Total Complaints
191 filings
FORD F-250 · model year
191 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2021FORDF-250 carries 191 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2021 F-250 is fuel system, diesel with 20 filings, followed by power train (19) and suspension (17). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2021 F-250, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
191 filings
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL | 20 |
| POWER TRAIN | 19 |
| SUSPENSION | 17 |
| STEERING | 14 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 12 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 10 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 9 |
| ENGINE | 9 |
| VISIBILITY | 7 |
| BACK OVER PREVENTION | 7 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 6 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 5 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 5 |
| LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION | 4 |
I was driving on I-77 WV Turnpike when suddenly my moon roof shattered. No other vehicles were around and no overpasses in sight. When I pulled over, the glass was raised as if the blowout came from inside the vehicle. It sounded like a gunshot went off inside my truck. Vehicle has been repaired. Replacement glass was $1,800.00
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Front camera malfunctions and goes black and stops working. Ford refuses to acknowledge this issues and prevents forward collision alert system from working. The refuse to fix the issue or look into a recall.
Front camera malfunctions and goes black and stops working. Ford refuses to acknowledge this issues and prevents forward collision alert system from working. The refuse to fix the issue or look into a recall.
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 (NHTSA 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 âfuel contaminationâ 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 fue
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 (NHTSA 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 âfuel contaminationâ 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 fue
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 (NHTSA 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 âfuel contaminationâ 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 fue
I have been experiencing a brake problem with the trailer brake system in my 2021 Ford F250 Crew Cab. When my travel trailer is connected to the truck the trailer brakes do not always apply and sometimes the brakes apply, then release and then apply again. On my most recent trip, I traveled half way through an intersection before stopping because the trailer brakes did not apply. The trailer brakes were replaced two years ago and were just inspected on January 27th of this year. They were rated in excellent condition. I took the trip soon after the trailer brakes were inspected and I still am experiencing trailer brake controller issues. I tested the condition at low speed just using the brake controller and the brakes applied then released and then applied again. I spoke with Ford today and they stated that the current recall campaign 25V132000 does not apply to my truck. I requested that they consider expanding the recall as my truck is exhibiting the exact conditions described
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact called to file a complaint on a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact was a Crash Investigator. The contact stated that the vehicle owner was involved in a crash. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in the opposite lane, the vehicle was involved in a head-on collision. No other information was available. The contact stated that while inspecting the Air Bag Control Module, it was downloaded; however, there was no reported crash data information of the crash or that the air bags were deployed. The contact stated that there was a pattern with the faulty part being distributed from a manufacturing plant for the manufacturer located in Kentucky. The contact stated that other similar vehicles had experienced similar failures. The contact was concerned that if vehicle owners were involved in a crash, none of the air bags modules would collect or store the data, making it difficult to investigate the crash. The contact stated that the failure was due to Air Bag Con
The contact called to report a failure on a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact, who is a Crash Investigator, stated that the owner of the vehicle was involved in a crash. While the owner was driving at an undisclosed speed in the opposite lane, the driver ended up in a head-on collision. No other information was available. While inspecting the Air Bag Control Module after downloading the information, there was no crash or air bags deployment information retrieved. The contact stated that there was a pattern of the faulty part being distributed from a manufacturing plant for the manufacturer located in Kentucky, because this was not the first issue with a Ford F-250 vehicle experiencing the exact failure. The contact was concerned that if vehicle owners were involved in a crash, the air bags modules would not collect or store data, making it difficult to investigate the crash. The failure was due to the Air Bag Control Module, Event Data Recorder, and Restraint Control Module, which were unab
The drivers side door latch does not allow the driver to exist the vehicle as the door lock on the drivers door has only worked intermittently. When the lock doesnât unlock on the drivers door, I have to use the passenger or rear doors to enter and/or exit the vehicle. The drivers door wonât even allow me to manually unlock the door using the latchâwhen I grip the latch tight enough to grab the door lock pin it cannot even be pulled up manually, itâs as if it is being pulled back down with heavy force. This is a significant hazard in the event of an emergency as I cannot exit the vehicle. The truck only has -7,000 miles on it and is in like new condition. This began back in August of 2024, but then stopped for a while and returned intermittently, but now seems to be a regular occurrence. This need to be addressed by Ford ASAP.
RE: NHTSA # 24V957 Ford still has not resolved this issue. Two dealerships I called have given conflicting information.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V686000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera went black and failed to operate. Additionally, the Blind Spot Monitoring indicators on both the driverâs and passengerâs side exterior mirrors were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000.
Mileage: 48,000
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V686000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera went black and failed to operate. Additionally, the Blind Spot Monitoring indicators on both the driverâs and passengerâs side exterior mirrors were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000.
Mileage: 48,000
driving on two lane road with low visibility - car lost power and stopped in road- ford refused to cover repairs /tow for over one year vehicle sat - they compromised with us paying half for new engine -
driving on two lane road with low visibility - car lost power and stopped in road- ford refused to cover repairs /tow for over one year vehicle sat - they compromised with us paying half for new engine -
driving on two lane road with low visibility - car lost power and stopped in road- ford refused to cover repairs /tow for over one year vehicle sat - they compromised with us paying half for new engine -
All of my rear lights stopped working with no warning. My blind spot monitoring and cross traffic detection also stopped working. This is a serious issue as the light go out intermittenly without warning. Especially dangerous at night. Dealership thinks it might be a faulty harness. Dealership thought they fixed it by cleaning contacts but the very next day they went out again while driving in a snow storm. Luckily no one was behind me because they would not have been able to see me.
All of my rear lights stopped working with no warning. My blind spot monitoring and cross traffic detection also stopped working. This is a serious issue as the light go out intermittenly without warning. Especially dangerous at night. Dealership thinks it might be a faulty harness. Dealership thought they fixed it by cleaning contacts but the very next day they went out again while driving in a snow storm. Luckily no one was behind me because they would not have been able to see me.
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.