2021 Ford F-150 Complaint Log

There is a hard jerk that happens when moving from a dead stop and then it will shift into gear. Its been reproduced by a maintenance shop. They stated it was the transmission. It has not been inspected by a manufacturer. There was no warning lamps which causes a high risk of safety, including a possibility of accident while on the road.

When the truck is put into reverse especially when cold the transmission does not initially go into gear. When it finally does the vehicle lurches rearward violently and I have to slam on the brakes to not hit anything. The transmission was just "bench" rebuilt under the Ford powertrain warranty supposedly with a CDF drum and valve body replacement along with software updates including adaptive reset and relearn with the appropriate drive cycles however the vehicle still exhibits this condition. I called Ford customer service and filed a complaint with them last month. They told me to bring to another dealer which the vehicle is currently at and has been for a month. They claim that it is normal for this transmission and refuse to fix it. I have video evidence of the truck being put into reverse and the RPM rising before it slams into reverse. I also demonstrated first thing one morning to a technician after a cold soak overnight and he agreed that the vehicle has a delayed engagement in reverse and when it did finally engage it did so violently. The dealer told me to record it and that would be the best evidence and I did along with presenting it to them. After this they changed their mind and said actually a technician has to witness which I also did. Again they said this wasn't good enough. A field engineer supposedly looked at the vehicle and they wont tell me what he said. Very odd. I feel like im getting the run around and have an unsafe vehicle that Ford refuses and it trying to worm their way out of safetly fixing! In the description below is when the truck can be seen in the video recreating the problem however it has done this countless times.

My truck started to over heat due to lost of radiator fluid. The cause was the transmission coolant line chafing against front drive shaft.

Please see Ford TSB SSM50543. In my case the driver's door has been freezing in the lock position. Door will not unlock and cannot be opened either from the inside or outside. The key in the outside will not unlock the door and pulling up on the knob inside cannot be done (even tried with pliers). The electric door locks for the frozen door do nothing. This made it possible for me to only get out of or into the driver's seat by climbing in/out from the passenger's side. I also tried to not lock the driver's door, and this just made the door frozen in the unlock position. Very inconvenient, but I am especially concerned if I had to exit or enter the driver's side in an emergency. Ford knows about this as can be seem from the issued TSB. This had happened more than once and goes away when the inside of the truck gets really warm, or the weather gets above sufficiently over freezing.

I was in the parking lot of my local grocery store, and the truck all of a sudden gave me an indicator that there is a "park brake fault-service now." I was stranded and had to have someone pick me up for this, This is after hours so I cannot call the Ford dealership until the following day. I now see Ford issued a recall for this under 23S35. However, when I look up my VIN under Ford, that did not show, and thus, we did not address this earlier when that should have happened. That is a problem and needs to be addressed with Ford ASAP. What if I was driving and this happened??!!

Is say front camera is damaged

I own a 2021 Ford F-150 that is part of recall 25S75 for the low‑pressure fuel pump. Ford announced this recall years ago, but there is still no fix or parts available. This is a safety issue because the fuel pump can fail and cause the truck to stall or not start. I rely on this vehicle, and it’s frustrating that there is still no remedy after all this time. Many other F-150 owners are reporting the same problem and also cannot get their trucks repaired. I am asking NHTSA to push Ford to release the repair and make parts available.

Both Quad LED side strips (vertical daytime running lights) on my 2021 Ford F‑150 have burnt out. The failure occurred gradually, with the left strip failing first around [insert approximate date] and the right strip failing shortly after. These LED strips are a safety feature, and their failure reduces visibility while driving. I have attached a photo of the burnt DRL, a photo of a working DRL for reference, and a screenshot of my Ford Live Chat showing my ticket number and that I am tracking this issue publicly in a Facebook group of other owners experiencing the same failure. This appears to be a recurring defect affecting multiple trucks in the 2021–2023 F‑150 range. I am filing this complaint to document a safety defect that may require investigation.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the hub bolt had fractured. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

Loss of power pulling onto a major highway -- luckily I was able to pull off onto a side street but had I not I could have been rear ended. Vehicle has been at Athens Ford since January 15th -- Ford states on their recall notification that parts are readily available -- they are not. I have been waiting for 2 months to get my vehicle back and have no resolution in sight. Dealer states they have no ETA on parts availability; Ford Customer Service also does not have an update.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and leaving a parking lot, there was an abnormally loud banging sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle, before the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear axle bolts had fractured. The contact was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train); and the VIN was included; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was parked on the shoulder of the roadway. The following day, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with rear axle failure. The contact was informed that the rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were on back order. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 137,192.

Due to waiting for a recall fix for ( NHTSA #-25V455 ) My F150 Raptor has been having all listed failing issues, Miss fire at idle or when fuel is hot, issue starting on a handful of times. I have been driving it after 4 -5k miles of this and I was alerted today after replacing ( All Injectors, Coils, Spark Plugs, ETC ) That I may need a new engine. This could have caused a crash and is now costing me an entire engine due to no fix or parts availability. Thousands of Dollars for a new engine out of my pocket due to fuel starvation. Cylinder 4 Miss fire's at idle. They appeared once I returned home from the mountains back to texas with hot weather.

When temperatures are below freezing, the passenger side door remains locked, and cannot be unlocked with the key fob or the unlock buttons on either the driver side or passenger side door. The manual door lock cannot be pulled out, as it sinks down inside the door, and there is no external locking/unlocking mechanism to use the key to manually unlock the passenger side door. Dealer said there was nothing wrong with it, but brought it into the shop to look at it, where the temperature is higher than freezing.

Please see attachment: To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally request NHTSA’s review and further action regarding Ford Motor Company’s handling of Safety Recall 23V‑896 and 23S-65, affecting my 2021 Ford F‑150 (F1 3509). I appreciate NHTSA’s oversight of this recall; however, based on my direct experience and the technical information available, I believe the current remedy strategy leaves owners exposed to ongoing safety risks. My vehicle experienced fractured rear axle hub bolts, a failure mode that Ford’s defect report attributes to micro‑movement and backlash between the axle shaft splines and the wheel‑end hub splines. This movement leads to loss of clamp load, fretting wear, and ultimately bolt fatigue and fracture. The fractured bolts on my truck confirm that this failure chain had already progressed to an advanced stage. Ford performed what they describe as an interim repair, which consisted of replacing the fractured bolts and inspecting the hub and axle components. However, Ford has acknowledged that the final remedy is not yet available, and that the interim repair does not address the underlying design issue that allows spline movement and progressive wear. As a result, the same conditions that caused the initial failure may reoccur. From a mechanical and safety standpoint, replacing bolts without correcting the root cause — the loss of clamp load and resulting spline backlash — does not eliminate the defect. It merely resets the system temporarily. Ford’s own documentation confirms that the interim repair uses the same bolt design, with the same torque and elongation characteristics, and therefore the same long‑term vulnerability.

10 Speed transmission jumps at highway speeds, clunks when stopping, and slips when cold. I've had it to the dealer and they replaced the torque converter, and I've had it back several more times. The garage refuses to allow another appointment since Ford engineers say the slipping and jumping is within specs and since no lights or warnings are noted I just have to live with it. The mechanics can feel it but are helpless to do anything about it. Ford refuses to fix it and it is a well-known problem.

Transmission downshifted while driving at speed causing wheels to lock up.

Driver side LED DRL light has failed. This is a common problem occuring with many people with 2021+ year models of the Ford F-150. Truck is barely outside of warranty and with 51,000 miles and should not have a failing LED DRL. Additionally, Ford has made this part unrepairable and according to the dealership closest to me will require a full headlight assembly replacement.

My son is a mechanic and realized there was an issue. He found this issue: The engine loss compression on number four-cylinder severe power loss inspected; found damage to top of number four piston, most likely due to valve failure. He took to Ford dealership in Tuscaloosa, AL. They agreed with the assessment. Ford Motor Co.would not repair, stating this issue was not caused by recall.

My vehicle loses power when turning into traffic, when stopping and taking off. There have been SEVERAL close calls when pulling into traffic as my vehicle will stall out and won't accelerate causing traffic to have to swerve to miss hitting me. I am going to end up getting hit one of these days. Also, it is very dangerous on snow and ice. When trying to accelerate, it cuts out losing power. Keeping my foot on the accelerator, it will eventually get power amd take off unexpectedly and fast. This causes a hazardous issue as well. I have tried to get Ford to buy back the truck or trade for a different one but they refuse to do anything. This is my only transportation and I have to drive it. I am going to end up seriously injured or dying if my truck stalls out in traffic. I can't travel with my grandson because I would be risking his safety. Please make Ford Company replace or buy back my truck and full loan pay off.

The daytime running lights only partially work and are very dim, blue, or completely off.

This report is being made within 1 1/2 hours after the incident. It has not been inspected by a dealer, service center, nor any other agency. I was stopped at a local fast food restaurant waiting to pay for my purchase. The 2021 Ford F-150 was in drive with my foot on the brake. No warning lights or other indication were present. Without warning, the engine revved to a high rpm and the truck shot forward about 15-20 feet before I could react by putting my full weight on the brake pedal. The engine quickly slowed. I then put the vehicle in reverse and backed up to the window and placed the transmission in park. The truck is equipped with adaptive cruise control but it was not active at the time of the incident. Had there been another vehicle in front of me, I would have rear-ended them. I work from home and use the truck a couple of times per week and it is available for inspection most days.

I had my 2021 F-150 into the local ford dealership not even a year ago due to a shifting issue. I was on the interstate and passing a car in the passing lane on the interstate and my truck shifted so hard I thought I lost something and then kinds lost power for a minute. The dealership ran a test on it, and it failed. It was some type of valve that was bad I guess ford and GM are having the issue. Now I am starting to have the same issue on now it is down around 4th to 3rd or 3rd to 2nd gear, but when it shifts once in a while it is a very hard shift and it scares the hell out of you. Now once in a while when I go to shift from drive to park or drive to reverse the shifter will not move. Like I said I am getting ready to get ahold of the dealership again and get it in to be looked at I am just waiting for winter to be over.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormally loud booming sound. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle. Upon inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact noticed that the driveshaft was fractured and damaged. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the heat shield had rubbed on the driveshaft, and the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V986000(Power Train, Structure); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V509000 (Parking Brake), but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failed to respond upon shifting to reverse(R) or drive(D). Additionally, the parking brake had seized. The messages "Parking Brake Fault" and " Parking Brake Service Required" were displayed. The dealer was contacted but refused to repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V509000(Parking Brake). The contact stated that the dealer had previously inspected the vehicle but no repair had been performed under the recall. The dealer instructed the contact to check the wiring harness. The contact followed the instructions and found that a wire had rubbed through and was fractured. The contact spliced the wire together with a wiring butt connector as a temporary repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact received a letter indicating that parts for the recall repair were available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that parts were on back order. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Rearview camera stop displaying image for 24 hours.

Day running lights vertical ones seem to be going out on the F150 and recently mine too.

1. Electrical System Failure: While traveling on highway, alternator failed suddenly within 2 minutes of “service soon” and “check electrical system” warnings. Caused complete loss of motive power, electronic parking brake locked up while driving, loss of power steering, all gauges failed, transmission shifted into park while in motion. Battery was damaged (“fried”). Engine continued running for several minutes after stop without ability to shut off ignition. Incident documented by Ohio State Highway Patrol. 2. Seat Belt Issue: Driver-side seat belt interlock sticks in unlocked position, creating risk of failure to lock during a crash. 3. Electronic Parking Brake: Intermittently engages while vehicle is moving downhill to a stop (mostly at or below 5 mph). Parking brake light flashes three times then turns solid while in motion. Ford TSB indicates vehicle not eligible for related recall. 4. Infotainment System: Intermittently freezes, requiring forced reboot. Preceded by audio glitches, laggy dash computerized systems. 5. Transmission: Severe clunk and physical jolt when decelerating from ~30 mph to 8 mph. Also occurs during acceleration, particularly upshifts from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th gears, more pronounced when turning. 6. 4WD System: Intermittently fails to disengage from 4WD HI to 2WD HI. “Failure to shift” message appears several minutes after command to return to 2WD HI. 7. Front Differential/Axle: Previously, faulty front differential housing fractured due to system malfunction, causing intermittent loss of front driveline engagement in 4WD LO (250-500ms delay then re-engagement under throttle). Ford replaced front differential and axle under warranty after vehicle out of service for 2.5 months. Abbreviations: 4WD HI = 4-Wheel Drive High Range; 2WD HI = 2-Wheel Drive High Range; TSB = Technical Service Bulletin.

Recall #25S75 (Low pressure fuel pump failure) was issued in July of 2025 and has still not been resolved as of this date (12/23/25). I am filing a formal complaint with NHTSA about Ford Motor Company not resolving this issue in a timely manner. This appears to be a pattern with FMC regarding recalls, two previous of which took almost a year to remedy.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Daytime Driving Lights Are disabled due to an electrical defect.

My 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat has a door latch defect that occurs in freezing or near-freezing temperatures. The failure occurs without warning in cold conditions, causing the door latch to freeze and not fully engage. When this happens, the door is able to freely swing open while the vehicle is in motion and also freely open when the vehicle is parked. This creates a serious safety hazard, including the risk of occupant ejection and loss of vehicle control. The vehicle has no aftermarket modifications and is maintained per manufacturer recommendations. The issue is temperature-dependent and has occurred on multiple occasions. Ford has issued recalls for similar door latch freezing defects on multiple other Ford vehicles and model years. Despite this, my vehicle has not been included, even though it exhibits the same failure mode. This defect presents a significant safety risk and should be investigated for potential recall inclusion.

The hybrid battery in a 2021 Ford F-150 Powerboost failed due to apparent shorting. (P/N ML3Z-10B690-D) Pictures were taken by service department at the Ford dealership, and can be provided upon request. There is concern that the system could catch fire and spread under the vehicle. There have been other similarly identified failures reported in online communities, but cannot verify the information. Failed component is currently with dealership service department, therefore, cannot verify if there has been further inspection of part. Prior to failure, there were no indicators of problems or faults. As the failed part is not easily accessible and there is no routine maintenance, there is no way to validate when the part failed.

Took my 2021 Ford F 150 in for recall 23s65 and oil change and was told vehicle was unsafe to drive and even though parts according to ford where available the dealer said they were on back order with no ETA of when they would be available and they would put me in a rental for the time being. I’ve been told 3 times now by Ford parts are available but yet the dealership keeps saying they’re still on back order.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted hard with unintended upshifts. The contact stated that the vehicle was able shift out of a higher gear occasionally upon switching to manual mode. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Ford has refused, on multiple occasions and at multiple dealerships, to address the NHTSA Recall Number 23V896 (MFG. Recall Number 23S65) issue with the Wheel End Hub Bolt in the rear axle. Well, this weekend, the bolt on the passenger side rear axle broke off, rendering the vehicle undriveable. I brought it in to the Lithia Ford Dealership (who's online information said they were open) to get it addressed. They were closed, no one was there, and they won't even give me a loaner vehicle while the F-150 is inoperable. This recall has been out for two years now and they still won't deal with it. Absolute neglect of their obligations and an unsafe practice!

The rear windshield spontaneously exploded while the vehicle was stationary. I confirmed this was not caused by any impact or debris. There have been several other reports on various websites of this issue, across multiple models including the F150 and Bronco, and potentially being caused by faulty wiring of the rear defroster. Ford has not issued a recall and will not accept responsibility for this defect.

The truck stalled while driving on back road in the middle of the night we thought it was pout of gas but we still had 100 miles 2nd night same thing but had 250 miles left 3rd day while hearting up in the morning it began to sputter and then quit will not restart now Ford does not seemed concerned nor will offer any help

Guessing the date below Truck shuts off when trying to take off and go. This has happened a few times and even pulling onto a main highway. This is a very dangerous situation, and I have contacted Ford and they have stated there is no fix for this. I have contacted Carvana which is where I recently purchased the truck within the past month and they state the recall was listed and there's nothing they can do it's up to Ford to fix a recall. They will not take the truck back and now we are stuck paying for over $30,000 on this truck and it keeps stalling on us. We cannot afford for it to just sit in our yard and pay for it if it's not running. We need help to get this fixed. We have no idea what's causing it but assuming it could have everything to do with the open recall or the battery. That battery is over $4000 if we have to replace it. Another thing we noticed is the LED lights on the headlights went out randomly and haven't come back on. Another very expensive fix for a truck we just purchased less than a month ago. We took the truck in the shop within the first few days of owning it due to a few issues we felt were not right like pulling to one side, feeling as if it were going over rutted areas on the roadways with a bump and jerk to it as well like it was a transmission issue. The insurance company with Carvana choose the place to take it to and we dropped it off and the next day they called and stated nothing was found to be wrong with it and Carvana knew we were out of return in time to replace it when they had us drop it off it was like another day.

LEFT HEADLIGHT BURNT OUT

The driver's side Daylight Running Light (DRL) is out and there is not a bulb to repair this, it's a $2000+ repair per the dealership and it's 4 years old with 80,000 miles on it. This needs to be a recall. These lights should last way more than 4 years.

My truck thinks my parking brake is engaged so it constantly flashes the “brake” light, constantly chimes while driving and says parking break malfunction, talk to dealer. I brought it to Webber family Ford in Detroit lakes MN 56501 and they checked it over including the safety recall location for recall 23S35. They said it was not the recall location and I would have to bring it in Monday for another appointment. When I got it home that day I crawled under to check that location. I see visible green which usually means corrosion and the protection around the harness seems warm. I also noticed the "recall" was not completed how it is shown on fords recall paperwork using the zip tie as a wear location so it isn't the harness itself. That is not how mine is. I have photos to prove that. I spoke with corporate ford today and they said they can't re open the recall because it has been closed and it is past its 12 month warranty being it was done in October of 2023 before my ownership and at a different dealer. I don't believe it is fair to me the current owner to pay for the cost of a rerepair of a recall that was done incorrectly.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V896000 (POWER TRAIN), 25V455000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE), and 25V729000 (VISIBILITY). The dealer was contacted. However, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the phone call was dropped five times. The contact had not experienced a failure.

I have received multiple letter from Ford indicating the solution for this recall 23S65 is available at dealership. However, every ford dealership I have reached out to says there are no parts available to fix the recall. My ford dealership has placed the order on November 2025 but they have no ETA when the parts will become available.

My vehicle has been with the Ford dealership for about a month and the mechanic and the engineers still have not found why my vehicle is giving a service wrench warning. When driving the vehicle will flash red warning lights which makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. I have paid for an Auxiliary Transmission Pump and battery. This did not fix my truck. The dealership said they replaced the PCM, but it didn’t fix the truck. I seen that these trucks had recalls.

Fuel pump went out while driving causing the vehicle to sputtering and so running while driving up a hill. Couldn't restart and stick in park that prevented it from being moved out of roadway. Vehicle had only 64000 miles but wasn't included in recent 2025 recall that covered other vehicles with the dave fuel pump issue.

Transmission downshift to first gear on the highway

My 2021 Ford F-150 has been inoperable for over three months due to a safety recall involving the rear axle hub. The dealer and manufacturer have been unable to remedy the recall within a reasonable time due to parts unavailability, and no repair timeline has been provided. I requested a loaner vehicle from the dealer and was told there were six to seven customers ahead of me. The dealer reported to Ford corporate that I declined a loaner vehicle, which is not accurate. No loaner was made available to me, and I was forced to obtain alternate transportation through my employer. The dealer initially required payment to inspect my vehicle for the recall and held the truck for approximately one week before stating the issue was not recall related. When I asked how this determination was made, I was told additional payment was required to disassemble the rear hub for further inspection. After escalating the issue and expressing concern about the handling of the recall diagnosis, the dealership director contacted me and later confirmed that the issue was, in fact, related to the recall. However, I was told it would take a couple of months to repair due to parts backorder. At this point, my vehicle has been unusable for over three months with no repair timeline, no manufacturer provided loaner or rental vehicle, and no resolution. I am continuing to make payments and maintain insurance on a vehicle I cannot safely operate due to an unresolved safety recall. This appears to be an unreasonable delay in remedying a safety defect.

My Ford F-150 is subject to Manufacturer Recall Number23S65/NHTSA Recall Number23V896. I asked for the repair multiple times, but the dealership repeatedly told me that the parts were on backorder. The hub bolt on my right rear tire cracked and the truck was making a high pitched sound. I took it to the dealer and they said the bolt was cracked and driving it in that condition is dangerous. The truck is not safe to drive, but the parts remain on backorder indefinitely.