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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2021 Ford F-150 · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,850/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

Buyable — only with the full 27-recall history in hand.

First year of the 14th generation, and it holds the recall record in our data: 27 campaigns, including a do-not-drive steering recall, three driveshaft campaigns, and an engine-replacement recall for 2.7L/3.0L EcoBoost intake valves. Complaint volume nearly doubled versus 2020.

A 2021 with every recall done can be a fine truck — but the burden of proof is on the seller.

Evidence: 926 NHTSA complaints · 28 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: The recall record in our data — including a do-not-drive steering campaign and an engine-replacement campaign. A fully documented truck can be fine; an undocumented one is a gamble.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

926

Federal complaints

28

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2021 Ford F-150 Super Crew PU/CC 2WD (NHTSA VehicleId 15384)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

EcoBoost intake valve failure (2.7L / 3.0L)

major
  • 2.7L & 3.0L EcoBoost

Intake valves can break and destroy the engine — recall 24V-635, born from federal investigation EA23002. Dealers run an engine cycle test and replace engines that fail it, free. On any 2.7 or 3.0 truck, confirm this test happened: it is the difference between a free engine and a catastrophic failure.

This is a 2.7L & 3.0L EcoBoost problem. The 3.5L EcoBoost V6 and 5.0L V8 don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Recall cycle test and remedy

$0

Missed and failed out of coverage

Engine replacement

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2021 F-150 · Mechanic channel transcripts and owner-group reports (14th-gen F-150)

Transmission software: false neutralmajor

The 10-speed can suddenly shift to neutral from a false low-fluid-pressure code (recall 22V-188; botched fixes were re-recalled as 25V-169). Power train remains the top complaint category for this year. Any hesitation, loss of power, or neutral event on the test drive is disqualifying.

This problem spans 2017–2023 — the full 10-speed automatic (10R80) story →

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2021 F-150 · Mechanic channel transcripts and owner-group reports (14th-gen F-150)

$0

Recall software remedy

10-speed CDF clutch drum — the wear item no recall coversmajor

  • 10-speed automatic (all engines)

Beyond the recalled software faults, mechanic and owner communities document a hardware wear pattern in 2017–2023 10R80s: the CDF clutch drum. Transmission techs report seeing failures weekly, with rebuilds commonly appearing at 40,000–70,000 miles — roughly $2,500 for a remanufactured unit installed, $4,000+ for rebuilds — and the issue has drawn class-action attention. Ford revised the drum in production around August 2022, which means every 2021 predates the fix. Two defenses: Ford's 'lifetime' fluid is realistically good for about 60k of truck use, so do a Mercon ULV drain-and-fill every 30–60k (burnt, dark fluid is the tell — walk away or negotiate). And if shift quality has drifted rather than failed, it's often the transmission's adaptive learning, not hardware: a dealer reflash or a FORScan adaptive reset (a $20 OBD adapter) restores baseline and is the cheap first step before anyone quotes you a rebuild.

This problem spans 2017–2023 — the full 10-speed automatic (10R80) story →

Sources: Mechanic channel transcripts and owner-group reports (14th-gen F-150)

$350

Fluid drain-and-fill / adaptive reset

$2,500–$4,000+

CDF drum failure / reman installed

Driveshaft damage or fracturemajor

Three campaigns: two-piece driveshaft assembly errors (21V-381) and underbody insulators contacting the aluminum driveshaft (21V-986, expanded as 22V-623). A fractured driveshaft causes loss of power or loss of control. Verify all three by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2021 F-150

$0

Recall remedies

Steering gear internal damagemajor

Recall 21V-407 was severe enough that Ford told owners to stop driving; affected trucks were towed in for steering gear replacement. The population is narrow, but verify by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2021 F-150

$0

Recall remedy

The long tail: wipers, trailer brakes, cameras, fuel pumpmoderate

Four wiper recalls (arms and motors), three trailer-brake software recalls (latest 26V-104, March 2026), rearview camera software (25V-315, phased), and a low-pressure fuel pump recall (25V-455) whose remedy was still pending as of mid-2026 — ask whether it has since been performed. Exterior lighting and electrical rank high in complaints, consistent with this electronics-heavy redesign — and mechanics point at a specific cause for the dead-battery reports: SYNC 4-era modules that fail to enter sleep mode, draining the battery overnight (one documented case: a dead battery at 31,000 miles cured entirely by a software update the dealer had never applied). Ask the dealer to check the VIN for outstanding software updates, and insist on a BMS reset with any battery replacement.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2021 F-150 · Mechanic channel transcripts and owner-group reports (14th-gen F-150)

The engine cycle test is the difference between a free engine and a catastrophic failure.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Ford dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 26V-402Transmission park pawl may engage while in motion, damaging the park system — rollaway risk. Free PCM update and component inspection; affects the 2021 F-150 only. Ford number 26S48; interim letters Aug 2026, final remedy expected April 2027 — VIN searchable now.open
  2. 24V-6352.7L/3.0L EcoBoost intake valves can break and destroy the engine. Dealer runs an engine cycle test; failing engines replaced free.open
  3. 21V-407Steering gear internal damage — Ford issued a do-not-drive notice; trucks towed in for free steering gear replacement.open
  4. 25V-16910-speed transmission can shift to false neutral (re-recall of 22V-188 after incomplete fixes). Free software remedy.open
  5. 21V-986Underbody insulators can contact and damage the aluminum driveshaft (expanded as 22V-623; assembly-error campaign 21V-381 related). Free repair.open
  6. 25V-455Low-pressure fuel pump may fail — remedy was still pending as of mid-2026; confirm whether parts are now available and the work is done.open
  7. 23V-896Rear axle hub bolts on Max Tow trucks can fail. Free repair — relevant if the truck tows.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2021 F-150

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

22 MPG combined (20 city / 26 highway) for the RWD, 2.7L turbo on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 43458 (F150 Pickup 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 2.7L turbo 20 MPG · 4WD, 3.5L turbo 18 MPG · 4WD, 5.0L 18 MPG · RWD, 5.0L 19 MPG.

$2,850/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Collision losses run about average here. Neither a red flag nor a discount at the insurer.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2021–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4WD.
Other series: Ford F-150 hybrid crew 4WD 102 · Ford F-150 SuperCrew 99 · Ford F-150 SuperCab 4WD 79 · Ford F-150 SuperCab 89 · Ford F-150 4WD 115 · Ford F-150 116 · Ford F-150 hybrid crew 86, where 100 = average.

90 vs 100

10% below average

Theft

Stolen about 56% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2021–22 models, published April 2023 (report WT-22). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4WD.
Other series: Ford F-150 hybrid crew 4WD 36 · Ford F-150 SuperCrew 58, where 100 = average.

44 vs 100

56% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Recall cycle test and remedy$0
Missed and failed out of coverageEngine replacement
Recall software remedy$0
Fluid drain-and-fill / adaptive reset$350
CDF drum failure / reman installed$2,500–$4,000+
Recall remedies$0
Recall remedy$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01A VIN recall check is mandatory — expect a long list, and get the dealer printout of completed work.
  2. 02On a 2.7 or 3.0 EcoBoost, confirm the engine cycle test (24V-635) was performed and passed.
  3. 03Ask whether the fuel pump recall (25V-455) remedy has been performed now that parts may be available.
  4. 04Test drive: any hesitation, loss of power, or neutral event is disqualifying.
  5. 05If it tows: verify all three trailer-brake software updates and the Max Tow axle hub recall (23V-896).

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

Watch my VIN — free

vincanary.com/ford/f-150/2021