2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving in electric mode at an unknown speed, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate with the transmission in 8th gear. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle made an abnormal noise and shifted into 1st gear independently. The contact stated he had experienced the failure 5 times within 2 months. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V188000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,800.

Intermittent squeaking noise upon brake tip-in started at about 17,000 miles but performance seemingly unaffected. Then at 21,000 miles noises from became louder and prevalent at acceleration and braking. Noticed issue on Ford F150 14th Generation online forum about axle bolts shearing particularly for those vehicles with Max Tow package and that there was a Customer Satisfcation Program 22B34 to deal with the problem. Inspected hubs and found bolts sheared on both sides. Truck at dealer for warranty repair under the CSP.

The rear rotor/axle bolt was found to be sheered off; the bolt head was located within the hub simply rattling around loose. There is no warning outside of someone possibly hearing the bolt head rattling in the hub as the truck passes by. Thankfully, someone heard mine; otherwise, I would have had no idea the problem existed. This issue has been reported numerous times in multiple online forums, apparently on trucks equipped with the power boost and max towing, and poses an extremely dangerous hazard to the occupants of the truck and to all others on the road. A family member with a similar truck (same model and year) has already had their rear axle assemblies replaced three times (twice on one side and once on the other)!

Our truck is equipped with the B&O Unleashed sound system. One afternoon, upon starting the truck after completing a brief errand, an extremely loud POP sound occured, followed by terrible static and crackling from every speaker. The noises continued for several minutes, even after noticing the audio system was off and then also turning the truck itself off. The terrible noises simply continued. Although the sound eventually stopped, the truck now regularly makes two or three quieter popping sounds as the driver first approaches the truck; nearly every time. The sounds seem to come from the driver door's speaker. There is also faint crackling on occasion from the headrest speakers.

(June 14, 2023) While traveling at 55mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated for about 2-3 seconds and several dashboard lights turned on and flashed not available. (ABS, Traction control, Blinds Spot, pre-collision) I safely pulled over turned the truck off, waited a few seconds. Turned the truck back on, and ABS light was solid on the dashboard. I drove another 15 miles stopped again, and when I restarted the check engine light remained solid. After inspecting the truck, I found gear oil leaking from the right rear tire. I removed the plastic hub cap and discovered sheared off axle bolt. Truck was delivered to dealer for repair.

Planned one week, 1,400 miles roadtrip along pacific coast during memorial day weekend. Before starting our trip I went to rotate the tires and upon removing the rear passenger side wheel a bolt and metal gasket fell out. Issue: Center bolt that locks the brake assembly to the rear axle shaft was sheared off with remaining half stuck in the axle shaft. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?: The truck would have been loaded for our week long roadtrip up North. On the way back we were going to tow our 5000lbs trailer. This bolt would have impacted the braking ability, cause damage to the rear axle assembly possibly resulting in an accident. If I didn't rotate the tires before leaving who knows what could have happened especially if I was towing. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Vehicle is currently at a Ford dealer for axle shaft replacement. The service manager had a broken bolt from another vehicle and asked me is this what happened? There are hundreds of F150 owners complaining about the same thing on various forums. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet. I'm glad it didn't get to that point. But from all users that had this problem and got replacement axle for what seems like defective bolts I would hope Ford would voluntarily inspect and issue a recall. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No fault lights but I did hear faint grinding sound when the windows are rolled down. I guess the bolt was spinning around in the wheel.