Vehicles Affected: Approximately 12,000 model-year 2018 Ford F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.3-liter engines, six-speed transmissions and column-mounted shift levers, and built at Michigan's Dearborn Truck Plant from Jan. 12, 2017, to Oct. 9, 2017, and Missouri's Kansas City Assembly Plant from Jan. 30, 2017, to Oct. 9, 2017
The Problem: Rapid movement of the transmission shifter from Park to Drive may cause loss of PRNDL gear indication in the instrument cluster, as well as momentary engagement of reverse operation before the vehicle achieves forward drive function, increasing the risk of accident or injury.
Ford said it is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the issue.
The Fix: Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with the latest-level calibration software for free. Before repairs have been completed, owners and dealers should carefully shift into gear and confirm the intended selection in the PRNDL instrument-cluster display.
What Owners Should Do: Ford did not immediately announce an owner notification schedule. Owners can call the automaker at 866-436-7332 for more information.
Patrick Masterson is Chief Copy Editor at Cars.com. He joined the automotive industry in 2016 as a lifelong car enthusiast and has achieved the rare feat of applying his journalism and media arts degrees as a writer, fact-checker, proofreader and editor his entire professional career. He lives by an in-house version of the AP stylebook and knows where semicolons can go.