2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe transmission and powertrain complaints: rough or delayed shifting, sudden slipping or neutral shifts, and a lurch or lunge forward when the truck stops and the hybrid system switches between electric and gas power. A second cluster of reports covers rear axle bolts that shear off, plus electrical and hybrid-system faults such as Pro Power Onboard errors, "Stop Safely Now" shutdowns and stuck-in-park shifters. Many complaints come in between about 10,000 and 90,000 miles, with some appearing at very low mileage.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission rough shifting, slipping and lurching

   • 43 complaints (16%)
   • median 61,800 mi at 2.6 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners describe harsh or delayed shifts, the transmission slipping and then slamming into gear, and occasional sudden shifts to neutral while driving. A related pattern is a lurch or jump forward when the truck stops and the hybrid system switches between electric and gas power, which owners say the dealer sometimes tried to address with a reprogram. Some report the dealer could not duplicate the concern, and others were told a pump or internal part was on backorder. Reported from a few thousand miles up to roughly 80,000 miles, with many under 40,000 and often during low-speed stops, turns or uphill loaded driving.

   What to check: On a test drive, drive slowly through stops and starts and pay attention to any clunk, lurch or hesitation when the engine and electric motor hand off. Ask whether the transmission has been reprogrammed or serviced and whether any stored codes were found.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I come to a stop, my truck will try to lunge/jump forward after a few seconds. It has been happening for a few weeks now. This could result hitting another car in front of me or potentially a pedestrian if I am stopped at a cross walk. I took it a dealer yesterday and they confirmed the problem. They attempted to reprogram it and said it fixed it. Later that night and again this morning, it did it again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11488211, filed 2022-10

   “I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2021 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly slipped at least twice, and shifts violently often. The truck while driving on a 35mph road after just going over a railroad track I went to accelerate and lost gear and the transmission slipped really bad and violently caught a gear after reaching around 4000 rpm. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11754157, filed 2026-08
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Electrical and hybrid shutdowns, Pro Power faults

   • 28 complaints (11%)
   • median 46,000 mi at 4.1 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe Pro Power Onboard warnings and outlets that stop working, messages telling the driver to stop safely followed by loss of propulsion, and trucks that would not restart or would not shift out of park. Owners report dealers applied software updates, replaced outlet modules, control modules or the hybrid battery in some cases, with repairs sometimes reoccurring or being denied as out of warranty. Spread from a few thousand miles to over 100,000 miles, with several reports around 40,000 to 90,000 miles and some occurring while driving at highway speed.

   What to check: Test the Pro Power Onboard outlets and check for any stored electrical or hybrid codes. Ask whether the truck has had module software updates and whether the hybrid battery or related components have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Ford F150 was traveling on I95 North in Maryland when an emergency notice on the dashboard told be to pull over. The truck would not restart and had to be towed to a Ford dealer. I have since been told a controller module caught fire and damaged the hybrid battery and both would need to be replaced at a cost of over $10,000. This is a know issue and other Ford F150 Hybrid trucks as well as other Ford cars have already been recalled. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11702253, filed 2025-12

   “I picked up my F-150 Powerboost from the Ford dealership after getting and oil change. Recorded mileage was 100,385 (just 385 miles out of the 100,000 EV warranty. Just 2 hours after getting it back the check engine light came on for P0B24 for hybrid battery failure. The Ford dealership diagnosed the issue and confirmed the entire hybrid battery has to be replaced. I requested Goodwill assistance from Ford being that it was <500 miles out of warranty. Ford denied the request immediately. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11770359, filed 2026-10
3. 3
   Wheels

   Rear axle bolts shearing off

   • 70 complaints (26%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 2.3 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report a scraping, humming or rattling noise from the rear of the truck, and on inspection the bolt at the end of the rear axle has sheared off, sometimes found loose inside the wheel or rim cap. Complaints describe repeated repairs where the failure came back, and some note their vehicle was not covered by the related customer satisfaction program or campaign. Several owners say the dealer replaced the parts but did not identify a root cause. Often reported under about 30,000 miles, sometimes at only a few thousand miles, and several complaints mention the max tow or heavy-payload axle configuration.

   What to check: Listen for scraping or rattling from the rear wheels and have the rear axle bolts inspected, especially on trucks with the max tow package. Ask whether the axle bolts or related customer satisfaction program work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There is a fairly common issue where there are bolts at the end of the rear axles (P/N 19S426) have the bolt head shearing off and rattling around inside the wheel. I had one such broken bolt. The issue is large enough that hundreds of owners are reporting this on Ford Truck forums, namely on the 2021 Ford F-150 Powerboost with the Max Tow Package like mine. Ford needs to recall this.”

   NHTSA complaint #11485421, filed 2022-09

   “A noise being heard any the rear-end of the truck. Upon taking the rear tire off for investigation a bolt head was noticed in the center of the rim. This bolt came from the axle. The bolt in question holds the axle in place, if driven for a great distance then a chance of the axle floating towards the gear which could have caused a major safety concern for the occupants of the truck and anyone on the road Truck is currently at the shop, but dealer is replacing parts with same components. No root cause has been found to address concern. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11486368, filed 2022-09
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Misfire, hesitation and fuel-system faults

   • 20 complaints (8%)
   • median 88,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe misfires, hesitation and slow acceleration, mostly when pulling away from a stop in gasoline mode, along with stalling or failure to respond to the accelerator. Some replaced spark plugs and coil packs before the underlying fuel-system fault was addressed, and complaints mention that a dealer linked the symptom to a fuel-system recall campaign. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 80,000 miles, often during acceleration from a stop.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel-system recall work has been completed and whether the truck has a history of misfire codes. A service bulletin for this model describes replacement of the exhaust gas heat recovery coolant spigot if it cracks.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have replaced spark plugs and coil packs due to code saying severe misfiring. However, the root cause of this is the continued open recall of the fuel pump. This has effected the way I can drive my vehicle on daily activities, such as going to work, doing family things, and other things while driving this truck.”

   NHTSA complaint #11762449, filed 2026-09

   “When turning right there was a complete loss of power with no response from the throttle it was just stuck coasting at 20klm hr. For 20 seconds or so then throttle kicked in and normal operation again. This has happened twice now in the past week. Very dangerous especially when turning into traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #11636701, filed 2025-01, 115,000 miles
5. 5
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wiper motor failures

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report wipers that stop working or fail to return, a wiper arm that detaches, and in one case a burning odor from under the hood traced to the wiper motor and wiring. Complaints describe dealers diagnosing a failed wiper motor and ordering replacement parts, sometimes repeatedly. Reported from about 2,000 miles up to roughly 70,000 miles, several times during snow or icy conditions.

   What to check: Run the wipers at every speed, check the sprayers and look for any smell of burning plastic near the cowl. Ask whether the wiper motor or wiring has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the front windshield wipers failed to operate properly. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield wiper motors to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11471105, filed 2022-06, 2,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on three occasions while the vehicle was parked, and while driving at various speeds, the driver’s side windshield wiper detached. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver’s side windshield wiper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired three times however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11555249, filed 2023-11, 7,000 miles

Buying note. Check the transmission behavior carefully on a test drive and confirm which recalls, campaigns and software updates have actually been completed, since several complaints involve symptoms that persisted after a repair. Getting a pre-purchase inspection that includes the rear axle bolts and a scan for stored powertrain and electrical codes is worthwhile.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.