2021 FORD F 250 SD

What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.

This is complaint data, not a random sample.

It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.

Component ranking

  1. #1

    alignment and pull

    15 unsafe

    15
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "The steering wheel started shaking violently, fighting with me for control. Observers said my tires looked as though they where coming off. While this was occurring the vehicle drifted toward the center lane as if the alignment was out. Dealership stated it wa…"complaint #1781260
    • "When traveling on the highway at speeds above 65 mph, a slight bump in the road would take control over the steering wheel and cause the steering wheel and whole truck to shake uncontrollably. Braking would only prolong the shake. Only by slowing down to 45mph…"complaint #1824926
    • "I was driving on the highway with 3 other passengers, at around 75 mph when my steering wheel started to shake wildly and my truck started to shake violently, to the point of almost losing control. I let off the gas and changed lanes to the right and breaked…"complaint #1832524
    • "At 65 + MPH my truck experienced high speed wobble, it made me slow down in the fast lane to around 40 MPH to get vehicle under control and move to right lanes. Steering wheel was out of control and wobbles shaking the instrument display was unable to see any…"complaint #1835852
    • "I have experienced the “death wobble” on (5) different occasions driving on highways and/interstate roads. I have contacted a Ford dealership and been told that they have not heard of this happening with the 2021 vehicles. I had to take it to an automotive mec…"complaint #1850034
  2. #2

    other

    8 unsafe, 7 annoyance

    15
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

    • "PURCHASED A NEW TRUCK AND IT HAD A OPEN RECALL. I FOUND OUT WHEN I INSTALLED FIRST PASS. IT POPPED UP IN MESSAGE. WE ALSO HAD DAMAGE ON TRUCK AND THEY REFUSED TO PAY FOR IT. WE HAD TO TURN IN INSURANCE. THEY SOLD 3 OTHER TRUCKS SAME TIME WITH OPEN RECALL."complaint #1746025
    • "Tailgate realize button in cab also on remote works while vehicle is in motion. While reaching to adjust my pedals while towing on the highway at approximately 70mph tailgate button was pressed, allowing my payload to full all over the Highway. This could ea…"complaint #1785573
    • "While I was driving on the highway my hood popped up thankfully the safety catch held it but it was very unnerving I haven't been able to recreate the problem"complaint #1830606
    • "When towing a trailer, the Trailer brakes stop working. the brakes, using the pedal and lights all work perfectly on truck and trailer. But if you squeeze the brake control paddles, you immediately get a trailer disconnected message and although all lights st…"complaint #1847914
    • "During towing of 10,000lb trailer, the trailer brakes cut out during heavy braking and the dash displayed "wiring fault". Also, sometimes during normal braking, the trailer brakes will cut in and out, if you watch the gain meter during these episodes, the gai…"complaint #1893686
  3. #3

    transmission automatic

    11 unsafe

    11
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=6)

    • "The 10-Speed Automatic Transmission shifts hard and randomly. Leaving a stop sign, at any rate of speed, causes slippage in the shifting. Sometimes it'll shift too slowly, resulting in a jerky motion of the vehicle. Sometimes when on the highway, usually trave…"complaint #1774446
    • "Transmission hard shifting from 1-3 and hard shifting down from 10-8."complaint #1812401
    • "Known mechanical design issue with the 10R140 transmission CDF drum where a bushing moves blocking / partially blocking fluid transfer ports. This causes transmission fluid overheating, clutch slippage, hard shifting, etc. This mechanical design issue poses…"complaint #1933174
    • "The transmission suffers erratic shifting normally between 3rd to 5th, and 9th to 10th gears where it feels as if the transmission goes into neutral when upshifting or downshifting between these gears. But, one issue occurred which has concerned me. After s…"complaint #1997716
    • "Transmission would not engage the next gear , while proceeding through a large traffic intersection. Very scary "complaint #2019778
  4. #4

    fuel pump

    4 stranded, 4 unsafe

    8
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "A 26000 miles the cp4 fuel pump failed and stranded my family (on the busiest road) in Colorado while pulling a trailer. This is a known problem, with multiple manufactures, for more than a few years. Yet here we are!?"complaint #1939621
    • "The high pressure fuel pump failed while traveling causing the truck engine to shutdown placing us at risk of a collision when we took the vehicle to ford dealership in Morrilton, AR we were advised that the CP4 pump or high pressure fuel pump failed containin…"complaint #2052943
    • "We were on the interstate and our truck had reduced power and then failed. The diesel particulate filter light came on as well as the service engine soon warning. We were hauling our [REDACTED ADDRESS] home from a trip. We were able to make it to the side of…"complaint #2087238
    • "ON YOUR VEHICLE, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE FOR AGED BIODIESEL DEPOSITS TO ACCUMULATE IN THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP. THIS MAY RESULT IN EXTENDED CRANKING WITHOUT STARTING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED, OR LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WHILE DRIVING. My vehicle has been inopera…"complaint #2103291
    • "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 i…"complaint #2176359
  5. #5

    backup camera

    4 unsafe, 3 annoyance

    7
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=6)

    • "The front camera has a foggy spot that triggers the front pre-collision assist and related safety devices to not function properly. It is available for inspection. t has not yet been inspected by dealer. The warning lamps and related messages do warn of probl…"complaint #1876479
    • "The back up camera and detection system glitches out when the weather is hot outside. When the cameras goes from working to not working or giving glitching screen effects it really affects the safety of being able to see what’s behind you while backing up. I’v…"complaint #2096975
    • "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."complaint #2177179
    • "Back up camera will show a black screen about 1-2 times a month. Have to turn the truck off and restart to get the camera to work again "complaint #2194934
  6. #6

    driveshaft axle cv

    5 unsafe

    5
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • " [XXX] 275m rear axle tubes are crushed in and it has eaten the end off of the driveshaft. Truck has not towed more than 17000 lbs via gooseneck trailer. Reached out to Ford Motor Company and go no solution for repairs. Same rear-ended has s recall for the v…"~1,100,000 mi, complaint #2046799
  7. #7

    wiring harness

    5 unsafe

    5
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "This is what happen Thursday Night to my Truck sitting in my drive way. My entire wiring harness on the drivers side was under water.. I drove it to the dealership and it was still pouring water from the rear plugs. I have rubber floor mats and wouldn't have…"complaint #1865531
    • "Brought truck into Hansel Ford Dealership in Santa Rosa CA for recall issues, oil change and then an issue with Horn. Horn would not turn off, even with truck off. Had to disconnect battery and take fuse out for horn. Was told by Hansel that there is an issue…"complaint #1968249
    • "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 mig…"complaint #2160031
  8. #8

    control module

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "Speed Control: During night driving on 11/25/2021 at 65 mpg on I-80, I released my foot from the accelerator to slowdown, BUT the F-250 failed to slow down. Upon applying the brakes, the truck slowed (a message on the dash stated I applied the brakes), BUT, up…"complaint #1780554
    • "1st incident, weather conditions were rainy. Drove to store, shut off truck, started truck, service engine soon light came on #1-Ford pass message-powertrain control module lost communication or has detected incompatible software from the glow plug. service en…"complaint #2054640
    • "I took a functional vehicle to Swant Graber Ford in Barron, WI in on [XXX] for Recall 24S78 and since then I have had numerous vehicle issues involving the PCM that they flashed. I have up to 16 different codes when the check engine light comes on including nu…"complaint #2221618
  9. #9

    engine internal

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The truck has developed a significant knock coming from the intake manifold. It is loud enough to hear with the hood closed. The problem exists warm and cold. The knock was verified by Sunrise Ford in Fontana, CA in December of 2024. The Dealership had ano…"complaint #2062265
    • "Engine loss of power - engine failure. My vehicle was serviced regularly with Ford dealership. Just weeks after an oil change at dealership I had sudden catastrophic engine failure. They found metal in my oil and stated my engine had failed due to faulty pump.…"complaint #2083893
    • "2021 f250 with the 7.3v8. 120000 miles and lifter has failed. We believe that we caught it early enough to where we have no more issues other than this. After reading up I have noticed where there has been several other customers with same issue on this engine…"complaint #2183220
  10. #10

    fuel tank and lines

    1 stranded, 3 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "A hole has developed in the center of the diesel fuel filter located on the top of the engine. It is spraying fuel all over the top of the engine including the turbo and other high temperature areas."complaint #2008126
    • "Fuel leaking from above fuel filter housing located on undercarriage of truck. Fuel leak is considerable and was a sudden failure versus developing over time. "complaint #2118720
    • "My 2021 F-250 has had a complete failure due to the fuel system recall notice. Ford will not repair my truck and it has been sitting dead in my lot since April of 2025. Dealer states complete fuel system repair is needed. "complaint #2143345
    • "The secondary fuel filter is leaking and Ford has told me my vehicle was manufactured 1 month too early and doesn’t qualify for a previous recall…They know about the secondary fuel filter housing cracking and being an issue!"complaint #2189236
  11. #11

    glass and windshield

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "Rear window across back of cab shattered for no apparent reason while traveling down the road. Contacted dealership and ford warranty and they said this was not a warranty issue. The truck only has 13,000 miles. I feel this is a defective product ."complaint #1869498
    • "While driving, rear window spontaneously exploded. Entire glass broke out of frame. Not while hitting bump or any other unusual concussions made to vehicle. No rear defroster on. Car has under 5,000 miles. We had for over 2 years, only used rarely."complaint #1902878
    • "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 ins…"complaint #2178526
  12. #12

    lighting exterior

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "Headlights are blinding on F-250s seems all late model Ford F-250, all models seems they always are on bright when at intersectionn across from one it's blinding to see anything else even when driving and the F-250 are coming at you blinding "complaint #1890099
    • "Head light housing retains moisture on the inside of the lens both headlights on truck. May be causing shortage of the wires "complaint #1908075
    • "My F250 was in service for fuel system replacement and to fix both side mirrors which wouldn’t go down after going up. Shortly afterwards I noticed the rapid turn signal you get when tail lights are out. This happened while using a trailer. The trucks rear lig…"complaint #1989584
  13. #13

    suspension struts shocks

    3 unsafe, 1 broken

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "While driving on State highway 59, a small bump in the road sent the truck into a violent shake where I almost lost control of the vehicle. This violent shake is and can be life threatening to my family and I, as well as nearby others. Now Ford is charging me…"complaint #1852967
    • "Driven on freeway hit 65 speed start shaking every time. I have to slow down "complaint #1873169
    • "Shocks rear are showing licking with in one year. Of ownership."complaint #1895761
  14. #14

    trunk or liftgate

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "AUTOMATIC TAIL GATE OPENING WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET."complaint #1725765
    • "The truck tailgate opened by itself 4 times since receiving the vehicle (5 month period). It happened both while stopped and while driving. This put drivers behind me at risk for cargo spilling out, though luckily that did not happen. The last incident scratc…"complaint #1750018
    • "Electronic tailgate randomly opens while driving and causes significant safety issue while hauling materials. Has happened multiple times."complaint #2101369
  15. #15

    airbag system

    2 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I hit an elk at 65 mph while pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with 4000 lbs of hay. The crash warning light did not come on nor did the air bags deploy. The whole front end of the truck is badly damaged. I contacted my local Ford dealer with this information a…"complaint #2107723
    • "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 vehicl…"complaint #2168913
  16. #16

    engine stall or no start

    2 stranded, 1 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "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 charg…"complaint #2117510
    • "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…"complaint #2123472
    • "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 - "complaint #2162399
  17. #17

    fuel injector

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

  18. #18

    throttle and pedal

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I bought this truck used with 20K miles on it, after only two days of driving it. I was in the credit union parking lot, started it up, foot on the brake, put the truck in drive and it Leaped Forward. I had to jump harder on the break to stop the motion. I…"complaint #1850399
    • "Vehicle surging accelerator Acts like lake of air theb shoots off"complaint #1906596
    • "(UNKNOWEN) I have a problem with accelerator pedal lag time, when pushing down on the accelerator pedal nothing happens at first then you get acceleration which isn't good it's like the truck falls on its face then jumps forward. This is a real problem…"complaint #2013822
  19. #19

    battery and charging

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

  20. #20

    differential

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "My truck currently has 92,[REDACTED ADDRESS] miles. This truck is not used for towing outside of the weight rating. The issue is that there was a vibration when I reached speeds of 65mph and higher. The dealer states that the rear end has excessive back las…"complaint #1942627
  21. #21

    door latch and hinge

    1 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Door latch sensor on rear passenger has failed. Says door is ajar when door is latched correctly. 300 miles out of warranty and they would not cover it. "complaint #1996031
    • "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 doesn’t unlock on the drivers door, I have to use the passenger or rear doors to enter and/or exit…"complaint #2168060
  22. #22

    exhaust system

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The exhaust manifold bolts broke and it’s leaking toxic fumes in the path of the cab and it gives me a headache I’ve done research and this is a common issue "complaint #2073130
  23. #23

    mirror

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "2021 FORD F-250. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE MIRRORS."complaint #1885771
    • "Both the driver and passenger mirrors will not fully adjust. The mirrors need a different adjustment for standard driving and when towing a travel trailer. Neither mirror will properly adjust for towing and non towing applications. The lack of proper mirror…"complaint #2158285
  24. #24

    steering column

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "While driving the vehicle, the steering column released all of the bearings, allowing for the steering column to move up and down and in and out freely, making it unknown if the steering would follow which way the steering wheel was turned. I reached out to ou…"complaint #2231704
  25. #25

    unintended acceleration

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "6/25/22 around 5:30PM, my 2021 F250 7.3 gas engine with 10k miles experienced sudden unintended acceleration. At McDonald’s pickup window foot firmly on brake pedal, my truck felt like it was being pushed away from window. Truck got up to speed of approx. 5 m…"complaint #1822069
  26. #26

    wiper and washer

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Both Woodruff keys have fallen out of the windshield wiper arms where they attach to the wiper linkage. Without the Woodruff keys in place during operation, the windshield wipers easily detach from the wiper linkage. This causes an immediate loss of visibili…"complaint #1860617
    • "Wiper blade arm has became inoperable it separates from the vehicle there fore making it difficult to see in rain which I get a lot of in my area "complaint #1876340
  27. #27

    acceleration loss or hesitation

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

  28. #28

    brake booster

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I PURCHASED THIS TRUCK AND AS I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP, THE PIN HOLDING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE LINKAGE FELL OUT BECAUSE A CIRCLIP WAS NOT INSTALLED TO HOLD IT IN. I WAS COASTING INTO A BUSY HIGHWAY SO I WAS ABLE TO THINK QUICKLY AND USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, HAD I…"complaint #1718568
  29. #29

    brake hydraulics

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

  30. #30

    corrosion and rust

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Dear staff; I purchased my 2021 Ford F-250 new July 25th, 2021. I noticed my undercarriage was covered in great portions of rust. The front driveshaft to the outer ends and the rear housing, including the rear driveshaft u-joint has a significant amount of…"complaint #1803523
  31. #31

    horn

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

  32. #32

    interior trim

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Cab trim is coming off vehicle, causing likelihood of vehicle getting water inside the body/ structure of the vehicle, which can lead to degradation and loss of structural integrity during a collision."complaint #2233399
  33. #33

    key fob and immobilizer

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

  34. #34

    tire failure

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

  35. #35

    torque converter

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

NHTSA investigations

Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for FORD F 250 SD directly.