general problems of the 2011 Ford F-150 - part 1

After a short drive on the highway, upon slowing down to turn off, automatic transmission was erraticly changing gears. Kept switching from 1st to 2nd gear. Really jerky with tires locking up. Pulled to side of the road, shut off truck and restarted. Seemed to work fine for the 2 mile drive to my destination. When leaving to head home it shifted ok but I noticed some weird shifting patterns. Then upon slowing to a stop off the highway again, when I left the stop sign it repeated the process off shifting back and forth from 1st to 2nd gear again. Shut off truck started again. Drove home ok. I am dropping it off to be looked at today. I really do not feel safe driving this pickup not knowing when and where this could happen again. No warning lights.

Going down the highway at 60mph. Car went from 6th gear to 1st gear and tires locked up and I started sliding. I could smell the tires burning. I threw it into neutral and the tires unlocked. I dropped back down to 40 mph and went back into drive. No issue after.

I was driving in the morning car was started to lag on accelerating and shifting gears slightly. My dashboard and gps system flickered on and off when this happened. The truck putted as well. On my way home the car had trouble accelerating and dropped from 5th gear all the way to first causing me to almost lose control of the vehicle. It continued hard shifting and loss all acceleration. It continued flickering everytime it would sputter and slip gears, gps and dashboard would flicker. They gears were going haywire. I could not accelerate with the pedal all the way to the floor, and was hard to turn steering wheel. Almost like the truck was coasting. When we took it to the mechanic they stated it was a transmission range switch which is an issue and many f150's of my year, make and model. My vehicle was not listed as a recalled vehicle yet has the same issue as the other recalled ones. Total repairs are going to cost around $2000. I have not driven my vehicle since the incident and I am frightened after almost losing control from the hard shifting. Prior to this the vehicle ran great. It was an out of nowhere issue. The truck has been maintained well, with all oil changes, and regular maintenece. There is less the 96,000 mile son the truck as well.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to auto zone, and dtc: p0720 was retrieved, which indicated a failure with the output shaft speed sensor. The contact was informed that the output shaft speed sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under any unknown recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that neither repair was covered under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

Hard downshifts from 5 to 4. At low speeds, like parking lots it shifts hard from 1 to 2. At freeway speeds while attempting to pass instead of dropping a gear to passs it downshifts to 1st, rpm’s shoot up and it results in having to pull off stop and place in park. Once in park back to d and able to take off. At any speed from 30 mph or more there is a sort of “tap of brakes” feeling every . 15 of a mile.

Entering the highway, the transmission shifted into 1st, the gauges blanked out and a service light came on. Upon taking it in for inspection, Ford compliant 19n01 already existed but had limited mileage/date that has now expired. The problem and solution is the same found under 19n01.

Speedometer stopped working and automatic transmission would not shift out of first gear without manually shifting. Transmission then would not come out of third gear.

I own a 2011 Ford F-150. While driving at highway speed, the transmission unintendedly downshifted to first gear, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. This can, by Fords admission, cause accidents and injury. The check engine warning light and wrench symbol was illuminated. Sometimes it is able to restart and reset sometimes not. This problem has occurred several times while driving. I took it to my normal mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an output shaft speed sensor failure. He said that the transmission lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. I spoke to Ford customer service and they refuse to fix it and said my VIN was not included. See NHTSA safety recall report 16v-248.

When driving on the interstate with the normal flow of traffic at 55mph, the vehicle abruptly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear causing the the vehicle to lock up an nearly caused an accident. This was followed by a a mechanic warning light and the speedometer to lock out and no longer work. Once pulled over, the vehicle was powered down. When the vehicle was turned back on operation returned in a limp state.

The transmission unexpectedly downshift's to 1st gear, instrument gauges go dark, wheels have locked up, motor then lacks power. The issues have been going on for a while and recently had to stop on the side of the road 5 times in the 20 mile trip home from work. 2011 F-150 is unsafe to drive. Called Ford customer service on July 2, 2025. Case number [xxx]. Was informed a prior recall 16s19 addressing these issues was performed in 2016. A second recall 19s07 was issued for the same reasons. The service rep said this VIN number is not listed; apparently it does not cover this vehicle. Ford customer service rep suggested filing a complaint with NHTSA. Gov as this has been an ongoing safety issue. Unless NHTSA is made aware of an issue can it be addressed or in this case readdressed because the repairs by Ford has failed as a long term solution. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

As I was driving around 45 mph this Sunday, my 2011 f150 suddenly shifted hard down to first gear. I thought someone hit me from behind at first, I don't think I have ever been so scared in a vehicle in my life! this truck has been so good to my family otherwise. Anyway, I started researching online and found there was a recall for this but has ended. I called Ford thinking maybe they would stand behind a problem that was a known Ford issue. Whether its been 10 years or 20. This is my 7th f150. I have dealt with all there issues in the past. From blown out sparkplugs in the 4. 6 to the leaking intake manifold to cam phasers. You may ask why I keep buying them, but its because I love Ford. Is there anything you can do for me? I'm scared I could kill myself or someone. This is a dangerous problem and I don't see how this recall could have ever had a deadline on it. Thank you for you time, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

What is happening is a known issue that effects Ford F-150's from 2011-2013 models with the 6-speed transmissions. The issue is with the molded lead frames. The fault causes hard downshifts out of now where. I was driving on a highway, at highway speeds, when the truck downshifted to 1st gear. Incredibly unsafe, jolted the truck to an immediately forced reduced speed, luckily no one was behind me. Ford is aware of this, but is not correcting affected vehicles. My vehicle is a 2011 F-150, I tried to have it fixed while it was still under the "extended coverage" but Ford denied it due to it only being a "possible malfunction" at the time. Roughly 2 years later, the malfunction & defect is now on full force, rendering the truck unsafe to drive due to sudden down shifts at random intervals, multiple times a day while driving, yet now it is "passed the coverage. " that is unacceptable, and is safety issue for the many of these generation models of F-150's that are still out driving.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side the road. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal to resume driving, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 mph. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission molded lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford campaign number: 19n01, because the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. 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 approximately 50 mph, the transmission was shifting rough. The contact stated that that there was a grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic visited residence to diagnose the vehicle and the contact was informed that the transmission was slipping out of gear and downshifting unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be repaired and an unknown recall repair needed to be performed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear end occasionally locked up while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 228,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 16v248000 (power train); however, the repair failed to prevent the failure. The contact stated that two days after the recall repair was completed, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. An unknown message was displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the speedometer was no longer illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

I am having a lead frame issue as many of these models had but it never affected me until now. I can be doing highway speeds, upwards of 70mph and the vehicle will just down shift to first gear, locking the tires and causing a hazard for other drivers which could be a very dangerous situation.

Transmission shifts into lower gear,and speedometer quits working. Stopped truck , turned truck off and turned truck on and it drives normal,.

Driving 40mph the truck down shifted to 1st gear.

Transmission indicator lights are not functioning and vehicle doesn’t go into gear properly. I read there was a recall on certain 2011 f150s for this problem but mine does not appear to be included. I can’t tell what gear my vehicle is in now so it is obviously dangerous to drive.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintendedly downshifted to first gear, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart and reset. The contact stated that the failure had recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an output shaft speed sensor failure. The contact was informed that the transmission lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 133,456.

On or about March 26 2025 while operating this truck at about 35 mph the 6 speed transmission shifted to first gear causing the tires to chirp the vehicle to a near stop and red line the engine. This is a known defect that Ford supposedly fixed years ago but apparently was not a proper fix. The vehicle was taken to medford Ford, medford NJ on 3/31/2025 where the dealer said transmission should be replaced my expense for $8500 plus tax and the cost of estimate of approximately $202. 63. They did not offer an option to repair an otherwise perfectly functioning transmission. This makes me feel like a very unsafe approach. My experience caused such an abrupt stop that under different circumstances there could have been a serious accident.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v075000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

Driving normal speed and normal rpm when all a sudden the rpm's will go up double than what it was and the speedometer drops to 0, it feels like truck in down shifting , but the rpm's stay high. No engine light comes on, no other warning. This has happen on several ocassions.

Vehicle puts itself into theft mode and wont crank or anything. There is a customer satisfaction program campaign# 19n01 that Ford will not honor says vehicle is too old. It is a 2011 and has 105000 miles currently at the shop for repair. There is a software recall that effects this but the issue itself is not covered.

2011 F-150 super crew laredo is sifting gears down by its self at high spends causing immediate car speedometer cluster going to zero and not be able to accelerate. There was a customer satisfaction program 19n01 it was 10 yr 150,0000 miles.

Transmission light came on and downshifted to first gear.

At highway speeds speedometer started occasionally dropping to zero while actually going 55-65 mph. Then it became quite frequent and the truck started spontaneous downshifting causing the rear wheels to break loose and the rear of truck to fishtail. It was terrifying.

I’ve had this specific issue happened a few times over the last year. Basically, my truck will get stuck in first gear, a wrench will pop up on the dashboard, and my odometer will go blank. Usually, my truck will stay in first gear until I put it in park and shut off the truck (to kind of “reset it”) and then crank it back up. Sometimes it takes multiple cycles of this. One time, I got stuck in third gear and had to use manual to shift it down to first gear (while driving), and then do the steps previously mentioned to “reset it”. Because of this, my truck has thrown a p0720 code. After research, it seems like the problem is with the molded lead frame. I have contacted multiple Ford dealerships, and they are definitely aware of the issue because each time they tell me that this issue used to be covered under warranty. The problem is, every dealership has said that this warranty expired some time ago (before I own the truck and before this started happening). Now they are saying the only way to prevent it is to spend $1600 for them to fix it. I don’t have $1600 to drop on a safety issue that is beyond my control. Especially since Ford knows about it. I have a video showing the last time it happened. I really hope this gets fixed because I do not want to be driving 60 miles an hour on the highway and suddenly drop into first gear.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear. The contact stated that the odometer became inoperable. The contact stated that the failure was linked to NHTSA campaign number: 19v075000 (power train). The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

On my. 2011 Ford f150 XLT the electrical power steering asssist failed completely while driving in traffic. . . It was incredibly hard to maintain control of the vehicle . . . I had to use all my strength to get the wheel to turn what so ever. It was u credibly lucky that I didn't cause an accident because it made me steer into oncoming traffic and would. Not let the vehicle. Tur. The opposite direction. . . The warning light said service advance trac and then said power steering assist failure.

Vehicle suddenly downshifts to a lower gear slowing the vehicle down rapidly and surprisingly.

While operating vehicle at highway speeds the speedometer suddenly drops to zero and the transmission downshifts to first gear without warning. Apparently a failure of the transmission speed sensor. (?) a driver unaware of this issue that continues to drive results in excessive heat and pressure developing in the differential. . A recall has been issued by NHTSA but Ford and the local dealer refused to address the problem because my VIN was not included in the recall.

While driving at about 50 mph truck suddenly down shifted to 1st gear locked up rear wheels and sent engine into a roar. Instrument panel not showing speed or any information. Had transmission shop trouble shoot and determined frame rail failure. Replaced frame rail and serviced.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 202,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning was light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the rpm raised independently while the speed-o-meter went to zero. The contact was concerned because her child was in the vehicle during the failure. The contact pulled over the shoulder of the road and restarted the vehicle; however, while driving to the dealer the failure recurred and the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission molded lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was left with the local dealer to be repaired. The contact stated that after further investigation, the failure was linked with NHTSA campaign number: 19v075000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.