Ford recalls nearly 1.5 million F-150 pickup trucks that may downshift without warning

Ford is recalling nearly 1.5 million pickup trucks in North Americabecause the transmissions can suddenly downshift into first gear.

The recall 1.26 million vehicles in the U.S. and 221,000 in Canada covers F-150 trucks from the 2011 through 2013 model years with six-speed automatic transmissions.

The company says there'sglitch in sending a signal from the transmission speed sensor. Ford has five reports of accidents including one that caused a whiplash injury from a sudden downshift.

"Depending on vehicle speed, a downshift to first gear without warning could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash," the company said in astatement.

Owners will be notified by letter starting March 4. Dealers will update the power-train control software to fix the problem.

Ford's F-Series pickup is the top-selling vehicle in both Canada and United States.

Ford has also issued several recalls for smaller issues on2017 through 2019 Lincoln Continentals as well asFord Mustangs, Lincoln Nautiluses and Lincoln Navigators from 2019.