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

The EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering) module experienced an internal sensor failure, causing a sudden and complete loss of power steering assist. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request and the EPAS module has been retained. The loss of power steering occurred without warning while the vehicle was in motion, requiring significantly greater physical force to maintain control of the steering wheel. This creates a serious risk of losing vehicle control, particularly at higher speeds, during lane changes, or in emergency maneuver situations. Because the failure occurs randomly and without any prior indication, there is no opportunity to safely prepare or pull over before it happens, putting both the driver and other motorists at risk. Yes. The issue has been acknowledged by multiple Ford dealerships and independent mechanics, all of whom confirmed this is a known and recurring problem with this vehicle’s EPAS system. Numerous online automotive forums also document other owners experiencing the identical failure, suggesting this is a widespread issue rather than an isolated incident. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Ford dealership, which confirmed the EPAS module failure and acknowledged familiarity with the issue. No warning lights, dashboard messages, unusual sounds, or handling changes occurred before the failure. The power steering loss happened suddenly and without any prior symptoms, leaving no opportunity to anticipate or react to the malfunction before it occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11743418

After a day of heavy rain, the vehicle stalled at a stop light and would not restart. The steering wheel and transmission locked, preventing the vehicle from being placed in neutral, creating a safety hazard as the vehicle was immobile in traffic. No warning lamps appeared prior to the failure. The vehicle required a tow. The dealer confirmed water had intruded through the passenger side cowl/firewall seam due to inadequate factory sealing, tracking down and pooling directly onto the Body Control Module (BCM) mounted on the passenger side firewall. The BCM failed due to water damage, causing PATS desynchronization and the no-start condition. The BCM failure subsequently shorted out the starter motor. Dealer replaced the BCM, repaired the leak, and replaced the starter. Total repair cost approximately $3,200. Failed components are available for inspection at the dealership. This identical failure; passenger side cowl water intrusion leading directly to BCM damage — is documented across numerous 2021+ F-150 owner forums, indicating a widespread factory sealing defect at the cowl/firewall/inner fender seam junction.

NHTSA ODI 11742278

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stat3ed while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The steering assist failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were in back order. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

NHTSA ODI 11738747

Was driving and all the sudden the steering went out. Was really hard to steer and almost crashed. Very dangerous. Came up "Steering Assist Fault"

NHTSA ODI 11722703

September 2025, we were on a vacation when we noticed that the column gear shifter on our 2021 Ford F150 seemed a bit "loose" when shifting. No issues getting into the appropriate gear…but a weird loose feeling. My husband pulled off the leather boot on the column (not sure if this is what it is called, I believe it keeps dust out) and found the problem. Two missing bolts! Earlier that year, I had found a bolt in the floor of the truck, and, unable to find where it came from (or did it even belong to the truck? I did not know) I put it in a ziploc bag, into the glove box. Turns out that bolt fit. So we had one bolt, and the shifting felt okay. But we still needed one bolt, so I did some internet sleuthing. I found the part (W790628S900) and ordered it, and we installed it when we got home. We theorize that the “ziploc bolt” came loose early in 2025, and the second bolt (never found) came loose on our trip. We know that up until this problem, we had never, ever, removed that dust cover, so we were not responsible for the two bolts coming loose. Components: that "failed" would be the two bolts on the column gear shifter (under the dust cover) Safety: we were very worried that without the two bolts, we would not be able to shift at some point! Confirmed: no, because we were camping on vacation, and did the troubleshooting ourselves Inspected: we will ask our mechanic when we next take the truck in Warning: no, just that we noticed that the column gear shifter was "loose" (again, likely that this was after the 2nd bolt came out).

NHTSA ODI 11710697

Truck has 74,000 miles when i notice truck having issues prior to this my front wheels wearing unevenly truck eletric steering light up im being told has to be replaced from what im reading up on this shouldnt be having this type of issue and some models in 2021 did have issue

NHTSA ODI 11692632

At a stop light vehicle will turn off and nothing electrical will work. It will have to be restarted, While turning at low speeds the electronic steering completely stops working and almost hit another car. All electrical power failure until modules reset then will start. This all happens randomly so it could happen at any point and cause serious injury. Ford can't seem to find a repair for the intermittent issue.

NHTSA ODI 11691812

The steering had a failure while driving on the highway. Driving straight, not making any turns, and a steering error came across the dash for the failure. Complete loss of steering functions. THis happened at 58000 miles. The problem is now occuring daily and is thought to be the power steering module. All steering control is lost.

NHTSA ODI 11689661

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that three months after purchasing the vehicle, while her husband was driving, the vehicle was driving roughly, and the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The contact was unaware whether any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cylinders #1, #3, #4, and #6. The spark plugs were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, a month after the repair, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wheel bearing and axle had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ODI 11689480

Random times my clockspring makes clicking sounds and the car iant able to be driven. Getting many messages about issues with the vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11683336

Power steering rack failure, while driving though a puddle less than 6 inches deep. Cost over $1900 to replace. My wife's 2014 volkswagen passat is able to drive though deeper water.. on 8/13 I was unable to move over on a road that had some puddles due to oncoming traffic. After driving though the small puddle my power steering went out. Took to the mechanic and he said its a known issue due to how Ford did not seal their wiring well under the trucks and it hangs lower allowing the water to seep into the cables and cause the powering steering rack to fail.. this is unacceptable its a truck a puddle should not cause a truck to loose power steering.

NHTSA ODI 11681552

Getting multiple messages like service advancetrac, pre collision assistance not available, and steering assist fault. Vehicle makes noice randomly when turning but not every time

NHTSA ODI 11679705

When driving across railroad tracks, or at lower speeds primarily when turning sharp or into parking spaces, a power steering assist fault light flashes and steering becomes difficult unless truck is moving. The only remedy that I know is to put the truck in park, turn off, and restart. This corrects the issue until the criteria mentioned above is met and then it happens again, and again...... The vehicle has been taken to a repair shop where they recommended a new rack and pinion. They mentioned this is a very common issue with ford vehicles. This vehicle has 34k miles and has been well maintained. I'm very disappointed that it consistently has this issue and worry about the loss of steering at a higher rate of speed.

NHTSA ODI 11675554

Trucks steering randomly goes out mainly when backing up or right after backing up and start to move forward.

NHTSA ODI 11674694

When starting the vehicle a message displayed stating "Power Steering Fault Service Required". I was able to shut off the vehicle and restart with no issue. Currently, restarting the vehicle no longer has any affect and the power steering is out completely. An appointment has been scheduled with Ford in two weeks. Unfortunately, this is my only means of transportation. I was at work when the power steering went out completely and had to drive home. On my drive home, the traction control tripped jerking the wheel and it felt like the whole vehicle jumped.

NHTSA ODI 11672220

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and hesitated while turning to the left or the right. The steering assist, traction control, and collision assist warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired and needed to be towed back to the local dealer for further investigation. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V407000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

NHTSA ODI 11663034

Steering assist, faults and adaptive steering not available lights up. Power steering goes away. Program update with dealer did not solve the problem. Looks like it’s a faulty gear.

NHTSA ODI 11661923

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to complete a turn, the steering wheel seized, with the "Steering Assist Fault Detected" message displayed. The vehicle was restarted and returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V407000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 19,000.

NHTSA ODI 11657955

power steering assist randomly stops working. has been going on for a while. The fault clears by stopping, shutting off the truck and restarting it. last time it occurred 05APR2025, it would not clear. Had to drive to dealer without power assist.

NHTSA ODI 11653857

The power steering assist model failed rendering the truck without power steering. I called my dealership and they told me that the part is not available until sometime after February but could not give new a more precise date. I called Ford customer service on [XXX] and they could not give me an availability date on the part (Ford customer service case # [XXX]). They also informed me that the part is not under recall. This leaves me with an truck that is basically safe to drive for the last 60 days. I am the ogival owner of the truck and it has only 5300 miles on it. Can you help me Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11643107

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while making left and right turns on several occasions, the steering wheel vibrated with the "Steering Assist Fault - Service Required" message displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed, and a software update was performed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred on the way to the residence. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was then diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the same dealer for the third time and it was diagnosed that the PSCM steering control module and steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,888.

NHTSA ODI 11639460

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, and the electric steering fault message was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where is was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V407000 (STEERING). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 38,008.

NHTSA ODI 11639081

The ford is a ford F150 2021 with only 47,000 miles on it. It is a well taken care of truck with all routine maintenance done. The power control steering module has completely gone out in my truck. Unfortunately this problem began to occur with my children in the car when a warning light came on and then the power steering completely went out making it extremely difficult to turn and steer the car. Thankfully this occurred on a backroad and not the highway. Needless to say, it is not safe to drive my car and is now sitting in the shop. Ford has confirmed the problem but is unable to get a new PSCM because it is back ordered meaning many people are facing the same issue. We are told they are unsure if the part will become available in a month or 6 months which means we are out a car for that long. With the part being on such a back order, I would hope this would be a red flag to not only ford but to the NHTSA that this is a common problem and error on a faulty part which is extremely dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11636453

The steering wheel would not turn. Similar to when cars did not have power steering but much worse. Had the truck taken to the Ford Dealership. They reprogrammed the computer and said that fixed the problem . Started to leave and didn’t even get off the lot when it basically’froze up’ again. They kept the vehicle for a second time. When they called and said it was fixed, I was able to drive it but discovered to will ‘freeze up’ when trying to make a sharp turn(almost all the way to the stop), either to the right or left

NHTSA ODI 11635819

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH when a loud grinding noise was emitting from underneath the vehicle. The contact had lost power causing the vehicle to drift to the right. The vehicle ended up hitting a trash can nearby before it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. A police report was not filed. The contact had to place the vehicle in 4-wheel drive mode to be able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was not able to diagnose the vehicle at the time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 86,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11624915