2011 Ford Expedition

Showing the 2011 Expedition EL-XLT. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 5.4 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
13–16 mpgcombined; city 11–14, highway 16–20; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$20,300–$24,990U.S. average; Ohio $18,140–$22,330 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedlowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
71filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2011 Expedition. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 71 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Expedition. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Power train21101
Engine11000
Structure10001
Seats8001
Unknown or other8001
Electrical system7010
Vehicle speed control7100
Fuel/propulsion system4000
Wheels3000
Engine and engine cooling2000
Latches/locks/linkages2000
Visibility/wiper2000
6 more parts
Air bags1100
Electronic stability control (ESC)1000
Exterior lighting1000
Service brakes1000
Steering1000
Visibility1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006299
  2. 2007215
  3. 2008146
  4. 200928
  5. 201058
  6. 201171
  7. 2012118
  8. 201392
  9. 201472
  10. 2015164
  11. 2016217
  12. 2017357
  13. 2018380
  14. 2019517
  15. 2020425
  16. 2021237
  17. 2022116
  18. 202365
  19. 202477
  20. 202537
  21. 202610

Every Expedition year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Expedition. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 41 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2011 Expedition, the latest on Feb 24, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (13), electrical system (10), power train (10), engine and engine cooling (6), structure (6).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Recall query RQ17010
Unexpected Transmission Downshift · covers 2 makes
Power trainDec 25, 2017Closed Oct 22, 2019
NHTSA's summary names recall 16V248000, 19V075000
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2011 Expedition.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2011 Ford Expeditions for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Expedition
Rear-Wheel Drive
5.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline or E8514 / 20 / 16
Expedition
4-Wheel Drive
5.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline or E8513 / 18 / 15
Expedition Limo.
Rear-Wheel Drive
5.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline or E8511 / 16 / 13

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data