2011 Ford F-150 problems & reliability
2,188 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford F-150, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
25 complaints report injuries (35 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Ford F-150 vehicles were involved in 253 fatal crashes with 68 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 824 | 38% |
| Engine → | 482 | 22% |
| Steering → | 419 | 19% |
| Electrical System → | 233 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 212 | 10% |
| Service Brakes → | 162 | 7% |
| Unknown / Other | 112 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 91 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 75 | 3% |
| Visibility → | 56 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 30 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 1,784 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 71,983 miles (middle 50% between 40,150 and 114,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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; however, no…”
Power Train · filed Aug 27, 2026
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50–60 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 exceed 30 MPH while…”
Power Train · filed Aug 24, 2026
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, causing the vehicle to suddenly decelerate. During the failure, the WRENCH icon was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and…”
Power Train · filed Aug 19, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Unexpected Transmission Downshift
Recall Query RQ17010 · opened Dec 25, 2017 · closed Oct 22, 2019 · led to recall 19V075000
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
Engineering Analysis EA15006 · opened Oct 16, 2015 · closed Apr 28, 2016
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE15026 · opened Jun 22, 2015 · closed Oct 19, 2015
- Reduced power during hard acceleration
Preliminary Evaluation PE13018 · opened May 22, 2013 · closed Apr 7, 2014
Technical service bulletins
120 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford F-150. The 10 most recent:
Harvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program
25H05 S1 · Other · issued Apr 29, 2026
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently…
25H05 · Other · issued Nov 19, 2025
This article supersedes TSB 22-2219 to update the Parts List and Service Procedure to clarify applicable steps by vehicle application. Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles…
TSB 24-2188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
Some 2011-2024 Mustang and F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit a tick tap and/or typewriter ticking noise at idle after an engine oil change. It is often referred to as typewriter noise because of its…
SSM 52334 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 6, 2024
For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle…
SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2023
Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the…
TSB 22-2219 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 21, 2022
This program extends the warranty coverage of the automatic transmission molded leadframe to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first. This is a one-time…
19N01-S4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2021
This program extends the warranty coverage of the automatic transmission molded leadframe to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first. This is a one-time…
16N02-S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2011 Ford F-150 has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2011 Ford F-150?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 71,983 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.