2011 Ford F-150 Owner Complaints

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 illuminated, and the wrench symbol was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the failure was associated with the sensor. The transmission sensor was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The failure persisted over time. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and confirmed that the vehicle was previously repaired in 2017 under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V248000 (Power Train). The manufacturer declined to provide any additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 159,599.

NHTSA ID

11755860

Incident

Apr 25, 2026

Mileage

159,599 mi

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 repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11752386

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

Transmission software safety recall was identified due and performed by Phil Long Ford Pro team. Following the software update they vehicle 2011 F150 Raptor [XXX] developed shifting issues 4th-5th gear and 5th-6th gear shifting. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11750404

Incident

Feb 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into low gear, and the rear wheels locked up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle lost traction and slid uncontrollably before coming to a stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear differential needed to be replaced. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the vehicle was not repaired because the manufacturer required that the owner pay out-of-pocket for the rear differential replacement, even though the rear differential failure was directly associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 300,000.

NHTSA ID

11750320

Incident

Jun 3, 2026

Mileage

300,000 mi

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his fiancé was stopped at a stop sign, the vehicle accelerated violently after depressing the accelerator pedal, and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle continued accelerating while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed through a yard, into a road sign, before crashing into the rear of a parked vehicle, where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy upon impact. The driver sustained whiplash and soreness in various parts of the body but had not sought medical attention. A Police report was filed. The road sign was damaged. The driver coasted the vehicle back to the residence before the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. A diagnostic test was performed on the vehicle; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure or duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11749933

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

While driving at highway speed my f150 justdown shited to third gear after stoopping it wouldn't take off.Ihad to shut engine off to get back to first gear .

NHTSA ID

11749133

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

Made a complete stop and vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed and could not stop.

NHTSA ID

11748976

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

I am having a lead frame issue. At various speeds, the vehicle will just down shift, locking the tires and causing a hazard for other drivers which could be a very dangerous situation. I was impacted from the rear due to this occurrence. It causes extreme jerkiness when doing this which is also injurious to my back and neck and shoulders.

NHTSA ID

11743046

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? “We lost power while driving, along with a weird downshift today, 5/16/2026. This is happen one other time, however not as bad.” How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? “It could have been way worse, lucky there was a left turn lane that avoided us being rear ended by the vehicle behind us.” Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? “Not for this time, but it will be going in first thing Monday. We did have it looked at back in April when it did a weird downshift while driving, but they couldn’t find an issue then.” Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? “No, but it will be after this incident.” Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? “No warning lights, just loss of power and an intense downshift. The first time the downshift thing happened was back in April, but nothing more. We had a mechanic look at it, but nothing happened for him then.”

NHTSA ID

11738253

Incident

May 16, 2026

I've sent earlier not sure if it went through transmission dropingvout of gear at any time putting my. Life in danger, and family, hope I don't end up needing a lawyer if a major fatality happens

NHTSA ID

11737185

Incident

May 2, 2026

My vehicle has abrupt unintended downshifts straight down to first gear at fast speeds, which is causing rear-wheel lockage near heart attack and near-loss of control spinout. The sudden downshifting causes a loud violent high extreme RPM engine over rev. sounding as if it is about to blow up or an internal explosion. This is occurring at highway speeds up to 70 mph. At these speeds, is an immediate risk to me and others! Causing a fatal high-speed rollover or a multi-vehicle collision due to this malfunction! This was a recall 19S07 for my year of truck but my Vin was somehow was not on the list which I guess makes me not qualified unless I get into a crash and then have a lawsuit.

NHTSA ID

11737127

Incident

May 11, 2026

I contacted ford about my molded lead frame because my truck has a issue with the transmission and they denied my coverage to repair the problem and it’s is expired so the won’t fix the issue.

NHTSA ID

11736921

Incident

May 4, 2026

When taking off the vehicle will shift into 5th gear trying to take off then hard shift down to 1st then up to 3rd and violently jerk forward. When pressing the brake pedal at a stop light it will jerk forward. When going uphill the vehicle will struggle in 5th gear and then downshift to 4th and loose power and gain power and doesn’t move unless at high rpm’s ( 3000-4000). When on the interstate it will start to move and then loose power then gain power over and over. It will be moving fine then but when taking off it will be stuck in 1st gear and refusing to shift which will then cause dangerous situations with going through intersections

NHTSA ID

11733905

Incident

Apr 20, 2026

I am writing to formally report a dangerous safety failure on my Ford F-150 that persists after having the recommended recall service (19S07) performed. While traveling at highway speeds, my vehicle experienced an uncommanded downshift from 6th gear to 1st gear. This caused an immediate and violent deceleration, nearly resulting in a high-speed rear-end collision. This exact failure is the core safety issue addressed by Ford's powertrain control module (PCM) recall, yet the "fix" provided has failed to protect the vehicle from this life-threatening defect. I took the truck to Bolivar Ford in Tennessee for resolution. However, the dealership refused to perform any further repairs under the recall. They stated that because of my current mileage, the recall coverage has "expired." Furthermore, they diagnosed the issue as a faulty lead frame sensor—the very component linked to these downshift events—and quoted me $2,500 just to begin the repair process. A safety recall is intended to permanently rectify a defect that poses a risk to life and limb. The fact that the vehicle is still performing this dangerous maneuver after the recall was "accomplished" suggests the initial remedy was insufficient or the underlying hardware remains defective. I am requesting that Ford Motor Company intervene to ensure this vehicle is repaired at no cost to me. Given the severity of the safety risk, I do not believe mileage should disqualify a customer from having a documented, lethal defect corrected—especially when the first repair attempt failed. I look forward to your immediate response regarding how Ford intends to resolve this safety matter.

NHTSA ID

11733030

Incident

Apr 8, 2026

I was driving 70mph and my truck went from sixth gear down to first gear. I almost wrecked. The odometer went to zero and a little wrench showed up on the dash. I had to pull over and turn off the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11732726

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from second gear to first gear. The contact almost lost control of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated during the failure; however, an unknown warning light illuminated several days later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown recall repair for the computer was performed but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the vehicle remained with the dealer for several days. The dealer informed the contact that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11732690

Incident

Apr 20, 2023

Mileage

150,000 mi

The range sensor Clunk into reverse Down shift sometimes The light on dash cuts off when put into reverse and the wrench light comes on. Only has 137k miles. Just replaced the motor now transmission Other years f150 have recalls why isn’t this year ??

NHTSA ID

11729923

Incident

Nov 25, 2025

Approximately one month ago, I noticed that the vehicle would not accelerate the way it normally does. A error code came on. I took the vehicle to Auto Zone for error code check. I was informed that the powertrain control module speed sensor had gone bad. I looked this up and found that Ford had a recall on 2011 Ford F-150s for similar issues. I disconnected the battery, as recommended on an internet site, and the vehicle began to operate normally. About one week later, I noticed that the vehicle would not shift above third gear and was accelerating very sluggishly. On further investigation I fount that the vehicle would not shift out of third gear (up or down). I again disconnected/reconnected the battery, and again it began operating normally. I contacted the local Ford dealership and they said that I should have received a letter in May 2019 about the PCM recall. I didn't recall receiving the letter, but Ford Motor Co. Customer Service says the PCM was actually reprogrammed on March 29, 2019 to repair the issues related to the recall. My concern is that the PCM speed sensor is malfunctioning again even after the repairs were supposedly performed by Ford. I am concerned that the vehicle may again be potentially unsafe to operate at highway speeds. I wanted to make NHTSA aware of the potential for ongoing safety issues with this vehicle even after Ford's proposed fix.

NHTSA ID

11723553

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

Preliminary don’t want it to happen to my truck.

NHTSA ID

11721196

Incident

Feb 28, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11719284

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

Trans mission input shaft speed sensor. Transmission is downshifting and going into limp mode while driving.

NHTSA ID

11716632

Incident

Jan 8, 2026

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

NHTSA ID

11716321

Incident

Nov 24, 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.

NHTSA ID

11714635

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

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."

NHTSA ID

11708133

Incident

Dec 31, 2025

Orchid Isle Ford in Hilo has replaced the electronic power steering rack and pinion already once but now it’s gone bad again.I don’t understand why because I hardly drive my truck and it has only 40 something thousands miles on it

NHTSA ID

11706892

Incident

Nov 28, 2025