What 937 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Ford F-150 Super Cab Diesel

The passenger side running light in the headlight has gone out. Not the entire part just the vertical section of the running light

NHTSA ODI 11747322

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11747373

The passenger side light has the outer-most vertical LED segment out (not lit up). This appears to be common on this model truck after researching.

NHTSA ODI 11747090

The problem and or issue on my 2021 Ford F150 is the Day Running light on the Upper Passenger side went out and does not work anymore. I reported it to the Dealer. I believe it to be a safety issue if all Day Running lights are not fully operational. This happened with about 66,026 miles on my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11745073

Vertical Daytime Running Lamp is out and from doing multiple hours of research it looks as if it was a quality control issue. The LED board was not secured internally and it caused an LED to touch the tube and burned it. It is very common on 2021-2023 models and the manufacturer changed it for 2024. Please we need to get this as a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11743628

My 2021 Ford F-150 has been having trouble with the transmission. Hard shifting, shifting to 10th gear at 40mph and unable to downshift after slowing down. I have also had issues with the daytime running lights not working since around 45k miles. My truck only has 59K miles at the time of me typing this.

NHTSA ODI 11741271

Both of the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) on my 2021 F150 have failed. They cost `$2,000 each to replace. They are LEDs, and were billed as never needing replacement, and certainly not under 50k miles. A quick search shows that this is a common issue with 2021+ F150s, and looking around on the road, I notice many with the same issue. This failure of safety equipment reduces visibility and could contribute to accidents.

NHTSA ODI 11737918

My 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat has a repeated failure of the front LED daytime running/perimeter lighting (Driver's Side). The light was intermittently dim before failing completely. This occurred around 94,000 miles. Because this lighting is part of the truck’s front visibility system, the failure creates a safety concern, especially in daylight, rain, fog, and low-light conditions. Based on owner reports, this may be a widespread defect affecting other 2021+ F-150 trucks. I request NHTSA evaluate this issue for a possible defect investigation and recall.

NHTSA ODI 11735555

Daytime Running Lamps, vertical beam on driver side does not function after 4 years. Research shows it's likely melting the headlight assembly components during overheating and burnout.

NHTSA ODI 11735305

DRL led strips premature failure. The vehicle is only 5 years old and the DRL on the fog lights and the headlight assembly are failing. Multiple f150s in this year range are experiencing similar issues. This poses a safety risk due to not being able to properly see and be seen due to poor lighting.

NHTSA ODI 11733908

I have a 2021 F150. The vehicle has LED day time running lights (DRL's). Several of the lights have overheated and melted the plastic internally to limit the transmittance of light. Thus it appears that the light is not functioning, but the reality it has burnt the plastic. This is a known issue that can be seen everyday on the road in other F150's and in the FORD F150 forums. FORD has realized this design issue and has changed the design of the headlight assembly in newer vehicles. In order to get the (DRL's) repaired, you must replace the entire headlight assembly at a cost of $1500 just for the assembly according to the FORD dealership when I brought the vehicle in routine service. Also, when the DRL first failed, it was believed that FORD had sent an over the air software update that included increasing the intensity of the LED for the DRL. This software update was changed back to the setting that it originally came with the vehicle. The first LED that failed was approximately 2 years ago. A second DRL failed about 6 months later. I have changed the settings so the DRL's do not come on during the day to minimize future DRL's from burning the plastic. In theory, if I wanted to have my vehicle perform properly with the DRL's operating for safety, I would need to replace both assemblies at a cost of over $3000. That seems very excessive. I should have submitted this complaint sooner, but now that I receive several recalls per year for my F150 for other issues, I felt it was time to add this one to the list since the issue is so widespread. If DRL's are not important for safety while driving, why are they installed on vehicles? A quick search on YouTube for diagnosing videos, clearly indicates that the problem exists and its a design issue.

NHTSA ODI 11732645

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V104000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11728500

Daytime running lights are failing.

NHTSA ODI 11727648

The passenger side day time running light is dimmed drastically and almost not visible anymore on the upright section. After doing research , this seems to be a very common issue and not a cheap repair. Some states day time running lights are mandatory to work to pass inspection. Ford has not acknowledged this issue and/or making profit from changing out the whole headlight assembly to fix. It seems like it is a bad design or low quality product for a supposed safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11723768

Daytime running light just went out one side.

NHTSA ODI 11723369

Led Daytime running lights burnout. No repair by ford without replacing whole housing. No covered under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11718646

The passenger side daytime running light no longer illuminates or illuminates poorly. During daytime inclement weather, low beams must be manually turned on to ensure there's some form of lighting illuminated during snow, fog, etc. Problem is well known by the dealer and extremely wide spread in the 2021 to 2023 F-150. The component has not been inspected. There is no warning lamp to indicate daytime running light failure.

NHTSA ODI 11717591

I'm reporting that my driving/fog lights aren't working and haven't for some time. My truck only has 58,000 miles on it and is only 5 years old, I have been guided to report this issue to the NHTSA. I drive allot in the early morning and am NOT getting the lighting I should, it's agravating that you pay so much for a vehicle and the lights don't work properly. I have read 100's of post/emails and vlogs, there are thousands and thousands of these trucks with that same issue, what can I do to repair or replace these lights? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11717168

Both Quad LED side strips (vertical daytime running lights) on my 2021 Ford F‑150 have burnt out. The failure occurred gradually, with the left strip failing first around [insert approximate date] and the right strip failing shortly after. These LED strips are a safety feature, and their failure reduces visibility while driving. I have attached a photo of the burnt DRL, a photo of a working DRL for reference, and a screenshot of my Ford Live Chat showing my ticket number and that I am tracking this issue publicly in a Facebook group of other owners experiencing the same failure. This appears to be a recurring defect affecting multiple trucks in the 2021–2023 F‑150 range. I am filing this complaint to document a safety defect that may require investigation.

NHTSA ODI 11715973

My 2021 F-150 has burnt-out Quad LED side strips on both headlights. These are daytime running lights, a safety feature. I understand there is no TSB or recall, but many owners have the same issue. I am filing to document a recurring safety defect." Attach a photo of your burnt DRL

NHTSA ODI 11716051

Driver side LED DRL light has failed. This is a common problem occuring with many people with 2021+ year models of the Ford F-150. Truck is barely outside of warranty and with 51,000 miles and should not have a failing LED DRL. Additionally, Ford has made this part unrepairable and according to the dealership closest to me will require a full headlight assembly replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11713065

DRL on the passenger side of my truck is half burnt out. I have seen many of the same style headlight with the same daytime running light halo burnt out or partially burnt out on at least 1 side of the truck.

NHTSA ODI 11711972

The daytime running lamp assemblies on both headlights are failing. On the driver's side, the entire LED array around the outside of the headlight has failed. On the passenger's side, the vertical LED array is extremely dim and will probably fail soon. The topmost horizontal LED array on the passenger's side is currently the only array still working. Obviously this poses a safety risk as these lights provide visibility of the vehicle in low light and low visibility driving conditions. I have seen many forum posts and YouTube videos about this problem and as the parts are integrated into the headlamp assembly, the only way to fix is a complete replacement of the assembly which is a $2000-$2500 repair PER ASSEMBLY. This problem appears to be related to heat dissipation issues, indicating a manufacturers defect. In older model vehicles, a daytime running lamp used to be a $5-$20 bulb replacement. The fact that I now have no choice but to pay $2000 to restore functionality of a safety feature is completely unacceptable. At the very least, Ford should redesign the LED module to be replaceable independent of the larger assembly, reducing the cost to the owner.

NHTSA ODI 11711779

The daytime running lights only partially work and are very dim, blue, or completely off.

NHTSA ODI 11708626

Daytime Driving Lights Are disabled due to an electrical defect.

NHTSA ODI 11708581