2011 Ford F-250
The verdict on the 2011 Ford F-250
WhipWorthy sticker
2011 Ford F-250
- Loading owner complaints
- Recalls2On file
- Loading crash ratings
- Loading fuel economy
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA, the federal car safety agency, not adjusted for how many were sold.
Also an app: add it to your home screen, free, no app store. Get the app
Is it worth the price?
We do not price cars.
These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
One costly part on this year has enough owner reports to show the miles where it most often fails. The odometer check under the verdict tells whether your miles have reached them.
- Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Look up the same year, trim and miles on two car listing sites you shop on, and compare. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the dealer offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
Open any section
What owners complain about
370 complaints; the part named most is the suspension
When problems show up
Engine: the middle complaint around 70,000 miles
Recalls
2 recalls on file
Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight.
Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in.
Every year of the F-250
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Pick a year to open it. The newest model years are not judged yet. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so we compare every year at the same age, not by these totals.
Before you buy this one
5 checks, with a close look at the suspension
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
More with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro, from $15
Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2011 Ford F-250, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
Comes with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Write your offer
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2011 Ford F-250, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
Comes with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Will it outlast the loan?
The month of your loan when each part reaches its usual failure miles
True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
What it really costs to own
What the 2011 Ford F-250 costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Comes with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
My Garage: save this car and see its recalls at a glance.
Car reportPro: every fact on this car in one page to print or save, with room for your notes.
Car report, a Pro featureThe pass is paid once for 30 days. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days. Its price is a launch price.
Check this exact car
The verdict is about the model year. These checks are about the one in front of you. Most are free or a few dollars.
Copy it, then paste it into each check. Nothing is sent until you open one.
Official checks on this VIN
Open recallsFree
NHTSA
Check recalls at NHTSAnhtsa.gov (opens in a new tab)Safety recalls on this VIN that are not fixed yet, from the last 15 years.
A recall already fixed does not show.
Theft and total lossFree
NICB, the insurance crime bureau
Open VINCheck at NICBnicb.org (opens in a new tab)Whether an insurer reported it stolen and not found, or wrote it off as a total loss.
Only insurer records. Five checks a day.
Title brandsA few dollars
NMVTIS, the federal title system
See the approved sellersvehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov (opens in a new tab)Salvage, flood, junk and rebuilt brands from any state, and the last miles on the title.
No repairs, service or recalls. Sold by approved sellers listed on the site.
Title statusVaries by state
The state motor vehicle office
Find your state’s officeusa.gov (opens in a new tab)Whether the title is branded in that state and, where the state offers it, whether a lender still has a claim on the car (a lien), so it cannot be sold free and clear.
It will not name the owner. Each state asks its own way, and some only by mail. Ask to see the seller’s title too.
What a paid report adds
A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:
- Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
- Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
- How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
- Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.
It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.
Red flags in a history
Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.
Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.
Before you pay
Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.