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2021 Ford Expedition

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Ford Expedition do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 155.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 41 of 232 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 110 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports4 fire reports4 injury reports

Power Train complaints

110 reports
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Mileage unknown · Dec 16, 2022
Power Train

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The transmission slams down into gear from 9th to 8th gear. It also slams in stop and go traffic from 4-5, 5-6. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The transmission jerks hard en…

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What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The transmission slams down into gear from 9th to 8th gear. It also slams in stop and go traffic from 4-5, 5-6. It is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The transmission jerks hard enough to move you in your seat and could cause accidental breaking or acceleration. In stop and go traffic it could cause you to rear-end someone because it lags shifting. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It has been back to the dealer 4 times for this issue. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there are not warning messages. It has done this since 17,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11497691

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2022
Air BagsPower TrainCrash

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that as his wife had attempted to park the vehicle, she placed the gear shifter into park(P) and let her foot off the brake pedal. Once she released her foot off the brake, the vehicle abruptly accelerated forward and hit a storage shed. The contact depressed the brake …

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that as his wife had attempted to park the vehicle, she placed the gear shifter into park(P) and let her foot off the brake pedal. Once she released her foot off the brake, the vehicle abruptly accelerated forward and hit a storage shed. The contact depressed the brake pedal multiple times during the failure but the brakes failed to engage. No warning lights appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The police were not called and no medical assistance was needed. The storage shed was destroyed as a result of the impact. The contact called the dealer and made an appointment for a diagnostic. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11492081

13,722 miles · Nov 2, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to accelerate shortly after losing motive power. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting into the in…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly lost motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to accelerate shortly after losing motive power. Additionally, the transmission experienced rough shifting into the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission valve body failure and the transmission valve body was replaced. The failure recurred while the contact’s wife was driving with the vehicle jerking. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the dealer reset the transmission. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,722. The contact has stated that the vehicle's issues has caused multiple occurrences that could have resulted in an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11491934

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2022
EnginePower Train

I am concerned about the shifting or transmission in my new 21 expedition. Purchased new less than a year ago, currently less than 20k miles but the vehicle shifts gears hard, sometimes it seems it wants to up shift while in park or braking. The shift is shaky at times and I now put in park when stopped at a drive through becaus…

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I am concerned about the shifting or transmission in my new 21 expedition. Purchased new less than a year ago, currently less than 20k miles but the vehicle shifts gears hard, sometimes it seems it wants to up shift while in park or braking. The shift is shaky at times and I now put in park when stopped at a drive through because the last time I went to the bank while waiting with brake applied the car felt as if it was going to just drive off, I immediately put in park. This is scary because my kids rode with me and I dont want the gears to shift incorrectly and cause us to wreck. Dealer asked me to schedule a time when I can leave my vehicle for an unknown amount of time. In order to get a loaner the first available date to drop it off is November 17,22 which is over a month away.

NHTSA ODI #11486797

Mileage unknown · Sep 24, 2022
Power Train

Transmission routinely goes out of gear making a weird grinding sound, loses power and decelerates without warning. This has occurred at speeds from 10 mph to 70 mph. Neighborhood streets, roads, highways, and interstates. Very dangerous situation. The vehicle has approximately 22000 miles and this has occurred 20 times at mini…

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Transmission routinely goes out of gear making a weird grinding sound, loses power and decelerates without warning. This has occurred at speeds from 10 mph to 70 mph. Neighborhood streets, roads, highways, and interstates. Very dangerous situation. The vehicle has approximately 22000 miles and this has occurred 20 times at minimum. I have been extremely lucky that this has not caused an accident or crash. The vehicle was purchased new from the dealership. I informed the dealer after numerous occurrences. The dealer inspected the vehicle in August. They said the vehicle computer time stamped the issue but they could determine the issues??? The same transmission problem has occurred 5 times since August.

NHTSA ODI #11486146

100 miles · Jul 1, 2022
Parking BrakePower TrainUnknown Or Other

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the parking brake limited-service message was displayed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a sudden reduction of speed and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cau…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the parking brake limited-service message was displayed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a sudden reduction of speed and would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was contacted regarding the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100.

NHTSA ODI #11471953

13,000 miles · Jun 13, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) or reverse(R) there was a popping sound heard while the brake pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown part was replaced in the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the …

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) or reverse(R) there was a popping sound heard while the brake pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown part was replaced in the transmission. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the vehicle would hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure was unable to be diagnosed as no failure codes were found. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.

NHTSA ODI #11469005

Mileage unknown · May 20, 2022
Power Train

Went to accelerate on on ramp and vehicle was not able to accelerate.

NHTSA ODI #11465424

Mileage unknown · May 17, 2022
Power Train

The vehicle transmission has failed, potentially do to towing (the vehicle is supposed to be towable) I bought the vehicle to be able to tow behind our RV. We took a trip last July from Thousand Oaks, CA up through 5 national parks all of the way to Glacier National Park in Montana. The vehicle appeared to tow normally, i nev…

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The vehicle transmission has failed, potentially do to towing (the vehicle is supposed to be towable) I bought the vehicle to be able to tow behind our RV. We took a trip last July from Thousand Oaks, CA up through 5 national parks all of the way to Glacier National Park in Montana. The vehicle appeared to tow normally, i never had a problem getting the vehicle to indicate the Tow Mode was active. In January of this year (almost 6 months after the trip), my transmission made a clunking sound, and started to perform poorly. We called the dealership immediately to have it looked at. The dealer said i must have towed it incorrectly and therefore it won't be covered under warranty. I had a second opinion which did not agree with Ford's assessment. Ford had an engineer look at the transmission, and the engineer reiterated it must have been towed incorrectly. I asked how they assessed if the vehicle could have come out of tow mode through some error and the refused to answer or provide any additional details. They would only say that the transmission appears damaged from improper towing. I do not disagree with them that the vehicle could have been damaged during towing, what i disagree with is the assertion it was not properly in Tow Mode. I followed the process in the handbook, had a affirmation it was in tow mode every time before we moved the vehicle. When teh vehicle is attached to our RV there are two option. Park - when we are stationary for a period of time, or Tow Mode when moving. There are no other options. Ford said they have reported this incident already, i would like confirmation if possible to make sure. I would also like to know if other similar incidents have been reported.

NHTSA ODI #11465053

Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2021
Power Train

While accelerating on a busy tollway, the automatic transmission got stuck in 6th gear. The car then began to slow down, and the gear display went blank. This put my safety and the safety of others at risk, as it happened in the left lane of a busy, high-speed tollway. The local dealership refused to help--even though the car is…

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While accelerating on a busy tollway, the automatic transmission got stuck in 6th gear. The car then began to slow down, and the gear display went blank. This put my safety and the safety of others at risk, as it happened in the left lane of a busy, high-speed tollway. The local dealership refused to help--even though the car is within warranty--as they did not believe the issue was replicable. However, the car had a similar problem on a lower-speed roadway just a few weeks prior. In both incidents, the transmission became stuck in one gear, the gear display on the dashboard went blank, and the car began to decelerate.

NHTSA ODI #11429951

Official recalls

12

26V402000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Jun 24, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 26, 2026.

26V368000 · Structure:interior Panels:center Console

Jun 9, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Expedition vehicles. The chrome plating on the center console may bubble and peel, resulting in sharp edges.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Vehicle occupants may contact the center console's sharp edges, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the center consoles as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 16, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S38. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 10, 2026.

26V344000 · Seat Belts:pretensioner

May 27, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.

26V204000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

Mar 31, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, and 2022-2023 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, and F-600 SD vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the wipers to fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Windshield wiper failure can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the wiper arms, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 5, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S24.Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 1, 2026.

25V729000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly

Oct 24, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, 2021-2023 F-150, 2022 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, and F-450 SD vehicles. The moonroof wind deflector clips may be inadequately attached to the moonroof frame, which can result in the wind deflector detaching from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached wind deflector can become a road hazard and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the moonroof wind deflector as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB7. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 30, 2025.

25V442000 · Back Over Prevention:software

Jun 27, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

25V048000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Jan 31, 2025

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition, 2021-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, F-600, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The rearview camera may display a blank or distorted image.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Rearview camera failure can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 18, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S05.

24V852000 · Equipment:other:labels

Nov 8, 2024

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

23V420000 · Equipment:other:owners/service/other Manual

Jun 9, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, "Head Restraints."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C20.

22V346000 · Engine

May 17, 2022

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. An engine compartment fire may occur while driving or parked, even with the ignition in the "Off" position.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed. Dealers will inspect and replace the battery junction box, as necessary, and remove a ground wire. On models equipped with standard-duty radiator fan motors, dealers will also install an auxiliary electrical box with a wire jumper. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed May 25, 2022. Owners will receive a second letter once the remedy is available. Currently the remedy is available for vehicles equipped with heavy-duty radiator fan motors, and those letters were mailed July 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S36.

22V250000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

Apr 14, 2022

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-150, Expedition, 2020-2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, and 2020-2021 Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The windshield wiper arms may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace both front windshield wiper arms, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 24, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available 3rd Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 21, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S26.

21V805000 · Air Bags:sensor:side Impact; Air Bags:side/window

Oct 15, 2021

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, 2021 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front-door side impact pressure sensor modules may have been damaged during supplier assembly, which can cause the side impact air bags to not deploy properly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy properly during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger front door side impact sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 3, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C26.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:sensor:side Impact

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, 2021 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front-door side impact pressure sensor modules may have been damaged during supplier assembly, which can cause the side impact air bags to not deploy properly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy properly during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger front door side impact sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 3, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C26.

Air Bags:side/window

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Super Duty F-250, F-350, 2021 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The front-door side impact pressure sensor modules may have been damaged during supplier assembly, which can cause the side impact air bags to not deploy properly in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy properly during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger front door side impact sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 3, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C26.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

AQ26001 · Nu Car Rental Of Vehicles With Open Recalls

Opened Jun 9, 2026 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · None

NHTSA is opening this Audit Query (AQ) to investigate NU Car Rentals (NU Car) for compliance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.The Safety Act requires that a rental company shall not rent a vehicle subject to a safety recall unless the recall remedy has been performed. 49 U.S.C. § 30120(i). NHTSA is in receipt of information that indicates NU Car rented at least two vehicles to consumers without having performed required recall repairs. The Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) related to this investigation can be found on nhtsa.gov by searching for ID number 11730449 and 11504655. Accordingly, we are opening this audit query to seek additional information concerning this issue.