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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The Air Dam on my 2021 F-150 failed seemingly while driving down the interstate highway traveling within posted speed limits. While the Air Dam did not completely separate from the vehicle there are many reports of this occurring. These parts are plastic and metallic in nature at highway speeds can easily become projectiles threatening property harm and bodily harm including death. Ford should resolve issues with the Air Dams before someone is killed due to its improper construction and prone to breaking. To complicate matters Ford refuses to fix this part under its Bumper to Bumper warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,EQUIPMENT | Speaker system/amplifier created a loud sonic boom type noise while I was driving. Made my ears ring and felt very unsafe to drive afterwards. First time this happened, making an appointment with dealership to get it checked out. No error messages came up on the screen or dash. Still do not feel safe driving the vehicle if this can happen again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the Brake warning light illuminated and the "Parking Brake Limited Function - Service Required" message was displayed. The contact immediately drove to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer provided a temporary fix allowing the contact to continue driving the vehicle safely; however, the vehicle had to receive the temporary repair three times. The contact stated that the failure consisted of crunching while shifting gear which occurred after shifting to drive, with a ticking sound progressively becoming worse as the vehicle shifted into the higher gears or in reverse. The manufacturer had provided a loaner vehicle each time the vehicle was taken for temporary repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,210. | Crash: No Fire: No | 42,210 |
| Oct 2024 | 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 unavailable. 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 |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Day time running lights burned out at 32,000 miles. The trucks Visibility during daylight has significantly been altered due to the DRLs malfunctioning so soon in a new vehicle. No warning or alerts. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlight /DRL out - no alerts or messages | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud noise. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift into drive or reverse. The contact exited the vehicle and performed an inspection of the vehicle. The contact stated upon inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact noticed that the driveshaft was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured driveshaft. The contact was informed that the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,560. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 60,560 |
| Oct 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Ford issued NHTSA recall 22V142 for my 2021 F-150 truck. The windshield wiper motors were known to fail. I was told by the Ford customer service representative on CAS-51684816 that Ford has not replaced this part with a new one, and the faulty motors are still being installed. My wiper motor was "replaced" under warranty on 5/18/2023 with 39,836 miles. The "new" motor then failed on 9/24/2024 at 69,600 miles, so the wiper motor only worked for a little over a year and 30,000 miles. The wiper motor also failed during a thunderstorm, and I had to pull over to the side of the road. My truck was then hailed on later while parked waiting for the storm to pass by. The Ford dealership charged me $382.01 for the "replacement" motor. Either the replacement part was defective, or the part was not replaced at all, and it was just listed on the paperwork. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Daytime running lights burn out with no remedy with the exception of replacing entire headlight assembly. Safety is impacted as DRL's are needed in places that my work is conducted. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Passenger Daytime Running Light went out on me. Happened to other 2021-2024 Ford F150’s too. Hazardous to others due to confusion of lighting. No warnings at all. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "Steering Assist Fault - Service Required" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering became functional. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 15 MPH and turning into a parking lot, the failure recurred. The contact was able to pull into a parking space. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the dealer by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with internal steering gear failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V407000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included due to the manufactured date. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 79,000 |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I just got the car 3 weeks ago from the dealer and is leaking and I have this warning ON YOUR VEHICLE, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE FOR THE INTAKE VALVE STEM TO FRACTURE WHILE DRIVING. Please some help. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Front Camera Fault causing Adaptive Cruise Control not to work therefore forfeiting any added measure of safety at highway speeds. The issue was investigated and was fixed at the local Ford dealer by installing a new camera, camera control module, and wiring. Warning message came on every time the truck was started and warning light came on saying that adaptive cruise control could. not be engaged | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlight Daytime running lights burn out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The DRL on the 2021 F150 Quad Beam headlights burn out continuously. Ford needs to step up and fix this issue. This issue is a safety matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The daytime running lights started to begin to fail around August of 2023. As of today(10/3/2024) the passenger side has completely failed around the headlight assembly and the driver side has only failed along the vertical strip of the headlight assembly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STEERING | The component that malfunctioned was the steering wheel when traveling in excess of 50MPH. The steering wheel when turning left of center will catch and not return to center on own without the intervention of the driver. It is available for inspection upon request. If the driver does not intervene this can put other vehicles on the road and occupants of the vehicle malfunctioning at potential risk of a crash or serious injury. The problem has not been able to be reproduced by two dealers. Where the current owner has had the issue occur frequently. The component has not been inspected further past the initial complaint to the dealer to the owners knowledge. There are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The issue first appeared in the first few thousand miles of owning the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Since 09/23/2024 my 2021 ford f150 the ABS ,service advance trac and pre-collition assist not available messages are displayed every time i press the brakes, the truck is only 3 years and has 21077 miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Well I will be driving and randomly it will pop up saying issues with pre collision fault and fault with power steering and suddenly loose power steering while driving | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | At 30k I noticed the transmission start shifting hard especially when down shifting. I called the dealer and expressed by concerns when doing my normal oil changes. The dealer said it was normal. Now at 42k the truck skips 2nd gear and when shifting between 3rd and 4th it hits hard. Also an independent mechanic shop said the engine is making a weird winding sound. Sounds like the barring in the turbos are going. Again I tell the dealer and they said it's normal for the 3.5 ecoboost to sound like that. Currently it's at the dealer getting the transmission worked on. I know I will be having engine issues, that sound is not normal. I want it on record that it started happening around 30k. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was slowing to a stop at a stoplight in traffic when the brake pedal dropped to the floor and the truck was no longer slowing. The ABS, Anti collision, and check brake system lights all illuminated. I was able to slow the truck and place in park to stop. Vehicle was taken to dealership where it was found to be in perfect condition according to the mechanic. I have been told that I should have no issue taking the vehicle although nothing has been resolved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN,WHEELS | Wheel end hub bolts. Rear axles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ENGINE | I’ve had multiple “service engine soon” errors appear while driving normal highway conditions. The same code appears on my mobile application as the following… Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power What Is Happening? Illuminates when the system has detected a powertrain or a four-wheel drive fault. What Should I Do? A Powertrain or All Wheel Drive (AWD)/Four Wheel Drive (4WD) fault has been detected, contact your authorized dealer as soon as possible. These codes have been noted on the following dates. 8-25-2024 and 9-6-2024 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Cam Phasers went bad, had to get replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ENGINE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco, F-150, Edge, Explorer, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with either a 2.7L or 3.0L Nano EcoBoost engine. The engine intake valves may break while driving, which can result in engine failure and a loss of drive power. My veh is experiencing this issue FOrd need to release the recall for repairs to be complete. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |