Table 1 shows one common steering related problems of the 2021 Ford F-150.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Steering problems |
Was driving and all the sudden the steering went out. Was really hard to steer and almost crashed. Very dangerous. Came up "steering assist fault".
At a stop light vehicle will turn off and nothing electrical will work. It will have to be restarted, while turning at low speeds the electronic steering completely stops working and almost hit another car. All electrical power failure until modules reset then will start. This all happens randomly so it could happen at any point and cause serious injury. Ford can't seem to find a repair for the intermittent issue.
Truck has 74,000 miles when I notice truck having issues prior to this my front wheels wearing unevenly truck eletric steering light up im being told has to be replaced from what im reading up on this shouldnt be having this type of issue and some models in 2021 did have issue.
September 2025, we were on a vacation when we noticed that the column gear shifter on our 2021 Ford f150 seemed a bit "loose" when shifting. No issues getting into the appropriate gear…but a weird loose feeling. My husband pulled off the leather boot on the column (not sure if this is what it is called, I believe it keeps dust out) and found the problem. Two missing bolts! earlier that year, I had found a bolt in the floor of the truck, and, unable to find where it came from (or did it even belong to the truck? I did not know) I put it in a ziploc bag, into the glove box. Turns out that bolt fit. So we had one bolt, and the shifting felt okay. But we still needed one bolt, so I did some internet sleuthing. I found the part (w790628s900) and ordered it, and we installed it when we got home. We theorize that the “ziploc bolt” came loose early in 2025, and the second bolt (never found) came loose on our trip. We know that up until this problem, we had never, ever, removed that dust cover, so we were not responsible for the two bolts coming loose. Components: that "failed" would be the two bolts on the column gear shifter (under the dust cover) safety: we were very worried that without the two bolts, we would not be able to shift at some point! confirmed: no, because we were camping on vacation, and did the troubleshooting ourselves inspected: we will ask our mechanic when we next take the truck in warning: no, just that we noticed that the column gear shifter was "loose" (again, likely that this was after the 2nd bolt came out).
Power steering rack failure, while driving though a puddle less than 6 inches deep. Cost over $1900 to replace. My wife's 2014 Volkswagen passat is able to drive though deeper water. . On 8/13 I was unable to move over on a road that had some puddles due to oncoming traffic. After driving though the small puddle my power steering went out. Took to the mechanic and he said its a known issue due to how Ford did not seal their wiring well under the trucks and it hangs lower allowing the water to seep into the cables and cause the powering steering rack to fail. . This is unacceptable its a truck a puddle should not cause a truck to loose power steering.
Random times my clockspring makes clicking sounds and the car iant able to be driven. Getting many messages about issues with the vehicle.
Getting multiple messages like service advancetrac, pre collision assistance not available, and steering assist fault. Vehicle makes noice randomly when turning but not every time.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that three months after purchasing the vehicle, while her husband was driving, the vehicle was driving roughly, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The contact was unaware whether any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cylinders #1, #3, #4, and #6. The spark plugs were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, a month after the repair, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wheel bearing and axle had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
When driving across railroad tracks, or at lower speeds primarily when turning sharp or into parking spaces, a power steering assist fault light flashes and steering becomes difficult unless truck is moving. The only remedy that I know is to put the truck in park, turn off, and restart. This corrects the issue until the criteria mentioned above is met and then it happens again, and again. . . . . . The vehicle has been taken to a repair shop where they recommended a new rack and pinion. They mentioned this is a very common issue with Ford vehicles. This vehicle has 34k miles and has been well maintained. I'm very disappointed that it consistently has this issue and worry about the loss of steering at a higher rate of speed.
Trucks steering randomly goes out mainly when backing up or right after backing up and start to move forward.
The steering had a failure while driving on the highway. Driving straight, not making any turns, and a steering error came across the dash for the failure. Complete loss of steering functions. This happened at 58000 miles. The problem is now occuring daily and is thought to be the power steering module. All steering control is lost.
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.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and hesitated while turning to the left or the right. The steering assist, traction control, and collision assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired and needed to be towed back to the local dealer for further investigation. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v407000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to complete a turn, the steering wheel seized, with the "steering assist fault detected" message displayed. The vehicle was restarted and returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21v407000 (steering), but the VIN was not included. 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 19,000.
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.
Steering assist, faults and adaptive steering not available lights up. Power steering goes away. Program update with dealer did not solve the problem. Looks like it’s a faulty gear.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle and the electric steering fault message was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where is was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 21v407000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 38,008.
The steering wheel would not turn. Similar to when cars did not have power steering but much worse. Had the truck taken to the Ford dealership. They reprogrammed the computer and said that fixed the problem . Started to leave and didn’t even get off the lot when it basically’froze up’ again. They kept the vehicle for a second time. When they called and said it was fixed, I was able to drive it but discovered to will ‘freeze up’ when trying to make a sharp turn(almost all the way to the stop), either to the right or left.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while making left and right turns on several occasions, the steering wheel vibrated with the "steering assist fault - service required" message displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed, and a software update was performed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred on the way to the residence. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was then diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the same dealer for the third time and it was diagnosed that the pscm steering control module and steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,888.
The Ford is a Ford f150 2021 with only 47,000 miles on it. It is a well taken care of truck with all routine maintenance done. The power control steering module has completely gone out in my truck. Unfortunately this problem began to occur with my children in the car when a warning light came on and then the power steering completely went out making it extremely difficult to turn and steer the car. Thankfully this occurred on a backroad and not the highway. Needless to say, it is not safe to drive my car and is now sitting in the shop. Ford has confirmed the problem but is unable to get a new pscm because it is back ordered meaning many people are facing the same issue. We are told they are unsure if the part will become available in a month or 6 months which means we are out a car for that long. With the part being on such a back order, I would hope this would be a red flag to not only Ford but to the NHTSA that this is a common problem and error on a faulty part which is extremely dangerous.
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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph when a loud grinding noise was emitting from underneath the vehicle. The contact had lost power causing the vehicle to drift to the right. The vehicle ended up hitting a trash can nearby before it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. A police report was not filed. The contact had to place the vehicle in 4-wheel drive mode to be able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was not able to diagnose the vehicle at the time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 86,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Continues issues with the electrical and hybrid system. This is the second time of complete vehicle failure, although the power steering went out completely and the automatic parking brake briefly activated before the truck completely failed / quit running.
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.
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the failure occurred while it was a cold on a low temperature morning. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned on and warmed up and eventually the steering wheel became operable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced due to water intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The power steering assist lamp went on and the vehicle steering became very hard to steer while driving my wife was driving and could have gotten in a bad accident the Ford motor company has made recalls for this same issue in other vehicles and I believe that my vehicle should be in that recall as well I have a 2021 f150 XLT 2. 7 liter engine and I want my vehicle to be inspected and repaired because the for motor company has put faulty parts in this vehicle as well it is only 2 years old I shouldnt be having this issue. Please launch an investigation to have this vehicle added to the list that needs a recall on power steering assist fault power steering.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle would make a clicking sound. The contact stated that the steering assist fault warning displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage 84,000.
Power steering fault, lose power steering , alway at low speed, under full wheel turning.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm and difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The power steering fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 21v407000 (steering). The contact was then advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall and advised to call the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Power steering stopped working. Codes are dtc-u3000:49, u3000:61, b121b:01.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the "electrical default, service engine soon and engine coolant overheating" messages were displayed. Also, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine had overheated, and steam was coming from under the hood. The vehicle began to lose power and the power steering malfunctioned. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,000.
In April 2023, while driving to work, at least a dozen error messages were displayed on the instrument cluster. When I arrived at work and was driving at a slower speed, I noticed some irregular feedback in the steering wheel and quickly realized the power steering was intermittently disabling itself. The truck had just rolled over 30k miles at this point and was well within the manufacturer's warranty period. I took the truck to the dealer for repair and got the truck back within a few days and was told it was repaired. The very next morning while driving to work again, the same problem ensued again with a dozen error messages and the power steering intermittently disabling itself. I took the truck bad to the dealer, contacted Ford customer care, and they got an engineering team to help work the problem. The service advisor also told me there were 3 other vehicles at their dealer with the same problem. After more than 30 days of being at the dealer for repair, the truck was returned to me again. Everything seemed to be fine for a couple months and then it returned again with many error messages and power steering failures. On Monday this week I started to pull out in traffic and the power steering disabled and caused me to cross the 2-lane road into oncoming traffic.
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 control, and started to produce smoke & fire under the hood. We immediately stopped and got out unharmed. Fire was dripping out of the bottom of the truck and smoke/fire under the hood. We were lucky. Firetrucks came but were unable to do anything. The truck's wheels completely seized up - the tow truck had to skid it onto the flatbed. Repaired at simmons-rockwell Ford, hallstead, PA. Complete new front differential and damaged parts in proximity to the failure (pinion gear, axle shaft, etc). 12. 16. 2023 – again hearing a sound in front left side while driving; bring to the shop for inspection. Shop confirms front differential is failing again, per torrington Ford, (where all maintenance and repairs were completed, except for the first failed front differential in PA). Advise not to drive for safety reasons. 52,922 miles. With both front differential failures - no warning lights or messages. Symptoms - a slight rubbing/grinding noise in the front left side of vehicle; “rough” sound while driving. 1st front differential – inspected at 6,000 miles, 16,000 miles, and 24,000 miles. Failed at 34,369 miles. 2nd front differential – inspected at 52,922 miles, failing differential, advised not to drive. Dec 2023 – buy-back claim filed with Ford motor CO. Denied - "outside of the 18-month warranty period for va lemon law". Clearly, safety is not a guiding tenet for Ford motor CO.
I bought the vehicle new. The first time I took it to get an oil change, the mechanic came out to show me that the bell housing bolts were falling out. We tightened them up. I was having issues with the smell of breaks burning so I took it to a Ford dealership but told them to check the bolts as well. I told them it would shake some when approaching 80 mph. They didn't find anything wrong. And nothing was said about the shaking. At 51k miles, my family was on vacation. My nephew noticed the front passenger wheel was about to blow out when we had stopped. Putting on the spare I started recording the change because the lug nuts were extremely loose. The tires have never been rotated or changed these issues were from the factory. I reached out to Ford, they told me to take it back to a shop which I have scheduled. It's pointless, this truck is a death trap and Ford doesn't seem to care at all about the level of safety this was for me and my family.
When blue cruise is activated and the vehicle takes a semi sharp turn it does not straighten back out and attempts to continue into oncoming traffic. Does not seem to happen on the interstate, I believe its because the curves are not as sharp. This is a frequent issue that happens continuously. Brought it to the attention of the dealer when I had the recall performed. They recommended a tech ride with me to reproduce it, but it was not offered at time of pickup. You can completely take over steering, but there is resistance. I just want this to be reported and hopefully a resolution comes up at some point.
I was pulling into my spot at work and the power steering assist light and pre collision assist lights cam on along with advance trac. At this point I had no power steering. Luckily I was basically stopped. I cycled the key on and off twice and it finally went back to normal. Then later that same day I started the truck up and proceeded to leave from work and the seatbelt restraint light, abs system, and tpms stopped working and I was notified of the faults via Ford pass. The lights then went away right after. I have a service apt 9/29 at the dealer to see what is going on but I’d like to get this documented in case it becomes a recurring issue. Thanks.