2011 FORD F-150 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
2,939
Owner Complaints
6
Recalls
29
Service Bulletins
2
Investigations
Overview of the 2011 FORD F-150
The 2011 FORD F-150 has received a total of 2,939 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 8 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM), POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. 29 technical service bulletins have been issued by Ford Motor Company for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Power Train (793 complaints), Engine (479 complaints), and Steering (416 complaints).
Recalls for the 2011 FORD F-150
NHTSA has recorded 8 recalls for the 2011 FORD F-150, potentially affecting up to 2,739,533 vehicles.
Recall 19V075000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
| 1,263,051 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Recall 19V075000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 1,263,051 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Recall 16V248000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 153,581 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Recall 12V190000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS
| 10,500 vehicles affected
Defect: 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)...
Consequence: 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 VEHICLES 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 VEHICLES 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.
View full details →Recall 12V190000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
| 10,500 vehicles affected
Defect: 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)...
Consequence: 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 VEHICLES 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 VEHICLES 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.
View full details →Recall 11V582000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 16,091 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 11V128000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
| 8,022 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Recall 10V659000 — STRUCTURE:BODY
| 14,737 vehicles affected
Defect: 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.
Consequence: 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.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2011 FORD F-150
2,939 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2011 FORD F-150. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
Trans mission input shaft speed sensor. Transmission is downshifting and going into limp mode while driving.
I faced an unexpected transmission downshift that came without warning or driver input. Transmission 6R80. The same problem that is being investigated for the 2015 - 2017 Ford F-150. The truck only had 105,904 miles. I was almost hit in the rear when this happened. This happened in November 2025
The truck will randomly downshift from 4th or 5th gear to 1st gear. I was driving around 64 miles per hour and the truck downshifted into first gear. It made me swerve out of my lane on the highway and sounded terrible on the engine. It’s very dangerous and is going to cause a wreck or ruin the engine. Ford had an extended warranty for up to 150,000 miles on the molded leadframe and my truck has 156,000. Ford refused to fix this issue and I feel as if they should replace the faulty part.
BostonMA2266United States1/1/2026"Are LED manufacturers trying to destroy my country, or pushing the slightly less nefarious agenda of stimulating auto-wreck insurance companies and Lens Crafters? It's unbelievable how so many people keep wanting to go back down an old, broken road."
Safety Rating for the 2011 FORD F-150
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2011 FORD F-150 in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2011 FORD F-150
Ford Motor Company has issued 29 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2011 FORD F-150. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
RFI20210205_667- — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This SKU is a Turbocharger. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the sealing plugs. If the plug isn't sealing properly it may lead to a oil leak. If the oil leak persists it can lead to the oil check light coming on.
19N01-S3 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Certain 2011 - 2013 Model Year F-150 and 2012- 2013 Model Year Expedition/Navigator Vehicles Equipped with A 6R80 Transmission Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage In some of the affected vehicles, an output shaft speed (OSS) sensor failure may result in an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) and/or wrench light in...
19N01-S3 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
Certain 2011 - 2013 Model Year F-150 and 2012- 2013 Model Year Expedition/Navigator Vehicles Equipped with A 6R80 Transmission Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage In some of the affected vehicles, an output shaft speed (OSS) sensor failure may result in an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) and/or wrench light in...
19N01-S3 — EQUIPMENT
Certain 2011 - 2013 Model Year F-150 and 2012- 2013 Model Year Expedition/Navigator Vehicles Equipped with A 6R80 Transmission Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage In some of the affected vehicles, an output shaft speed (OSS) sensor failure may result in an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) and/or wrench light in...
SSM 47830 — ENGINE
Some 5.0L 4V engines may exhibit a tick/tap/rattle or knock immediately after secondary timing chain tensioner installation. In some cases the secondary timing chain tensioners are not fully released during installation.To confirm, remove both valve covers and inspect the secondary timing chains and tensioners. If the chain is loose fitting...
TSB 18-2305 — ENGINE
Some 2011-2015 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L EcoBoost engine and built on or before 29-May-2015 may exhibit a ticking/tapping or rattle type noise from the top front cover area of the engine upon initial start-up that may last for 2-5 seconds after a cold soak of 6 hours or...
15N05-S1 — EQUIPMENT
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 15N05 - SUPPLEMENT #1: CERTAIN 2011-2012 MODEL YEAR F-150 VEHICLES WITH 3.5L ECOBOOST ENGINE - ELECTRIC VACUUM PUMP EXTENDED COVERAGE
16N02 — POWER TRAIN
CERTAIN 2011-2012 MODEL YEAR F-150 AND 2012 MODEL YEAR EXPEDITION, NAVIGATOR AND MUSTANG VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 6R80 TRANSMISSION - MOLDED LEADFRAME EXTENDED COVERAGE
TSB15-0126 — ENGINE
FORD: 2011-2012 F-150 WITH 5.0L DUAL OVERHEAD CAMSHAFT ENGINE MAY SHOW A RUN ROUGH DURING COLD CONDITIONS. NO DIAGNOSTICS TROUBLE CODES PRESENT *CN
45018 — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
FORD F-150 2011-2015: BULLETIN INFORMATION INVOLVING VEHICLES WITH UNCOMMANDED BLOWER MOTOR SPEED CHANGE OR RECIRCULATION DOOR MOVEMANT. *LJ
Showing 10 of 29 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2011 FORD F-150
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations into potential safety defects in the 2011 FORD F-150.
Investigation EA15006 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM Closed
Opened:
Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
Investigation PE15026 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM Closed
Opened:
Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
Other Model Years of the FORD F-150
- 2006 FORD F-150 — 737 complaints
- 2007 FORD F-150 — 622 complaints
- 2008 FORD F-150 — 455 complaints
- 2009 FORD F-150 — 397 complaints
- 2010 FORD F-150 — 1,131 complaints
- 2011 FORD F-150 (current)
- 2012 FORD F-150 — 2,417 complaints
- 2013 FORD F-150 — 3,836 complaints
- 2014 FORD F-150 — 1,848 complaints
- 2015 FORD F-150 — 2,025 complaints
- 2016 FORD F-150 — 2,335 complaints
Other FORD Models
- FORD EXPLORER — 42,140 total complaints
- FORD ESCAPE — 34,654 total complaints
- FORD FOCUS — 29,539 total complaints
- FORD FUSION — 28,243 total complaints
- FORD TAURUS — 23,867 total complaints
- FORD WINDSTAR — 19,456 total complaints
- FORD EDGE — 17,247 total complaints
- FORD MUSTANG — 11,551 total complaints