Problems · by component

2021 Ford Expedition engine problems

57 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Ford Expedition cite engine, 24% of all 241 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
57
24% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Vehicle has 84,000 miles at it. It started to jerk when putting it into a gear. I thought it was due to the colder mornings no. I was taking the kids to school and It was skipping gears. I was very leary of driving but had no choice. It would not get up to speed the rpms was suffering. I stopped at a parts store to run the code after the warning popped up. When leaving because I was 30 mins from home it jerked when I placed into gear, I was scared to pull onto the 4 lane due to not being able to get up to speed and being in a high traffice area. Very unsafe. Now the vehicle is at the dealership needing a $7,000 transmission and ford will not assist. I am still financing it through a dealer and there is no Goodwill from Ford. This is known issue that they documented.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 28, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11767381
“VIN):[XXX]/Make/Model: 2021 Ford Expedition XLTCurrent Mileage: Approx. 150,000 milesLocation: [XXX] of the Safety Defect:El vehículo presenta un defecto de seguridad crítico y extremo en el tren motriz que pone en riesgo inminente la vida de los ocupantes y de terceros en la vía pública. En dos ocasiones distintas durante los últimos 15 días, el vehículo ha sufrido una pérdida total de comunicación electrónica y un bloqueo mecánico absoluto mientras se encontraba en plena marcha en avenidas de [XXX].Al ocurrir la falla, el tablero activa de inmediato la luz de la llave inglesa (Wrench Light), descontrola la marcha, bloquea la transmisión de 10 velocidades y activa de manera imprevista y automática el freno de emergencia electrónico, deteniendo el vehículo por completo en medio del tráfico.En el primer incidente (ocurrido en sábado), la gravedad del bloqueo mecánico obligó la intervención de los servicios de emergencia en la vía pública, requiriendo la asistencia de la policía y el cuerpo de bomberos para mover el vehículo a una zona segura. El sistema electrónico sufre un colapso total (cortocircuito térmico o fallo de la red CAN Bus) provocado por las…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 10, 2026Power train, Electrical system, EngineODI 11763468
“The engine stalled out while trying to pass someone. The car wouldn't go faster when hitting the gas and felt like I couldnt safely slow down to get back over. It felt like something slipped and lost traction, but roads were dry and not rocky or sandy. tapping breaks and letting off gas did nothing. it has happened before but usually in winter, and gettin up to speed. its like the gear shift got stuck.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 29, 2026Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11753596
“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 driving. The Ford dealership said I need a new transmission. The recall is out there for other vehicles like mine, yet mine is not listed. When you read what Ford says will happen- EXACTLY what my car does!!!!! My 2021 Ford Expedition Max has 70,000 miles on it now, but when it started had about 67,000”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 6, 2026EngineODI 11748552
“The contact owns a 2021 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle jerked abnormally. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with the Check Engine warning light illuminated. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 62,500.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 16, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11744477
“I took my vehicle to the dealership to have all recall work done on Feb. 11th 2026. I was told i am up to date on all my recall work at that time. When I received my vehicle back It would intermittently just shut down for no apparent reason while sitting at stop lights, or just stopped in that fashion. I called and the dealership they said unless they could recreate the issue somewhat easily there was noting they could really do. So while parked in driveway the vehicle again had no power, I used my emergency key to get into vehicle and opened the hood to which I found the battery terminal connections were never tighten. I could take them off by hand. This told me the mechanic at the dealership didn't complete job and tighten my battery connections, Fast forward to April 18th, it was raining, I parked vehicle, still running, went into post office ( I was only gone for 30 seconds)and I came out to white smoke billowing out from under the hood. I opened hood the large flames shooting up. I quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher I had in the car and put 90% of the fire out, it was still burning at the fuse junction box, moments later a police officer showed up with…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 19, 2026Electrical system, EngineFire reportedODI 11732203

Showing 6 of 57 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Engine

Park outsideRemedy pending

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.

EngineReported May 18, 2022NHTSA 22V346000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 30, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2021 Expedition problem areas