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8.0

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,143 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-250 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Ford F-250 Owner Comments

problem #14

Jan 012025

F-250

  • miles

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

bad transmission at only 75,000 miles

- Long Branch , NJ, USA

problem #13

Dec 242024

F-250

  • miles
December 24, 2024, Traveling in a line of vehicles on a two lane road, the vehicles ahead of me slowed to almost a complete stop. I braked and slowed along with the traffic to a near stop. As the traffic began moving again, I released my brake and pressed the accelerator pedal. The engine RPM's raised but the the vehicle did not move. It felt as if the transmission was in neutral. After releasing the accelerator and pressing it a second time, the engine revved again and then the transmission made a loud bang engaging the transmission and lurched the truck forward. I released the accelerator and braked to avoid striking the vehicle ahead of me. I pressed the accelerator again only to have the same scenario happen again. Fortunately, each time the truck did this, I did not strike the vehicle ahead of me. This is the not the first incident of this occurring with this vehicle. The truck then drove normally and did not experience this again on this trip. This had occurred previously a several months before with the same issue. I am unable to duplicate the issue and am unsure what causes the truck to do this. It appears that the transmission is unable to determine what gear it needs to be in and therefore acts as if it is in neutral when this occurs.

- Ocoee, FL, USA

problem #12

Jun 042024

F-250

  • miles
Transmission would not engage the next gear, while proceeding through a large traffic intersection. Very scary

- Wilmington , NC, USA

problem #11

May 012021

F-250

  • 2,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the transmission was slipping. The contact wait for a while before the vehicle responded as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to three other local dealers: DeSoto Ford (3039 SE Hwy 70, Arcadia, FL 34266); McDonald Ford (6790 Midland Rd., Freeland, MI 48623); and Richardson Ford (3781 S Huron Rd., Standish, MI 48658), and was made aware of TSB: SSM 51420; and that the vehicle was working as designed. The contact was informed that engine oil was moving into the torque converter and needed to warm up for proper operation. The mechanic informed the contact to let the vehicle run for a while before shifting into gear. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

- Sterling, MI, USA

problem #10

Jun 072024

F-250

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while at a stop and attempting to accelerate, the RPMs rapidly increased, but the vehicle failed to respond as intended and experienced a loss of motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Haskell, TX, USA

problem #9

May 152024

F-250

  • miles
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 stopping at an intersection, when it was safe to proceed, I moved my foot from the brake to the gas pedal to proceed. The engine revved to higher RPM's, but the truck did not move as if it was in neutral instead of gear. As I looked down at the tachometer, the truck suddenly locked into gear causing the tires to chirp and the truck then lunged forward through the intersection. This was a T intersection where you have to turn right or left. This incident was so harsh and unexpected, it threw me back into my seat. I was able to maintain control and make my turn to the left without going off the end of the road. This incident has not happened again, but the erratic shifting continues.

- Ocoee, FL, USA

problem #8

Nov 062023

F-250

  • miles

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

My truck currently has 92,305 miles and are all highway 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 lash, excessive wear in the ring and pinion gears and metal shavings in the rear differential fluid. Ford's rear differential service recommendation is 100,000 miles which I have not reached. I'm now required to pay over $3200 in repairs for the carrier bearings, hub bearings, pinion bearings, seals and rings plus the transmission fluid. Based on my driving habits, I do not think this issue is something that I caused, I believe it to be a Ford issue which they deny. I have read many blogs online where other owners have this same issue and someone needs to look into it further.

- Lake Arthur, LA, USA

problem #7

Oct 042023

F-250

  • miles
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 a danger to the driver, passengers and other surrounding vehicles when this potential failure occurs.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #6

Jun 132023

F-250

  • miles
Vehicle surging accelerator Acts like lake of air theb shoots off

- Lakeside, CA, USA

problem #5

Oct 272022

F-250

  • miles
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 almost hit the truck crossing in front of me. If he was heading the other direction and closer to me, I would have easily hit him. This morning 28 Oct 2022, I stopped at the gas station and filled up and the same thing happened when leaving the station, but no one else was around.

- Newport, NC, USA

problem #4

May 122022

F-250

  • miles

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

Transmission hard shifting from 1-3 and hard shifting down from 10-8.

- Junction City, KS, USA

problem #3

Feb 252022

F-250

  • miles
The forward heat shield/sound insulator became dislodged from the retainers and dropped onto the forward driveshaft. This damaged the driveshaft. This incident could have resulted in the driveshaft fracturing and may have resulted in an accident. This condition is documented in NHTSA Campaign number 22V-087 and Ford recall 22S09. Per the Ford dealer who repaired the truck and per an employee of Ford Motor Company, the two wheel drive Ford Super Duty trucks have not been included in the recall. These places thousands of vehicle owners at risk of an accident related to this condition.

- Sun City West, AZ, USA

problem #2

Mar 242022

F-250

  • miles
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 rust. What-??s surprising is I have only 5400 miles and the truck appears to look 20 years old. I have a neighbor who is a GM of another competitor dealership. He crawled under the truck and said this is a safety issue which needs to be addressed. Two Ford dealership Service managers informed over the phone this is a common issue and not to be concerned. I have owned eight Ford pickups throughout my life and never had this deep concern. Knowing this rust has perforated the tie rods, I don-??t feel safe driving this $60,000 vehicle. My only recourse since Ford won-??t honor its warranty is for me to trade it in on a GMC. I have been loyal to Ford for 36 years to finally get shrugged off.

- Oldsmar, FL, USA

problem #1

Oct 132021

F-250

  • miles
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 traveling at 68mph (cruise control), the vehicle will randomly jump gears when it's not necessary. Recently while getting up to speed we heard a large grinding noise shifting into 4th gear. The vehicle, otherwise, runs great. The transmission leaves alot to be desired and I do not have any confidence in the shifting. It's comparable to a teenager just learning how to drive a stick shift. If I wanted that, I would have one. My transmission fluid is where it should be and the vehicle has less than 8,000 miles on it.

- Limestone, NY, USA

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