2021 Ford F-150: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Mar 4, 2026 · Body · MI

My 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat has a door latch defect that occurs in freezing or near-freezing temperatures. The failure occurs without warning in cold conditions, causing the door latch to freeze and not fully engage. When this happens, the door is able to freely swing open while the vehicle is in motion and also freely open when the vehicle is parked. This creates a serious safety hazard, including the risk of occupant ejection and loss of vehicle control. The vehicle has no aftermarket modifications and is maintained per manufacturer recommendations. The issue is temperature-dependent and has occurred on multiple occasions. Ford has issued recalls for similar door latch freezing defects on multiple other Ford vehicles and model years. Despite this, my vehicle has not been included, even though it exhibits the same failure mode. This defect presents a significant safety risk and should be investigated for potential recall inclusion.

Filed Jan 27, 2026 · Body · NH

Please see Ford TSB SSM50543. In my case the driver's door has been freezing in the lock position. Door will not unlock and cannot be opened either from the inside or outside. The key in the outside will not unlock the door and pulling up on the knob inside cannot be done (even tried with pliers). The electric door locks for the frozen door do nothing. This made it possible for me to only get out of or into the driver's seat by climbing in/out from the passenger's side. I also tried to not lock the driver's door, and this just made the door frozen in the unlock position. Very inconvenient, but I am especially concerned if I had to exit or enter the driver's side in an emergency. Ford knows about this as can be seem from the issued TSB. This had happened more than once and goes away when the inside of the truck gets really warm, or the weather gets above sufficiently over freezing.

Filed Jan 8, 2026 · Electrical · ME

When temperatures are below freezing, the passenger side door remains locked, and cannot be unlocked with the key fob or the unlock buttons on either the driver side or passenger side door. The manual door lock cannot be pulled out, as it sinks down inside the door, and there is no external locking/unlocking mechanism to use the key to manually unlock the passenger side door. Dealer said there was nothing wrong with it, but brought it into the shop to look at it, where the temperature is higher than freezing.

Filed Dec 12, 2025 · PA

When temperatures hit the teens and below, the driver door will not unlock. I’ve tried numerous times to unlock the door via the manual key and inside latch without success. This traps the driver and prevents a speedy egress if necessary. The inner latch tends to thaw after 40+ minutes of full blast heat within cab but no other solution exists. Passenger and rear doors unaffected.

Filed May 13, 2025 · Body · ID

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The exterior door handles and latching mechanism failed due to freezing in cold weather. When temperatures drop, the door handles become stuck or the latch mechanism fails to engage or disengage properly. This issue is reproducible during cold weather and the affected components are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The malfunction poses a safety risk in multiple ways. The doors may not close securely, which could result in a door opening while driving. Conversely, frozen latches can prevent doors from opening, which is a serious concern in the event of an emergency where rapid exit from the vehicle is required. This could endanger both the driver and passengers. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The issue has not yet been confirmed by a dealer, but it is a widely documented problem among 2021 Ford F-150 owners, and it occurs consistently during cold weather conditions. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No formal inspection by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives has been conducted to date. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. The issue was first noticed during freezing temperatures in the winter season. The symptoms are physical—frozen or stuck handles and malfunctioning door latches.

Filed Feb 19, 2025 · Body · WI

Driver door won't lock or unlock in extreme cold. To exit and enter truck, I have to use the passenger door and slide into driver seat, which is very difficult b/c of the center console. No way I could get out of the truck in a hurry if I had to. Took to a dealer but of course it couldn't be duplicated. Internet search shows this is a problem with the 2021 ford f150.

Filed Feb 13, 2025 · OK

During cold weather the Driver and both back door locks will and cannot be locked or unlocked and the doors cannot be opened from inside or out if locked. Temperatures under 28 degrees Fahrenheit the locks become sluggish. Below 20 Fahrenheit the locks and door will not function at all. The dealer ship has checked out this issue but say that if replaced with current parts the problem will most likely continue. With this issue I have been locked in the car twice and had to exit the passenger door (which works for some reason). I now leave the truck unlocked which leaves me open to theft.

Filed Jan 22, 2025 · Locks · 98,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the door opened independently. The contact stated upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the door latches was frozen, and the contact was unable to enter or exit the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the door latch needed to be replaced. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V652000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

Filed Jan 18, 2025 · ND

In the cold winter of Bismarck, ND, all of my truck's door handles are frozen, so I am unable to get in or out of my truck (the federal safety agency SSM XXXXX). I have been climbing in and out of my window to get into my truck. This is already a safety concern recognized by your organization, so why doesn’t my truck qualify for a recall? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 1, 2025 · MI

Driver door latch and lock failure at extreme cold temperatures. Failed last year could not exit vehicle at Ford dealership. Ford dealership added grease and problem did not occur again for 11 months. Same problem occurred this December. Door latch stays open and will not latch so door has to be held shut by driver while moving down the road. Problem occurred on 4 different days of single digit temperatures during the past 2 years. The ford dealership in Gaylord observed the stuck latch and door not latching. Warning light of door ajar when put into gear and constant warning beeping while driving with an unlatched door.

Filed Feb 12, 2024 · Body · MI

In freezing temps(usually under 25*), the interior door handle freezes and will not engage the door latch. The door will not stay latched until cabin of interior warms up. Running boards get deployed every time the vehicle comes to a stop.

Filed Aug 21, 2023 · Electrical · IL

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.