2021 Ford F-53

Routine

Owners filed 13 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the suspension. It has been recalled 2 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Suspension4
000
Vehicle Speed Control1
000
Steering1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000
Service Brakes1
000
Power Train1
000
Equipment › Mechanical › Integrated Jack/Leveler/Stabilizer › Hoses/Cables/Rods/Gears/Strut/Cylinder1
000
Equipment1
000
Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel1
000
Electrical System1
000

2 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Suspension › Rear22V731000
Filed Sep 30, 202213,455 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-53 recreational stripped chassis vehicles. The rear stabilizer bar attachment brackets may break and separate from the vehicle.

Risk. Brackets that separate from the vehicle can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect the bolt tightness for both rear stabilizer attachment brackets and replace the weld nuts and bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 8, 2023. Remedy parts are expected to become ready February 28, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S62.

Power Train › Driveline › Driveshaft21V202000
Filed Mar 24, 202116,128 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 F-53 Motorhome Stripped Chassis and F-59 Commercial Stripped Chassis vehicles. An inadequate amount of rear axle lubricant may cause rear wheel bearing damage and bearing seizure, and rear axle or driveshaft failure.

Risk. Failure of the rear axle or driveshaft may cause the loss of motive power, failure of the parking brake, and the inability to shift the transmission into "PARK," increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the rear wheel bearings, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 12, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S17.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Equipment › Mechanical › Integrated Jack/Leveler/Stabilizer › Hoses/Cables/Rods/Gears/Strut/Cylinder
Filed Mar 25, 20258,166 milesNV

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-53. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the chassis was lowered down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact looked underneath the trailer and noticed that the chassis had lowered down. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the dealer declined to diagnose the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,166.

Suspension
Filed Sep 4, 2024SC

22S62 - Loose Rear Stabilizer Bar Bracket Bolts. The rear stabilizer bar attachment brackets may break and separate from the vehicle during usage. NOTE: This is a safety risk that I do not want to take. Ford Pro has not been able to locate a Ford Repair in the local area(within 100 miles) that can do this repair. NOTE2: The offical notice was issued in Jult 2024 from Ford, P,O, Box 1904, Dearborn, MI 48212-1904.

Suspension
Filed May 2, 2024FL

Front bump stops for suspension fell of in first 5k miles. I had them replaced and less than 1k miles later one of them is falling off again. This is a common issue with ford F53 RV owners, regardless of final RV maker (mine is Tiffin, but Thor and Fleetwood owners all are having this issue). According to the service ticket this was a revised part. This is a real safety issue as the front springs are now steel on steel in a bump scenario and could cause an driver to loose control..

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Dec 18, 20232,981 milesCT

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F53. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the electronic braking system independently engaged, causing all the rear tires to shake without warning. The contact pulled off to the shoulder of the highway with white-colored smoke coming from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact called for assistance, but the contact was instructed to drive the vehicle in 20-minute increments until he arrived at a service center. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the electronic brake had overheated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket by the contact. The failure mileage was 2,981.

Suspension
Filed Aug 28, 2023FL

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F53. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V731000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Several local dealers were contacted, and the contact was informed that an appointment to repair the vehicle was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no appointment yet available to repair the vehicle under recall. 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 had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel
Filed Jun 28, 2023FL

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F53. The contact stated that the automatic headlight switch failed to turn on. The contact was unable to view the instrument cluster. The contact had to utilize the windshield wipers for the automatic headlights to operate as needed. The contact covered the electric eye while activating the headlights. The contact called and notified an unknown local dealer of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

Electrical System
Filed Jun 2, 20222,000 milesIA

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F53. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that he had not experienced any failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

Service Brakes
Filed May 26, 2022CO

I have a 2021 Ford F-53 Mobile home. The "AdvanceTrac" and Traction Control Warning Lights intermittently come on during normal driving conditions. This has occurred on multiple trips. Online Blogs show this problem is occurring on other people's automobiles. Ford does not have a RV Service center available to even diagnose this problem until late July. It is currently May. My only option is to let the new RV sit or drive it under these conditions which could be dangerous.

Power Train
Filed May 2, 2022MI

When trying to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle will occasionally lunge a couple feet, then stop moving. This makes the vehicle extremely hazardous when trying to pull into traffic or make a left hand turn with oncoming traffic. It is a transmission issue, as the engine runs fine. I have a picture of the Driver Information Center when this failure occurs that indicates a major transmission problem. The vehicle is still under warranty but no Ford dealer will look at it in the year and a half I have been trying to get it fixed. I have a Ford Pro customer service person assigned to the case but he can't tell what dealer to take it to for repairs. When this condition happens, the vehicle can not move. So it can't be driven to the dealer when this condition. The only way I discovered to clear this problem is put the transmission in Park and shut off the engine. Then restart the engine and put the transmission back in Drive. This is very time consuming when in the middle of an intersection with a speeding semi truck bearing down on you. So I rarely drive this $150,000 motorhome. It's a death trap and according to Ford, it cannot be fixed.

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Apr 22, 2022NC

The slightest gust of wind turns off the traction control which disables cruise control and other important features. If this happens, you have to pull off the road, turn the vehicle off and restart to reset all of the features. Ford is well aware of this and has yet to determine a fix.

Equipment
Filed Apr 5, 20224,000 milesMA

The contact owns a 2022 Tiffin 36 LA RV built on a 2021 Ford F-53 chassis. The contact stated while the RV was parked, the hydraulic slides opened independently to 4-6 inches. The contact closed the hydraulic slides; however, the failure reoccurred daily. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The RV was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

Steering
Filed Feb 11, 2022SC

Advance Trac Light comes on. Loosing CC/Sway/Hill Hold

Suspension
Filed Sep 20, 2021FL

My Motorhome is on a f-53 chassis and i am getting the Advanctrac Warrning that Advance trac is disabled and the cruise control shuts down. The cruise control stopping and no advance trac is a big safety problem

13 of 13 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2020
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20260200Routine
20251300Routine
20244100Routine
20234100Routine
20223200Routine
2021 — this page13200Routine
202032200Routine
20196000Routine
201811110Routine
20176100Routine
201615100Routine
20157000Routine
201417110Routine
20138100Routine
20121100Routine
20117110Routine
20101000Routine
20081000Routine
20032000Routine
20020100Routine
20015100Routine
20002100Routine
199915200Routine
19981100Routine
19973200Routine
19962200Routine
19956200Routine
19940100Routine
19930100Routine
19923100Routine
19912100Routine
19903100Routine

Compare every F-53 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 30, 2022. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.