Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving with the cruise control engaged set at 60 mph. Approached an intersection with traffic light with traffic stopped in both westbound lanes. Tapped the brake to deactivate the cruise control. The cruise control did not turn off but instead tapping the brake caused the truck to accelerate. Released the brake pressure and reapplied brake pressure. This action again caused the truck to accelerate. To avoid hitting stopped traffic I moved to the right hand turn lane which was free of traffic. The truck continued to accelerate as I applied brake pressure. As my truck entered the intersection a collision occurred with a northbound vehicle. The collision severely damaged my vehicle and the struck vehicle with injuries to myself and the other driver. Crash speed had to be over 60 mph. This was all captured by a traffic camera. My F-150 had 31,900 on the odometer. …
The vehicle was being driven with the cruise control set. Upon approaching an intersection on a four lane divided roadway I tapped the brakes to deactivate the cruise control. When pressure was applied to the brake pedal the cruise control did not disengage but the vehicle accelerated instead. I released pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle continued at the cruise control set speed. I again applied pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle again accelerated. To avoid striking stopped traffic I moved into the right turn lane with the vehicle continuing to accelerate as I attempted to brake the vehicle. Upon entering the intersection my vehicle struck another pickup truck broadside. I believe speed at the point of impact was 60 plus miles per hour. My vehicle then continued on and struck two utility poles. Both vehicles were damaged beyond repair. …
I bought this truck used about one year ago. Since then I have not had much time to use it. In the last three months I have had some time to drive it. Three times in those months this issue has occurred. Luckily they all occurred on my property and no damage happened except to the truck. First time it happened an exterior mirror was knocked off, a running board was bent, scratches and dings to the to the paint, and a tailight was damaged. This all happened in reverse due to a gate opening I was going through. The motor all of a sudden had a massive spike in RPMs and a violent lunge and slide of the vehicle. I learned later that it was due to a flawed part in the transmission called a molded lead frame. Transmission is Fords 6R80 6-speed automatic. Last time it happened was on 09/16/2026. …
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.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150 The contact stated while stopped at a stop sign, the contact took his foot off the brake pedal and the vehicle started to accelerate. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and the contact was able to safely drive the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,415.
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.
Vehicle speedometer stopped working, the total mileage indicator read all dashes "- - - - - -" and the transmission was shifting to the wrong gear. For example from a stop the truck would immediately be in fifth gear. The yellow wrench indicator came on briefly and then went away. I turned the truck off then on again and the problem went away and I made it home. Today I took the car to get the safety recall completed, and on my way home the car speedometer stopped working again and I was not able to accelerate while I was making a left turn. This left me stranded in the middle of the intersection and I had to restart the car and the problem went away. …
While driving, the transmission will randomly down shift into 1st gear and the speedometer will die. The truck flashes a "wrench" icon. There is no pattern, the issue is intermittent. When the speedometer dies, the transmission will only shift in "manual" mode, but will not shift above 3rd gear. The check engine light illuminates and throws codes P0720 and P0722. This indicates an output speed shaft sensor failure. Ford released a Customer Satisfaction Program 19N01 for this issue and offers full repairs. However the repairs were only valid if the truck was less than 10 years old or less than 150,000. My truck is now 11 years old (the issue first was present in May 2022) but I only have 73,000 miles. Ford is unwilling to help because I am outside the warranty by a few months. …
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. …
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. …
Acceleration complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2011 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 213 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2011 Ford F-150, 10% of the model year's 2,193 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2011 Ford F-150, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.