YearToAvoid

2011 Ford F-150 Engine Problems

NHTSA lists 637 Engine complaints for the 2011 Ford F-150, 29% of all complaints filed for the year, with a median failure mileage of 54,000. No related recall is listed for this engine issue.

Engine complaints
637
29% of 2,189
Crashes reported
20
Fires reported
3
Injuries reported
9
Median mileage
54,000 mi
Related recalls
0

Typical engine symptoms owners report

  • Owners report sudden stalling or dying at low speed, sometimes right after a rough idle or a strange rattling noise from the intake.
  • Some describe engine compartment fires starting under the hood, including one case where the vehicle was parked and not running.
  • Several complaints describe unintended acceleration where the truck sped up on its own and did not respond to braking, leading to a crash.
  • Owners report violent shaking or vibration combined with sudden loss of power and an illuminated check engine light at highway speed.
  • A few describe excessive smoking and repeated stalling episodes while idling or driving at low speed.

When 2011 Ford F-150 engine complaints were filed

First complaint Oct 1, 2011, latest Sep 20, 2026.

2011 Ford F-150 engine complaints: complaints filed per quarter642011 Q42013 Q42015 Q42017 Q42019 Q42021 Q42023 Q42025 Q4
637 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2011 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2013 Q2 (64).

Engine recalls for the 2011 Ford F-150

No safety recalls on record for this model year.

Engine complaints by F-150 model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2010169 (20%)
  2. 2011637 (29%)
  3. 2012600 (34%)
  4. 2013767 (26%)
  5. 2014266 (17%)
  6. 2015393 (23%)
  7. 2016411 (20%)
  8. 2017413 (29%)
  9. 2018639 (28%)
  10. 2019407 (31%)
  11. 2020150 (21%)
  12. 2021113 (11%)
  13. 202254 (9%)
  14. 202345 (11%)
  15. 202423 (12%)
  16. 202515 (14%)

Frequently asked questions

How common are engine problems on the 2011 Ford F-150?
NHTSA lists 637 Engine complaints for the 2011 F-150, which is 29% of the 2,189 total complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for the 2011 Ford F-150 engine problems?
No related recall is listed in NHTSA data for this engine complaint area on the 2011 F-150.
At what mileage do engine problems typically show up on the 2011 F-150?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this issue is 54,000 miles.
Were there any crashes or injuries linked to these engine complaints?
NHTSA data tied to this issue includes 20 crashes, 3 fires, and 9 injuries among the 2011 F-150 engine complaints.
Is the 2011 F-150 worse than other years for engine complaints?
The 2011 F-150's 29% engine complaint share is higher than 2010 (20%) and most later years like 2016 (20%) and 2020 (21%), though 2012 (34%) and 2019 (31%) were higher.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.