2011 Ford F-150 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other F-150 years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 33 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 2,191 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford F-150. That ranks 4th out of 33 F-150 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (826 complaints, 38%), typically at around 96,634 miles. Complaints mention 46 crashes, 19 fires, 35 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
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- 2,191owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 46complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2011 Ford F-150 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 826 | 38% | 96,634 | “first gear” (18%) | $1,550 |
| Engine problems | 482 | 22% | 53,000 | “timing chain” (8%) | $3,300 |
| Steering problems | 419 | 19% | 76,000 | “turn steering” (10%) | $2,350 |
| Electrical System problems | 235 | 11% | 68,000 | “rear window” (14%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 213 | 10% | 57,000 | “first gear” (9%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 162 | 7% | 57,390 | “vacuum pump” (30%) | $840 |
| Unknown or Other | 112 | 5% | 88,750 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper problems | 91 | 4% | 64,500 | “rear window” (56%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 75 | 3% | 59,574 | “hard acceleration” (9%) | — |
| Visibility problems | 56 | 3% | 54,000 | “window shattered” (45%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 44 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 43 | 2% | 35,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 33 | 2% | 8,250 | — | — |
| Structure | 33 | 2% | 59,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 30 | 1% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 19 | 1% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 18 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 14 | 1% | 60,992 | — | — |
| Suspension | 14 | 1% | 70,531 | — | — |
| Wheels | 13 | 1% | 80,975 | — | — |
| Seats | 9 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 0% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 0% | 102,294 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 3 | 0% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 3 | 0% | 51,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 0% | 170,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 0% | 220,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 14,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2011 Ford F-150 recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:automatic transmission; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission may unexpectedly downshift into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Risk: Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S07.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Risk: An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.
Exterior lighting:back up lights; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 ford f-150, 2012 expedition and lincoln navigator, and 2012-2013 mustang vehicles, for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard nos. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect" and 108 âlamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.â these vehicles may have a transmission range sensor (trs) that was calibrated out of specification for reverse gear.
Risk: If this condition exists, the transmission may not go into reverse or when the driver pushes the shift lever in the reverse ârâ position and the vehicleâs transmission does go in reverse, the ârâ may not illuminate on the dashboard of the f-150, expedition, or navigator models and/or the backup lamp on the rear of the f-150, expedition, navigator, or mustang vehicles may not illuminate. These conditions increase the risk of a crash or a pedestrian being struck due to the vehicleâs not signaling it is in reverse.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the trs as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on june 11, 2012. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 f-150 vehicles manufactured from september 9, 2011, through september 22, 2011, and model year 2012 f-250, f-350, f-450 and f-550 heavy duty vehicles manufactured from september 12, 2011, through september 22, 2011. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 114, âtheft protection.â the transmission can be shifted out of the park position without pressing the brake pedal due to brake shift interlock switch problem.
Risk: This will allow the operator to inadvertently shift the vehicle into gear without the brake pedal being depressed, increasing the risk of a crash or injury to a nearby pedestrian.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake shift interlock switch function and replace the switch if necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on december 22, 2011. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Electrical system:software
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ford f-150, f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, edge, and lincoln mkx trucks manufactured from october 25, 2010, through november 20, 2010. These vehicles were inspected using integrated diagnostic system (ids) that had a custom software routine to read the suspect body control module (bcm) serial number. Based on the serial number the bcm was either not affected or replaced. The custom software routine was not reading the correct set of characters, and was not able to identify a bcm that required replacement affected bcms may have the potential for an internal short.
Risk: If an electrical short develops, an overheating condition may occur which could result in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealer will inspect the body control module and if necessary replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on march 7, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Structure:body
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 f-150, f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles. During a six-day production period, the supplier of the body control module manufactured modules that may have the potential for an internal short.
Risk: If an electrical short develops, an overheating condition may occur which can result in an unattended vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealer will replace the body control module if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on january 11, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Unexpected Transmission Downshift (RQ17010) — opened Dec 25, 2017, closed Oct 22, 2019, led to recall 19V075000.
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure (EA15006) — opened Oct 16, 2015, closed Apr 28, 2016.
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure (PE15026) — opened Jun 22, 2015, closed Oct 19, 2015.
- Reduced power during hard acceleration (PE13018) — opened May 22, 2013, closed Apr 7, 2014.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My truck will just abruptly downshift no matter how fast im going and it's quite concerning
I was parking the vehicle and turned off the engine when the speakers gave out a loud noise. I turned the truck on to see if it would continue but there was no music and smoke began coming out around the radio. I moved the truck away from building and retrieved the fire extinguisher from the back…
I bought this truck used about one year ago. Since then I have not had much time to use it. In the last three months I have had some time to drive it. Three times in those months this issue has occurred. Luckily they all occurred on my property and no damage happened except to the truck. First time…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the transmission independently downshifted from sixth gear into second gear. In addition, several warning lights illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50â60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to third gear. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle failed to…
Other Ford F-150 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 F-150 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026 F-150 | 12 | 5 |
| 2025 F-150 | 107 | 13 |
| 2024 F-150 | 193 | 11 |
| 2023 F-150 | 413 | 13 |
| 2022 F-150 | 597 | 23 |
| 2021 F-150 | 1,028 | 29 |
| 2020 F-150 | 736 | 11 |
| 2019 F-150 | 1,336 | 9 |
| 2018 F-150 | 2,318 | 18 |
| 2017 F-150 | 1,449 | 17 |
| 2016 F-150 | 2,074 | 13 |
| 2015 F-150 | 1,729 | 13 |
| 2014 F-150 | 1,537 | 8 |
| 2013 F-150 | 2,989 | 3 |
| 2012 F-150 | 1,783 | 4 |
| 2011 | 2,191 | 6 |
| 2010 F-150 | 843 | 1 |
| 2009 F-150 | 324 | 2 |
| 2008 F-150 | 369 | 1 |
| 2007 F-150 | 488 | 2 |
| 2006 F-150 | 585 | 4 |
| 2005 F-150 | 1,112 | 3 |
| 2004 F-150 | 2,029 | 5 |
| 2003 F-150 | 423 | 4 |
| 2002 F-150 | 821 | 2 |
| 2001 F-150 | 1,236 | 8 |
| 2000 F-150 | 1,075 | 6 |
| 1999 F-150 | 1,044 | 7 |
| 1998 F-150 | 1,381 | 8 |
| 1997 F-150 | 2,758 | 14 |
| 1996 F-150 | 324 | 2 |
| 1995 F-150 | 626 | 2 |
See all Ford F-150 problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2011 Ford F-150?
Owners most often report power train, engine, steering problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 826 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Ford F-150?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2011 Ford F-150 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other F-150 model years, the 2011 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.