2021 Ford Expedition Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 65,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

While driving at highway speeds, specifically during sudden acceleration and lane-change maneuvers, the vehicle experiences a severe dynamic mechanical binding event. The transmission briefly forces a sudden "halt" or engine-braking downshift, causing the vehicle to unexpectedly slow down in active traffic before entering a temporary…Owner complaint, filed 2026

My 2021 Ford Expedition MAX XLT with the 10R80 automatic transmission has experienced repeated momentary “neutral-out” events while driving. The transmission/park-system components are available for inspection upon request. The most serious incident occurred in September 2026 while I was driving at highway speed near Charlottesville…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 53,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was making a right hand turn and had loss of power and a clunk sound. I also experienced loss of power between 65-75 mph on the freeway. I ran a forscan report and it's pointing to the transmission even though the fluid and a tcm update has been performed. There is about 40k miles on the fluid.Owner complaint, filed 2026

When my transmission is shifting, it almost stalls about 3-4 times everytime you start off. It is a hard shift that makes it fee like the car suddenly stops then goes back. I have had it happen 3 times that I thought my car died after stopping, making weird noises, then took off like normal. I am waiting for my car to just die as I am…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 27,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

On two separate occasions while driving on the interstate in the rain, the wipers stopped working. Two of the times they stopped in the up position and once they stopped in the middle of the stroke and it was hard to see. After turning the wiper switch to different settings, the wipers started working again.Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the moonroof. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V729000 (Visibility). The vehicle was taken…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 30,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

In the fordpass app, we get a notification that the vehicle has turned off certain function due to inactivity in order to reserve power. However, we will have just driven the vehicle. This message should only populate when the vehicle is inactive for 14 days. It can also populate when the battery drops below 9V or due to extremely hot or…Owner complaint, filed 2025

This recall was issued in January 2025, we are rolling in to month 4 here, this vehicle is used for business and cant drive it while it has an open recall per insurance, we have lost out on almost 4 months of income on this vehicle along with loan payment of 4 months, I feel like Ford has not taken this serious and is taking their time…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

While stopped at a traffic light, my 2021 Ford Expedition began running rough. When the light changed and I accelerated through the intersection, the vehicle experienced a severe loss of engine power and barely made it through the intersection. After I pulled off the roadway and released the accelerator, the engine stalled. I was able to…Owner complaint, filed 2026

1) 2021 expedition towing a trailer, 30 MPH on uphill on ramp hathaway bridge panama city, fl. I floor the accelerator pedal to downshift to try to accelerate. I hear a loud clunk from the transmission. The car goes into neutral-nothing, no acceleration. I quickly let off the accelerator pedal and quickly reapply force to the pedal in a…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Parts named most: Body (8).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The chrome plating on the interior center console trim is bubbling, wrinkling, cracking and peeling along the console edges, including the vertical corner by the cupholder, leaving sharp metal edges. This vehicle is covered by Ford recall 26S38 / NHTSA campaign 26V368 for this exact defect, but no remedy is available (remedy expected Q1…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Part of the luggage rack broke off of the vehicle while driving down the road. The vehicle had not been previously damaged. The broken piece could not be recovered.Owner complaint, filed 2026

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

On numerous occasions, when traveling at speeds 50mph and over, the vehicle failed to further accelerate when the gas pedal was engaged. This caused the rpm's to rev up to 7 and the vehicle to slow down. Our safety was at risk because the vehicle was unresponsive to acceleration for at least 20-30 seconds making it impossible to avoid or…Owner complaint, filed 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while the cruise control was engaged at approximately 86 MPH, the RPM increased and the vehicle inadvertently accelerated; however, the contact’s husband was able to disengage cruise control to slow down. No warning lights were illuminated. The…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 2,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

I am filing this complaint because my vehicle is exhibiting the exact failure mode detailed in Ford Recall 26S48 (NHTSA Campaign 26V402000), but my VIN is currently excluded from the recall population." A loud, heavy metal-on-metal "CLUNK" or "THUNK" right under the center console or floorboards the exact second I change gears. It feels…Owner complaint, filed 2026

I was in an accident on December 9 at 2 pm it was slightly wet out & 51 degrees i was making a left turn out of a business went into the middle lane and gave some gas to merge into the lane and the back end of the vehicle locked up and swung into a tail spin to the right as I applied the brakes it locked up worse and the vehicle spun…Owner complaint, filed 2024

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, she became aware that the rearview camera was not functioning as needed and failed to display an image. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 50,000 miles

I have just found out that my pre-collision assist system has never worked in my vehicle since the day I purchased it brand new from the Ford dealership. My vehicle is 1 1/2 years old now and I never knew I had this function. Recently, I got a chip in the center of my windshield and I got it fixed. I asked how much a new windshield was…Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

Both second-row captain’s-chair seat-belt buckle assemblies are separating. The driver-side buckle has separated enough that it will no longer latch, and the passenger-side buckle is beginning to separate in the same manner. These are inflatable second-row seat belts. The vehicle has not been involved in a crash and the restraint system…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the contact heard a loud banging sound coming from the driver’s side seat belt. An independent mechanic or a dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact related…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 85,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was in an accident on December 9 at 2 pm it was slightly wet out & 51 degrees i was making a left turn out of a business went into the middle lane and gave some gas to merge into the lane and the back end of the vehicle locked up and swung into a tail spin to the right as I applied the brakes it locked up worse and the vehicle spun…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Transmission is slipping and hard shifting or fails to shift. I noticed it at hot temperatures but does it now constantly. Airbag is starting to come out of the perforation below the Ford symbol on the horn. I'm concerned it will deploy while driving and cause a traffic accident/injury/death.Owner complaint, filed 2023

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to steer and was pulling to the left and to the right. There was no warning lights illuminated. The EPAS system was turned off by the owner. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for an alignment. The vehicle was repaired but the failure…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 24,000 miles

Vehicle is making Clicking sound when steering. Also there was an electrical sparking sound in steering wheel that was found and fixed.Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help