2011 Ford F-250 SD

No clear pattern

16.4% of complaints about the 2011 Ford F-250 SD arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2011 vehicle, but with only 183 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is steering (46 complaints), typically at 2.4 yr or about 33,000 miles.

Complaints: 183
Median age at failure: 3.3 yr
Median mileage: 35,000 n=169
Crash / fire / tow: 7.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

20E090000 2020-12-10

Steering

Icon Vehicle Dynamics, LLC (Icon) is recalling all 05-UP FSD 2.5 Centerline Stabilizer Kits with part number 65050. The kits were sold as an accessory for certain 2005-2021 Ford F-250 4X4 and F-350 4X4 pickup trucks. The foam ring inside the stabilizer "through shaft" may block the piston ports, possibly causing the steering to lock up.

If the steering locks, it can increase the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Suspension 7,000 mi 1 mo in service

FRONT / FRAME VIBRATION AND BOUNCING AFTER HITTING A HOLE OR AT CERTAIN SPEEDS THAT SEEM TO BE PRODUCING FRAME VIBRATION DUE TO A HARMONIC FREQUENCY GENERATED BY THE TIRES AND ROAD SPEEDS EXAGGERATING AN ENGINEERING DEFECT IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. *TR

Suspension 26,925 mi 1.0 yr in service

THESE TRUCKS SHAKE VIOLENTLY IN THE FRONT END WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER EVEN THE SMALLEST OF BUMPS IN THE ROAD. FORD HAS FAILED TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBLE AND CORRECTIVE MATTERS TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE GET KILLED. PLEASE SEE FORDFORUM.ORG TO SEE THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. *TR

Suspension mileage not reported 6 mo in service

MY 2011 FORD F250 DIESEL 4X4 CREW CAB 6.5' BED HAS EXPERIENCED UNEXPLAINABLE SUSPENSION VIBRATIONS AND WOBBLES OVER THE COURSE OF ITS, NOW, 13.5K MILE LIFE. THE TRUCK, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THE WHEELS AND TIRES WERE BALANCE, BOUNCES AT 45-70 MPH AND BOUNCES AT A VERY DANGEROUS LEVEL AT HIGHER SPEEDS WHEN HITTING A BUMP OR UNEVEN PAVEMENT. THE PROBLEM IS ALSO WORSENED AT THE ONSET OF THE SPEED HEADING INTO A CORNER WHERE THE WHEEL IS TURNED. IT FEELS LIKE THE WHEELS GO OUT OF SYNC OR OUT OF SHAPE AND BOUNCE FORCING ME TO DECELERATE AND ON A FEW OCCASIONS, STOP ALTOGETHER. *TR

Steering 9,800 mi 10 mo in service

FORD F 250 DEATH WOBBLE- HIT A BUMP AT SPEED ABOVE 30 MPH AND THE STEEERING WHEEL BEGINS AN UNCONTRILLABLE WOBBLE. IN FACT THE WHOLE TRUCK SHAKES VIOLENTLY. THE TRUCK HAS ACTUALLY JUMP SIDEWAYS INTO THE ON COMMING LANE. *TT PRREVOIUSLY REPORTS IN NHTSA FOR PREVIOUS YEARS FOR THIS VEHICLE (NHTSA TSB # 10028404 ) AND EA 08-007. THIS IS A STOCK TRUCK WITH NO MODIFICATIONS WITH FACTORY INSTALLED WHEELS AND TIRES AT PROPER PRESSURE AND ONLY 9800 MILES. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE WOBBLE

Other F-250 SD model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2011 Ford F-250 SD

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other F-250 SD model years

How to read this