general problems of the 2021 Ford F-150 - part 2

The transmission was slipping in 2nd and 10th gear. This was confirmed by the dealer. A full transmission had to be replaced at 66,000 miles. The vehicle had an excellent maintenance record and well kept. Ford did pay half of the cost but I still ended up spending $6k out of pocket and my vehicle was in the shop for 27 days.

We have taken our F-150 to the dealership multiple times for a clunking issue under the truck, and have been told that it is related to the recall issued. Although, it has never been repaired. We take it in a couple of weeks ago for the exact same issue that has been going on since October of 2024 and suddenly it is a transmission issue. We are told that they can gladly repair the transmission for $10,000 now that they put us off until the extended warranty expired. I think this is happening a lot, as the exact thing happened to my friend's daughter. Also, it appears upon doing a little research that 2021-2024 F-150s and explorers have this issue frequently well before they reach the 100,000 mile mark. Many times before the buyer has even paid off the loan for said automobiles. This surely poses a safety risk, as well because you never know when the vehicle is going to fail. Also, my husband took his truck in telling them that it wouldn't go into gear and the shifter had a problem in February of 2024, it took the truck's shifter literally breaking off in the driveway (thank goodness) and being towed in to the dealership before it was repaired.

When making right turn to get on highway accelerate pedal pressed vehicle wont take of after releasing pedal and pressing again few times thn it takes off. Its been twice already I was gonna get rear ended.

My truck has had both rear axle bolts broken since October of 2025. This is part of the recall 23s65/23v896 for the max tow axles. My dealer ordered parts in October, yet they're still supposidly on national backorder from Ford. New vehicles are coming off the assembly line with these axles every day, and I can find several oem parts websites online selling the fixed axles, yet Ford continues to tell me that I need to wait longer. This is a safety issue since both of my rear axle bolts are broken, so if the axle were to slip out of the splines I could lose all power.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the vehicle was shaking erratically. There were no warning lights illuminated. In addition, the gear shifter independently shifted into neutral. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

Pulling onto [xxx] , with cars coming at me at 55 mph or more, the transmission slammed into gear and caused it to stall. Dealership diagnosed cdf failure and recommended replacement of the transmission. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Ford has released multiple tsbs related to a known design flaw with their 10r80 transmission that causes the transmission to experience hard shifts while moving and often occurs in traffic. The hard shifts can cause the vehicle to stall which creates a very unsafe situation, especially on highways and interstates. The transmission defect has been redesigned in newer vehicles, however, there are thousands if not hundred of thousands of these vehicles on roadways that can break down suddenly causing a major accident. The Ford owners forums have been riddle with concerns about this issue related to the cdf drum in the 10r80 transmission.

4 months after taking vehicle in for recall fixes, both recalls on vehicle have not been remediated due to parts not being available. No eta on availability and get a run around when asking for more info. Hub shaft recall stats that driving the vehicle with a broken hub bolt will wear shafts but no loaner was given so I have no choice but to drive vehicle with a broken bolt. Ford customer service told me its ok to drive the vehicle but never stated if they are replacing the entire rear end or just the parts listed on the recall. . What is dirving the vehicle ruins the splines on the shafts. Are they going to replace those as well?.

We own a 2021 Ford F-150, that is down since the first of September, 2025, due to recall 23s65. We've been in weekly contact with our local dealer since then. They are doing everything possible to get the parts in to repair our truck, but parts are and have been on backorder, with no eta from Ford. We have also been in contact with Ford customer service in dearborn and had an open case with them. They have closed our case because they can't help and told us the local dealer is responsible, then they moved us to recall department now and no longer respond. We feel 4 months is a ridiculous amount of time on Ford's part for these parts to be on and still on backorder. We have no option for help and wondering if you could. It's has been an extremely difficult situation for us to be without our truck for this extended amount of time.

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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the contact noticed an abnormal grinding sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with rear axle failure. The contact was informed that parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact was advised not to drive the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v896000 (power train); however, parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer was contacted several times to schedule an appointment for the recall repair, however the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The transmission shifts hard from 1st to 3rd during the first few minutes of operations. When I make the turn out of my resident each morning, it nearly fishtails due to the fat that the transmission stays in 1st gear until around 2500-3000 rpms, then shifts violently to 3rd gear. The tires actually spin. After a few stop and goes, and the transmission has cycled through the gears several times, it shifts normally. I have taken it to the Ford dealer in royal palm beach, FL. They said that there were no recalls, despite there being several complaints from other truck owners about the same issue. Ford knows that the 10 speed transmission in the f150 has shifting issues.

Fords 10r80 transmission is a known failure point. Why are they not recalling it?????? I bought my vehicle used from a Ford dealership with 36k miles. Quickly realized it was a lemon but nothing I could do. The biggest issue is the transmission. The transmission does not shift properly, it slips, it has major clunking and hard downshifts sometimes pushing through brake pressure, etc. I fought with two separate dealerships to take a look and after months of them trying to convince me it was fine, they tore it apart and it was damaged. Now the "rebuilt" trans is doing the same thing even leaving me in limp mode just now until I turned the vehicle off and back on. You guys need to do something about this please. Ford is not doing anything and its hurting consumers and going to cause an accident if it hasn't already.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v896000 (power train); however, the part required for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the left and right rear axle shaft assemblies had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair and needed to be ordered. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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 that, upon routine maintenance, it was noticed by the local dealer that the axle shaft bolt had fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

My 2021 Ford F-150 5. 0l v8 with the 10-speed automatic transmission has ongoing and severe transmission issues that create a dangerous safety hazard. The vehicle intermittently loses power and feels like it slips completely out of gear while driving, including at highway speeds. This sudden loss of acceleration is unsafe and could easily lead to an accident. The most severe issues occur between 2nd and 4th gear. The truck slams in and out of gear, hesitates, and lurches violently. Shifting often feels like the transmission is “hunting” for the right gear, and hesitation occurs throughout other gear ranges as well. At times, it feels like a new driver learning to operate a manual transmission—jerky, unpredictable, and unsafe. This is not an isolated problem. After researching on multiple owner forums, I found many other 2021 F-150 owners reporting the exact same issues: slipping out of gear, hard shifts between 2nd–4th, hesitation, loss of power, and violent shifting. These widespread complaints strongly suggest a defect in the design or function of this 10-speed transmission. This is not just a drivability issue—it is a critical safety concern. I have lost power while merging and while traveling at highway speeds, leaving me unable to accelerate when needed. In city driving, the hesitation and gear slamming create dangerous situations when crossing intersections or pulling into traffic. Given the number of owners reporting similar problems, I believe this is a systemic defect that requires immediate investigation and action. Ford needs to address this transmission failure before it leads to crashes, injuries, or fatalities.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford f150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and stalled. In addition, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle briefly lost automotive power before slamming into gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that technicians were not available. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v455000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while in reverse and reversing out of the driveway at 5 mph, the vehicle detected that a door was being opened and activated the safety feature and shifted the vehicle into park. While the safety feature was activated, the gear shifter was over-shifted, and the gear shifter remained in reverse. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The dealer confirmed there was no recall on the VIN related to the power train. Additionally, parts for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was in the process of being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall on the VIN for the powertrain. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Last Monday, I was driving [xxx] near jacksonville, FL. While in an outer lane the truck pulled to the right during rain, not like a hydroplaning. I could not regain control and hit a barrier. Airbags deployed. After, I got out saw the rear passenger tire was somehow off. When psa arrive they found it ~200 feet down the road. It had snapped off. Complete break at the axle hub. Given the recall issued on 2023-2025 models I thought I should report this. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle: 2021 Ford F-150 (VIN: [xxx] ). The vehicle has been undrivable due to since Aug 4, 2025 and is currently at a Ford dealer in amarillo, TX. Ford/dealer state it is undrivable due to a recall condition and that parts are not available / no eta for remedy. Component: rear axle nuts and axle shafts, axle shafts are stripped, may cause rollaway or power loss while driving ,according to Ford. The vehicle has been inspected by Ford at tri-state Ford in amarillo, TX where the vehicle has been held since August 4th, 2025. Ford says the axles are under the recall, the recall claims parts are available, but the amarillo Ford (tri-state Ford) has not fixed the vehicle and states they have no idea when they will get the parts. Ford also sent a message several months ago saying they have no ideal when the parts will be available. Request: NHTSA review the recall remedy delay leaving vehicles undriveable for extended periods. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal metallic sound. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the brake pads were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic, where it was determined that the rear axle hub bolt had fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 23v896000 (power train); however, the dealer informed the contact that the recall part was on backorder and would be available in October. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 82,500.

Reference NHTSA safety recall 23v896. On our truck, the right rear axle hub bolt broke the last week of July 2025 (exact date unknown; bolt head caught behind hub cap). I made a an appointment with our local Ford service on August 4. To date (January 6, 2026 or 5 months), the repair has not been completed because the replacement parts are backordered nationwide. Per the recall notice, driving the truck risks further damage and possible injury or crash. Anecdotally (online forums and other resources) and despite the reported backorder, the recalls are being completed in a timely fashion in parts of the country. Some recalls apparently are being completed even on trucks where the bolts have yet not failed. Obviously parts are available because Ford is selling new trucks which presumably are not subject to the recall. In December, we were 14,000+ "in line" for the parts according to Ford service. Apparently we moved up about 1,000 places in one month. At that rate, we think it is unacceptable to not have full use of our truck until 2027, are frustrated to have to continue to pay insurance and licensing costs, and are very disappointed at the prospect of canceling summer plans again.

We had our truck in several times when under warranty for repair because the truck back axle was jumping and jerking at low speeds (30-40). Of course our luck, they can't find anything wrong. Then it goes out of warranty and the back right axle goes out and it is undriveable. We repair it at an expense of 1400. 00 in 2024 and now the other back axle went out and it cost 1200. 00. Talking with other Ford owners and mechanics, this is a known issue and Ford isn't doing anything about it. Is there any help we can get in matter, Ford says there isn't.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v896000 (power train) and 25v455000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a fractured passenger’s side rear bolt. The dealer advised the contact that the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. Most recently, the contact called the dealer and was informed that no appointments were available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was fluid leaking from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gasket on the rear differential had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed that the driver’s and passenger’s side rear axle shaft assemblies had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

Mostly when pulling out of parking lot but entering traffic at slow speeds complete loss of power for 4 to 5 seconds or longer.

I own a 2021 Ford F-150 [lariat powerboost] affected by recall 23s65 (rear axle bolt). The bolts have severed. Ford has advised that my truck is unsafe to drive until repaired. When I brought the vehicle in, I was told parts were available. I drove the car home and later discovered from paperwork that the repair was not completed only the parts had been ordered. I was told not to take the truck on my upcoming vacation pulling my camper. I opened a case with Ford customer care and was originally told parts would arrive before my scheduled use, but now I am told they will not be available for weeks. This creates a serious safety and hardship issue. My family is scheduled to leave for a trip this Thursday that requires this vehicle to transport my family and tow our camper. Ford has not provided a rental or loaner vehicle capable of replacing my truck, despite advising it is unsafe to drive. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate Ford’s failure to provide a timely remedy or interim solution for a safety-critical recall that removes my vehicle from safe use.

Right rear axle bolt sheared off. This was first reported to dealer in mid 2025 and recall repair has not yet been completed. This is Ford recall 23s65, NHTSA recall 23v896.

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 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

When I drive at highway speeds and going to slow down this transmission will sometimes shift very hard on down shift from 9th to 8th gear and it jolts the truck. Also sometimes when I am in town going from 4th to 5th gear it is delayed in 4th making the rpm go high then shifting hard into 5th. Getting out of 1st going into 2nd is sometimes clunky and sometimes it is not. All these issues are intermittent. I got this truck a few weeks ago. 35,500 miles on it. Got it because I needed something reliable for family needs and work. Im not rich either so of course I had to finance it 72 months. I feel like I bought myself a big headache and I drive this thing around like I am walking on egg shells and I feel like I ended up with something not reliable because of this 10r80 transmission. I baby it the best I can. I wont take it to the dealership because I know they wont do anything. Thank you for all that you guys do.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -the electrical system malfunctioned causing a complete system failure and shutdown of the vehicle. The vehicle came to a sudden stop in an intersection and could not be moved. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -the vehicle instantly died going through an intersection causing the steering column to lock up, the parking brake to engage and transmission to remain in drive while the vehicle was stopped without any power. This was a sudden and abrupt stop where all control over the vehicle was lost, and I came to an immediate stop in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle would not restart. I could not disengage the parking brake to move the vehicle out of the intersection due to the complete loss of power. The transmission would not shift into neutral due to the complete loss of power. The hazard lights would not turn on due to the complete loss of power. If this happened on the interstate, I would have very likely been in a serious life threatening /taking accident. This is as big of a near miss that I can think of, and only because it happened on a neighborhood street when no other vehicles were approaching from in front or behind. This is a major safety issue. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -the vehicle is currently at the dealer for a diagnostic review. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -in process at the Ford dealership were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -the vehicle had been running for 30-45 minutes prior to this happening without any warning lights / symptoms.

Recall for rear axel has not been repaired this is now overdue my Ford dealer claims parts have not been provided by Ford corporation.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 21v090000 (visibility), 23v896000 (power train), and 25v315000 (back over prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle jerked abnormally. On another occasion, the tailgate failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired. 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 failure mileage was unknown.

Headlight drl went out causing less visibility: transmission is always losing slamming into gears and searching.