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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,133 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Ford F-150 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 11 of 24)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #267

Oct 042015

F-150

  • 46,447 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Accelerated to merge onto the highway. Truck suddenly lost all acceleration and began to shake. Engine light came on. Deceleration was as sudden as if I had slammed on my brakes. Coasted to the side of the highway and turned of the truck. After a few minutes of me shaking, I restarted the truck. Engine light was still on, but truck drove normally as long as I "crept" up to speed.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #266

Sep 132015

F-150

  • 93,000 miles
I was driving on a highway, towing a trailer in an area of heavy congestion. When I attempted to accelerate, the vehicle began to shake violently and lost power. The engine was apparently misfiring and was running very rough. The check engine light came on and I pulled off the highway. When I stopped, I put the vehicle in neutral, but left it running. The check engine light went off and the engine seemed to run fine. But ever since then, whenever I attempt to accelerate, the vehicle shakes violently and won't accelerate. This is going to cause an accident! I checked around the internet and this seems to be a common problem with this vehicle, but when I called Ford they told me I would have to pay to have a local dealer run diagnostics. They admitted that they had issued a technical service bulletin to the dealers on a possible fix for the problem, but reading the other complaints on this NHTSA website, the fix did not solve the problem. I've never sued anyone in my life, but I see there is a class-action lawsuit against Ford for this problem. I was hoping that if enough people report this problem that Ford would do the right thing- we shall see....

- Destrehan, LA, USA

problem #265

Sep 022014

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
Approximately 9 to 10 times I have experienced loss of power shuttering misfires and backfiring only to find fouled spark plugs I have replaced the spark plugs approximately eight times in 10,000 miles due to this condition on this Ford eco-boost engine. All tsb's have been completed on the truck yet I still experience this engine problem

- Charleston, WV, USA

problem #264

Aug 012015

F-150

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We drove the vehicle 6 hours with the air conditioner on.... parked it - started it again about 2 hours later. The vehicle revved very high, barely chugged as we drove and then the yellow "wrench" light came on - indicating transmission issues as well as a "limp home" mode. We were unable to drive the vehicle at that point and had to keep it parked.... after doing some research - we discovered that condensation had gotten into some sort of condenser and caused the eco-boost engine to misfire and essentially malfunction.

- Holmen, WI, USA

problem #263

Jul 272015

F-150

  • 68,500 miles
When the turbo boost is 11psi misfiring begins - no after market engine programming. If turbo demand is not reduced, or is increased the engine light will come on and the transmission will be disengaged - 'limp mode.' On the date cited, this happened no less that 3 times. Local humidity was 50-70%, as I recall, and there was no rain. I have experienced this multiple times with local humidity noted at 50 %. my experience is that the misfiring will occur anytime turbo psi exceeds 11, whether towing or not, though towing will be more apt to encounter 11psi. My trailer is within all tow load limits for my truck, axles and tongue, per Ford's rv & trailer towing guide. My first experience with the truck going limp was June of 2014. I pulled the truck to the shoulder next to a guard rail and called for towing. The local Ford dealer said that there had been a #3 cylinder misfire and a momentary head over-temp was - which triggered limp mode. I have reported the misfiring to my dealer, and with Ford's customer service. The dealer says Ford has nothing listed for my truck or the issue. I told customer service and my dealer that there is plenty of internet traffic on this issue. Aside from the technical service bulletin implemented to put a larger air shield on the intercooler (cac), done to my truck in 2014 as a result of my experience, the issue still exists. It would seem to me that Ford has not engineered a water separator to then drain off developed water from the condensation process before it is ingested into the cylinders. Ingestion of the water into the cylinders would cause a spark misfire, as was suggested to me by a Ford mechanic. My vehicle is still under a Ford issued extended warranty, as a result of a separate transmission issue. God forbid this occur while to someone towing on a two lane road with no shoulder!

- Wildwood, MO, USA

problem #262

Nov 022012

F-150

  • 13,000 miles
My 2011 Ford F-150 ecoboost 3.5 was idling at a red light then suddenly began a very rough idle. This went on for about twenty minutes ( on and off) then cleared up. We took the truck to the local dealership and had them look at it. They did a service order and came up with nothing wrong. We took the truck home and the problem remained. The truck was taken back 4 or 5 more times for the same problem and the dealership could never find a problem. While driving the vehicle on the highway and attempting to pass slower moving cars, the truck hesitated and sputtered when the gas pedal was depressed. A month ago the engine started making a noise after a cold start and then lately a louder noise from time to time in the passenger side front area of the valve cover. Then the truck just stopped on me while on the highway. I had it towed to the dealer and now we are talking about a new engine" what the ????" it has 50K and the oil was changed regularly, but the dealer is saying there is sludge in the oil which was changed less than 2000 miles ago. The timing chain is stretched, the intake cam vtc is broken and based on all of the other similar post I've been reading about this same issue they have revealed that the rod and cam bearings are also more than likely prematurely worn, requiring a new engine to repair the damage.

- Mcallen, TX, USA

problem #261

Oct 232014

F-150

  • 57,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel was hard to turn and a warning displayed on the panel that read 'service advance trap". the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was not able to diagnose the failure. In addition, the contact stated that when attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was activated and there was loss of acceleration as the check engine light flashed on and off. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

- Manteca, CA, USA

problem #260

Jul 202015

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
The engine lost power, the airconditioning shut off. When trying to accelerate, the truck shuddered hard. When the truck was brought to a stop, it was like everything reset. The engine would accelerate correctly, the air conditioning came back on, and there was no shudder.. the Ford house said there were no codes stored to identify the problem. They recommended a $1100 tuneup.

- Cedar Hill, TX, USA

problem #259

Dec 212013

F-150

  • 38,000 miles
The engine stalled (severer loss of power) as I tried to overtake/pass another vehicle. This has happened numeous times & typically occurs during humid/raining weather. I have taken the truck to the dealership several times but they have yet to resolve the issue. It is my understanding that Ford is very aware of the problem and has issued several technical service bulletins but, the problem still exist. Ford should be held responsible for this safety issue & forced to recall and repair these trucks before someone is seriously injured or killed.

- Hallsville, TX, USA

problem #258

Jun 202014

F-150

  • 34,000 miles
When accelerating and approaching freeway speed, engine stumbled, preventing acceleration. I let off the accelerator and problem didn't occur again. I reported this to the dealer, but they stated that since the vehicle did not register a code there was nothing they could do. I have since had this happen again on July 17 & 18, 2015, but this time the engine light did come on, so I'm assuming it did register a code. On July 17, it was a clear dry day, the following day it happened again, but it was raining all day. Once on the freeway, whenever I stepped on the accelerator, even when at freeway speed, the engine would stumble and barely accelerate. I've contacted the dealer and scheduled an inspection for July 29, 2015. The vehicle currently has 47000 miles. I've talked to Ford customer service and I am being told this is not a warranty repair, but I am seeing a number of service bulletins being issued describing this exact problem. I believe this is a defect in design and should be covered under the manufacturers warranty.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

problem #257

Dec 042014

F-150

  • 60,081 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Going up highway @ 55mph. Pulled around a vehicle to pass. Once, I was in the oncoming traffic the engine suddenly lost power, chugged, and was stumbling over itself. I then got back behind the vehicle I was passing. The 4 passengers and I were all quiet and then freaked out. After a while we pulled out and accelerated to go up road again, truck dogged out. We had no clue what was happening, but everyone was freaked out. We called birthday party destination to tell them we have vehicle trouble and can't make it. Drove it down hill all the while worried the engine was going to blow. Drove it directly to dealership who stated they had no clue and did not want us to leave it there. Said set up appt. 7-10 days out. Parked it until appt. Then they replaced all spark plugs. We also have had troubles with the braking. Where it suddenly takes extra effort and requires the driver to press hard on the brakes to get it to slow down. When we've driven it to Ford for repair they throw their hands up, act frustrated, like they do not have any clue as to what the problems are. We were hesitant to renew our state tags as it sits parked most of the time, since it chugged on level surface with no rain present, and the mechanics light came on. We feel scared driving it and it has remained parked for 3+ weeks. This is our newest vehicle, which looks new and yet we can't drive it. We're not made out of money, and can not easily replace this truck. We want Ford to fix the engine and the brakes, and not act like they have no idea about these problems. Ford wants us to take the loss on the vehicle value or continue driving it until something bad happens. They want nothing in writing. And, we do not want to sell the vehicle to a stranger. We'd allow you to inspect our vehicle....and drive it for a test drive. Would you want to be driving this vehicle with your young children as passengers?

- Littleton, CO, USA

problem #256

Jun 122015

F-150

  • 54,000 miles
On June 12, 2015 I was driving South on I 75 in Georgia on my way to Florida. I had the cruise set at around 80 mph and came up to a slower moving vehicle. I tapped the breaks to cancel the cruise control and then pressed the accelerator to pass the slower moving vehicle. As I pressed the accelerator the truck began to shake quite violently and the engine light on the dash began to flash. My truck slowed to about 55 or 60 mph. I attempted to accelerate my truck for a second time but I received no response from the throttle. I pulled the truck in to the far right lane and attempted several more times to get the truck to accelerate but with no response. About one or two miles later I felt a "kick" and the truck was back to normal like nothing had ever happened. The accelerator was working and the engine light was no longer on. I wrote the incident off to mabe getting a batch of bad gas at my last fill up.the rest of the trip and the return trip back to Ohio my truck preformed fine. Fast forward to yesterday June 21, 2015 I was on my way to the store and attempted to pass a slower moving vehicle on a country road when the same thing happened. Again my truck began to shake and the engine light came on. My truck would not accelerate and I had to pull back in to my lane. After a couple hundred yards my truck snapped out of it and I could once again accelerate. After researching this issue I noticed that several other Ford owners have been having similar issues. My truck is a 2011 Ford F150 with the 3.5 L ecoboost V6 which seems to be the engine that is having the trouble. I also read that Ford is refusing to acknowledge the potential problem with this particular engine.

- Granville, OH, USA

problem #255

May 262015

F-150

  • 73,000 miles
I was driving to work this very humid morning merging onto the interstate in my 2011 ecoboost F-150. As I accelerated to merge, my RPM's went up but my speed actually dropped just as vehicles were coming in at a high rate of speed behind me. I let off on the throttle and again pressed down on the accelerator with the same result. I was trapped between cars and caused one car to swerve dangerously on the highway. Thankfully there was not an accident, but certainly got my fill of middle fingers from upset motorists and lucked out not being the victim of road rage my truck caused. A minute or so later the vehicle began to operate as normal. After researching online this morning I realized this is extremely common with this engine. I contacted both my local dealer and Ford corporate only to be told there is no recall and if I "want someone to look at it" I would have to bring my vehicle in and pay for service since I am out of warranty.

- Jones, OK, USA

problem #254

Apr 012015

F-150

  • 85,000 miles
While trying to speed up the engine lags out causing the vehicle to misfire making it impossible to accelerate and causes the vehicle to shake. My ecoboost only experiences this issue at high speeds which is an incovience on the highway.

- Mexico, MO, USA

problem #253

Mar 202015

F-150

  • 48,000 miles
While traveling a long duration at a consistent mph, low RPM, and low turbo boost pressure I began to climb a hill where more acceleration was needed to maintain mph. At time the vehicle rapidly slowed, engine light cam on, tried to add throttle to stay out of the way of approaching traffic but just continued to slow. This happened while traveling from las vegas Nevada to reno Nevada. I replaced the ignition coils and that solved the problem only to have it happen again in less than 5K miles in the same driving conditions

- Las Vegas , NV, USA

problem #252

May 132015

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
FX2 3.5L V6 ecoboost: Was driving approx. 65 and had to quickly accelerate to pass. The turbos started to kick in and suddenly the engine began to shudder and misfire. Check engine light came on and then went off. Problem occurs during any sudden acceleration.

- San Clemente , CA, USA

problem #251

May 132015

F-150

  • 85,859 miles
Driving with my daughter, I took a corner at approximately 25mph and then pushed the gas to get moving and lost all power to the engine, tried putting in low gear but to no prevail, tried again shifting back to drive with nothing happening. At this time we are stuck in traffic with people flying by us and nothing I can do. Finally I shut off the engine and let it sit for a minute. Restarted and the check engine light came on but ran well enough for us to get home. I have not experienced this before and luckily we were close to home. If it happened once it will happen again and probably not the same luck I had this time. Something needs to be done about this problem. Thank you

- Hixson, TN, USA

problem #250

May 102015

F-150

  • 42,315 miles
My ecoboost engine stalled during acceleration while attempting to pass on a 2 lane road. This put me and my family in a very dangerous situation where I was in the opposing lane with no power. I have attempted to have this fixed at the dealer more than 5 times. One dealer actually put in a new sensor about 6 months ago but this has failed to fix the issue. This is a well known problem with this engine yet Ford refuses to fix it.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #249

Mar 292015

F-150 4WD 6-cyl

  • 75,568 miles
My F150 ecoboost stalled twice in the rain while trying to pass another car. The truck lost all power while I was attempting to pass a vehicle in heavy traffic. This happened on I20. The engine failed a couple years back in rain and Ford installed a shroud over the intercooler. After reporting the second problem to the local dealer, Ford installed a modified "new" shroud on the intercooler. The govt prematurely closed the investigation of F150 ecoboost engines that have a major flaw that affect vehicle performance. Installing a modified shroud to fix a serious safety issue is not a solution. Please reopen the investigation for the Ford F150 owners that have the ecoboost engine.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #248

Feb 032014

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
Vehicle lost acceleration when trying to pass. Engine light came on and engine started to shake. I had to turn vehicle off and restart. This now occurs anytime I attempt to accelerate...

- Ruston, LA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

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