2021 Ford F-150 Problems

2021 Ford F-150 problems owners report most

2021 Ford F-150 problems are documented in public: owners have filed 1,287 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2021 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the powertrain clearly first, at 442 of the 1,287 complaints, close to a third of everything filed.

A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 34 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.

Against the 2020 car, this model year has drawn 132 per cent more complaints (1,287 against 554). Both years are led by the powertrain, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2021 car. A rise is worth more attention than a fall here, because a newer car has had fewer years on the road to accumulate reports.

Of those complaints, 18 describe a crash and 7 describe a fire. Filers reported 13 injuries. One complaint reports a death.

In owners own words

These are complaints filed about the powertrain, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.

VEH: 2021 F150 FX4 SUPERCREW, 3.5L, MAX TRAILER TOW PKG COMPONENT FAILURE: Rear Passenger Axle Retainer Bolt (on Rear Axle Half-Shaft and Hub Assembly) On 11/03/2023, while having oil change at Simmons Rockwell Ford I was advised that they had located a snapped Axle Retaining bolt on rear passenger axle. I was advised that the axle to hub splines were also found to be damaged & loose. I was informed by service manager that he DID NOT RECOMMEND DRIVING VEHICLE DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS. There is currently a Ford Customer Satisfaction Program #[XXX] in effect for some 2021-2022 F150 equipped w

I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2021 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly slammed into the next gear, i had never felt that before, it happens when it shifts from 2nd gear to 3rd, and someone’s after i have already been driving at highway speeds for a while it will rev up as if it’s slipping or missing a gear. This occurred while driving on a main highway, and also happens right when i leave my driveway, creating a potentially dangerous situation because the truck did not respon

I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2021 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving, the transmission would unexpectedly hesitate before engaging the selected gear and then shift harshly with a noticeable bang. On multiple occasions, the engine RPM would flare before the transmission engaged, resulting in delayed or inconsistent acceleration. The transmission has also exhibited harsh shifts, delayed engagement, and unpredictable gear changes. These events occurred during normal driving, including accelerating from a stop, m

Component/system affected: Power train / automatic transmission. Description of safety issue: The transmission has recurring harsh and erratic shifting, most noticeable on the first drive of the day. Symptoms include slipping/flaring, delayed or failed upshifts, sudden harsh gear engagement, unexpected large gear changes, loss of power, and occasional operation as if stuck in 4th gear/limp mode. The issue has become severe enough that I have had to manually intervene and pull over. Specific safety incident: On or about June 24th, I was leaving my apartment complex and turning left onto a bu

While operating the vehicle, I shifted into park, using the console shifter. With no warning, the vehicle malfunctioned. The console shifter indicator light started blinking next to the "P" and it would not let me shift back into gear. I turned off the vehicle and tried to restart it in the hopes that it would clear the error. The vehicle engine would not start, and told me to shift the vehicle into park. I was unable to shift the gear into park or any gear. A tow truck driver came and we were able to force the vehicle into neutral for towing, but the vehicle's parking brake engaged and w

3.6.2021 - Ford F150 purchased at Battlefield Ford (Ourisman Ford), Manassus VA / registered in CT 7.27.21 – inspected by Torrington Ford, Torrington CT for rubbing sound front left side, nothing found / 6,325 miles 2.10.22 – inspected for same issue / nothing found / 16,000 miles 7.27.22 – inspected for same issue / nothing found / 24,000 miles 12.24.2022 – “Catastrophic failure” of front differential / 34,369 miles. On Christmas Eve 2022 myself, husband and son were driving to family in NY when the truck very quickly started to make a severe grinding sound, became unable to steer, loss of co

Every component, by complaint count

The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.

How other model years compare

The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2018 Ford F-150 has drawn the most complaints and the 2020 Ford F-150 the fewest.

What to check on the transmission and driveline

Powertrain reports usually describe a shift that arrives late, lands hard, or hunts between gears, often worse when the car is cold or towing. Some describe a shudder at a steady cruise rather than a bang between gears.

Buying a used 2021 F-150

Drive it from cold. A transmission fault that hides once warm is the most common thing a short test drive misses. Take it to highway speed, let it settle into top gear, then slow and accelerate again to make it downshift under load.

If you already own one

Get the fluid condition checked before anything else, and ask for the transmission control software level at the same time. Several of these complaints were answered by the manufacturer with a reflash rather than a rebuild, which costs a fraction as much.

• Test drive from cold, not after the seller has warmed it up.
• Ask whether a transmission software update exists for the VIN.
• Check the fluid condition and when it was last changed.
• Get any rebuild quote itemised into parts, fluid and labour.