I purchased a new 2021 F150
I purchased a new 2021 F150 Lariat sport (with 500 miles on it), I took delivery on 17 Jan. 2021. After our first wash at home, we found significant rust on the shock mounts, the rear diff. housing, rear wheel cylinder backing plates, etc.
A new vehicle with a cost of $60,000+ should definitely NOT have this issue. In fact we purchased a used 2018 that same day, which is a daily driver, and it has little to no rust. The new '21 is not driven in snow, it is not driven daily either. Unlike like my 1997 Thunderbird daily driver, with over 160,000 miles (and my 50 year limited edition Mustang GT with 23,000 miles), both of which have no rust.
Needless to say, we are a (multigenerational) loyal Ford family and we expect a resolution. I have contacted the selling dealer, Ted Britt. After 3 separate emails to department managers with no response, the general sales manager has recently replied and is working to set a service appointment for me. We're hoping for the best, time will tell.
Ford is clearly aware of this issue, per the media buzz. I suspect the factory closures, due to COVID, were a small part of the cause. Parts were likely not prepped and/or painted, then they sat to wait for assembly/installation, (possibly even outside, in the snowy, salty, MI winter weather). When the factory reopened it was likely a rush to get the trucks assembled and out the door. The bigger part of the problem was not taking time to address any issues after the shut down. I can only presume quality control simply looked the other way? This problem does not echo their, "Quality is job 1" statement of a few years back, is certainly not what one would expect for America's best selling truck, nor does it bode well for Ford's customer satisfaction.