Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Transmission drops into neutral or downshifts on its own
Most reported: 2016 Ford F-150 with 125 reports. Across the 66 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,424.
- 1,424owner reports
- 66model years affected
- 75,000median miles
- 21involved a crash
- 1involved a fire
This sheet covers a transmission that drops into neutral or downshifts hard with nobody asking it to. Owners describe losing power at highway speed, or a sudden slam into first or second gear that can lock the rear wheels.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of drops into neutral reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12016 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1256% of its complaints118k mi
- 22014 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1178% of its complaints130k mi
- 32018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1135% of its complaints90k mi
- 42014 Jeep Cherokeerecall1125% of its complaints51k mi
- 5846% of its complaints80k mi
- 62015 Ford F-1503 crashesrecall714% of its complaints105k mi
- 72017 Ford F-1502 crashesrecall685% of its complaints109k mi
- 82015 Chrysler 200recall573% of its complaints48k mi
- 92015 Jeep Cherokee2 crashesrecall493% of its complaints38k mi
- 102014 Jeep Grand Cherokee2 crashes1 firerecall432% of its complaints77k mi
- 112020 Ford Expeditionrecall358% of its complaints65k mi
- 12341% of its complaints55k mi
- 132020 Ford F-150recall324% of its complaints81k mi
- 142015 Jeep Grand Cherokee3 crashesrecall302% of its complaints19k mi
- 152019 Ford Expeditionrecall214% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 162015 Jeep Renegade1 crashrecall184% of its complaints40k mi
- 172021 Ford F-150recall182% of its complaints93k mi
- 182016 Ford Focusrecall161% of its complaints76k mi
- 192017 Ford Focusrecall162% of its complaints81k mi
- 202019 Ram 1500recall151% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 212018 Ford Expeditionrecall144% of its complaints74k mi
- 222020 Ford Explorerrecall141% of its complaints83k mi
- 232015 Acura TLX1 crashrecall134% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 242015 Dodge Dartrecall122% of its complaints80k mi
- 25123% of its complaints48k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe drops into neutral. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12020 Ford Expeditionrecall358% of its complaints65k mi
- 22014 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1178% of its complaints130k mi
- 3846% of its complaints80k mi
- 42016 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1256% of its complaints118k mi
- 52018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1135% of its complaints90k mi
- 62017 Ford F-1502 crashesrecall685% of its complaints109k mi
- 72014 Jeep Cherokeerecall1125% of its complaints51k mi
- 82020 Ford F-150recall324% of its complaints81k mi
- 92015 Ford F-1503 crashesrecall714% of its complaints105k mi
- 102015 Chrysler 200recall573% of its complaints48k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150640
When it happens
899 of the 1,424 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 40,000 and 113,000 miles; the median is 75,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of drops into neutral, grouped by the model year of the car. 21 involved a crash and 1 a fire. 12 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,424 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
About 1,400 complaints on this site describe it, with a median mileage of about 75,000. The 2016, 2014 and 2018 Ford F-150 and the 2014 Jeep Cherokee lead, and the F-150 model years 2014 to 2019 fill much of the list. Just over half use the word neutral, and about four in ten describe a downshift, often into first gear. About a third mention a warning light or message. About three in ten say turning the car off and on again, or stopping, brought it back. More than a third were told the dealer found nothing or did a software update. About one in twelve say they nearly got rear-ended.
NHTSA's files show real campaigns behind these reports.
- Recall 16V-529 covers 2014 and 2015 Jeep Cherokees and the 2015 Chrysler 200 with the 9-speed transmission: insufficient crimps in the sensor cluster wiring could let it shift to neutral unexpectedly.
- Recall 19V-447 covers 2014 Cherokees with the 3.2L engine: if a clutch sticks, the software may shift to neutral.
- Recall 24V-444 covers 2014 F-150s that can downshift into first gear when the output speed sensor signal drops out, and 26V-237 covers 2015 to 2017 F-150s that can downshift into second gear on a lost range sensor signal. NHTSA's preliminary evaluation PE25-002 looked at unexpected downshifts on 2015 to 2017 F-150s with the 6R80 transmission and closed on January 30, 2026, and its file lists 26V-237.
Firestone lists gears that struggle to switch, a lit check engine light and gear changes that feel jarring among the signs of transmission trouble, and says low or contaminated fluid is a common cause. Its advice for a check engine light is to have a professional look at it.
Ask the shop to scan for stored transmission codes and to check your VIN against those campaigns. Say what speed you were at, which gear it dropped to, whether the rear wheels skidded, and whether a message showed first. A restart that clears the problem doesn't mean it's fixed.
If it happens in traffic, get to a safe spot before doing anything else. Recall repairs are free, and a defect reported during the warranty must be fixed even if the warranty runs out first, per the FTC.
Sources
- 8 signs of a bad transmission, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA recalls 16V-529, 19V-447, 24V-444 and 26V-237, and preliminary evaluation PE25-002 (NHTSA recall and investigation files)
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,043 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 29, 2026. All problem explainers.