Over the air software updates failed and rendered the vehicle inoperable twice within a 3 day period. Both instances rendered the vehicle unusable and required a tow to the dealership. First occurrence was on 7/21/24, the second occurrence was on 7/24/24.
2021 Ford F-150 electrical complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 130, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering and jerking while driving. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact stated there was another unknown warning light flashing. The contact stated that the soy-based wiring was causing costly repairs. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring in the undercarriage was chewed on. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred a month later. The contact stated that while driving 35–40 MPH, an unknown warning light started to flash. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the soy-based wiring had been chewed on by squirrels and chipmunks. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a trailer, the brake lights became inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to call the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
While driving the parking break activated. I was in the middle of the road with my newborn. I believe my truck should have been recalled since this is something that other F150 had. I took it to the Ford dealership and they said there was no active recall on this vehicle. So I had them check it since it’s such a high safety concern. And yes there was a default with the parking break system.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and braking, several safety features disabled independently. The contact stated that the Pre-Collision Assist, ABS, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred often. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
The Instrument Panel Cluster will reboot when driving leaving the panel blank with no speedometer or other vital information. The system will reboot after a short time, sometimes multiple times and has occurred when driving at speeds of 30, 35, 50, 65 mph. This reboot leaves the driver without vital information, causes confusion and is a distraction putting the safety of all occupants at risk. This has happened a multiple times and may be is similar to SSM 50294 where emojis causes the Instrument Panel Cluster to go blank or reboot during incoming or outgoing phone calls where there are emojis alongside the text of a name of contact. Unfortunately, I did not learn of this error until I had dropped the vehicle at the dealer and researched myself. I have a heart emoji next to my wife's name and would gladly remove this, but the dealer indicates a full $1000 reboot of multiple systems is the protocol in accordance with Ford manuals and diagnostic trees. I am working with a dealer, but they have been uncooperative in terms of recreating the problem and are only seeking a paid solution with the reboot the entire system an no assurance that this will work. As mentioned above, it seems that this is similar to SSM 502947 for other 2021 F-150s, but the dealership will not confirm and Ford indicates my vehicle is not effected by this error according to my VIN. System failure warnings are also sent to the Ford mobile app when this reboot happens, these warnings are for the Tire Pressure Monitor System, Restraints Indicator Lamp and Antilock Brake Fault. The Ford dealership has had my vehicle for over two weeks with this issue and has not communicated any inspection or attempt to recreate the issue. There is not a repair invoice yet.
Was slow rolling to stop light at intersection. Vehicle shut down and got an alert that said “auto start stop shift to P, then restart engine”
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle turned off and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle independently automatically restarted; however, the failure recurred. The contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V267000 (Electrical System, Power Train) however, neither the year, make, model nor the VIN was included. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
Tire pressure sensor keeps coming on and says it is faulty. The driver side window will not completely roll down( we have done a reset and it will only work once or twice). With the radio it will sometimes not work(we have done a soft reset and it will work a few times and then stop). The last thing the heat shield that is underneath the truck had a recall we got it repaired and since it hangs down, we have taken to the dealership and they repaired it again and will still hand down.
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
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 federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
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.
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.
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.
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 federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure however, the dealer replaced the battery and battery control module. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
When a trailer is connected the right side trailer brake light fails to operate; the lights on the truck work properly. When the trailer has been recently disconnected warnings on the dash appear saying "Blind spot and cross traffic alert deactivated trailer attached". I also get trailer left and right turn lamps fault check lamps warnings and the turn signal indicators flash at double speed. These things always clear up after a couple of days until a trailer has been connected and disconnected again. I have two different trailers and they both do the same thing. Just for the record, the right turn signal and hazard flashers on the trailer work correctly. My dealer has observed everything that I stated above but claims he is unable to get parts to fix it. The cross traffic alert malfunction and the non operative trailer brake light would appear to be safety issues. So far, no one has been involved except my dealer's service department. If I don't hook up a trailer everything has and does work correctly. I took this truck in to the dealer a couple of years ago due to the dashboard warnings but did not take my trailer with me at that time; they were unable to fix it. I was unaware at that point that I had no right trailer brake light; this is not easy to see unless someone is following me.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster and the infotainment system reset independently, which affected the trailer blind spot setting while towing a trailer. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and to a second dealer, Kenly Ford, Inc. (500 S Gardner Ave, Kenly, NC 27542), to be diagnosed; however, the dealer could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: SSM 50975. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection in an Atlanta suburb. I was several cars back from the red light. I saw the light turn green so I took my foot off of the brakes to engage auto start and barely tapped the gas and the truck dinged and showed me an error on the screen. I was so mortified and my heart started racing that I could barely read the error, all I remember seeing was "Shift to P." However, I tried to shift to Park and the shifter wouldn't do anything! I was desperately trying to engage the brake and shift to Park or Neutral and it wouldn't budge. I kept trying back and forth back and forth trying anything to get it to shift. It finally shifted to Park. I turned truck off. Opened the door, closed the door, and restarted engine and it had a slight hesitation but then let me shift down to Drive and proceed. Luckily, I had enough time to fix it before I started getting cussed out or honked at and possibly shot for having this happen on a busy intersection. My heart was beating so fast. So scary. I got home and connected my OBD scanner and no error codes were found. Sunny day, about 65 degrees, and truck had drive 55 miles to my Mom's a few hours before. This was on my way back to my house in Atlanta from my Mom's house an hour outside of Atlanta. I had no time to take a picture of the error on the screen because I was scared to death trying to get my truck to shift and drive. There was no reason for this error as I did not do anything differently. The auto start/stop engaged on its own when I come to a stop and then starts itself when I begin to depress the gas. Very concerning and I don't panic at all, but in this case...I sure did.
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.
While starting my truck, I was heard a very loud static sound coming from my speakers. It was so loud I could barely think. The static seemed to be at max volume and nothing besides turning the truck off and opening my door would make it stop. Even turning the volume down or screen/audio off completely would not help. I was parked at a store at the time and had to drive with the sound for 10 minutes. I was left disoriented and with a piercing headache that lasted over 24hours. That headache has subsided but I still have ringing in my ears.
The reverse camera either doesn't work while backing up, or it freezes while backing up. I have video of it screen frozen showing in reverse while driving forward down the road.
very loud ear piercing noise coming from the stereo system. had to remove the + battery cable to stop the noise. has happened multiple times since. cannot drive the vehicle during this condition. keep ear muffs in vehicle from now on.
On occasions my F150 has without warning had my volume increase to the max volume when operating the vehicle. I have not adjusted the volume when this happens and I am unable to lower the volume until I turn off the vehicle and open the door to the vehicle. The decibel level when this happens is over 100 and it is absolutely terrifying. I took my vehicle to Ford and they told me because they are unable to recreate the issue that it is not their responsibility. I have had this happen 6 times over the 8 months that I have had the vehicle. Ford charges me $197 each time to simply look at the car but again refuses to fix anything. When this event occurs it is terrifying and the only resolution is to turn off my vehicle.
I just purchased a 2021 F-150. Immediately after getting the truck home, I began having issues regarding the truck’s door and tailgate locks. Just by having my keys in my pocket and walking around my house and in the vicinity of the truck in the driveway or garage, the truck will unlock itself, all of the lights come on, and you can hear the electronics power up. This is a huge inconvenience if I’m working in the yard on a project and make multiple trips from the yard into the garage—every time I do, it’s puts that huge strain snd wear and tear on the lights, onboard computers, and battery. But it’s also a huge safety issue, too. If I put hazardous or dangerous items in the cab like cleaning products or chemicals and safely lock the vehicle expecting them to be secure, sometimes just by walking around the house or even just having the keys on the kitchen counter, the truck will unlock by itself!! What if kids then get into my truck and accidentally poison themselves or hurt themselves with tools or chemicals I had safely locked inside?! It creates a hugely dangerous situation! I don’t know if it’s just my truck, or a part of a bigger nationwide issue, but the ONLY way the truck should power the electronics is IF I have the keys in my pocket AND I touch the driver’s side door handle or specifically press the unlock button. I have had the truck in to Weber Ford in Granite City, IL four times and they have been unable to resolve this issue, and the Ford corporate customer relations number keeps disconnecting me, so I’m escalating this issue.
While towing trailers the right directional works but the right brake light does not on the trailer. The trailer light work fine with other vehicles. It appears to be a problem with the trailer brake control module. Also while towing will get trailer light fault alerts even though the lights are working properly. Right after disconnecting the trailer you still get the trailer light fault alerts and your back up alerts on the camera are still disabled for days.
After recent software updates sent out by Ford, my rear view camera display freezes and sometimes displays a distorted image. The freezing image makes it difficult to judge the distance between the vehicle and objects behind it, and it can also give the driver the impression that the road behind them is clear when it is not.
While driving, a warning light came on then the engine shut off. I was stranded in the middle of an extremely busy intersection. I could not put the windows up or in neutral to push it off the road. The hazard lights went to a very weak blinking that could not be seen. It was very dangerous to get out at the intersection. it was pouring rain and no one could see me. The truck had to be towed from the intersection to a dealer. Dealer allegedly identified the problem as a bad alternator that in turn damaged the battery.
2021 Ford F-150 is equipped with 360 camera system and a backup camera. The 360 camera system failed within the first year of service. This left only the backup camera functioning. The dealer attempted to fix the camera system and resulted in all cameras including the backup camera not working. One year later ford claimed to have a part to fix all of the cameras. When it arrived at the dealer they reported that the software needed updated and the process would take approximately 3 hours. The next day the story changed again. Now it didn't need the part and Ford was advising that the software upgrade would cause more problems and not fix the cameras. The vehicle is now 2 years with 19,000 mile and still covered by a bumper to bumper warranty. The backup camera is a required safety devise on all new vehicles. I have a young child who is at risk because of this failed safety devise. Dealer reports no known fix at this time. Vehicle has been inspected by Ford dealer. Ford refuses to provide a loan vehicle until problem is resolved.
2021 FORD F150 PICKUP- Consumer states "I Purchased a new 2021 Ford F150 pickup from Capitol Ford in Carson City Nevada. I have 5-6 outstanding safety recalls. I having been trying to get the dealership to give me an appointment date for these for over a year and a half. I have also contacted Ford Motor Company who contacted the dealer last tall to try to get me an appointment. At the time the dealer told them I was scheduled to be called March of 2023 to schedule an appointment. Its now almost June and I still have not received an appointment. The next closest Ford dealer to me is over sixty miles away so it is not easy for me to go there nor do they give me a loaner or transportation to and from that dealership. I have asked Ford to buy back the pickup since, with this many outstanding safety issues I feel I paid them a lot of money for an unsafe vehicle that they and the dealer have not resolved. I'm asking you to contact Ford and get them to buy back this unsafe vehicle." Looked up the federal safety agency safety recalls from VIN: 21V090, 22V142, 22v193, & 23V163.
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