The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while stopped, the vehicle hesitated and shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road and failed to move even while in neutral(N). Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a defective fuel pump. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact was provided with an estimate for the repair, which the contact approved. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
2021 Ford F-150 transmission complaints
Page 5 of 12: complaints 101 to 130 of 329, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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: the federal safety agency 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)
My 2021 Ford F-150 has been inoperable for over three months due to a safety recall involving the rear axle hub. The dealer and manufacturer have been unable to remedy the recall within a reasonable time due to parts unavailability, and no repair timeline has been provided. I requested a loaner vehicle from the dealer and was told there were six to seven customers ahead of me. The dealer reported to Ford corporate that I declined a loaner vehicle, which is not accurate. No loaner was made available to me, and I was forced to obtain alternate transportation through my employer. The dealer initially required payment to inspect my vehicle for the recall and held the truck for approximately one week before stating the issue was not recall related. When I asked how this determination was made, I was told additional payment was required to disassemble the rear hub for further inspection. After escalating the issue and expressing concern about the handling of the recall diagnosis, the dealership director contacted me and later confirmed that the issue was, in fact, related to the recall. However, I was told it would take a couple of months to repair due to parts backorder. At this point, my vehicle has been unusable for over three months with no repair timeline, no manufacturer provided loaner or rental vehicle, and no resolution. I am continuing to make payments and maintain insurance on a vehicle I cannot safely operate due to an unresolved safety recall. This appears to be an unreasonable delay in remedying a safety defect.
There is a hard jerk that happens when moving from a dead stop and then it will shift into gear. Its been reproduced by a maintenance shop. They stated it was the transmission. It has not been inspected by a manufacturer. There was no warning lamps which causes a high risk of safety, including a possibility of accident while on the road.
When the truck is put into reverse especially when cold the transmission does not initially go into gear. When it finally does the vehicle lurches rearward violently and I have to slam on the brakes to not hit anything. The transmission was just "bench" rebuilt under the Ford powertrain warranty supposedly with a CDF drum and valve body replacement along with software updates including adaptive reset and relearn with the appropriate drive cycles however the vehicle still exhibits this condition. I called Ford customer service and filed a complaint with them last month. They told me to bring to another dealer which the vehicle is currently at and has been for a month. They claim that it is normal for this transmission and refuse to fix it. I have video evidence of the truck being put into reverse and the RPM rising before it slams into reverse. I also demonstrated first thing one morning to a technician after a cold soak overnight and he agreed that the vehicle has a delayed engagement in reverse and when it did finally engage it did so violently. The dealer told me to record it and that would be the best evidence and I did along with presenting it to them. After this they changed their mind and said actually a technician has to witness which I also did. Again they said this wasn't good enough. A field engineer supposedly looked at the vehicle and they wont tell me what he said. Very odd. I feel like im getting the run around and have an unsafe vehicle that Ford refuses and it trying to worm their way out of safetly fixing! In the description below is when the truck can be seen in the video recreating the problem however it has done this countless times.
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, the federal safety agency recall 23V896.
10 speed transmission is not working 1 still gear hyper extends dont wanna shift 2 gear bangs 3 rundown rough then sometimes dowshifts back to 2 nd gear the transmission dosent wanna get hot to normal level
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted hard with unintended upshifts. The contact stated that the vehicle was able shift out of a higher gear occasionally upon switching to manual mode. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected, and there was oil under the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle in the wheel well. The vehicle was taken to dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear axle hub bolts were fractured and needed to be replaced. The differential fluid was refilled, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Transmission downshifted while driving at speed causing wheels to lock up.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
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.
My truck started to over heat due to lost of radiator fluid. The cause was the transmission coolant line chafing against front drive shaft.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency 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.
I have received multiple letter from Ford indicating the solution for this recall 23S65 is available at dealership. However, every ford dealership I have reached out to says there are no parts available to fix the recall. My ford dealership has placed the order on November 2025 but they have no ETA when the parts will become available.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS, Advancetrac, and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the failure was due to an unrepaired recall. The contact was informed that parts were on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train). Additionally, the contact stated that the parts had been on back order since January 2025. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
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.
My vehicle has been with the Ford dealership for about a month and the mechanic and the engineers still have not found why my vehicle is giving a service wrench warning. When driving the vehicle will flash red warning lights which makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. I have paid for an Auxiliary Transmission Pump and battery. This did not fix my truck. The dealership said they replaced the PCM, but it didn’t fix the truck. I seen that these trucks had recalls.
Please see attachment: To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally request the federal safety agency’s review and further action regarding Ford Motor Company’s handling of Safety Recall 23V‑896 and 23S-65, affecting my 2021 Ford F‑150 (F1 3509). I appreciate the federal safety agency’s oversight of this recall; however, based on my direct experience and the technical information available, I believe the current remedy strategy leaves owners exposed to ongoing safety risks. My vehicle experienced fractured rear axle hub bolts, a failure mode that Ford’s defect report attributes to micro‑movement and backlash between the axle shaft splines and the wheel‑end hub splines. This movement leads to loss of clamp load, fretting wear, and ultimately bolt fatigue and fracture. The fractured bolts on my truck confirm that this failure chain had already progressed to an advanced stage. Ford performed what they describe as an interim repair, which consisted of replacing the fractured bolts and inspecting the hub and axle components. However, Ford has acknowledged that the final remedy is not yet available, and that the interim repair does not address the underlying design issue that allows spline movement and progressive wear. As a result, the same conditions that caused the initial failure may reoccur. From a mechanical and safety standpoint, replacing bolts without correcting the root cause — the loss of clamp load and resulting spline backlash — does not eliminate the defect. It merely resets the system temporarily. Ford’s own documentation confirms that the interim repair uses the same bolt design, with the same torque and elongation characteristics, and therefore the same long‑term vulnerability.
Reference the federal safety agency 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.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 23V896000 (Power Train) and 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the recall remedy part was not available. The contact was unable to reach the manufacturer due a prerecorded message. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Dealer has now had my car for almost 60 days with no resolution Manufacturer Recall Number23S65 the federal safety agency Recall Number23V896 My asset is basically frozen at this point with zero ETA and any care from FORD. I am willing to trade it in at this point but can’t even do that.
Loss of engine power when transmission shifts from 3rd gear to 2nd gear. Truck will unexpectedly loose ability to accelerate, typically until shift to 1st or 3rd gear occurs. Return of power can cause vehicle to accelerate rapidly and unexpectedly. Malfunctions typically happens in parking lots and while yielding to make a turn, but also happens in stop and go traffic. Concerned of loss of acceleration while pulling out in traffic. No warning lamps or error codes when failure occurs. I've been working with the dealer to resolve for 1 year with nothing done. After 11 months the dealer acknowledged there is an issue, but is unsure of cause or how to repair. Now recommending an entire transmission replacement and not sure if that will resolve.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the contact heard an abnormally loud booming sound. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle. Upon inspecting underneath the vehicle, the contact noticed that the driveshaft was fractured and damaged. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several different occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the heat shield had rubbed on the driveshaft, and the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V986000(Power Train, Structure); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.
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.
Description of Incident: The vehicle exhibits a severe and unpredictable transmission "shudder," "stutter," and hesitation during gear synchronization, specifically during 1st–3rd and 8th–10th gear transitions. This manifest as a violent "shaking" sensation and a loss of momentary acceleration while merging into high-speed traffic. This issue was first reported to an authorized Ford dealership on December 17, 2024. At that time, the vehicle exhibited harsh shifting and "shuddering" consistent with Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2428. Despite being under a 150,000-mile service contract, the dealer misdiagnosed the mechanical transmission defect as an engine misfire, resulting in ineffective repairs. The defect has persisted and worsened. The internal failure has been identified as a defective CDF Clutch Drum (Cylinder) where an internal bushing moves out of place, obstructing fluid flow and causing mechanical "slip." This is a known manufacturing defect documented in multiple Ford TSBs (22-2428, 23-2250, and 24-2101). Safety Risk: The failure causes unpredictable power delivery. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has hesitated or "stuttered" while attempting to merge onto highways or cross intersections, leaving the vehicle vulnerable to side-impact or rear-end collisions. The lack of consistent throttle response and the violent nature of the shifting creates a significant safety hazard for the driver and surrounding motorists. Verification/Inspection: The symptoms were reported to a Ford dealership multiple times. As of December 2025, the dealership has opened a formal case with the manufacturer to verify the internal "cause of failure" by the Shop Foreman. No warning lamps or Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) appeared on the dashboard, as the failure is a mechanical internal bushing slip that does not always trigger a software sensor until total failure occurs. The vehicle is available for inspection.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 23V896000 (POWER TRAIN), 25V455000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE), and 25V729000 (VISIBILITY). The dealer was contacted. However, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the phone call was dropped five times. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Ford has refused, on multiple occasions and at multiple dealerships, to address the federal safety agency Recall Number 23V896 (MFG. Recall Number 23S65) issue with the Wheel End Hub Bolt in the rear axle. Well, this weekend, the bolt on the passenger side rear axle broke off, rendering the vehicle undriveable. I brought it in to the Lithia Ford Dealership (who's online information said they were open) to get it addressed. They were closed, no one was there, and they won't even give me a loaner vehicle while the F-150 is inoperable. This recall has been out for two years now and they still won't deal with it. Absolute neglect of their obligations and an unsafe practice!
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train). The vehicle was previously taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear axle bolt was fractured. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
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