2011 Ford F-250 problems & reliability
248 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford F-250, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Ford F-250 vehicles were involved in 101 fatal crashes with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 111 | 45% |
| Steering | 102 | 41% |
| Engine | 30 | 12% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 18 | 7% |
| Unknown OR Other | 18 | 7% |
| Wheels | 17 | 7% |
| Power Train | 13 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 11 | 4% |
| Structure | 8 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 35,000 and 113,671 miles), based on 207 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Ford F-250. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 163,000; however, after obtaining the Carfax Report on the vehicle, it…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 31, 2025
“The tires were installed on 8.22.2025 and on the following Thursday, August 28, 2025, all of the tires had low pressure. I returned to the Orange City, FL Tire Kingdom per the managers' (Brittany) request and the mechanic filled all of the tires and said that they were not completely filled when they were installed…”
Tires · filed Sep 24, 2025
“The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving over a bump at a high rate of speed, the contact experienced the death wobble and the contact temporarily lost control of the vehicle. The contact slowed down and the violent shaking ceased. The contact stated that the tie rods, ball joints, and…”
Suspension · filed Jul 22, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Vehicle Commanded Engine Shutdown
Recall Query RQ14005 · opened Jan 13, 2015 · closed Mar 15, 2016 · led to recall 15V175000
Technical service bulletins
24 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford F-250. The 10 most recent:
Certain 2011-2022 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with 6.7L Engine - Emission Control Information Label Update for Qualified Vehicles
24L05 · Other · issued Sep 24, 2025
Some 2011-2012 F-250/F-350 and 2011-2015 F-450/F-550 vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine built on or before 9-Dec-2014 may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes…
tsb18-2190 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 3, 2018
The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a…
SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2016
In monitoring our technical service inquiries and technical service bulletins from Ford, there is the potential for moderate to severe steering wheel oscillation (wobble) to occur. After extensive testing and outside…
PC-01.12.2016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2016
Ford: 2011-2014 f-super duty vehicles equipped with 6.7l diesel engine may experience a running rough or misfire during exhaust regeneration process *cn
TSB15-0124 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 10, 2015
Ford: no service action is recommended for this condition. Please use at your discretion. Various 2010-2015 vehicles may experience a turbulence noise, similar to an helicopter noise, at highway speeds when the rear…
44863 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2015
Ford: due to loose, missing, modified or damaged ground g400, various malfunction indicator light (mil) dtc's, related to glow plug control module (gpcm), may be exhibit on some diesel equipped trucks. Model years…
ASI-32207 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2013
Ford: on various vehicles with my touch,after any apim programming, replacement or disconnect from front display interface module (fdim), touchscreen calibration must be performed. Model years 2011-2013. No models…
AS1-32241 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2013
Ford: some super duty trucks, with a steady throttle, will experience, with or without, an engine shudder or turbo flutter noise, in the engine, around 900-1400 rpm. Models 2011-2012 f-250, f-350, f-450. *pe
TSB-13-4-3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 2013
Ford: some vehicles exhibit a 4x4 not engaging, not staying engaged and/or unlocking in extreme cold temperatures below -18 degrees celsius or 0 degrees fahrenheit. Include ford model f250, f350,f450, and f550 model…
12-2-5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 10, 2012
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-250 has 2 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-250?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.