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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE | Failure to remedy engine valve recall. Was informed that a remedy would be ready by Q1 of 2025. That deadline has passed and nobody at Ford has any information. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start up. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the vehicle had not been driven for several days. The contact stated that the battery had been replaced several times; however, the failure returned shortly after the battery replacement. Upon investigation, the contact suspected that the failure may be caused by a parasitic drain inside the vehicle, which would run the battery even while the vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that recently,y there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine relay. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Had ac on on the way out of town when the air from the vents smelled like mold and mildew and the smell is not healthy for any human beings and the ac drain has no elbow on it witch is the cause of water getting back into the system the smell made me sick and called ford and was told I would have to pay for it since it was pass 3 years truck has 29k miles on it should not be making that smell at so little miles it is a health Hazzard | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | WHEELS | On Saturday (April 19th), I looked at my rear tire, passenger side, and noticed a bolt inside my hub. After seeing that I parked my vehicle. This morning I called Al Packer Ford East, told them I had this issue and know its a recall, the lady told me I needed to drive my vehicle in for them to be serviced, when I told her it was unsafe, she well that not my problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Still no remedy from Ford regarding NHTSA Recall Number 23V896. They had stated the resolution would be in place by Q1 2025, and I have still not received any documentation with the fix. They already pushed it back once and looks like they are doing it again as I have waited nearly 2.5 years for a fix since the first bolt broke. This vehicle is not dependable and has no resale value due to this recall not being resolved. Thank you | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after attaching a trailer to the vehicle, the brakes were inoperable while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the trailer not connected message was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V193000 (Electrical System) and 25V132000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,425. | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,425 |
| Apr 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Due to a defective door (cheap plastic pin), the check engine light comes on with associated warnings on the fuel door not being shut. It is shut but not locked due to the defective pin (I believe plastic) that interacts with the warning light and warning message. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Sometimes goes into neutral when accelerating. In a couple seconds, will then find a gear. From a dead stop, will sometimes shift to tenth gear, making it seem like the transmission is in neutral. Hard shift from 1st to 3rd. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I pulled out of my driveway and the truck rapidly downshifted from 5th to second gear upon coming to a stop sign and threw my wife and I up in our seats and me into the steering wheel. . Then upon accelerating to come into the highway the truck RPM went way up but the truck didn’t accelerate and then it slammed into gear and took off. This happened on multiple occasions before I could get it into service. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield wiper motor failure during a heavy rain driving down [XXX] at night with children in truck on the way to a soccer tournament in Tulsa Oklahoma. Had new wiper motor replaced at dealership due to failure. No symptoms or warning prior to the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the tailgate opened unexpectedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the tailgate unintendedly opened and closed independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with a fault in the tailgate switch. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 72,000 |
| Apr 2025 | SUSPENSION | The leaf spring on the rear driver side is not lined up and off centered. Other trucks of this model year have also been reported on numerous forums. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and could only be driven at an excessively slow speed. The traction control, brakes, and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Kings Auto, where it was diagnosed that the ABS pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V533000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 45,000 |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Once transmission gets to operating temperature it shifts funny between 8 9 &10, and when downshifting 7,6 and 5. It's really jerky when downshifting and goes into a kind of neutral on the highway when shifting into 10th | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Multiple times now while driving at low speed and usually making a right hand turn, the throttle becomes totally unresponsible to driver input. Pressing the throttle does not increase ICE rpm and does not accelerate the vehicle. This has occured while entering active roadways and has created a dangerous situation multiple times. Someone will be injured with these vehicles, it is only a matter of time if this failure to accelerate issue is not recalled and fixed. The date below is only the last incident. I now have over 120K miles and it has done this well over 50 times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | When driving the truck slips out of gear, most often when coasting at low speed, on at least 3 occasions while waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so I can make left turn across oncoming traffic.I ease forward and when coast is clear i hit the accelerator and the engine Revs up but truck does not accelerate until after I let off of the gas pedal and truck RPM go down and I press on gas again. The truck jerks and then the Transmission Grabs. Also when I'm driving and I Switch from normal mode to sport mode the truck says this option is not available and a little wrench icon shows up on the dash, this happened the first week I when purchased the truck, I took it back to the dealership I bought it from and they solved it. But now this(wrench warning) issue has started occur again and I get a message in my fordpass app. If piwertrain malfunction see dealer. When I take it to a Ford dealer they say that they can't reproduce the problem so in their eyes there is no issue, and a week later light comes back on, so I park the truck and make apartment with dealership but the next morning when I get in and start the truck the issue is gone the service power train light goes away. It happens at least 2 times a month lately, and I can't afford to pay the Ford Dealers $400.00 again just to tell me that they can't recreate the issue. Also my recall 23v896 has yet to be addressed and I think this(Powertrain)issue has something to do with it, im hearing the sound that the recall warns about. But all I get from Ford Dealers is a $400.00 BILL. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN,WHEELS | Ford refuses / is unable to resolve Safety Recall 23S65/23V896. Ford has stated solution will be available by 1st quarter 2025. It is now April 12, 2025 and Ford reports no solution date. Recall 23S65/23V896 is a Safety recall. Ford's description: Safety Risk This may initially result in a clicking noise as the bolt becomes loose and a rattle noise from the wheel cap if the bolt breaks. Vehicles with damaged axle hub splines may roll in park without the parking brake applied, or, alternatively, lose drive power, both of which may increase the risk of injury or a crash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | power steering assist randomly stops working. has been going on for a while. The fault clears by stopping, shutting off the truck and restarting it. last time it occurred 05APR2025, it would not clear. Had to drive to dealer without power assist. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The plastic clips that hold the keypad on the driver’s side door to the truck have failed allowing access to the trucks wiring and potentially gaining entry to the truck. Concerned with break-ins | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | PARKING BRAKE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle turned off on several occasions, the message "Parking Brake Fault" was displayed. The contact stated that each time the vehicle was started, the message was no longer displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that on another occasion, the windshield wipers stopped midway and kicked back. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 80,000 |
| Apr 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield wipers stop working after 1 wipe | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | POWER TRAIN | the bolt on the recall has completely broke. we need a safe vehicle to drive. as stated in recall if continue to drive with broken part it may result in a crash. Manufacturer Recall Number23S65 NHTSA Recall Number23V896 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 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 unavailable. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |