Most common 2011 Ford F-250 SD problems
Share of the 122 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-250 SD complaints by model year
Best F-250 SD years: 2013, 2014, 2012. Years to avoid: 2019, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2016. Compare all years →
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2011 Ford F-250 SD:
Vehicle Commanded Engine Shutdown
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this RQ to investigate allegations that the scope and remedy of safety recall 13V-535 were inadequate. Recall 13V-535 was limited to a relatively small population of Ambulance Package vehicles and ODI received complaints of pickup trucks and Fire Engine Prep Package vehicles being affected by the same defect.
What 2011 Ford F-250 SD owners say
Steering all 47 →
While driving at around 60 MPH the dash starting chiming and gave me a stop safely now message. I slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. At about 5 MPH the truck shut off, power steering and brakes faded. I was barely out of the lane of traffic and my attempts to restart the truck and get it further off the road to a safer spot were not allowed by the computer system. I had the truck hauled to a nearby Ford dealer and after cooling off all night the truck would restart. The local dealer could not fix the problem due to trouble with his diagnostic computer so he suggested I travel to another dealer. He felt I could make it there with the truck. I went to the motel where my wife and I had to spend the night to pick her up, a distance of about 1-2 miles. …
We have a 2011 diesel Ford f250 super duty pickup. It is like new, but has developed a serious mechanical defect. When it had less than 20,000 miles it began having the 'death wobble'. We have consistently tried to get the local Ford dealership in bend, oregon and Ford motor corporation to resolve this death threatening mechanical problem with no luck. This started occurring when driving over 40 miles per hour if at anytime a bump, rough road, or pothole in the road is hit. Now it can't even be driven that fast without violently and uncontrollably going into the death wobble. Applying the brakes makes it worse. It has to be allowed to slow down on its own. The vibration is so violent it takes all ones strength to keep it on the road. It's one of the most frightening experiences one will ever encounter behind the wheel. …
Suspension all 46 →
When driving on a freeway at 65 MPH, the truck encountered a slight bump and the front end started shaking violently, including the steering wheel shaking back and forth violently. The truck wandered out of the lane due to loss of control of the steering. The shaking only stopped after slowing to about 35 MPH. The failure repeated itself a few minutes later before I could pull off the highway. This occurred previously (6 months / 3000 miles ago). The Ford dealer suggested I take the vehicle to an independent suspension mechanic. He inspected the truck and said all the front end components were fine but he noted that the steering damper had about a 1" dead zone. On his recommendation I replaced the steering damper and the factory shock absorbers. This video attributed to NHTSA describes the failure pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt8ckiqsxje
2011 f -250 sd4x4 had 08 king ranch never a prob in 87K miles.the 11 is dangerous!!!!!!!!! This truck will be doing fine on the road, hit a bump or rough spot in the road and truck goes into (death wobble mode ) the whole truck starts bouncing and shaking and viloently wobbling. Have had it back to Ford store 4 times. They replaced steering stablizer shocks and ball joints at my expense duh!!! First 3 times they couldnt find anything wrong.it kept doin it . I took it back and they did the repairs I stated. Well I thought it was fixed ...wrong, 22 miles after repair it did it again in a curve,, I couldnt control the wobble and ended up goin thru a fence into a field..have terrible cut on legs and face....filed lawsuit yesterday..will keep you posted...Ford has a major engineering prob. They continue to ignore,,,I intend to get their attn,,,,,jc
Engine & cooling all 25 →
This vehicles has experienced two incidents of the failure of the egt exhaust temperature sensors. The first in oct. 2014 the engine light came on, took the vehicle to the dealer where the issue was diagnosed and fixed. At the time I was a surprised to discover the purpose of the sensors, but not overly concerned. In April 2014, leaving town on a Sunday morning with a horse trailer in tow, at 40 MPH on a city street received a message that told me to pull over safely and within 60 seconds the engine shut down leaving me in the right lane of a busy street with two horse in the trailer. No restart, called a friend to come help with the trailer and aaa to tow the vehicle to the dealer. This time a different sensor failed, with no warning. …
While driving my f250 at 30 MPH in town a warning alarm went off followed by display saying stop engine safely now. As I attempted to slow down for a red light the truck totally died in the intersection. The vehicle would not start and was totally incapacitated in the middle of the road at 8:30 pm in the rain with my wife and 3 children in the vehicle. Myself and 2 other guys were able to push it out of the intersection through traffic. I had to call for a wrecker and have it towed. The Ford dealer fixed it the next morning and advised it was a faulty egt exhaust sensor. Apparently this is common and they advised there is 4 of those sensors on the truck. It appears to be a huge safety issue to stall the truck while it is moving with no way to get it to a safe place to stop.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Ford F-250 SD a good car?
Based on 122 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2011 F-250 SD rates average: 22% fewer complaints than a typical year of the F-250 SD at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Ford F-250 SD?
The steering — 47 complaints, 39% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the suspension (46) and engine & cooling (25).
How many recalls does the 2011 Ford F-250 SD have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Ford F-250 SD. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F-250 SD?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2014 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2016. See the full Ford F-250 SD years comparison.
At what mileage do 2011 Ford F-250 SD problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 35,000 miles; 65% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.