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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started and the gear shifter was shifted into drive(D), the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact also stated that no failure codes displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been persistent since the vehicle was purchased in October 2021. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10 |
| Apr 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Normal brakes fail. Only the emergency brake functions and locks up one of the rear tires. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | My family and I were driving to a local coffee shop when my dash went off with a low brake fluid warning, I pull over to check and it was bone dry. That pretty odd so I immediately start looking for leaks and discovered the passenger side rear brake line where it connects to the rubber hose and goes to the caliper has a MAJOR leak. I videoed the leak so show how bad it was and where it was leaking from. The rubber hose itself if fine the leak is coming from the metal part of the hose but unfortunately the way to fix the issue is by replacing the hose assembly and according to ford that part is a wearable item, so my extended warranty I paid for it does not cover it. I find it absurd and extremely dangerous that a three-year-old truck has a major brake fluid leak like that and Ford has been no help at all. I’ve spent all day on the phone with them arguing and they don’t seem to care. This is a major safety issue from a clearly faulty part from the manufacturer, and I don’t feel as though I should be responsible with the bill. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The vehicle will occasionally freeze on the infotainment splash screen. This prevents the rear view camera from activating when the vehicle is in reverse. Furthermore, the vehicle has already been serviced for a prior issue where the infotainment system (and rear view camera video) would momentarily freeze (1-4 seconds) when the camera was activated | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | 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 contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the hub nut was fractured. The dealer replaced the hub nut and the rear axle and informed the contact that the repair was temporary. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | High-speed highway travel this morning. Switched lanes and pressed accelerator; engine cut out. Seemed to be in no gear for 6-9 seconds before lurching into power again. Incident was very dangerous and forced a rapid slowing in fast lane affecting traffic behind me. This has happened 4 times in the past 8 months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the brake power booster was emitting a hissing sound when the brake pedal was being depressed. The contact used an excessive amount of pressure to depress the brake pedal. The ABS warning light was illuminated but deactivated independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer confirmed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V533000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 28,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 28,000 |
| Apr 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | My windshield wipers stopped working. It seems the wiper motor still kicks on and I can hear it move, but the wipers don’t move and are stuck. It’s almost as if the wipers are off track or something. Once my vehicle was stopped, I was able to move the wipers back down, but it won’t move after that. I can still hear the motor turning on though. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel and then turned off independently. The instrument panel then failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,000 |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The on board generator auxiliary fails to work because of "ground fault". Complaint to dealer (McDonald Ford, Freeland, MI) who stated has been receiving numerous complaints of this failure but has no remedy nor direction from Ford. This has been a continuous problem for the last few months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STRUCTURE | Tailgate periodically opens on its own | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | OBDii reader which connect to vehicle ECM reads perfectly independently, however when connected to a state emissions inspection machine, machine indicates no vehicle information available and results in failures due to ECM not responsive. Ford says it is a known issue but will not replace ecm unless recall is issued. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,LANE DEPARTURE | Tail lamp assembly both sides, allowing moisture within the lighting assembly potentially resulting in short circuit or fire if water comes in contact with electrical connections. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The recalls have been fixed!! Please update your records!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER,STRUCTURE | F150 is experiencing interior leaking from the windshield and other areas that Ford is unable to identify the cause. This can cause visibility issues and damage to electrical components resulting in a safety issue. The leaking causes the floor mats to be wet, which have also caused my foot to slip off the control petals. This could cause an accident. Ford is not able to identify the source, they were able to reproduce the leaks in the firewall but can't identify the source. Ford doesn't acknowledge this is a major issue and has only offered to caulk and seal in the most common areas. It was in the shop for four days March 25-27 and 22-23 2024. There are no warning issues just went floor mats and visible water on the interior of my windshield which I demonstrate to the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle failed the emissions test due to a gateway error. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gateway module needed to be reprogrammed to the latest software. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 95,000 |
| Mar 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the taillight and signal lights were inoperable. There was water in the lower section of the taillight compartment when it rained or while the vehicle was taken to the car wash. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the taillights and signal lights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 62,000 |
| Feb 2024 | INTERIOR LIGHTING,EQUIPMENT,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the GPS was inoperable. Additionally, the interior lights failed to illuminate as needed. The contact stated that the battery had drained on three occasions. The contact replaced the battery. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the backover prevention camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I stopped the vehicle in the street after turning wide to back in my driveway. The vehicle lunged forward like it was being pushed. It continued forward, up the curb, paused, then was pushed (moved forward) harder up the incline and into a pine tree. Significant Damage was to the front end. At no time did I accelerate. I was not in control of the car. It threw a message about parking assist on the dash. There were children on the street and I am glad it didn’t run into anyone. Yes you have my consent to check the vehicle data. I am going to file with ford as well. Even if car is fixed I’m afraid to drive it. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V842000 (Visibility) 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 had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STRUCTURE | In freezing temps(usually under 25*), the interior door handle freezes and will not engage the door latch. The door will not stay latched until cabin of interior warms up. Running boards get deployed every time the vehicle comes to a stop. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | While driving forward the parking brake system automatically applied itself. Because of this I was nearly involved in a rear end collision. This was completely unexpected and without warning. The vehicle was in for service last week. It is now back in service and they are having trouble diagnosing the parking brake system. My vehicle is currently at the dealer and the dealer is in contact with Ford because the dealer is having trouble diagnosing the parking brake system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlight DRL went out. Common problem with these trucks. Causes a safety concern with visibility. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | With cruise control engaged, the set speed would randomly change up or down changing vehicle speed rapidly. Most dangerous part was some times the speed would set itself from around the speed limit where I set to as much as 20-30 mph above the posted speed limit up to 90 mph. The speed would instantly increase by 5,10,15,20 mph all of a sudden which is not possible to set with the cruise control buttons as they only increase or decrease in one mph increment. If it is some sort of speed limit sign reading system it failed and caused a dangerous situation for me and my family. I have video of multiple instances. This is dangerous and life threatening for the occupants of my vehicle and others on or near the road and could easily lead to loss of control, injury or death. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the rear brakes were engaged, and the brake warning light illuminated. The "ABS Function-Limited" message was displayed. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there was no recall or warranty coverage for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 54,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 54,500 |