2011 Ford F-150 power train problems

“When driving on the interstate with the normal flow of traffic at 55mph, the vehicle abruptly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear causing the the vehicle to lock up an nearly caused an accident. This was followed by a a mechanic warning light and the speedometer to lock out and no longer work. Once pulled over, the vehicle was powered down. When the vehicle was turned back on operation returned in a limp state.”

“What is happening is a KNOWN issue that effects Ford F-150's from 2011-2013 Models with the 6-Speed transmissions. The issue is with the Molded Lead Frames. The fault causes hard downshifts out of now where. I was driving on a highway, at highway speeds, when the truck downshifted to 1st Gear. Incredibly unsafe, jolted the truck to an immediately forced reduced speed, luckily no one was behind me. Ford is aware of this, but is not correcting affected vehicles. My vehicle is a 2011 F-150, I tried to have it fixed while it was still under the "extended coverage" but Ford denied it due to it only being a "possible malfunction" at the time. Roughly 2 years later, the malfunction & defect is now on full force, rendering the truck unsafe to drive due to sudden down shifts at random intervals, multiple times a day while driving, yet now it is "passed the coverage." That is unacceptable, and is safety issue for the many of these generation models of F-150's that are still out driving.”

“The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The RPM fluctuated, and the transmission shifted roughly. The gear shifter indicator was randomly illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that after a while, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact used a scanner and retrieved DTC: P0705 (Transmission Range Sensor Circuit Malfunction (PRNDL Input)" was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred, and the contact parked the vehicle and the vehicle was no longer driven due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.”

“The transmission unexpectedly downshift's to 1st gear, instrument gauges go dark, wheels have locked up, motor then lacks power. The issues have been going on for a while and recently had to stop on the side of the road 5 times in the 20 mile trip home from work. 2011 F-150 is unsafe to drive. Called Ford Customer Service on July 2, 2025. Case Number [XXX]. Was informed a prior Recall 16S19 addressing these issues was performed in 2016. A second recall 19S07 was issued for the same reasons. The service rep said this vin number is not listed; apparently it does not cover this vehicle. Ford customer service rep suggested filing a complaint with NHTSA.gov as this has been an ongoing safety issue. Unless NHTSA is made aware of an issue can it be addressed or in this case readdressed because the repairs by Ford has failed as a long term solution.”

“The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the transmission was shifting rough. The contact stated that that there was a grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a mobile mechanic visited residence to diagnose the vehicle and the contact was informed that the transmission was slipping out of gear and downshifting unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be repaired and an unknown recall repair needed to be performed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear end occasionally locked up while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 228,000.”

“As i was driving around 45 mph this Sunday, my 2011 f150 suddenly shifted hard down to first gear. i thought someone hit me from behind at first, i don't think i have ever been so scared in a vehicle in my life! this truck has been so good to my family otherwise. Anyway, i started researching online and found there was a recall for this but has ended. I called Ford thinking maybe they would stand behind a problem that was a known ford issue. whether its been 10 years or 20. this is my 7th f150. i have dealt with all there issues in the past. From blown out sparkplugs in the 4.6 to the leaking intake manifold to cam phasers. you may ask why i keep buying them, but its because i love ford. Is there anything you can do for me? I'm scared i could kill myself or someone. This is a dangerous problem and i don't see how this recall could have ever had a deadline on it. Thank you for you time, [XXX]”