The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250 SD. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the vehicle lost automotive power. The message "Place Vehicle in Park and Restart" was displayed. The vehicle was restarted and the contact was able to continue driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.
2021 Ford F-250 SD transmission problems
26 complaints (15% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 52,000.
- owner complaints
- 26
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- typical mileage
- 52,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Driveline: differential unit1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford F-250 SD transmission problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2021 Ford F-250 SD transmission
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2021 Ford F-250 SD owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Purchased a 2021 F250 brand new from dealership and have had serviced at dealer since new. This truck is equipt with the 10r140 transmission that is a known problem. Starting at 48K miles transmission slipped from 3-5 gear. Report to Mooresville Ford and they “drove” the truck 6 miles and stated they could not recreate the slip. Reported again to Mooresville Ford at ~78k, technician drove vehicle for 12 miles and documented a slight slip between 3-5 but Ford declined to take action and extended warranty to 100k. Reported again at ~96k to Mooresville Ford, dealership held truck for 8 days and drove 6 miles. Declined again to take action and extended warranty to 146k. Reported again to Mooresville Ford at 143k to which they declined action and stated: “without the engine throwing a code they would not cover the truck under warranty.” Had recall 24S78 POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE AND TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE REPROGRAMMING completed May of 2026 with ~155k. One month after this recall had been completed, a hard down shift from 8-7 and 5-3 started to occur. Reported to Mooresville Ford and they declined to take action and stated Ford would not cover. Down shifting is sudden and harsh and will cause harm to others of truck locks up on road. Someone needs to hold Ford accountable for these bad transmissions. Quote to replace came in at 10k which I am holding out hope a recall comes before I am forced to replace. PLEASE HELP! All service records are on file and can be provided to confirm claims.
Transmission, temporally could be available but to replace it there is a $1500 core charge The transmission catastrophically failed, which lead to the rear wheels to lock up while driving, putting me and others at risk, had i been going faster when it did lock up No the problem has not been reproduced by a independent service center as i am going to replace the transmission myself I have inspected it along with a mechanic via photos showing all the metal fragments in the fluid and filter No warning lamps prior to the failure, but there where warning lights of service vehicle soon before the transmission locked up. Ever since new the transmission has shifted erratically especially from 3-4 and 6-7. Ford told me this was normal when I brough it in back when it only had a 20 or 30k miles on it for the erratic shifting. I now have 76K miles.
This is a follow-up to my original complaint #XXX, filed XXX, regarding the failure of the 10R140 10-speed automatic transmission in my 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty (VIN: [XXX]). The transmission began exhibiting symptoms of gear slipping, jerking, delayed and harsh shifting, and pinging from the torque converter around 100,000 miles. These symptoms progressively worsened until the transmission suffered a catastrophic internal failure. As documented in the attached Sid Dillon Ford repair order, an authorized Ford dealer found metal contamination in the transmission fluid and confirmed that a complete transmission replacement was required. The attached Friesen Ford repair order also shows that harsh engagements were present and that a transmission flush failed to resolve the issue. I have also attached a sworn statement from [XXX], an independent automotive technician who has serviced vehicles for my family for several years. In his sworn statement, he confirms that these 10R140 transmissions have known serious ongoing issues and that many mechanics avoid working on them due to these problems. Ford Motor Company was provided with the above repair records and the sworn statement but has denied any responsibility or reimbursement for the transmission failure. The failure created a serious safety risk due to the sudden loss of propulsion while driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Transmission has shifting issues. Sometimes is don't down shift below 4th gear and when in an intersection truck barley moves then it shifts hard and can move . It also is constantly shifting between gears. It will shift form 10th to 5yh while driving.
This vehicle is subject to two open safety recalls for which no repair remedy is currently available from the manufacturer: 1. Recall 24V957 (24S78) Dec 20, 2024 involves the high-pressure fuel pump and powertrain control system. The recall states the fuel pump may fail and cause extended cranking/no start or loss of motive power while driving. Loss of motive power while in traffic or while towing increases the risk of a crash. The manufacturer has stated that parts and/or software are not available to repair this defect. The vehicle is regularly used for towing a recreational trailer, which increases the safety risk if loss of power occurs during operation, especially at highway speeds or while merging. 2. Recall 25V686 (25SA8) Oct 10, 2025 involves the 360-degree/rear-view camera system. The recall states that the rear camera image may become dark in certain reversing situations when front and side cameras are exposed to significantly more light than the rear camera. Reduced visibility while reversing increases crash risk, particularly when maneuvering a large pickup truck. The manufacturer has acknowledged both recalls but has not provided a repair remedy within a reasonable timeframe. The powertrain-related recall has remained unresolved for an extended period. The vehicle has not been repaired because the manufacturer states parts/software are unavailable. At this time, the defect conditions have not resulted in a confirmed failure event, but the vehicle continues to be operated with open safety recalls that cannot be remedied. The safety risk remains present due to lack of available repair. Due to the prolonged unavailability of a repair remedy for a recall involving potential loss of motive power, I am unable to safely use the vehicle for its intended purpose of towing, as doing so would increase the risk of a crash if the defect occurs.
The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of motive power and became inoperable due to failure of the high-pressure fuel system. This VIN is subject to an active safety recall (the federal safety agency 24V957 / Ford 24S78) addressing high-pressure fuel pump failure that can result in loss of motive power while driving. Prior to failure, the vehicle exhibited reduced engine performance and drivability issues consistent with fuel system malfunction. No Water-In-Fuel warning or alert was displayed prior to the failure. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Ford dealership. Ford and the dealership asserted “fuel contamination” as the cause and refused to repair the vehicle under the recall or warranty unless the customer paid for diagnostic teardown. The recall repair was not performed. The vehicle remains unrepaired and was removed from the dealership. The loss of motive power created a safety risk to the occupants and other motorists. We are concerned that a recalled safety defect affecting the fuel system is not being remedied and is being mischaracterized to avoid recall repair.
My 2021 Ford F-250 equipped with the 10R140 10-speed transmission suffered a sudden internal failure around ~100,000 miles. The failure symptoms and internal damage match the defect Ford acknowledged in Safety Recall 22V‑256, which applies to the 2020 F-250/F-350 trucks using the same 10R140 transmission. Despite identical symptoms and the same transmission design, my VIN [XXX] ) was excluded from the recall. the federal safety agency’s VIN decoder also returned an “ambiguous model year” notice, suggesting this vehicle may have been built during the transition period where Ford continued using the same defective 10R140 components. Symptoms experienced prior to failure included harsh shifting, delayed engagement, gear slipping, and eventual loss of drive. A transmission shop stated they “won’t touch these transmissions” due to known issues. The failure created a serious safety risk due to sudden loss of power while driving. This appears to be a recall scope error. Early 2021 units like mine are experiencing the same 10R140 internal failures as the recalled 2020 population. I request the federal safety agency investigate whether Ford under-reported the affected VIN range and whether the recall should be expanded to include early-2021 F-250 trucks. 10R140 transmission failure on a 2021 Ford F-250. Identical to the failure described in 2020 Recall 22V‑256. Early 2021 VIN, suspected recall scope error. approximately sometime in January 2025 not exact date. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
This car has had a recall for almost year. I’m am terrified to drive my truck especially with my kids in it. Sometimes if I press the gas trying to cross traffic, it takes a while to go. Also sometimes it won’t crank up and start. It takes awhile few tried. My back up camera doesn’t work the way it should
Hi. I took my 2021 f250 6,7 to the ford dealership as it was having trouble starting, and just wasn’t running great. They changed the batteries, and told me it was a NOX sensor. So I went and got my truck to fix the sensors myself; because they wanted to charge me close to 3 grand. The next day I got up, lo and behold it wouldn’t crank. I had to have it towed back to the dealership. I tested codes before I had it towed, and took a video of it not cranking. The following codes showed. P2291 PCM - Injector Ctrl Press Too Low - Engine Cranking P2209 PCM - NOx Sens Heater Sense Circ Range/Perf Bank 1 Sens 1 U029D PCM - Lost Comm With NOx Sensor A P2535 PCM - Ignition Switch On/Start Pos Circ High U300A BCM - Ignition Switch It’s been in the shop a week , they called Friday saying it was starting, and there was nothing wrong with it. So I replied with all the codes, and told them there was definitely something going on. So they checked it again Monday and it wouldn’t start. Now today (aug 5 tues.) they say it may have a vacuum leak. Although non of the codes point to vacuum leak. I have no idea what to do now.
Questions about the 2021 Ford F-250 SD transmission
Does the 2021 Ford F-250 SD have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 26 complaints about the transmission of the 2021 Ford F-250 SD, 15% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2021 Ford F-250 SD transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 52,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2021 Ford F-250 SD transmission?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford F-250 SD have bad transmission?
The Ford F-250 SD model years with the most transmission complaints are 2020 (77 complaints), 2019 (46 complaints) and 2001 (45 complaints).
Other 2021 Ford F-250 SD problems
Fuel system 45Electrical 18Suspension 18Visibility 18Driver assistance 16Engine 16Steering 15Body 11Brakes 7Lights 5Airbags 4Acceleration 2Locks 2Tires 1Wheels 1
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