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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
673 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Ford F-150 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2021 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #27

Feb 042023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2021 F150 XLT with 19,000 miles has never had functioning trailer brakes. Initially I was plagued with constant trailer wiring fault / trailer disconnected issues, and zero slide or pedal brakes, when trying to tow a travel trailer. Two separate dealerships initially dismissed my concerns because it passed their trailer simulator test. Eventually, Ford replaced the trailer wiring harness under warranty. After that, I had intermittent slide brakes that would work, but I never saw any brake output when using the pedal brakes, regardless of gain setting. Ford then replaced the trailer brake controller, which worsened the issue: once again I am getting trailer wiring faults. My slide brakes are extremely hit or miss, and when they do engage they catch and release several times. I still have zero brake output when using the pedal brakes regardless of gain. The dealership consulted a Ford engineer and assured me that my truck is perfect, I should not expect to see brake output for pedal brakes, and all is working as designed. They blamed my trailer. I demanded to test my trailer with a different F150 from the dealership and it works flawlessly - brake output on both slide and pedal brakes, no error codes. It is horrifyingly obvious that I have never had ANY trailer braking functioning with my pedal brakes now that I have compared the braking distance in the loaner truck to my truck. If I had believed Ford, I would be towing a 7,500lb trailer with zero idea that I did not have any trailer brakes. Dealership and corporate are both kicking their feet on a potential fix to this horrifyingly dangerous trailer brake problem.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #26

Apr 072023

F-150

  • miles
Park/Emergency Brake system light illuminates and system engages when vehicle is placed from drive to park, and when system is shut down the light illuminates and engages. Also, when vehicle is started the park brake light shows to be engaged. When the vehicle is put in reverse the light is still illuminated while the vehicle is backing up. The light stays on while the vehicle is in backward motion. Safety concerns for me and my family are: 1. What if the Park Brake engaged while driving at normal speed - what could happen? 2. With vehicle parked and brake system engaged driver should not be able to put vehicle in reverse and back up without disengaging brake lever. The vehicle was taken to the local dealership service center twice to try to get resolution of the park brake light issue. They were unable to duplicate the issue and stated that according to Ford's maintenance policy there was nothing more that could be done. We have tried to contact Ford through their main customer service phone number. We literally spent hours on the phone trying to reach someone who could help us with the issue, but no one had an answer for us. A case file was made by Ford Customer Service and marked "RESOLVED". It has not been resolved. As stated, the park brake light started showing up in February 2022. As of this time there has not been an incident, but I can't rule out that something might happen. I think it should be addressed by the dealership and/or Ford engineer with more interest than just a dismissal attitude.

- Tomball, TX, USA

problem #25

Jun 242022

F-150

  • miles
This is a link to the Dashcam footage. Traveling 45mph in stop and go traffic. I braked (indicated by my hood dipping downwards) but failed to stop. Possible defect? Haven't had my truck back since the accident on 6/24/2022. https://youtu.be/HL7Iau0463I

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #24

Feb 152023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When traveling on a divided highway in the left lane with no vehicle ahead of me, as I am passing a vehicle in the right lane, just when I am about even with that vehicle beside me my truck applies the brakes firmly and unexpectedly. There is no associated warning message on the instrument panel display or audio alert like there is when it goes into collision avoidance. When it happened the first time I was very startled and worried it saw something that required braking but as it happens almost every time I pass someone I am getting used to it.

- Edgar, WI, USA

problem #23

Jan 212023

F-150

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, there was an abnormal sound heard. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the dealer confirmed there was no failure. In addition, the dashboard failed to work as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

- Inglewood, CA, USA

problem #22

Dec 252022

F-150

  • miles
Brake failure, brake pedal went to floor had to firmly stand on peddle rear wheels eventually locked up and truck skidded to stop. warning lamps that lit up are check brake system, hill start assist not available, service advance trac, pre collision assist not available, ABS and brake light was illuminated. very dangerous situation. This is the second time this happened the first was September 2021 they replaced the brake booster at 7,000 miles this occurred again 12/25/2022.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #21

Jul 172022

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving with my wife and our one month old baby on I-25 in Albuquerque on a hot day (truck screen indicated 106 F) when suddenly the AdvanceTrac traction control, forward pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, and ABS system warnings all came on the dashboard. At the same time the brake pedal went limp (no braking action for the first ~50% of the pedal press). I slowed the truck by coasting for over a mile and picked an off-ramp that I expected to be empty before getting off the highway. Upon exiting the highway, I pressed the brake pedal all the way down and at 90-95% of the pedal compression the brakes finally engaged but locked up the rear wheels leading us to skip and skid across two lanes. We were able to come to a stop in the middle of the ramp and then gently moved over to the side of the exit, again locking up the rear wheels when we came to a stop. Upon turning the truck off and turning it back on again everything went back to normal suggesting that it was some subsystem that caused the electronic brake booster and ABS to become unresponsive. After a week at the local Ford dealer, the service technicians were able to find the error code C05CF. This error code appears to be officially only triggered by "Brake Master Cylinder Piston Position Sensor "B" -This DTC sets due to incomplete or improper module programming procedures." Which suggests this problem may have been lingering for over 30k miles of use. Ford technicians updated the traction control module firmware, body control module firmware, and then reproduced the issue leading them to perform an ABS system calibration which they claim fixed the issue. It is claimed that no component replacement was necessary, only software updates and calibration. Full dealer notes attached as.pdf It's crazy to think a software bug caused our brake system to almost entirely fail on the highway, particularly with an error code that should only have been able to been generated at the factory.

- Santa Fe, NM, USA

problem #20

Jun 112022

F-150

  • miles
Have had squeeking breaks since receiving the truck a year ago. Brought in and was told to watch for a letter they don't have the part that my breaks are safe but the squeeking has gotten a lot worse. Also the dash board lights turn on and off when the car is off. The other day driving at speed on the expressway the whole dash board turned off all gages went to zero than rebooted. I was coasting trying to figure out what was happening so not sure if I lost power. 3 faults were sent to my phone. Restraint fault abs fault and tire pressure fault all showed up.

- Medford, NY, USA

problem #19

Sep 012021

F-150

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to stop with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that within several seconds, the brakes would engage and stop the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

- Englewood, CO, USA

problem #18

Apr 012022

F-150 6-cyl

  • miles
2021 Ford F150. Consumer writes in regards to safety recall 21S56. The consumer stated the vehicle began rolling while in park and the engine powered off. The vehicle struck a trash can. The vehicle was scheduled for an appointment to be diagnosed.

- Greensburg, PA, USA

problem #17

Apr 222021

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My emergency brake engages in its own. It has done it more than 20times since I have owned the vehicle. The first time it happened was about a month after purchasing. The last time it engaged I was pulling into a parking spot a couple weeks ago. Sometimes it come on when parked and other times The brake light on the dash will flash at me if I am in motion as it engages. When I disengage the brake I can hear the noice as it retracts. I assume typically there is a safety if it engages at high speeds but If this can have a glitch it makes me nervous if it would engage at highway speed and cause an accident. I have small children that ride with me and makes me nervous. I have brought it to the attention of the dealership I bought the vehicle from and they could not find anything wrong. I plan on taking it to a Ford dealership closer to my home as I drove a distance to purchase my vehicle. I believe this to be a huge risk if it would lock up while driving.

- Redfield , IA, USA

problem #16

Feb 042022

F-150

  • miles
Brakes failed to stop vehicle when entering my garage. Vehicles brake pedal went all the way to the floor board while truck continued to roll crashing into garage wall damaging personal items stored in garage as well as drywall, studs, and hair-line vertical cracks in exterior brick veneer. I have security video of the complete incident.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #15

Feb 042022

F-150

  • miles
My trucks integrated brake controller will not consistently control the electric trailer brakes. I plug in the trailer and get confirmation that it is controlling the brakes by manually testing them while rolling and at some point during the trip it stops controlling them without warning. I have tried all methods to be sure the 7 pin connection is seated properly and I am sure it is. I have a 7 pin tester and when I check the electric output at the plug it lights up the circuit (BK) for the brakes. When traveling and I realize I no longer can control the trailer brakes, I pull over and unplug the trailer, plug in the tester and when squeezing the brake controller it will not light up the circuit marked (BK). If I leave it disconnected and shutoff the truck for 15+ minutes and reconnect, it works again only to stop again at some unknown point. There is obviously a seriously dangerous issue here. I have taken it to the Ford dealer and they can't find anything wrong. When it resets you can't duplicate it until you tow for an undermined distance for it to fail again. I have searched the internet and found many people with the same issue and no one has been able to get it solved by all manner of efforts including many efforts at Ford dealers and electrical shops. This form asks for the date it occurred. It started as soon as I took delivery with 5 miles and is ongoing.

- Hawthorne, FL, USA

problem #14

Dec 092021

F-150

  • miles
1) Pre-collision assist not available---- when starting after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. Service AvanceTrac----when starting after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. Hill start assist not available-----when starting after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. Check brake system-------when starting after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. All these warnings appear when starting the engine after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. Yes, it is available. 2) I don't know if I restart the vehicle and warnings do not reappear if the components at fault still work. 3) Don't think it was reproduced. Showed dealer photos of warnings displayed on my dash. Dealer said no fix currently available. 4) No 5) All these warnings appear on the dash when starting the engine after vehicle has been sitting off for one hour. First appeared after starting on multiple occasions.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #13

Jan 072022

F-150

  • 1,500 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 36 MPH and approaching an intersection, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle continued through the intersection. The anti-lock brakes warning light then illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 1,500.

- Weatherford, TX, USA

problem #12

Dec 262021

F-150

  • miles
The trailer brake on my truck is not working consistently. When coming down a snowy mountain pass two days ago, the bake controller disconnected (after working for about 5 hours). This is incredibly dangerous and due to the fact that I am on a cross country road trip and all dealers are booked months in advance I have not been able to get any information from Ford. I am going to post links to other people having this same problem. This has happened since the truck was purchased. This is an incredibly dangerous situation and I would have expected more from a Ford Truck. I believe based on these other peoples experiences that the issue is with the Powerboost Hybrid specifically. Motor Trend even noticed this in their review: Software Struggles We also intended to evaluate how much the electric motor's torque helps with towing, only to be thwarted by another bug, this one in the trailer brake controller. No matter what we did, the integrated trailer brake controller would not activate the trailer brakes-€"even with the gain all the way up. We verified the issue was with this F-150 by hitching the trailer to another truck, where the trailer brake controller and trailer brakes worked fine. Link to Motor Trend Review: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2021-ford-f-150-powerboost-hybrid-review/ Other Examples of customers experiencing the same problem. https://tfltruck.com/2021/08/ask-tfl-ford-150-trailer-electrical-issues/ (read the comments at the bottom of the article) https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/trailer-brake-failure.5105/ https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/trailer-brake-not-working.3039/page-2 https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/trailer-tow-power-issue.3259/ https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/trailer-towing-issues.2619/

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 222021

F-150 6-cyl

  • miles
While towing an RV trailer, the trucks brake controller failed to send signal to trailer when brakes were applied relying on truck only to stop load. The truck recognized trailer was attached but when brake controller was squeezed message on dash was -€œNo Trailer-€ Stopped at dealer in Kerrville Tx but problem was not seen on scan tool. This issue seems to be intermittent with no warning message when it happens. Manually monitoring brake controller is the only way to determine if the trucks brake controller is functioning correctly. Consumer took the truck in to 2 different dealers with this trailer brake issue. Both dealers wanted to assume the truck loses connection with trailer. Consumer stated truck does not, the trailer brakes just stop working. Consumer stated has taken the truck to 2 different dealers with this trailer brake issue. Both dealers want to assume the truck loses connection with trailer. Consumer truck does not but trailer brakes just stop working. The attached picture shows me squeezing the brake controller while showing the brakes lights coming on on the rear camera.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #10

Sep 232021

F-150

  • miles
After connecting my boat trailer, I had ZERO trailer brakes. The lights all worked, brake, running, signal-but no trailer brakes. I turned the integrated trailer brake gain to the highest setting-still zero trailer brakes.

- Sacramento , CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 232021

F-150

  • miles
The standard trailer brake controller does not function. I have tried it on 2 known trailers that function with other trucks and this truck's does not work.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #8

Oct 072021

F-150

  • miles
when connecting my truck to a know working trailer the truck would not enable the trailer brakes. tried different vehicle and the brakes work fine.

- Highland, MI, USA

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