Big Week for Detroit's Big Three: April 2026 Pickup News Roundup

If you've been watching the truck headlines this month, Detroit's Big Three are all making noise — though not always the kind they'd want to. Between a massive Ford recall, a surprise Hemi V8 comeback at Ram, and GM pulling back the curtain on the next Silverado and Sierra, April 2026 has been anything but quiet. Here's what truck shoppers need to know.

Ford Recalls 1.4 Million F-150s Over Gearshift Glitch

The biggest story of the month belongs to Ford. On April 17, the automaker announced a recall of nearly 1.4 million F-150 pickups built between March 2014 and August 2017 equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission. According to the NHTSA filing, affected trucks can receive an intermittent signal from the transmission range sensor to the powertrain control module, which may cause a temporary, unintended downshift into second gear. At highway speeds, that sudden gear drop can abruptly slow the rear wheels — enough to cause a skid or loss of control in the wrong conditions.

The fix is a free software update to the PCM calibration performed at Ford and Lincoln dealers. Owners will be notified by mail, but if you're driving a 2015–2017 F-150, it's worth running your VIN through Ford's recall lookup tool now rather than waiting for the letter.

Ram Brings Back the Hemi — and Issues Its Own Recall

Over at Ram, 2026 is shaping up to be a redemption tour. The 5.7L Hemi V8 is back in the 1500 lineup after a brief hiatus, joining the 3.0L Hurricane inline-sixes and the 3.6L Pentastar V6. To answer the reliability chatter that's dogged recent model years, Ram is also backing the 1500 with a 10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty for the North American market — a bold move that undercuts just about everyone else in the half-ton segment.

The 1500 also just picked up Rocky Mountain Truck of the Year honors from the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association, and Ram is rolling out America250 special editions on the Big Horn, Laramie, and Rebel trims to mark the country's 250th birthday — available only in red, white, or blue.

Not everything is good news, though. NHTSA also announced a separate Ram recall covering roughly 65,000 2025–2026 Ram trucks (1500 through 5500) for an instrument panel cluster software bug that can blank the gauge display. A dealer reflash will handle it.

The Next Silverado and Sierra Are Almost Here

GM has been teasing for months, and now the timeline is official: regular production of the 2027 Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 is slated to begin in October 2026. Both trucks move to an updated version of GM's T1 platform (nicknamed T1-2 internally), with a redesigned exterior, massaging seats on higher trims, and a reworked powertrain lineup.

The headline for enthusiasts: GM's new Gen 6 small-block V8 is expected to join the existing 2.7L turbo four and 3.0L Duramax diesel inline-six, with hybrid options also on the table — a reflection of where the half-ton segment is clearly heading. Before you rush out to order a current-gen truck, though, note that GM has stopped taking orders for the 2026 single-cab Silverado and Sierra as of April 27, with production wrapping up by June 30.

On the EV side, GM's recent pullback is worth a mention. The company has indefinitely delayed the planned refreshes of the Silverado EV, Sierra EV, Hummer EV, and Escalade IQ, joining a broader industry reset as automakers recalibrate electric pickup expectations. Ford, meanwhile, is offering up to $7,000 off the outgoing F-150 Lightning in select markets this month and has extended its free home charger promotion through July 6.

Bottom Line

Whether you're shopping, trading in, or just keeping an eye on what's next, April 2026 is a reminder that the American pickup segment is still the most competitive corner of the new-vehicle market. A Hemi is back. A 1.4-million-truck recall is in motion. And the next generation of full-size Detroit iron is only months away.

At TruckStoreOnline.com, we'll keep tracking what matters — so you can drive away in the right truck at the right time.

Sources: WSBT News, U.S. News & World Report, Pickup Truck Talk, Motor1, Torque News, GM Authority, Autoblog, Electrek, Ford Authority, New Atlas.