2011 Ford F-150 problems, complaints & recalls

2011 Ford F-150 recalls (6)

• Recall 19V075000Feb 11, 20191,263,051 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 16V248000Apr 27, 2016153,581 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 12V190000May 3, 201210,500 vehicles
  EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

  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 “lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.” 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 “r” position and the vehicle’s transmission does go in reverse, the “r” 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 vehicle’s not signaling it is in reverse.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 11V582000Dec 8, 201116,091 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

  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, “theft protection.” 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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 11V128000Feb 24, 20118,022 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

• Recall 10V659000Dec 29, 201014,737 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY

  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.

  Remedy: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

• RQ17010Opened Dec 25, 2017Closed Oct 22, 2019led to recall 19V075000

  Unexpected Transmission Downshift

  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 cla…

• EA15006Opened Oct 16, 2015Closed Apr 28, 2016

  Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

  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…

• PE15026Opened Jun 22, 2015Closed Oct 19, 2015

  Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

  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).…

• PE13018Opened May 22, 2013Closed Apr 7, 2014

  Reduced power during hard acceleration

  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 en…

Recent 2011 Ford F-150 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 25, 2026GAFireElectrical System

   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 seat. I noticed the "door ajar" warning was on even when the doors were closed. The smoke subsided and I did some quick research online. I was able to find a lot of information…

   NHTSA complaint #11767061 · source
2. Filed Sep 20, 2026NCCrashElectrical SystemAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   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 it happened an exterior mirror was knocked off, a running board was bent, scratches and dings to the to the paint, and a tailight was damaged. This all happened in reverse due to…

   NHTSA complaint #11765661 · source
3. Filed Aug 27, 2026351,072 miGATransmission & Drivetrain

   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 assistance was provided. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in a recall associated with the failure. The vehicle was not…

   NHTSA complaint #11760107 · source
4. Filed Aug 24, 2026110,000 miVATransmission & Drivetrain

   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 accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with leadframe sensor failure. The contact was informed that the leadframe…

   NHTSA complaint #11759104 · source
5. Filed Aug 19, 2026218,000 miKYTowedTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that smoke was covering the roadway. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, there was oil leaking around the manifold. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11758088 · source
6. Filed Aug 19, 2026150,000 miSCTransmission & Drivetrain

   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 restarted, and the failure was self-corrected, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign…

   NHTSA complaint #11757870 · source
7. Filed Aug 10, 2026159,599 miOHEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. While driving 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into first gear and the rear wheels locked up. The contact stated that while in third gear, the vehicle shifted to fourth gear unexpectedly. The transmission failed to shift above fifth gear. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift out of first gear. After turning off the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The check engine warning light was…

   NHTSA complaint #11755860 · source
8. Filed Jul 23, 2026TXElectrical SystemTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle or while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel intermittently went blank. The contact used an OBD machine to retrieve a fault code related to the Output Shaft Speed (OSS) sensor. The contact was informed that the OSS sensor needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not…

   NHTSA complaint #11752386 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology