2021 Ford F-150 exterior lighting problems
103 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the exterior lighting on the 2021 Ford F-150 — 11% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“*Brake system failure, complete shut down of vehicle. *Vehicle unable to start. *Vehicle was taken directly to Peoria Ford ( 9130 W Bell Rd, Peoria, AZ 85382) via tow truck on XXX Confirmed when dropped off of brake system failure and vehicle not functioning. *Vehicle was inspected on XXX which we…”
filed Jul 30, 2026
“Day Running Lights in headlights fail. The side LED fails completely requiring the entire headlight housing needing to be replaced. This is a common failure and Ford is not doing anything to help the thousands of customers this is affecting. This failure is widely reported online, in forums and…”
filed Jul 30, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- An over-the-air software update to the body control module (BCM) may have disabled both…Campaign 25V348000 · May 23, 2025
Exterior Lighting problems in other F-150 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 F-150 | 6 | 6% |
| 2024 F-150 | 49 | 27% |
| 2023 F-150 | 20 | 5% |
| 2022 F-150 | 58 | 10% |
| 2020 F-150 | 4 | 1% |
| 2019 F-150 | 11 | 1% |
| 2018 F-150 | 22 | 1% |
| 2017 F-150 | 5 | 0% |
| 2016 F-150 | 14 | 1% |
| 2015 F-150 | 17 | 1% |
| 2014 F-150 | 8 | 1% |
| 2013 F-150 | 16 | 1% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2021 Ford F-150
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.