2021 Ford F-150 electrical system problems

Related recalls

• Recall 26V104000Feb 20, 20264,381,878 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2026 F-150, 2022-2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, Maverick, 2024-2026 Ranger, 2023-2026 F-600 SD, 2022-2027 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2026 E-Transit vehicles. When towing a trailer, the integrated trailer module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle, possibly causing a loss of brake and turn signal lights, or a loss of brake function. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

  Risk: Trailer lights or brakes that do not function can reduce the driver’s ability to control the trailer and decrease the trailers visibility to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: The integrated trailer module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 25, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C10. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 17, 2026.

• Recall 25V132000Feb 28, 202510,952 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 22V-193. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.

  Risk: Loss of trailer brake functionality can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S18.

• Recall 24V443000Jun 14, 2024159 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 F-150 vehicles equipped with the Onboard Scales feature. An over-the-air software update to the body control module (BCM) may have disabled both reverse lights.

  Risk: Disabled reverse lights cannot alert others that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are were mailed June 26, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S38.

• Recall 22V193000Mar 25, 2022391,836 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.

  Risk: Loss of trailer brake functionality could result in extended stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S17.

What owners say

1. Filed Oct 8, 2026FLBody & StructureElectrical System

   While driving truck, it had an electrical fritz that caused the car to become undrivable, with systems not responding. when stopped to power cycle, the car would accessory on but not attempt to start. the horn would go off randomly. was able to manually put the truck into neutral and push into a safe spot, at what point a battery clear was attempted with no results, and required towing to dealership where water had intruded into the BCM

   NHTSA complaint #11769880 · source
2. Filed Sep 30, 2026AZElectrical SystemOther / Unknown

   This vehicle was purchased new. It currently has about 56000 miles. Over time there have been numerous incidents where the battery was suddenly dead. The dealer repeatedly replaced the battery with out addressing the cause. This was done under warranty until recently when there was a charge of $1138. This supposedly resulted in the electronics being reset to factory settings. On a subsequent trip of about 2000 miles , there were numerous incidents (at least 8-10) where the…

   NHTSA complaint #11768043 · source
3. Filed Aug 20, 2026GAElectrical SystemAcceleration & Cruise Control

   Due to a dangerous design flaw in the 2021 Ford F150, I was put in a potentially dangerous situation by completely losing all power in the vehicle on a backroad. Design flaw is the DCN module, which floods into the vehicles electrical system/body of vehicle through the cowel drain that can supposedly be blocked by a singular piece of pine straw. Due to the design flaw, the vehicle completely lost all power and all electronics failed while driving down the road at 45 mph,…

   NHTSA complaint #11758129 · source
4. Filed Aug 16, 2026MIDriver Assistance & Safety TechElectrical System

   When backing up, the rear camera display shows a gray filter over the rear image on the display cluster and the right side warning sensors indicate a blue trapezoid on the cluster for the right side of the vehicle. The driver dashboard also has an alert that the rear brake assist feature is inactive

   NHTSA complaint #11757313 · source
5. Filed Aug 7, 2026MIElectrical SystemLighting

   The safety daytime running lights are failing prematurely. My car has 32,000 miles and my DRL is burnt out on the passenger side. Online forums confirm that this is happening to many, many people. It’s a safety hazard for other drivers because the cost to repair is substantial and people aren’t fixing them. Ford should fix this as a recall.

   NHTSA complaint #11755402 · source
6. Filed Jul 30, 2026AZElectrical SystemEngineLighting

   *Brake system failure, complete shut down of vehicle. *Vehicle unable to start. *Vehicle was taken directly to Peoria Ford ( 9130 W Bell Rd, Peoria, AZ 85382) via tow truck on XXX Confirmed when dropped off of brake system failure and vehicle not functioning. *Vehicle was inspected on XXX which we were originally told it was the battery. Although the vehicle was in for trailer software recall on XXX and during inspection at that time battery was in good health. *No warnings…

   NHTSA complaint #11753799 · source
7. Filed Jul 30, 2026FLElectrical SystemLighting

   Day Running Lights in headlights fail. The side LED fails completely requiring the entire headlight housing needing to be replaced. This is a common failure and Ford is not doing anything to help the thousands of customers this is affecting. This failure is widely reported online, in forums and chat rooms. Dealer acknowledges it is a part failure but Ford will not pay for replacement even though it is a design or manufacturing problem with this particular year and style of…

   NHTSA complaint #11753682 · source
8. Filed Jun 30, 2026PAElectrical SystemFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionLighting

   The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

   NHTSA complaint #11747373 · source
9. Filed Jun 10, 2026FLBrakesDriver Assistance & Safety TechElectrical System

   My 2021 Ford F-150 intermittently displays the warning message “Reverse Brake Assist Not Available – See Manual” when the vehicle is placed in reverse. When this message appears, the reverse brake assist / parking collision warning feature is not available, which may reduce safety while backing up. The vehicle was inspected by a Ford dealership. The dealership confirmed DTC U3000:49 in the IPMA module and identified Ford TSB 23-2040 as applicable to the concern. The dealer…

   NHTSA complaint #11743311 · source
10. Filed Jun 5, 2026GABody & StructureElectrical SystemSteering

    After a day of heavy rain, the vehicle stalled at a stop light and would not restart. The steering wheel and transmission locked, preventing the vehicle from being placed in neutral, creating a safety hazard as the vehicle was immobile in traffic. No warning lamps appeared prior to the failure. The vehicle required a tow. The dealer confirmed water had intruded through the passenger side cowl/firewall seam due to inadequate factory sealing, tracking down and pooling directly…

    NHTSA complaint #11742278 · source
11. Filed Jun 1, 2026OHElectrical SystemLightingTransmission & Drivetrain

    My 2021 Ford F-150 has been having trouble with the transmission. Hard shifting, shifting to 10th gear at 40mph and unable to downshift after slowing down. I have also had issues with the daytime running lights not working since around 45k miles. My truck only has 59K miles at the time of me typing this.

    NHTSA complaint #11741271 · source
12. Filed May 29, 2026OKElectrical System

    Vehicle suddenly locked the steering wheel at approximatelyn20-25 MPH dash displayed a front camera failure and the motor stopped. I had to put the vehicle in park and restart. It happened again with in a minute. Then a third time after driving apron. 120 miles. As I slowed to a stop light the same thing happen a third time. This occurred at 20-25 MPH.

    NHTSA complaint #11740857 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology