Ford Paused The Fix For 1.39 Million 2015 To 2017 F-150 Trucks, Leaving One Georgia Driver Without His Truck For Four Weeks After It Acted Up As He Left A Grocery Store

Mark Christoferson says it happened as he and his wife were leaving a grocery store. His red 2015 Ford F-150 suddenly started acting up, and about four weeks later, he still has no truck and no timeline for getting it back.

A silver pickup truck parked outside a brick building.

According to Atlanta News First, the pickup has been stuck at a Ford dealership in Bremen, Georgia, ever since. His trouble is tied to a safety recall covering roughly 1.39 million trucks.

“The Truck Started Acting Up” In A Grocery Store Parking Lot

“We went grocery shopping, and when we were leaving the grocery store, the truck started acting up,” Christoferson said.

He tried the simple things first. He shut off the ignition. He disconnected and reconnected the battery, hoping a reset would work. It did not.

His truck is one of the 1.39 million vehicles covered under Ford recall number 26S28. In April 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledged Ford’s recall for 2015 to 2017 F-150s.

An Unexpected Downshift That Can Make The Rear Wheels Slide

Ford’s recall page describes the problem this way: “An intermittent signal loss from the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS) is causing an unexpected downshift to a lower gear, which can cause rear wheels to slide or lock up momentarily.”

In its safety report to NHTSA, Ford said the defect involves worn electrical connections in the transmission lead frame, caused by heat cycles and vibration. That can lead the powertrain computer to misread the sensor signal and command a downshift nobody asked for.

The report says this may cause an abrupt drop in wheel speed for a short time and, in some situations, make the rear tires slide until the truck slows. That raises the risk of a crash. Drivers may also see the malfunction indicator light, sometimes called the wrench light, come on.

The recall covers about 1,392,935 trucks from model years 2015 to 2017 that have six-speed automatic transmissions.

891 VINs, Two Injuries And One Accident

As of April 2, 2026, the NHTSA report said Ford knew of 444 warranty claims, 121 field reports, 105 customer service reports and 316 vehicle owner questionnaires in the U.S. that could be related. Together they represented 891 VINs.

The report states that Ford is aware of two injuries and one accident potentially related to the problem.

Ford’s recall page says owners should take an affected vehicle to a dealer immediately, and that owners should have received a written notice. Ford began notifying owners by mail in April 2026.

Ford Paused The Fix, And Then Came A Loaner

Here is the sticking point. According to the recall page, a remedy became available on July 9, 2026. It is a software update for the powertrain control module, with improved logic to detect hardware failures and prevent the transmission from commanding an unintended downshift.

However, Ford paused that update over a parts issue. The page also says Ford will provide a 15-year, 150,000-mile extended warranty for lead frame replacement if specific diagnostic codes appear. Ford says it will replace the lead frame at no cost if a vehicle showed certain trouble codes before the software was installed.

For Christoferson, the pause meant waiting. After an Atlanta News First Investigates inquiry, Ford agreed that he does qualify for a loaner vehicle until his truck’s update is complete.

It helps to picture how this plays out on the road. A truck rolling along at speed suddenly drops into a lower gear without the driver asking for it, and the back tires can skid or lock up for a moment. On dry pavement that may feel like a jolt; on a wet road or with a heavy load, it could be far scarier.

That is why safety regulators treat a defect like this as a recall item rather than a quirk. Even though the numbers show a small share of trucks reporting trouble, the potential outcome is serious enough that Ford is covering well over a million vehicles.

For owners, the frustrating part is the gap between the announcement and the fix. A recall can be filed in April, a remedy can be announced in July, and a driver can still be sitting without a truck in the fall.

What F-150 Owners Should Do Right Now

If you drive a 2015 to 2017 F-150, a few steps are worth your time. These come from the recall details above plus general common sense.

Check your VIN. Enter it at www.ford.com/support/recalls to find out whether your truck is included.
Look for your letter. Ford began mailing notices in April 2026, so check the pile of mail and any old envelopes.
Call your dealer. Ford says affected owners should go to a dealer immediately, and a call can tell you where your repair stands.
Ask about a loaner. Christoferson got one after a news inquiry, so it is worth asking whether your situation qualifies.
Pay attention to the wrench light. The report says drivers may see it in the instrument cluster.
Keep records. Write down dates, names and what you were told each time you talk to a dealer.

One more idea: you can also look up your truck on the federal recall site run by NHTSA, which lets you search by VIN. It is a free way to double-check what Ford tells you, and it keeps a record of open recalls on your vehicle.

The takeaway is simple. A recall notice is only the start of the story. When the fix is delayed, owners have to be persistent, polite and organized to get the help they are owed.

Christoferson’s story is a good reminder that you do not have to wait in silence. If you are stuck without a vehicle because of a recall, ask for a loaner and keep asking until you get an answer.

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