2021 Ford F-250 SD Fuel System Problems

43 owners have reported fuel & propulsion system problems with the 2021 Ford F-250 SD to NHTSA — 26% of all 166 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 95,000 miles. That ranks #4 of 30 F-250 SD model years for fuel system complaints (a typical year has 7). 4 related recalls have been issued.

43complaints
95ktypical miles
4related recalls
0crashes
0fires
0injuries

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    318%
  • 25k–50k
    212%
  • 50k–75k
    212%
  • 75k–100k
    212%
  • 100k–150k
    741%
  • 150k+
    16%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Ford F-250 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated and the engine seized. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with metal shavings on the fuel injectors. The contact was informed that the fuel system and fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of the recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed high pressure fuel pump. The contact was informed that the high pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. …

124,000 miles · Apr 2026

The contact called as the fleet manager for a company that owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while an employee was attempting to operate the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. Once the vehicle was started, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 5 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and an independent mechanic who both determined that the fuel pump had exploded inside the engine causing contamination of the fuel system. The company was provided an estimate for the repair. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …

89,000 miles · Apr 2025

The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2021 Ford F-250. The owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to Grumpy's Diesel Service. The mechanic sent a fuel sample to a testing company, and it was confirmed that there was no water contamination. The mechanic diagnosed that the high-pressure fuel pump had exploded. The mechanic replaced the high-pressure fuel pump and fuel rails, and a decontamination kit was installed. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …

120,000 miles · Mar 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift as intended. The contact stated that the transmission was shifting erratically. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start and was idling rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the contact was informed that without the check engine warning light illuminated, there was no need for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000. …

95,000 miles · Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a fuel injector was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle experienced reduced engine power, decelerated and was towed back to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failure of the CP4 high-pressure fuel injection pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

115,000 miles · Feb 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud clanking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle went into LIMP mode, and then lost motive power. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel). The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system and fuel pump module had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts related to the recall repair were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

115,000 miles · May 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while driving at various speeds and while idling. The contact would restart the vehicle; however, occasionally the vehicle failed to start. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

130,000 miles · Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL). The dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the recall remedy was not satisfactory to prevent a failure. The contact stated that the software update would not prevent the accumulation of biodiesel deposits on the pump drivetrain roller components. The manufacturer was concerned about parts availability. The contact stated that at start-up the vehicle was idling roughly. There was no warning light illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

7,000 miles · Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was scanned by an independent mechanic, and DTC: P0087; was retrieved. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed and remained for further investigation. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,071. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

133,000 miles · May 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-250. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the engine was struggling to turn over, and the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed because the contact was unable to take the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,994.

68,000 miles · Oct 2024

Related recalls

Fuel system, diesel › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 26V-158 · Mar 17, 2026 · 9,839 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 F-Super Duty F250, F350, F450, F550, 2021-2022 F600, and 2022 F750 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 24V957. Biodiesel deposits may form on the pump drivetrain roller components, which could lead to failure of the high pressure fuel pump.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed mailed April 7, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 25V-455 · Jul 7, 2025 · 850,318 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Bronco, Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, 2021-2022 Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-150, and 2022 Expedition vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump may fail, which can result in an engine stall while driving.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump on super duty vehicles and update the powertrain control module (PCM) software on all other affected vehicles, free of charge.

Fuel system, diesel › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 24V-957 · Dec 20, 2024 · 295,449 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 F-Super Duty F250, F350, F450, F550, F600, and 2021-2022 F-650, F750 vehicles. Biodiesel deposits may form on the pump drivetrain roller components, which could lead to failure of the high pressure fuel pump.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) and Transmission Control Module (TCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2026.

Fuel system, diesel

NHTSA recall 22V-013 · Jan 14, 2022 · 19,697 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, F-600, and Medium Duty F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6.7L diesel engines. A small void may be present in the top-center of the vehicle's underhood secondary fuel filter cap, which may progress to a pinhole over time, allowing…

Remedy: Dealers will replace the primary and secondary fuel filters, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 28, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

NHTSA investigations

Sogefi Secondary Diesel Fuel Filter Leak

NHTSA investigation PE24014 · opened May 9, 2024 · open

The Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) has received 27 complaints alleging diesel fuel leaks due to a fracture in the secondary fuel filter housing in model year (MY) 2015-2021 Ford Motor Company (Ford) F-250, 350, 450, and 550 Super Duty vehicles equipped with 6.7L diesel engines. Of these complaints, 12 describe an engine compartment fire.

Fuel System complaints in other F-250 SD years

’95’96’97’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’2611313671024382652823136453427542150644330321
Fuel System complaints per model year, Ford F-250 SD.

Frequently asked questions

How common are fuel system problems on the 2021 Ford F-250 SD?

NHTSA has 43 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2021 Ford F-250 SD, 26% of the model year's 166 complaints.

Is there a recall for 2021 Ford F-250 SD fuel system problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 26V-158 (fuel pump, Mar 17, 2026); NHTSA recall 25V-455 (fuel pump, Jul 7, 2025); NHTSA recall 24V-957 (fuel pump, Dec 20, 2024). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2021 Ford F-250 SD fuel system problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.