What is the root cause of this? I thought the 6R80 was a good tranny.
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IMHO Ford seems to cheap out on parts inside their transmissions? They licensed one of the most reliable transmissions made, the planetary CVT hybrid system from toyota, and then Ford's version has many times the issues, with simple things like bearings, gears, and seals... duh... Just copy ALL of toyota's homework, and they might get a few more repeat customers.
The bean counters seem to be winning too often at Ford, wanting to save $32.23/transmission on junk parts but killing their market share going forward.
 
Fordiesel69 said:
What is the root cause of this? I thought the 6R80 was a good tranny.
Click to expand...
It's my understanding that the metal wear material builds up in the fluid, not caught by the filter, and the magnets get saturated. This material starts to collect around the electrical connections on the valve body causing these kinds of issues.

I've worked on a 2014 6-speed, cleaned the magnets, changed the (poor excuse) for a filter and added extra magnets. There are a few videos on YT that explain some of the issues and that Ford started adding extra magnets in later years along with a seal to prevent contamination of the electrical connections / contacts. Keep your pans & magnets clean. I recommend dropping the pan once a year to clean & inspect until you're comfortable that the system is properly clean and broken in.

FordTechMakuloco has some videos on the 6R80 issues.
 
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I changed the pan to one with a drain plug on my 2016 6R80. Two magnets in there, but very little buildup on them. I drain/fill around 5 liters every couple of years, which is around 20k miles.
 
It’s a sad thing. Ford can build a good vehicle. So many things were simply excellent, baked into the DNA of the f150 I had. Mine had a history of trans issues, and the motivation to sell it was an accumulation of trans issues, metal in the oil filter (probably timing set) and then 3 weeks in a row of ignition gremlins. When it all started happening at once, that was enough. But man, it was solid, handled great, super comfortable, quiet inside, great on gas, towed like a champ, and had a nice conservative design.
 
I had a 2014 F150 that was part of this recall. I never had it drop down to 1st in the time that I owned it. Never got the recall done either before I sold it.
 
Chris142 said:
Something similar happened today mobil tire guy in my area. He was on the hwy doing 65 mph and it went to 1st gear and scattered the 6.7 power stroke.
Click to expand...
That's the 6R140 I believe, not the 6R80. Hadn't heard of the SD transmissions doing this but doesn't surprise me either.
 
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