Complaint volume
910 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
910 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ford F-150, grouped by component category.
910 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 203 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 45,841 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
27 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ford F-150 complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 201
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 75
VISIBILITY 64
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 52
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 52
VISIBILITY/WIPER 41
ENGINE 33
STEERING 24
SERVICE BRAKES 19
BACK OVER PREVENTION 18
910 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS | Drove it out to CA from Texas. Purchased for Planet Ford who told me the truck was k to drive and no axel problem. Drove it out to CA from Texas when we moved in late April - after that went to Santa Barbara and dashboard controls went dead. Speedometer and may other controls stopped working. Truck felt sluggish. Took it into Tuttle Click Ford Lincoln in Irvine and they said they real axel was about to fall off and took the truck away. They've had it for a month and said they may have it for another 2-4 week or longer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1: HEADLIGHT : vertical sealed beam went out. 2: yes it sure ready for inspection. 3: reduced lighting in the front driver side at night. 4 : yes, was brought to the dealership. was told the whole headlight needs to be replaced in order to fix the issue. 5: only warning was the day before it was dim. the next day it was completely out. last week of May 2025. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH on the freeway, the navigation screen turned blank, and the speedometer decreased to zero. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear end of the vehicle was detaching. The dealer determined that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was then taken to unknown local dealer, where it was determined that the rear axle was in good condition. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied the contact's buyback request. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 32,000 |
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking or ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the sound became louder. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that a connecting rod had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not informed the manufacturer of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the recall only covered 2.7L and 3.0L Nano EcoBoost engines. The contact stated that the engine size of his was a 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 99,000 |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power, leaving the contact stuck in the middle of the roadway. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 127,000 |
| Jul 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The passenger side daytime running light vertical led strip in the passenger side headlight assembly has quit working as of 7/11/2025. I noticed that there seemed to be a reduction in the lighting on the passenger side of my vehicle that night. When I checked my vehicle lighting, I noticed that the above mentioned part of the headlight assembly was not working. This seems to be an integral part of the headlight assembly and I cannot find any replaceable bulb or lighting strip. After searching online, this seems to be a common problem with this series of trucks. The only remedy seems to be replacement of the entire headlight assembly vs. simply replacing a bulb or led strip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| 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 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000(Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting to reverse(R), the rearview camera image was black. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was distorted while reversing recently. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| Jul 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was turning left from a side street onto a divided highway and stopped in the middle to wait for an opening in traffic. When one came I hit the gas and nothing happened. Pressed it again, to the floor and nothing happened. I then put the truck into reverse to back out of the way of traffic because the truck rolled forward a bit when I attempted to accelerate. I then waited for a very large opening and attempted to accelerate again. Pushed the pedal and again nothing. I then pressed it to the floor and held it there. The truck very slowly began to accelerate and then after about 20 seconds accelerated like normal. The truck seemed normal the rest of the way home. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | When I drive at highway speeds and going to slow down this transmission will sometimes shift very hard on down shift from 9th to 8th gear and it jolts the truck. Also sometimes when I am in town going from 4th to 5th gear it is delayed in 4th making the RPM go high then shifting hard into 5th. Getting out of 1st going into 2nd is sometimes clunky and sometimes it is not. All these issues are intermittent. I got this truck a few weeks ago. 35,500 miles on it. Got it because I needed something reliable for family needs and work. Im not rich either so of course I had to finance it 72 months. I feel like I bought myself a big headache and I drive this thing around like I am walking on egg shells and I feel like I ended up with something not reliable because of this 10R80 transmission. I baby it the best I can. I wont take it to the dealership because I know they wont do anything. Thank you for all that you guys do. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his father was driving 70 MPH, the driver's side rear brakes locked up. The “Parking Brake Service Now” message was displayed. The driver was able to continue driving. The driver heard an abnormal beeping sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the wiring harness had failed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | STEERING | When starting the vehicle a message displayed stating "Power Steering Fault Service Required". I was able to shut off the vehicle and restart with no issue. Currently, restarting the vehicle no longer has any affect and the power steering is out completely. An appointment has been scheduled with Ford in two weeks. Unfortunately, this is my only means of transportation. I was at work when the power steering went out completely and had to drive home. On my drive home, the traction control tripped jerking the wheel and it felt like the whole vehicle jumped. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | STRUCTURE | The dash pad in front of steering wheel is coming apart and peeling back. It appears to a defect in installation, material use or wasn't glued down properly | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Rear view camera and the 360 camera does not work at all on my 2021 Ford F-150 It says return to dealership for repair | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | My complaint is in regards to my truck not being repaired in a timely manner. My truck is over 4 years old and I still don’t have recall 23V896 completed. I called my dealer on June 10 to as per the recall letter to confirm they had the parts in stock. They said they were. I made an appointment for June 18 to get the recall completed. The service advisor then told me they had to send photos of my door sticker to Ford so they could order the parts that they told me 9 days prior that they had. They said it would take a couple of days. Here we are 20 more days later and no parts to perform the recall. This is totally Rediculous and unacceptable. My truck is into its 5th year. Does the NHTSA not have authority to enforce these recalls? I also got a letter about my rear camera freezing (25V315). It says there is no fix available, unbelievable! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, while depressing the brake pedal and attempting to make a right turn, the power train or 4WD warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission was stuck in sixth gear; the contact was unsure of the high gear. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly shifted into a lower gear, skipped gears, and the vehicle surged forward. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the CDF cylinder had failed, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure and transferred the contact to NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 107,000 |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | A few months ago, my 2021 F150 started sending me repeating dashboard messages that there's a front camera fault and service is requested followed up with a message about how the pre-collision assist is not available. It's bad enough that this is a problem on a late model vehicle, but my real gripe is that the message repeats over and over non-stop, with a repeating chime to go along with it. It is a terrible distraction for a feature that I've never needed in a vehicle. I asked the Ford dealership about this issue, they said that it would be several thousand dollars to replace and calibrate. So now I'm stuck with a truck that chimes and flashes messages, over and over, every time I drive it. I can provide video evidence of the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Numerous times my vehicle has suddenly came to a stop pit itself in park and turned off the engine while I was driving at a speed of 25 mph. Several times while cruise control was active my vehicle increased in speed and pressing the break didn't deactivate my cruise control I had to manually turn it off. My crash detection has gone off several times when there was nothing around my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -The electrical system malfunctioned causing a complete system failure and shutdown of the vehicle. The vehicle came to a sudden stop in an intersection and could not be moved. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -The vehicle instantly died going through an intersection causing the steering column to lock up, the parking brake to engage and transmission to remain in drive while the vehicle was stopped without any power. This was a sudden and abrupt stop where all control over the vehicle was lost, and I came to an immediate stop in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle would not restart. I could not disengage the parking brake to move the vehicle out of the intersection due to the complete loss of power. The transmission would not shift into Neutral due to the complete loss of power. The hazard lights would not turn on due to the complete loss of power. If this happened on the interstate, I would have very likely been in a serious life threatening /taking accident. This is as big of a near miss that I can think of, and only because it happened on a neighborhood street when no other vehicles were approaching from in front or behind. This is a major safety issue. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -The vehicle is currently at the dealer for a diagnostic review. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -in process at the ford dealership Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -the vehicle had been running for 30-45 minutes prior to this happening without any warning lights / symptoms. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). In addition, the contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the screen turned off, or a black or blue screen was displayed. The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, preventing the driver from safely operating the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 53,000 |
| Jul 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Black screen on main vehicle screen. Ford has a Customer Satisfaction Program (12M02) that extended the warranty coverage for the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM), a key component of the SYNC system in certain Ford vehicles. This program covers the APIM for 5 years from the warranty start date, regardless of mileage, which is a longer coverage than the vehicle's original warranty provisions for this part. The coverage automatically transfers to subsequent owners. However, Ford is saying that I do not qualify and cannot define the qualification criteria. If some affected vehicles are eligible for repair under this CSP, then all affected vehicles should be. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact was the caller's son. The contact's mother stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact's mother stated that the failure had obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact stated that her son had been involved in a low-speed, parking lot accident. Unknown if any warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that her son suffered from minor back pain. The contact's son has been going to a chiropractor. A police report was filed. Unknown if the vehicle was taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. Unknown if the failure persisted. The local dealer was not 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 failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing into their driveway, the back over prevention display rear view camera was frozen, no warning lights were illuminated, and in the process, the contact crashed into the corner of their house with the rear passenger tail light. The image displayed 20 feet away in distance, however the house was closer than the image display. Property damage was not reported. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was going less than 5 MPH at the time of the crash. The vehicle did not need to be towed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was inspected however, it was not diagnosed, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number : 25V315000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) as probable cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE | My engine failed. They recalled this engine but mine wasn't recalled. My engine did the same thing as the recalled engine did. Excessive oil consumption. When I first took it to Ford dealership it was under 60K. I have had problems with my truck since Easter have taken it to them a few times. The problem was never fixed and now Ford will only cover 4,950. The engine is 12k. I feel since the engine in my truck was a recall on alot of engines. Mine should be covered under recall or warranty up to 60,000 miles. I have nothing but problems since I bought the truck. I started taking the truck to have it looked at since March to other places they couldn't help me so they told me to take it to the dealership. They keep fixing something on the truck but never the part that was broken. They told me it would be ok to drive it and so now I am over the mileage for my warranty. I don't think I should have to pay to replace my engine when it only has 61K miles on it. so they told me to drive it and then it started knocking and the engine failed. The service manger told me it was a failed bearing. certanily no lack of maintenance so why am I stuck paying for this when it wasn't my fault. they found some damge on one of the rod bearings on the bottom. 2021 Ford F-150 V8 that engine had a recall on it. Not sure why mine wasn't recalled. Can you please help me. My truck is at Larry H Miller Ford in Draper Utah. It has been there for 5 weeks this time. Still no engine in it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlight DRL went out causing less visibility: Transmission is always losing slamming into gears and searching. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |