Hi everyone, I’m thinking about getting a newer F150, but I’ve heard mixed things about the quality control for trucks built during the pandemic. My friend’s brother-in-law is a Ford tech, and he mentioned seeing a lot of 2021+ trucks in the shop for engine problems, way more than usual. This has made me hesitant to spend that kind of money, only to have potential issues pop up later.
If you’ve got a 2021 or newer F150, what’s your experience been like? Any major problems, or has it been smooth sailing?
2021 3.5 EcoBoost here with 61k kilometers. Engine has been great. I’ve had a couple of small issues, but nothing I’d call a manufacturing or QC problem.
2021 here. Nothing major, but Sync 3 locks up now and then—it resets itself though. Also ran into the e-brake wire issue, which was a simple fix. Got my wiper motor recall notice after three years, but I never had issues with it. Occasionally see a ‘low power mode’ message on Sync 3, but the dealer couldn’t explain it. Doesn’t seem to affect anything. Has anyone else seen this?
Ben said: @Tan
That low power message keeps my interior lights from turning on automatically and the touch-unlock on the door handles stops working.
I had the same issue, and it turned out to be a bad battery. After replacing it (upgraded to an H7 AGM from Walmart), the problem disappeared. My truck is 2.5 years old, so it seems like the battery just degraded faster than usual.
2021 PowerBoost King Ranch with 84k miles. My axle snapped around 60k, which was replaced under warranty. Now it’s at the dealer for a drivetrain issue—it left me stranded 5 hours from home on a work trip.
I have a 2022 XLT 5.0 with 15k miles. No issues other than a couple of pending recalls. It’s frustrating that the dealer won’t replace the wiper motor until it fails. Isn’t that the whole point of a recall?
2021 2.7 EB with 16k miles. No problems so far, and I love the truck. That said, the Ford PowerUp update system is a pain—there’s got to be a better way.
I’ve got a 2021 PowerBoost. Around 41k miles, I had a ‘service engine soon’ warning. Turned out the alternator/starter assembly needed to be replaced. My third-party warranty covered 80% of the $2,600 repair because the dealer took too long diagnosing it. Definitely recommend sticking with the Ford extended warranty.
Ford tech here. My perspective might be skewed since I only see vehicles that are broken, but I don’t service F150s as often as other models. For 2021 and newer F150s, the 2.7L has been very solid—it’s probably the most common engine, but I see it the least. The newer 3.5L has been good too.
@Hazel
Makes sense. Thanks for the insight! I’ve had both the 5.0 and the 3.5 EB in the past and didn’t have major problems with either. Good to know the newer engines are holding up better.
I’ve got a 2021 3.5 EB with 40k km. The engine has been solid, but I had to get my rear axles replaced because of bad parts. Transmission can be clunky at times, and my screen occasionally goes black. Otherwise, the truck has been good.