KnownCarProblems2011 Ford F-150 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 2,191 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Ford F-150, most often about the transmission (38% of complaints, typically around 96,500 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about F-150 model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2011 Ford F-150 problems
Transmission
826 complaints · 38%Half of these problems showed up before 96,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
After cruising at 50 MPH for about 10 minutes, temperature of 87 degrees with high humidity, I attempted to pass the vehicle ahead of me. The truck accelerated nicely, then stumbled, stopped accelerating and started to shake violently. The check engine light began flashing, indicating a misfire. Problem corrected…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford f150. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and attempting to change lanes, the vehicle lost acceleration power. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The…
Engine
511 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle went into limp mode. The vehicle was moved to the shoulder and restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where it was found that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Dates and mileage are close but aprox. This is going on now and Ford has been unable to fix the problem after being in for repair multiple times. This is a constant problem with truck now. The first occurrence I was taking off from a light and went to accelerate and truck started hesitating and check engine light came…
Steering
419 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, electric power assist system, gear box (other than rack and pinion).
Occasionally when steering the truck to the left, the steering will feel like it is sticking. It becomes hard to turn to the left and when the turn is complete, the vehicle will not return to center. On one occasion when I first started the truck and began to back out of a parking place, I could not turn the steering…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact was driving 50 MPH and attempting a left turn when the steering wheel seized. The contact had to pull the steering wheel back into its normal position. The vehicle was inspected by a local dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident and…
Electrical
235 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 68,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, instrument panel, software, wiring.
2011 Ford f150 equipped with 3.5l turbo charged engine traveling at 65 MPH began misfiring and suddenly experienced a near total loss of power, causing the vehicle to slow to 25 MPH quickly. The vehicle was traveling on a two lane highway with no shoulder and no place to pull off the road. This incident did not pose…
Event occurred 3 times over a period from 27 oct 13 to 21 nov 13, decelerating while towing a trailer. Speed varied all three times from a high of about 60mph, to a low of 45mph. Message center would turn orange and display a wrench symbol, while the engine discontinues producing power. After pulling over, simply…
Speed control
213 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
Accelerating onto interstate from on ramp, sudden loss of power, vehicle shuddered, lost power and speed. Vehicles around me on interstate had to swerve to avoid hitting truck. Truck gradually regained speed over next 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Approximately 24 hours and 400 miles later the check engine light came on.
This truck has a very bad habit of loosing power and throttle response after driving for extended periods in heavy rain/high humidity. This problem occurred the second day I owned this truck (original owner) and has happened several more times over the past 2 years. The most recent time it occurred I was merging onto…
Brakes
184 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 59,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist, antilock, pedals and linkages.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the brakes failed to respond without warning. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The brake pedal responded after the contact reset the computer, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: pe15026 (service…
My wife had to move my truck so the kids had more room to play in the driveway. No big deal, right? Wrong. She starts to back down the driveway (which has a moderate grade) and I notice a look of panic on her face, coupled with the fact that the truck wasn't stopping, I could see something was wrong. She finally got…
Visibility and wipers
147 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, glass, side/rear, power window devices and controls, windshield.
Driving to work on a crisp fall morning in october 2014, I put the rear window defogger on. About 10 minutes later, I heard a loud pop that sounded like one of my windows had been shot out. I stopped to investigate and discovered that my right rear window had shattered (spider-like cracks throughout though still…
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. While driving 55 MPH, a loud popping noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear glass shattered. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not…
Fuel system
117 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Rapid acceleration while passing caused engine to cut out and shudder. The second time it happened in april 2013 I had to pull over and kill the engine so the computer could reset. Took vehicle to Ford dealer for warranty repair, 2 months later the problem has re-occurred.
Fuel filler no longer closes. Will not keep dust water and debris out. Broken hinge. Was told at dealership it is common on the capless fuel filler models.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Ford F-150 recalls
Transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: automatic transmission
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Lights: back up lights
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: automatic transmission
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: software
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Body and structure: body
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Unexpected transmission downshift
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of transmissions unexpectedly downshifting to a lower gear without input from the driver on model year (my) 2011-2013 ford f-150, expedition and navigator vehicles. Odi has received 455 unique reports related to the alleged problem that were not covered under a previous recall for this issue (16v-248).expedition and navigator complaint rates are lower than f-150 complaints. Of those 455 reports, 34.7% claimed that the rear wheels locked up when the transmission downshifted. There were 4 accident claims with no injuries. There are many instances where drivers report leaving their lane or the road b
Brake vacuum pump failure
Summary
On february 15, 2016, ford motor company initiated customer satisfaction program 15n05 to extend warranty coverage for the electric vacuum pump in certain model year (my) 2011 through 2012 ford f-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5l gtdi engines.the program extends coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, all vehicles are eligible for the program through july 30, 2016 regardless of mileage.ford's program covers all repairs related to electric vacuum pump (evp) malfunctions including excessive noise, vibration, or change in brake pedal feel while applying the brakes at cold start. Ford states that the engine intake manifold is the pr
Brake vacuum pump failure
Summary
On june 22, 2015, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe15-026 to investigate incidents of increased brake pedal effort at cold start and extended stopping distance while driving in traffic, resulting from failures of the electric brake vacuum assist pump in model year (my) 2011-2012 ford f-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5l gtdi engines. In response to odi's information request (ir) for pe15-026, ford provided odi with 396 complaints and field reports relating to incidents of increased brake pedal effort or malfunctions in the electric vacuum pump (evp). Odi's analysis of the data provided by ford identified 7 crashes and 1,851 warranty claims related
Reduced power during hard acceleration
Summary
On may 22, 2013, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe13-018 to investigate 95 complaints alleging incidents of reduced engine power during hard accelerations in model year (my) 2011 through 2013 ford f-150 trucks.odi was aware of three technical service bulletins (tsbs) issued by ford for a condition that was related to moisture accumulation in the charge air cooler (cac) for the turbochargers.a preliminary evaluation was opened to gather information to assess whether the subject vehicles contain a safety related defect.the subject vehicles are powered by ford?s 3.5l ecoboost engine which uses twin turbochargers to obtain a balance of fuel economy and engine power based on the
Questions about the 2011 Ford F-150
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Ford F-150?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (826 complaints, typically around 96,500 miles); engine (511 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles); steering (419 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Ford F-150 have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 11, 2019 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Ford F-150?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about F-150 model year since 2000, with 2,191 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.