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2021 Ford F-150 visibility problems

131 complaints (12% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 44,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
131
of this car's complaints
12%
typical mileage
44,000
crashes
1
recalls
6

Which part fails

  • Windshield
    6
  • Windshield wiper/washer: motor
    1
  • Windshield wiper/washer
    1
  • Sun/moon roof assembly
    1
  • Rearview mirrors/devices: exterior
    1
  • Glass, side/rear
    1
  • Defroster/defogger/HVAC system
    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 visibility problems in other years

19901995200020052010201520202025

Specific symptoms reported on the 2021 Ford F-150 visibility

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

Wipers 52

Related recalls

Visibility: sun/moon roof assemblyReported October 24, 2025 · 174,853 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, 2021-2023 F-150, 2022 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, and F-450 SD vehicles. The moonroof wind deflector clips may be inadequately attached to the moonroof frame, which can result in the wind deflector detaching from the vehicle.
Risk
A detached wind deflector can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair the moonroof wind deflector as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB7. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning October 30, 2025.

Recall number 25V729000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkagesReported March 10, 2023 · 222,454 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
Risk
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the wiper arms, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 13, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S10. This recall expands previous recall number 22V‑250.

Recall number 23V163000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motorReported November 15, 2022 · 483,082 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles. The front windshield wiper motor may become inoperative, causing the wipers to fail.
Risk
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper motor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2023. Remedy parts are expected in the 3rd Quarter of 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S71. This recall expands previous recall number 22V‑142.

Recall number 22V842000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkagesReported April 14, 2022 · 652,996 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
Risk
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.

Recall number 22V250000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motorReported March 11, 2022 · 157,306 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 vehicles. The front windshield wiper motor may become inoperative, causing the wipers to fail.
Risk
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper motor, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 22, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S12.

Recall number 22V142000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield: critical fastenersReported February 18, 2021 · 79,017 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 and 2020-2021 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
Risk
In the event of a crash, if the windshield separates from the vehicle, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove and reinstall the windshield, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C06.

Recall number 21V090000 · Recall details

What 2021 Ford F-150 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Aug 25, 2026 · Visibility · 97,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to activate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V842000 (VISIBILITY). The failure mileage was 97,000.

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Visibility · OH

When using the window wipers, they become inoperable. Stopping in the middle of the window, pausing when moving, or completely stopping and unable to get them to start moving until they begin to move on their own. This has occurred multiple times and at multiple different speeds of operation for the wipers. This was a previous recall issued by Ford that has been completed on the vehicle yet the same result is occurring.

Filed Apr 30, 2026 · Electrical, Visibility · MO

The rear window basically has 3 parts. Driver side, center sliding section, and passenger side. Only the driver side section defrost. According to online forums specifically for Ford trucks, this is a common issue. Ford’s Special Service Message (SSM) 48490 does reference this as a known issue.

Filed Feb 26, 2026 · Visibility · IA

Here is what happened on Feb 21st 2026 at about 8:00 AM MST. We were driving east in the mountains on I-70 in Colorado approaching the Eisenhower tunnel. The truck had been parked in a heated garage overnight. There had been some snow the night before which had been melted by sand and salt, so the road was wet and messy. The vehicles ahead and around my truck were kicking up a mist of water and sand and dirt. My windshield quickly became covered and obstructed. I attempted to apply some windshield washer fluid, but nothing came out. To make matters worse, the wipers automatically turned on turning the speckled dirt and sand to be smeared across the windshield making it almost impossible to see. The smear was too dry that any further wiper action did nothing to clear the windshield. This happened while entering the tunnel. In the dark or the tunnel I could barely see the road – only by ducking way low and peeking through a small portion of the windshield below the wiper smear. There is no place to pull over inside the tunnel. As we exited the tunnel, we were facing the east sun which lit up the smear and made the windshield completely obscured - even my last tiny piece. We were still at 50 MPH with surrounding traffic. My only option was to ease right and hope the emergency lane was clear. I had to hang my head out the side window to determine how far to ease right. It was a miracle we were able to pull off and not hit any other vehicles and come to a stop (I was completely blind). I tried the washer fluid many more times but nothing. I opened the hood and verified I had plenty of fluid and that it was liquid and not frozen. I checked the spray outlets and made sure they were not blocked in any way. Nothing. The washer spray would not work. After turning the truck off and back on - the washer/wipers worked fine. I believe this is a software issue. My family and I were quite shaken up.

Filed Feb 6, 2026 · Visibility · MI

Windhshield wipers suddenly stopped working.

Filed Dec 12, 2025 · Fuel system, Transmission · ID

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.

Filed Dec 5, 2025 · Fuel system, Visibility · 32,962 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 25V455000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) and 25V729000 (VISIBILITY); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started then hesitated and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the failure had started since the vehicle was purchased. The failure mileage was 32,962.

Filed Nov 13, 2025 · Visibility · OH

The windshield wipers on my 2021 Ford F-150 are inoperable. The wipers suddenly stopped working with no warning. The vehicle had already received Recall 23S10, which was supposed to replace the defective wiper motor arm. However, the wipers have failed again, suggesting the recall remedy was inadequate or that defective components are still being used. Ford and the servicing dealer refuse to reopen the recall or provide coverage, even though this is clearly the same safety issue. Without functioning wipers, the vehicle is unsafe to drive in rain or snow. I request that the federal safety agency investigate whether Ford’s recall 23S10 remedy is effective and whether additional corrective action or a new recall should be issued to address continued wiper motor failures on these vehicles.

Filed Nov 5, 2025 · Visibility · 48,000 miles · ID

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that since purchasing the vehicle, there was an abnormal film-like substance visible inside the windshield. The substance obstructed the vision while driving and worsened while driving at night. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased and detailed the windshield in an effort to remove the film-like substance. Despite the independent mechanics best efforts, the film-like substance remained. The contact called a dealer and was informed that the diagnostic fee to inspect her vehicle would be $300 an hour, and the contact declined the service. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

Filed Oct 30, 2025 · Lights, Visibility · MS

Both Running Daytime Lights have stopped working. This is a common issue with 2021 and up F150's. The issue results in a loss of visibility during daylight hours, creating a safety issue during daytime hours. This also seems to be negligence on the manufacturer's side. My understanding of the issue is a part of the headlight gets too hot under normal operating conditions and results in a melting or possible burning of a section of the headlight assembly. This is also a potential fire hazard from this area which is close to the engine also.

Questions about the 2021 Ford F-150 visibility

Does the 2021 Ford F-150 have visibility problems?

Owners have filed 131 complaints about the visibility of the 2021 Ford F-150, 12% of all its complaints.

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

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 44,000 miles.

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

Yes, 6 recalls: 25V729000, 23V163000, 22V842000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

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

The Ford F-150 model years with the most visibility complaints are 2004 (863 complaints), 2005 (268 complaints) and 2010 (193 complaints).

Other 2021 Ford F-150 problems

Transmission 328Electrical 130Lights 120Engine 102Fuel system 93Driver assistance 88Brakes 77Steering 44Body 36Wheels 27Acceleration 21Suspension 13Locks 8Airbags 5Seat belts 5Tires 2Seats 1

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