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What 23 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Transit Van - Gas

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (23)Crash / fire / injury (2)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Wheels (5)Electrical system (3)Suspension (3)Visibility & wipers (3)Seat belts (2)Tires (2)Airbags (1)Body & structure (1)Brakes (1)

6 of 23 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Aug 28, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH in the middle lane, the vehicle lost motive power with the “WRENCH” warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over, turned off, and was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. Two days later, the “WRENCH” light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Subsequently, the vehicle was taken to a transmission center, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and requested the vehicle maintenance records. The failure mileage was approximately 79,469.

NHTSA ODI 11683666

May 14, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle constantly has issues shifting gears. This could lead to a potential accident. This is a common problem with this vehicle. Please recall the transmission

NHTSA ODI 11660954

Jun 27, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

On my 2021 Transit 250, Ford has warrantied 2 front drive axles, the 1st was at 42.4k and second was at 50k. Service writer and tech could not explain why this is occurring. Called Ford customer service line, no tsb or ssm out there, no recall(same as dealer advised). I am aware this is not an isolated incident to me as have found online other instances. If front axle seizes due to lack of fluid due to this issue sudden loss of power or control would be possible. To my understanding and dealers understanding there is no warring light for low diff oil. tried to upload service writeup but would not take

NHTSA ODI 11597214

Nov 9, 2023SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainWheels

Noise in the rear of the vehicle during low speed tight turns (parking lot speed). Vehicle has had axle bearing/hub replaced along with 7585W oil. The problem never went away even after this repair and has become worse. The dealership has had my vehicle for over 2 weeks and cannot find the problem. My concerns are: The dealership cannot diagnose the problem and if the problem is related to the drive line it could lead to a failure at highway speeds which could be catastrophic.

NHTSA ODI 11554309

Aug 9, 2023Transmission & drivetrainWheels

Per Mr. [XXX]: My daughter and members of our church’s high school youth group were on their way to a summer missions project in western Virginia/eastern Tennessee in an Enterprise rental van when the [DRIVERS' SIDE] rear tire started to separate from the vehicle as they were driving south on [XXX] near Staunton! Fortunately, the dad who was driving was able to safely steer the van to the side of the road, where the kids and their suitcases were re-distributed among the other vehicles in the caravan. They called Enterprise, but they had no vehicles to spare, so they told the driver to leave the van by the side of the road and they would dispatch a wrecker to pick it up. Have you seen this happen before with Ford Transit axles? But for the driver’s alertness, this could have been a headline-making event! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11537364

Dec 15, 2021SuspensionTransmission & drivetrainBrakes

Picked up vehicle and heard several bangs from the right front wheel assembly The vehicle was driven from The manufacture in Forest City Iowa to the dealer in West Chester PA A mounting bolt for the hub sheared. The bolt part hit the rotor and punctured same thus causing the remaining bolts to strip and come loose Dealer appears to have never inspected vehicle as per Pennsylvania law and the purchase contract. I have more phots and a video showing the extent of damage The r/f hub assembly worked loose and could have fallen off, seized or collapsed to the ground pulling the vehicle severely to the right and causing an accident. The heat generated by the failure is evident by the discoloring of the bearing and race.

NHTSA ODI 11443934

Working with the data? Download all 23 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2021 Ford Transit Van - Gas verdict →