NHTSA Complaint #10534070 — 2011 FORD F-150

ECOBOOST ENGINE. LOUD CLATTERING ON COLD START. RUNS VERY ROUGH, EXHIBITS PROPENSITY TO STALL WHEN IDLING, AND VERY SLUGGISH ACCELERATION COUPLED WITH TRANSMISSION ISSUES. EXAMPLE 1: COASTING ON THE FREEWAY WITH TRAFFIC AROUND 40MPH, SHIFTED LANES, THEN MADE ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE AND PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT DOWNSHIFT. ACCELERATOR WILL BE DOWN TO THE FLOOR, AND TRUCK WILL REMAIN STUCK IN A LOW GEAR (LIKE 6TH) AND GO NOWHERE...ZERO ACCELERATION...AFTER A FEW MORE TRIES, AND A FEW SECONDS LATER, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLAM INTO 2ND GEAR, SHAKING THE ENTIRE TRUCK. AT THIS POINT, THE TURBOS KICK IN AND THE TRUCK TAKES OFF LIKE A ROCKET. CREATES 2 DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, A POTENTIAL REAR-END ACCIDENT BY THE LANE CHANGE WITHOUT ACCELERATION, AND THEN THE SUDDEN, RAPID, UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION OF BEING RANDOMLY THROWN INTO 2ND GEAR. SEEN VARIOUS OTHER INCIDENTS LIKE THIS IN OTHER SCENARIOS AND VARIOUS GEARS. ACCELERATING OUT OF A TRAFFIC CIRCLE, OR OUT OF A TURN, IS AN EASY WAY TO SEE THE PROBLEM. TRUCK HAS BASICALLY LOST ITS ABILITY TO ACCELERATE/DOWNSHIFT ON DEMAND. EXAMPLE 2: STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN. WHEN I THEN PROCEED INTO INTERSECTION...ACCELERATION IS VERY SLOW, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN TURBOS KICK IN RESULTING IN RAPID UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION. OFTEN TIMES, THE WHEELS WILL SPIN, AND IF THE ROAD IS DRY, THE TRUCK WILL BOUNCE UP AND DOWN ALL OVER THE ROAD! ACCELERATOR WILL IN THE SAME POSITION THE ENTIRE TIME. I HAVE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED TOWARDS CARS THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO GET THAT CLOSE TO. I NOW HAVE TO STAY EVEN FURTHER AWAY FROM CARS TO MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE DUE TO UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION. FRUSTRATING, BECAUSE THE PROBLEM IS FREQUENT NOW, BUT INCONSISTENT. I HAVE 2 KIDS IN BOOSTER SEATS, AND NOW I HAVE TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL WHEN I DRIVE WITH THEM IN THIS TRUCK BECAUSE I FEEL IT'S UNSAFE. *TR