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2021 Ford F-150 electrical problems

131 complaints (13% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 25,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
131
of this car's complaints
13%
typical mileage
25,000
crashes
1
recalls
3

Which part fails

  • Integrated trailer brake control
    6
  • Instrument cluster/panel
    4
  • Instrument panel: speedometer/odometer
    2
  • Wiring
    1
  • Body control module/bcm
    1
  • ADAS: driver monitoring: camera/sensor
    1
  • 12v/24v/48v battery
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Ford F-150 electrical problems in other years

19901995200020052010201520202026

Specific symptoms reported on the 2021 Ford F-150 electrical

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Backup camera 32Screen failure 16Fire or smoke 5

Related recalls

Electrical system: integrated trailer brake controlReported February 28, 2025 · 10,952 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 22V‑193. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.
Risk
Loss of trailer brake functionality can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S18.

Recall number 25V132000 · Recall details

Electrical system: body control module: softwareReported June 14, 2024 · 159 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 vehicles equipped with the Onboard Scales feature. An over-the-air software update to the body control module (BCM) may have disabled both reverse lights.
Risk
Disabled reverse lights cannot alert others that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are were mailed June 26, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S38.

Recall number 24V443000 · Recall details

Electrical system: integrated trailer brake controlReported March 25, 2022 · 391,836 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.
Risk
Loss of trailer brake functionality could result in extended stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S17.

Recall number 22V193000 · Recall details

What 2021 Ford F-150 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 29, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · VA

My 2021 F-150 PowerBoost hybrid repeatedly lost propulsion while traveling on the highway in early October 2026, including four incidents on one trip around October 3. At approximately highway speed, the tachometer dropped to zero while the selector remained in D, and the truck coasted as if in neutral. There were harsh shifts around 9th/10th gear and difficulty accelerating beyond approximately 70 mph. A vehicle warning appeared. Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery temporarily restored operation. Sudden loss of drive power in highway traffic created a collision risk. The underlying cause has not been independently established. A Ford dealer's October 2026 inspection recorded an internal transmission hydraulic leak, clutch-disconnect trouble codes suggesting a hybrid drive unit concern, a recommendation to replace the transmission with the hybrid drive unit, and high-voltage battery cell-balance DTCs. More recently electric-driving mileage has remained at zero and the gasoline engine continues running while stationary. Severe shifting and vibration had varied between 2H and 4A modes. Around June 2025 the vehicle also stopped operating and was towed to the same dealer; I understand a 12-volt battery was replaced. Photographs from that period show Stop Safely Now and other warnings around 70,000 miles. I request investigation of whether that earlier incident and the present faults are related; I do not claim the same root cause has been proven. Exact diagnostic codes and earlier service details should be verified from the dealer records. The October intake odometer was recorded as 99,632; mileage at the highway incidents is not precisely known.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Body, Electrical · FL

While driving truck, it had an electrical fritz that caused the car to become undrivable, with systems not responding. when stopped to power cycle, the car would accessory on but not attempt to start. the horn would go off randomly. was able to manually put the truck into neutral and push into a safe spot, at what point a battery clear was attempted with no results, and required towing to dealership where water had intruded into the BCM

Filed Sep 30, 2026 · Electrical · AZ

This vehicle was purchased new. It currently has about 56000 miles. Over time there have been numerous incidents where the battery was suddenly dead. The dealer repeatedly replaced the battery with out addressing the cause. This was done under warranty until recently when there was a charge of $1138. This supposedly resulted in the electronics being reset to factory settings. On a subsequent trip of about 2000 miles , there were numerous incidents (at least 8-10) where the Google Maps program, installed by the dealership, malfunctioned. My question is, what other electronic issues were installed with the factory settings. This has been reported to the dealer, with no response. On August 31, 2026, a request was made to the dealer for copies of service records for this vehicle so that this problem and lack of correction could be challenged. There has been no response, other than their saying “they will make it right “. They are apparently unable to provide service records.

Filed Aug 20, 2026 · Acceleration, Electrical · GA

Due to a dangerous design flaw in the 2021 Ford F150, I was put in a potentially dangerous situation by completely losing all power in the vehicle on a backroad. Design flaw is the DCN module, which floods into the vehicles electrical system/body of vehicle through the cowel drain that can supposedly be blocked by a singular piece of pine straw. Due to the design flaw, the vehicle completely lost all power and all electronics failed while driving down the road at 45 mph, putting both me and my father (riding passenger seat) in immediate danger. Ford knows and is aware of the design flaw and has refused to issue a recall, not only affecting my safety, but now I am going back and forth with ford over the fix to the tune of $2800 that they refuse to fix (vehicle is a gold certified cpo, has extended warranty). When asked how to prevent in the future, ford was and is not aware of how to prevent in the future, and I can not get to the cowel drain clog without professional equipment and ford performing. There is no way to tell the cowel drain is clogged or not, and there is not anything in the ford owners manual related to maintenance of the cowel drain. Again, due to the inappropriately designed drain, this caused water leakage into my truck, posing an immediate threat to my life and others around me. I have all of the videos and pictures needed to show the failure of the system to provide to move this forward to get resolved. I had complete loss of power and electronics on the road. I tried to attach video but it would not let me. I can attach via email when requested.

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MI

When backing up, the rear camera display shows a gray filter over the rear image on the display cluster and the right side warning sensors indicate a blue trapezoid on the cluster for the right side of the vehicle. The driver dashboard also has an alert that the rear brake assist feature is inactive

Filed Aug 7, 2026 · Electrical, Lights · MI

The safety daytime running lights are failing prematurely. My car has 32,000 miles and my DRL is burnt out on the passenger side. Online forums confirm that this is happening to many, many people. It’s a safety hazard for other drivers because the cost to repair is substantial and people aren’t fixing them. Ford should fix this as a recall.

Filed Jul 30, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · AZ

*Brake system failure, complete shut down of vehicle. *Vehicle unable to start. *Vehicle was taken directly to Peoria Ford ( 9130 W Bell Rd, Peoria, AZ 85382) via tow truck on XXX Confirmed when dropped off of brake system failure and vehicle not functioning. *Vehicle was inspected on XXX which we were originally told it was the battery. Although the vehicle was in for trailer software recall on XXX and during inspection at that time battery was in good health. *No warnings until attempting to use the vehicle on XXX and received the brake system failure alert. Vehicle would also not lock. *After battery was replaced by Peoria Ford I was then told the brake system would not release and would need Actuator misalignment reset/replaced.

Filed Jul 30, 2026 · Electrical, Lights · FL

Day Running Lights in headlights fail. The side LED fails completely requiring the entire headlight housing needing to be replaced. This is a common failure and Ford is not doing anything to help the thousands of customers this is affecting. This failure is widely reported online, in forums and chat rooms. Dealer acknowledges it is a part failure but Ford will not pay for replacement even though it is a design or manufacturing problem with this particular year and style of headlights.

Filed Jun 30, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · PA

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. 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.

Filed Jun 10, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

My 2021 Ford F-150 intermittently displays the warning message “Reverse Brake Assist Not Available – See Manual” when the vehicle is placed in reverse. When this message appears, the reverse brake assist / parking collision warning feature is not available, which may reduce safety while backing up. The vehicle was inspected by a Ford dealership. The dealership confirmed DTC U3000:49 in the IPMA module and identified Ford TSB 23-2040 as applicable to the concern. The dealer stated that the repair requires an IPMA software/module update and calibration. The quoted repair cost was approximately $1,100. This appears to be a software/programming-related condition affecting a driver assistance and brake-related safety feature, not normal wear and tear or a failed mechanical component. The warning is intermittent, but it has appeared multiple times. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. No crash, injury, or fire has occurred. Ford Customer Support was contacted and case number XXX was opened. Ford advised that no active warranty, recall, or customer satisfaction program currently provides repair cost coverage, and that because this involves Reverse Brake Assist, I may choose to file a safety concern report with the federal safety agency. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Questions about the 2021 Ford F-150 electrical

Does the 2021 Ford F-150 have electrical problems?

Owners have filed 131 complaints about the electrical of the 2021 Ford F-150, 13% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2021 Ford F-150 electrical problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 25,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2021 Ford F-150 electrical?

Yes, 3 recalls: 25V132000, 24V443000, 22V193000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Ford F-150 have the most electrical problems?

The Ford F-150 model years with the most electrical complaints are 2013 (324 complaints), 2011 (235 complaints) and 1997 (198 complaints).

Other 2021 Ford F-150 problems

Transmission 323Visibility 131Lights 118Engine 102Fuel system 94Driver assistance 88Brakes 77Steering 43Body 36Wheels 27Acceleration 21Suspension 13Locks 8Airbags 5Seat belts 5Tires 2Seats 1

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