Complaint volume
941 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Ford F-150 Complaints
941 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ford F-150, grouped by component category.
941 Total complaints
13 Crash reports
4 Fire reports
6 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, exterior lighting, visibility. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 13 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 6 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 206 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 46,358 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, exterior lighting, visibility?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Ford F-150?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Ford F-150
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Ford F-150 complaints?
13 Crash
4 Fire
6 Injury
0 Fatality
28 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ford F-150 complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 210
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 80
VISIBILITY 64
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 54
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 53
VISIBILITY/WIPER 42
ENGINE 34
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 24
STEERING 24
SERVICE BRAKES 19
941 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN | 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 unavailable. The contact stated that while in reverse and reversing out of the driveway at 5 MPH, the vehicle detected that a door was being opened and activated the safety feature and shifted the vehicle into park. While the safety feature was activated, the gear shifter was over-shifted, and the gear shifter remained in reverse. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The dealer confirmed there was no recall on the VIN related to the power train. Additionally, parts for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was in the process of being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN for the powertrain. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 62,000 |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Very premature headlight failure that ford refuses to acknowledge or repair under warranty. One headlight is more than $1200. Major safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The DRL has gone out on one of my headlights. The other has started to flicker. This is uncovered by their extended warranty and over $1600 per side to replace. It is becoming common to see many 2021-2023 with LED reflector headlamps with burned out DRL. It is an unserviceable part as well. Only can replace the entire assembly but no warranty will cover it as lighting is exempt as standard wear items. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vertical daytime running lights on the driver’s and passenger’s side failed to operate as needed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the headlight module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense to replace the headlight module because the failure was not covered under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 49,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 49,000 |
| Aug 2025 | STEERING | Getting multiple messages like service advancetrac, pre collision assistance not available, and steering assist fault. Vehicle makes noice randomly when turning but not every time | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Mostly when pulling out of parking lot but entering traffic at slow speeds complete loss of power for 4 to 5 seconds or longer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | We had our truck in SEVERAL times when under warranty for repair because the truck back axle was jumping and jerking at low speeds (30-40). of course our luck, they can't find anything wrong. then it goes out of warranty and the back right axle goes out and it is undriveable. We repair it at an expense of 1400.00 in 2024 and now the other back axle went out and it cost 1200.00. Talking with other Ford owners and mechanics, this is a known issue and Ford isn't doing anything about it. Is there any help we can get in matter, Ford says there isn't. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | Computer screen goes black. Sometimes this happen right when I start the truck, sometimes when put it in reverse and sometimes just while driving down the road. This started shortly after i purchased the truck in Feb 2025 and seems to be getting worse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 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 light was illuminated. In addition, the transmission shuddered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 88,000 |
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On Sunday, [XXX], I was driving on a state highway in my 21 Ford F150 FX4 with my family. 67mph, 73 degrees sunny outside. The front portion of my moonroof/sunroof exploded, shooting glass shards internally all over my truck/passengers and externally into the bed of my truck, and into the boat I was towing. Multiple people had glass shards embedded in their skin. There were no other vehicles nearby, and there was no prior damage to the sunroof/moonroof of the vehicle. The truck gave no warning or signs of malfunction prior to the event. The sunroof was closed, and all windows in the vehicle were closed. On Monday morning ([XXX]), I took my truck to the local Ford service center, and they inspected it, shocked at the results. They filed a claim that Ford denied because the windows are not covered by my extended warranty. They wanted to charge me $ 4,000 for the repair/replacement of the glass and track. I have been on the phone with Ford Protection and Ford Customer Service (Aug 6th, 2025), trying to get something resolved, and Ford continues to deny responsibility. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 2 | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving (on the highway or in town) get and error message "Intelligent Cruse Control Speed Sign Recognition Not Available" This results in the cruse control not adjusting for change in speed. Such as getting off a highway onto a side road, the Cruse Control continues at the old speed. It has been happening ever since early July 2025 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The DRL on the passenger side of my truck have already begun to go out, I have noticed a ton of these 14th generation F150's on the road with dead/dying DRL and mine began to die after 4 years and 61k miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was black, and the message "Return Vehicle to Dealer for Camera Malfunction" was displayed on the infotainment screen. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100,000 |
| Aug 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was black. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 5-8 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart, and the contact drove to the residence. The contact also stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle sputtered. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,899. | Crash: No Fire: No | 32,899 |
| Aug 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was black intermittently. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention). The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,700. | Crash: No Fire: No | 42,700 |
| Jul 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recalls repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | About 1 hour into a commute, I attempted to connect to a call while using the Car Play function of the SYNC system. Upon connection, the speakers blasted as loud as they could possibly go, a terrible pulsing static sounds that scared me and the passenger and almost caused us to have an accident. The volume knob was indicating 0 and would not move and I could not lower the volume of the terrible sound. I pulled over and tried to restart the car a few times, but the sound would not stop until I left the car off for about 10 minutes. I've not connected my phone via Bluetooth or Car Play since for fear that the sound may return when I am not expecting it, startle me and cause an accident. Though I am not certain of the cause. After about 10 minutes of the sound, I also noticed that the speakers were getting hot and I could smell the electronics or wiring overheating. I have a video of the sound but the dealer could not replicate it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN,WHEELS | I own a 2021 Ford F-150 [Lariat PowerBoost] affected by recall 23S65 (rear axle bolt). The bolts have severed. Ford has advised that my truck is unsafe to drive until repaired. When I brought the vehicle in, I was told parts were available. I drove the car home and later discovered from paperwork that the repair was not completed only the parts had been ordered. I was told not to take the Truck on my upcoming vacation pulling my camper. I opened a case with Ford Customer Care and was originally told parts would arrive before my scheduled use, but now I am told they will not be available for weeks. This creates a serious safety and hardship issue. My family is scheduled to leave for a trip this Thursday that requires this vehicle to transport my family and tow our camper. Ford has not provided a rental or loaner vehicle capable of replacing my truck, despite advising it is unsafe to drive. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate Ford’s failure to provide a timely remedy or interim solution for a safety-critical recall that removes my vehicle from safe use. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was fluid leaking from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gasket on the rear differential had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed that the driver’s and passenger’s side rear axle shaft assemblies had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 69,000 |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 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, and it was 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 stated that there was a scraping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer confirmed that the failure was related to the recall; however, parts were on back order. The failure mileage was 51,000. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 51,000 |
| Jul 2025 | STEERING | When driving across railroad tracks, or at lower speeds primarily when turning sharp or into parking spaces, a power steering assist fault light flashes and steering becomes difficult unless truck is moving. The only remedy that I know is to put the truck in park, turn off, and restart. This corrects the issue until the criteria mentioned above is met and then it happens again, and again...... The vehicle has been taken to a repair shop where they recommended a new rack and pinion. They mentioned this is a very common issue with ford vehicles. This vehicle has 34k miles and has been well maintained. I'm very disappointed that it consistently has this issue and worry about the loss of steering at a higher rate of speed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and ascending a hill, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who was unable to diagnose the vehicle and the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle experienced a similar failure, and the vehicle was taken to another dealer. The dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 26,000 |
| Jul 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | AC quits working while on the road. Air does not come out of the vents no matter how high the fan setting is. This is dangerous because it also applies to the defrost vents and becomes difficult to see out of the front windshield. Ford has issued a TSB (22-2089) so they are aware of the issue but no recall yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Complaint Regarding Wiper Motor Recall – 2021 Ford F-150 VIN [XXX] I am filing this complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2021 Ford F-150 (VIN [XXX] ). The wipers sometimes stop mid-sweep or malfunction during operation, creating a major hazard during rain and poor visibility. This appears to be related to Ford Recall 22S12, which addresses defective wiper motors on this vehicle model. I contacted a local Ford dealership and asked if this recall had been completed. They could not confirm it. Instead, they told me that the problem might have been caused by an oil change shop replacing the wiper blades — and that I would be responsible for paying $200 for an inspection and up to $400 for repairs, even though the issue appears to be recall-related. Replacing wiper blades is routine maintenance and should not affect the motor’s function. I can find no technical data or public documentation that supports the dealership’s claim that improper blade installation causes a wiper motor to fail or stop mid-cycle. This sounds like an excuse to avoid honoring the recall. I am unsure whether the recall was ever completed on my truck. If it wasn’t, it needs to be done now. If it was, and the motor is still failing, that indicates a faulty or incomplete recall repair. Either way, Ford should not charge me for diagnosing or fixing a known recall-related defect. I am requesting: •Written confirmation of whether Recall 22S12 was completed •Immediate inspection and proper repair if the motor was not replaced •Coverage under recall or warranty if the part remains defective I’m also reporting this to the Better Business Bureau to document what I believe is an unfair attempt to shift responsibility and costs for a known safety issue. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the exhaust baffles were making an abnormal ticking sound while the vehicle was idling. The contact also stated that the A/C outlet vent tab had separated from the vehicle, and the other tabs were loose. Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal squealing sound while driving at various speeds and while idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the serpentine belt and one of the pulleys needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the repairs could not be covered under the powertrain warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 48,000 |