$12.99 · no adsOne-shot report · $12.99 · no ads
2017–2020 F-150 · 3.5L GTDI ECOBOOST
Ford 21N03 cam phaser program
Ford's cam phaser reimbursement wasn't a flat yes or no — it paid out on a mileage proration, and the whole program expired Jan 1, 2023. Paste a VIN below to see if a specific F-150's cold-start rattle is this exact issue, and what it would cost today.
The proration table everyone misses
21N03 reimbursed cam phaser replacement based on mileage at the time of repair — not the truck's current mileage, not a flat covered-or-not:
- Under 70,000 miles100% covered
- 70,000 – 79,999 miles66% covered
- 80,000 – 89,999 miles33% covered
- 90,000 miles and up0% covered
On top of that, eligibility required the 21B10 PCM reflash before Feb 28, 2022. Shop repair without any coverage runs roughly $2,800–$3,400.
Where this shows up on a CurbSpec sheet
The F-150 family library cites this program as a known issue, tiered as a manufacturer bulletin — alongside the separate 2017 plastic oil pan / RTV seal TSB where it applies:
Frequently asked
- What is Ford's 21N03 program?
- Customer Satisfaction Program 21N03 covered cam phaser replacement on 2017–2020 F-150 3.5L GTDI (twin-turbo) EcoBoost engines — the twin-turbo GTDI, not the naturally-aspirated PowerBoost hybrid. It addressed a rattle or knock on cold start caused by cam phaser locking pins and vanes wearing, or oil pressure lagging at startup.
- Was 21N03 a flat yes-or-no coverage?
- No — this is the part that trips people up. 21N03 paid out on a mileage proration at the time of repair, not a simple covered/not-covered: 100% under 70,000 miles, 66% from 70,000–79,999, 33% from 80,000–89,999, and 0% at 90,000 miles or more. A truck at 85,000 miles when the phasers were replaced only got a third of the cost covered, not the whole repair.
- What was 21B10, and how does it relate?
- 21B10 was the PCM reflash — a software update — that had to be done before Feb 28, 2022 for a truck to even qualify for the 21N03 cam phaser replacement reimbursement. Doing 21B10 alone didn't fix a mechanical phaser problem; it was the eligibility gate for the bigger repair program.
- Is 21N03 still active — can I get my cam phasers covered now?
- No. The whole program expired January 1, 2023. If you're reading this now, the only thing worth doing is finding out whether the repair already happened on this specific VIN (and at what mileage, since that determined the reimbursement percentage) — not assuming there's still coverage to claim.
- How do I know if my F-150's cam phasers were already replaced?
- Ask a Ford dealer to pull the VIN's service history for programs 21N03 and 21B10. Paste the VIN into CurbSpec first — if this is a 2017–2020 3.5L EcoBoost, the report flags this exact program with the real proration table and cost range so you know what to ask about.