NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Unknown
The lead frame on my truck was experiencing issues. The truck would intermittently randomly downshift at high speeds or get stuck in one gear. I was going 65+ mph on the freeway and and my truck shifted to second gear with no warning causing me to swerve and slam on the brakes. Other times my truck did it on surface streets. There were no warning lights or anything to let me know it would happen. After it downshifted, the wrench popped up on the dash, my speedometer went to 0, and my odometer read blank. Forcing me to pull over, restart the truck, in order to get it out of limp mode to be able to make it home. I took my truck to Ford of Valencia California where they inspected the truck and confirmed it was the lead frame. The issue was that at the time the part was on an 8 month back order so my only option was to replace the entire Valve body instead of only the lead frame. My truck was no longer under the recall and I was forced to pay for this out of pocket less than a month of purchasing the truck from a used dealership. My truck was only inspected by Ford of Valencia and no other agencies. Since this truck was my only form on transportation, I could not wait the 8 months for the lead frame to come in and had to pay out of pocket for the new valve body.
After my vehicle suffered another harsh downshift from 5th to first gear and my service light came back on, I came up to a yellow light and the car felt as if it was resisting me stopping the vehicle. As the light turned red, I felt the vehicle jump hard towards accelerating and watched the RPM needle bounce between the 1000 and 2000 mark as I did all I could to hold the brakes down and keep it from driving away. This is a new incident and I’ve never had the vehicle do this however it did occur immediately after the hard down shift and after the service light came on. Further research shows several discussions where people have had their vehicle idling erratically, the rpm gauge moving while vehicle is at a stop. Hopefully someone is willing to make this right.
Driving down the expressway yesterday doing approximately 72 miles per hour and the vehicle does a HARD SLAM down to first gear and picks right back up to 6th. Now my concern is not only for the lead frame issue, but my transmission is being damaged every time this continues to happen. Since Ford was not able to even LOOK at my car until June 2023 (Its currently APril 28, 2023), I elected to take to a reputable 3rd party repair shop. At which I was told that the parts on are order and on an "undetermined time" for receiving and Im stuck driving my vehicle with these issues, that ford is aware of, that are becoming a bigger safety issue each time I drive it. Disappointing to say the least. Ford cant build quality trucks. They dont own up to their known safety issues. They cant even schedule to see them in a reasonable timeframe. They dont have adequate parts available. And us consumers are stuck footing the bill and inconvenience. Do better Ford. We are all disappointed.
Today while driving, I turned from a main road into a residential neighborhood and my vehicle decided to stay stuck in first gear. I pulled over, turned it over thinking it would reset. It didn’t. I continued to drive the vehicle in first gear, which won’t shift until it gets to 6000 rpm’s in order to shift to second. So here I am, in a residential zone where the speed limit is 25 MPH stuck in first with no way to get out other than to speed up enough to get to 6000 rpm’s. People were very upset. However this is the predicament this vehicle frequently leaves me in. Fords aware of it. The public is aware of it. Nothing gets done. Meanwhile there are several scenarios that are major safety hazards that occur due to this faulty vehicle. I am told that parts won’t be in for my vehicle for several weeks or even months. So I’m stuck putting drivers and neighbors around me in danger cause Ford won’t admit to their faulty products. So disappointing all the way around.
Driving down the expressway, doing around 70 mph and the vehicle randomly jumps to first gear and brings the vehicle to a near halt in less than one second. It happened during rainy conditions and luckily there were no vehicles nearby or I may have struck one of them. At least once per day the vehicle does this at some capacity. No service lights or check engine lights are present.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was a crack on the passenger's side rear windshield. There was no impact to the rear windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Back passenger side rear window shattered was in one piece until I closed my door while all other windows were closed which resulted in the window falling inside of truck and in back bed ford states no recalls and never heard of it being a problem however when I look online at other complaints it seems to not only being isolated to me a coworker of mine had a newer model and hers shatter last year same thing was told to her by our local dealer
While driving 75mph transmission down shifted unexpectedly to 1 gear. Once I got it home had codes checked called for they stated my truck wasn't covered under recall that is out there for 2011 ford f150 doing the same thing.
Downshift to first gear by transmission while driving it. I have not taken it to dealership or mechanic. It's not drivable any more.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted, causing the rear tires to lock up and her husband lost control of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V248000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the transmission independently down shifted to third gear. The contact stated that the vehicle shook abnormally. The contact stated that the "wrench symbol” was illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator failed to function as needed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but became more persistent. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission leadframe needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 16N02 Transmission Molded Leadframe (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
The steering on my Ford F-150 has begun to be (hard) ... it jerks and is sometimes difficult to turn the steering wheel ... it behaves like it is low on power steering fluid, which is what I initially thought until I brought it to a repair shop. The shop owner told me my Ford does not use power steering fluid ... it is (electric). The (rack & pinion) are controlled by an electric motor.
output speed sensor circuit fail
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F -150. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. The contact had to keep the windows in the down position. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the fuel line was rubbing underneath the vehicle and caused a puncture hole in the fuel line. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
Reoccurring CEL p0430. It has been repaired several times and continues to return.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the transmission shifted unintendedly. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was diagnosed that the lead frame rail or valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle downshifted to first gear and failed to accelerate above 25 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was related to the transmission. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
Transmission downshifts while in full freeway speed. Then refuses to shift. Problem is a ford faulty power output censer. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Ford has acknowledged the issue but refuses to correct the issue on my truck. Their customer service told me to go fix it MYSELF. Unbelievable. Makes Truck uncontrollable at high speeds and very very dangerous. I would like them to honor the recall and fix this problem before someone gets hurt/killed
even after having the first recall done by previous owner on the transmission .we were sold it without that knowledge and the transmission is once again downshifting whenever it feel like sometimes into 3rd sometimes into 1st sometimes if you pull over and shut off it will run fine for a little while but now it will cost almost $900 to get it fixed because recall is over
My truck 2011 F150 shows symptoms 3 times as described by Fords 19S07 recall (NHTSA #19V0790000) but my vin is not listed as needing to be recalled and it should be as it has down shifted into 2nd gear on 3 occasions between 55 and 60 mph.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH and attempting to slow the vehicle, the vehicle started jerking. The transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the speed sensor in the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 200,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle independently stopped suddenly in the middle of the roadway, as if the brake pedal had been depressed. The contact stated that the "wrench" symbol was illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway, turned off and restarted the vehicle and shifted the vehicle into drive; however, the vehicle failed to shift out of third gear. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission molded leadframe needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a manufacturer recall Campaign Number: 16N02 Molded (Leadframe Extended Coverage - Power Train). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford 150. The contact stated that while pressing the accelerator pedal a thumping noise was present coming from the transmission and the vehicle had experienced jerking and loss of power along with reduced speeds while driving and the service wrench had displayed. After restarting the engine the vehicle operated as normal but the failure continued to intermittently occur. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 31,870.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,000.
Was traveling down highway pulled into a gas station to get gas. Left gas station headed down road. Went to go pass a car when truck started to shift down a gear to pass it shifted all the way to 1st gear at 55 mph. It locked back wheels up for a moment but then released. Check engine light come on and I still on. Haven't drove truck but a few times since that happen. The truck is doing the same thing the ford recall of 2019. So I took it to ford where they diagnosed that it needed a new transmission and it had nothing to do with the recall. So it just been mainly seating in the yard.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to decelerate and come to a complete stop while the brake pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that excessive force was needed, or the brake pedal needed to be pumped several times to start operating as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the brake master cylinder was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was also taken to several other local dealers, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
I was driving, luckily at a slow speed when my trucks transmission without warning down shifted into first gear.
The transmission seem to not want to switch gears. It lost power in the middle of the road. Haven't seen a dealer.havent been inspected. A large wrench appeared and started becoming erratic. Put my scan tool on it and retrieved code P0720
It was a really cold night. My niece got in my truck in the passenger side back door. When we got to the grocery store 10 minutes later, that door refused to open. When I hit the lock/unlock button, it didn't even sound like it engaged at all in that door panel. The manual lock could neither be pushed down or pulled up. As soon as it got warm out again, the door opened and the locking mechanism worked just fine.
I am getting a P0299 code truck and according to research, this is something to do with the Turbo. It is causing my truck to lose power while driving. I have had it parked since then.
Automatic transmission- Vehicle unexpectedly down shifts to first gear regardless of the speed you are going, can cause you to lose control of vehicle resulting in a accident. Unable to drive vehicle because of this issue, vehicle need to be recalled.
Truck downshifting while driving and looses mileage speedometer and gets stuck in 3rd gear and shifting hard. Start truck up it does good for like 5 mins then downshift and pops into 3rd and get engine light and wrench light
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "Service Auto Trak" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. However, the failure reoccurred inadvertently while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering assist had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle, the rearview camera turned off. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the rearview camera and instrument cluster would turn off intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that upon moving the gear shifter into reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond, and the reverse(R) indicator light failed to illuminate. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while driving from a complete stop. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift into a lower or higher gear. The contact stated that the powertrain and check engine warning lights had been illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, where it was diagnosed that the transmission range sensor (TRS) had failed. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V190000 (Power Train, Exterior Lighting), and the contact was referred to the dealer. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was related to an unknown 10 years and 150,000 miles Extended Warranty; however, the vehicle was more than 10 years old and had exceeded the mileage. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted into first gear with the rear tires seizing. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer declined to perform the recall repair due to the mileage being over 150,000. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
My truck has been shifting hard..or taking a very long time to shift into gear. When I put the truck into reverse it doesn't indicate/light up the R-reverse light on dashboard which is dangerous not knowing what gear the truck is actually in..after quite some time it will slam or thud hard into reverse but still doesn't illuminate on the dash...then when switching into drive it slams very hard into gear. My acceleration has also been acting up and does not accelerate normal anymore. It's very sluggish and slow to get going which is very dangerous sometimes when entering a highway. I've also been going 40-50 mph and suddenly I lose power and my truck slows down and I have no control over it..hitting the gas only revs engine but does nothing. My reverse lights don't work sometimes either and my rear window has also quit working. I have contacted the locao ford dealer about these issues and the person was not only rude but was without doubt trying to rush me off the phone and told me they were booked up for many weeks and it'd be awhile before I could get the truck looked at...I bought thus truck in November 2019 and had taken it in for a recall that they had to do a quick reprogramming...come to find out there was also at the time a safety recall which "expired'" at 10 years or 150000 miles which is IMO total nonsense and unprofessional of Ford to not make this a real recall that they are required to fix knowing the many issues thousands of vehicles are having due to there negligence when they were built. It's not right to have there customers pay thousands out of there pockets to replace parts that are known to quit working properly and cause many safety issues for people driving the faulty vehicles. We are already paying monthly payments and the only thing the expired safety compliance/ not actual recall is doing for Ford is making them lose loyal customers. I truly worry about the unsafe occurrences that may happen with my child in my truck now and it's not right
While driving approximately 70 mph on the interstate the truck suddenly jumped from 6th gear to 1st gear. This forced numerous vehicles and semi trucks to take evasive actions while I skid on the interstate until I was able to get off the road. I contacted for and this was a warranty extension for 10 yrs and 150,000 miles of build date. I only had 99,700 or so miles at the time. It was past the 10 year mark and they will not cover any costs. This is a dangerous situation for all F150 owners. This part (Lead Frame) should be recalled immediately.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle inadvertently downshifted and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and shut off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under warranty and referred the contact to contact the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 135,000.
Traveling down the highway the vehicle Ford F150 (part of an earlier recall 190v075000 Powertrain - taken to dealership for service) suddenly shifted into first gear, it was hard to control the vehicle for a moment, then the vehicle shifted in another higher gear and I was able to pull over, to the side of the road The computer was reset at the dealer and all appeared to be well when two days later, it did the same thing. There have been issues with the vehicle to go into a flooding kind of stall and the computer screen would go blank. After, stopping and turning off the truck would be ok. This vehicle is a danger to myself and others to drive. I live in a rural area 60 miles from the nearest dealership, where it is difficult to get an appointment and have been left stranded by the roadside, more than once. Fred Shumate, Dixon NM
Driving down the road and my steering became difficult almost like the power steering stop working. After a while it started to work. This has happened several times in the last 5 years.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle sporadically shifted right and then lost power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed the contact that the steering control arm failed; however, the part to do the repair was on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted into first gear. As a result, the contact crashed into a guard rail. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained an injury to his head. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Hello, I purchased this Ford F150 new 12-2011. It was taken into in a Ford dealership for service/repairs from 1-x-2020 to pick up date of 2-x-2020 with 112,xxx miles on odometer. I have the original receipt listing the work. Noted on my receipt is "C/S trans slips at random". The dealership completed, as noted on my invoice, "perform recall 19S19 powertrain control module reprograming" and (second line item), " perform recall 19S19 PCM reprogram clear code4S". The transmission periodically shifted hard/slip after this re program, and eventually went into low gear (2022) without any driver command while on a highway, towing a loaded trailer in which I had to immediately pull onto the shoulder/shut off the vehicle. Restarted, and it functioned as expected. The last time it went into limp mode was while driving, luckily around 35mph, and was towed into a FORD dealership 11-2022 and where it currently resides. With the latest service they "re-flashed" the PCM 11-2022 and asked why a second re-flash" was told it was a "new software update". I asked that the core problem be fixed, a LEAD FRAME transmission component and was told it was covered under a FORD program "OASIS". A few weeks later was told "not covered" and cost would be on me. The part is now on national backorder with "18,000 on back order, no estimate of ship date" per FORD dealer emp. this week. My truck "possibly" may be driven and service tech implied as much, since the second re-flash, having been told that "a mechanic drove it and it didn't malfunction" but I requested that the root problem (LEAD FRAME TRANS COMPONENT) be fixed so the transmission doesn't go into low gear at highway speeds, towing. I feel it it an inherent danger to myself and others on the roads and I am concerned it may downshift into low gear at higher speeds until the proper repair can be completed. 19S07 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2019/RCMN-19V075-2645.pdf Thank you for your time.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the Advancetrac warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the power train warning light illuminated. The odometer and the speedometer dropped to 0, and the RPM lowered to 1,500. Additionally, the gear shifter display light was turned off. The contact veered to the side of the roadway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle responded as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was stuck in first gear. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, however, the failure persisted. The contact switched to manual gear and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle downshifted from 3rd gear to first gear. The contact switched to manual gear; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
Lead frame in transmission, causing downshifts in my truck and cruise control and speedometer shut off.I noticed theres a recall for issue but only on some. I'll be driving and all of a sudden wrench pops up and downshifts and dash components quit working and only runs in certain gears.also had to put 2 timing chains in,both at 50000 miles, 3 vacuum pumps for the brake system which both of these were recalled but only for 1 one each item..I work for Ford and try a d support them but just bought vacuum pump 3 weeks ago now this a d pump was 550$ no brakes without it..that also goes out right now. Ty
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the speedometer failed to properly show the speed after exceeding 10 MPH. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift properly. Additionally, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the molded lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
I was parked in a semi hill in Orlando Fl, turned my truck on hit reverse, turned the steering to the left and when I rolled down the hill the steering wheel completely locked up on me, couldn’t turn it left or right. I pulled up the hill once again because that’s the only way I could go and it released the steering wheel. I had to drive back home for 2 hours on the highway terrified because I can feel the tension on the steering wheels every time I’m turning left, even if it was a slight turn. God permitting I made it back to the shop where I work at in Tampa Florida. That same day as I was going home I have to make a u turn, once again as I make my u turn I should land on the right lane, but the truck decided to lock the steering wheel once again and I landed on the left lane almost on the ditch, luckily there were no vehicles on the left lane. This issue is not new, I’ve been doing research and I just pray someone does something about it before someone gets hurt or gets killed. Thanks for your time and have a blessed day.
During driving transmission will erratically downshift especially during deceleration without touching the brakes or when you have to slow down and then get back to speed. This causes a very sudden jerk of the drive train, to the point that it feels like the truck will break either a u-joint or rip the rear-end apart. So far no accidents from it but my concern is that it seems to act like the transmission is having an issue that has been reported on this series of trucks. This was supposed to be corrected by a possible software fix but it did not work.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026