2011 Ford F-250 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report a violent front-end shake, often called a "death wobble," that begins after hitting a bump or seam at highway speed and does not stop until the truck is slowed sharply. The second theme is diesel engine issues: stalling or shuddering with warning messages, rough running or hard starting after refueling, and fuel-injection problems. Many reports arrive above 60,000 miles, though the wobble also appears on low-mileage trucks.

1. 1
   Steering

   Front-end shake ("death wobble") at highway speed

   • 128 complaints (52%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (109 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,004 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2011–2025

   Owners describe the front end and steering wheel shaking violently after hitting a bump, pothole, bridge seam or rough pavement, usually at 50-70 mph. The shaking often continues until the truck is slowed to roughly 30-40 mph or stopped. Complaints mention replaced steering dampers, track bars, tie rods, ball joints, shocks, tires and repeated alignments, with the problem returning in some cases; several owners say dealers found nothing wrong or suggested new tires or an alignment. Reported from as low as about 18,000 miles up to 260,000 miles, most commonly in the 50,000-170,000 mile range and at highway speeds.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed over bridge seams and rough patches, and ask for service records on the steering damper, track bar, tie rods and ball joints. A service bulletin describes addressing steering wheel oscillation, so ask whether that work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving 45 MPH on road I drive all the time and all of the sudden the truck started shaking violently and there was no ability to steer at all because of the shaking. I had to slow the truck down to just a few MPH to get the shaking to stop. It was extremely scary and there was absolutely no way to turn the vehicle in any direction if I had needed to.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330106, filed 2020-06, 33,700 miles

   “While towing my 8000lb trailer, I went over some uneven highway pavement and the entire truck started shaking to the point I was no longer able to control where the truck went I had to left off the gas until it coasted to a top. 50 miles later, I entered a suspension bridge over a 500 foot drop with a tractor trailer coming in the opposite direction. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10631619, filed 2014-09, 21,048 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Diesel engine stall, shudder or reduced power

   • 24 complaints (10%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2025

   Owners describe the truck shuddering, losing power or shutting off, sometimes with a "stop safely now" or reduced-power message, and then difficult restarting. Complaints mention exhaust gas temperature sensors, exhaust-related faults and DEF heater or sending unit repairs; in some cases the dealer could not duplicate or diagnose the problem. Reported from around 26,000 to 200,000 miles, with several cases in the 40,000-70,000 mile range while driving at highway or moderate speeds.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the truck has logged exhaust sensor, EGR or emissions-related codes, and request any TSB or software work history. A scan tool check for stored codes and a cold-start and highway test drive are worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Turned onto busy highway, vehicle warning chimed a few times and message center said 'stop safely now vehicle slowed down and then shut off in the middle if an intersection with no prior warning. I had to have my wife exit the vehicle to a safe location and then have the vehicle pushed out of the intersection. I contacted a towing company to have the truck towed to a local Ford shop. They diagnosed it as a failed number 4 egt sensor. Upon further investigation I have found that this is a know problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10790406, filed 2015-11, 180,000 miles

   “Driving the car at 50 miles per hour on a highway, the message pull over safely now came on, within 10 seconds the engine and subsequently steering shut itself down. There was no place to pull over except for a turn out lane. I bought this car to pull my 2 horse trailer and drive on interstate for long road trips. I drive at night since that is easier on my horses. If the engine and steering can shut itself down going at 75 miles per hour on interstate, 10 seconds is not a safe enough time to pull over when carrying a live animal load. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10695249, filed 2015-03, 60,000 miles

Buying note. This model year is known mainly for a highway-speed front-end shake, so a thorough highway test drive and front-end service history matter more than cosmetics. Owners also report diesel engine and fuel-system faults, so ask for emissions, injector and fuel-system repair records before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.