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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,433 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ford F-150 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 7 of 27)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #413

Oct 192018

F-150

  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle downshifted unexpectedly. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and noticed that the wrench icon and malfunction indicator lamp were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact also mentioned receiving a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 19V075000 (power train) in March of 2019 after the vehicle was repaired. In may of 2019, the contact received a customer satisfaction program letter (number: 19N01) highlighting the terms of the program, which included the failure that occurred. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 24280289. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Spotsylvania, VA, USA

problem #412

Oct 022019

F-150

  • 167,000 miles
While accelerating onto a highway, the vehicle completely lost power and the engine stopped and could not be restarted. Had to coast to a safe spot to pull of the road. After investigating the problem, I discovered that the fuse for the fuel pump had blown and melted the fuse block where the fuse is inserted. This is a known problem at Ford for this vehicle and they have issued a technical service bulletin for their dealerships to move the fuel pump fuse to a different block within the fuse panel and install a fuse block that will handle the required amperage. This is a problem that should definitely be a recall by Ford because of the nature of the failure. Losing complete power, including power steering and braking capability is a safety issue and should be urgently addressed by Ford. The NHTSA should force Ford to recall these vehicles and fix this issue before more people get killed.

- Devine, TX, USA

problem #411

Sep 302019

F-150

  • 45 miles
El eje de torsin izquierdo SE parte corriendo por la media luna del eje O corona

- Fajardo Pr., PR, USA

problem #410

Sep 102019

F-150

  • 96,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 55 mph up a hill, the transmission abruptly downshifted and smoke was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the connect in the transmission line malfunctioned and caused transmission fluid to leak from the vehicle. The transmission lines were repaired, but the vehicle continued to malfunction. While driving up a hill, the transmission abruptly downshifted. While driving down a hill, the transmission would not properly shift. The vehicle was taken to bob maxey Ford of howell (2798 East grand river ave, howell, mi) where the lead frame was replaced. The contact was informed that metal shavings were also present inside the transmission, which was not repaired. The contact indicated that the vehicle was previously repaired per service program number: 19N01B to reprogram the transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 24445319. The failure mileage was 96,000.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #409

Jul 132019

F-150

  • 113,000 miles
I was casually driving on the highway just outside of atlanta when all of a sudden I felt a jolt in the rear end and my advanced traction control turned on and stated that there was a problem. I pulled over and called a tow truck to take it to the Ford dealership for service. The dealership advised me that somehow my rear axle differential had snapped on the rear driver side. They stated that usually they see that in high lifted trucks or with towing something heavy. My truck is standard lift and I do not tow any trailers and I am thinking it could possibly have been a factory defect as my truck is still pretty young and has only 114000 miles

- West Columbia, SC, USA

problem #408

Sep 282019

F-150 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
The contact called on behalf of [xxx] who owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While the vehicle was reversing out of a parking lot, the steering seized and the service advancetrac warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to harrison Ford (820 N main St, wellington, oh 44090, (888) 684-4989) where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear was faulty and needed to be replaced. Vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 14V316000(steering), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 120,000. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- New London, OH, USA

problem #407

Sep 292019

F-150

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving 75 mph, the vehicle downshifted independently and the engine revved to 4,000 rpms. The contact immediately decreased the speed to 60 mph and the vehicle independently shifted back into drive. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #406

May 162019

F-150

  • 115,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact took the vehicle to byers Ford (1101 columbus pike, Delaware, oh 43015, (888) 350-4405) where it was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 19V075000 (power train). While leaving the dealer, the contact noticed that the gear shifting was different and it would slowly shift into gear. The contact also noticed that the brake pedal felt spongy and difficult to depress. The vehicle failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed. Within the past three months, the contact had to add four bottles of antifreeze to the transmission and the engine overheated. In addition, the service brake, engine hot, and transmission hot warning indicators illuminated. Occasionally, when the vehicle was stopped or idling, the air conditioner blew hot air and the windows failed to function. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and was informed that there was a failure due to manufacturer recall number: 19S07 (power train). The repair was incomplete and the contact was informed that the vacuum pump failed and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the brakes operated intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

- Ostrander, OH, USA

problem #405

Sep 162019

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
While driving my truck will automatically change gears and the speedometer will go to zero. Sometimes it will drop into a low gear, sometime it will jump into and higher gear. On two occasions now my truck has gotten stuck in 5th gear while driving on the highway. When I come to a complete stop it wont downshift below 3rd gear. Both times this has happened the speedometer seems to short out as well and goes to zero. If I turn the truck off when this happens the transmission resets and all gears work until the next time it occurs while driving. Overall this has now happened 4 times over the past month. I took the truck to the dealership for a transmission related recall, they reprogramed the transmission and the issues has continued to happen. This is a safety hazard and should be address immediately by the Ford Motor Company.

- Ashburn, VA, USA

problem #404

Aug 232019

F-150

  • 73,000 miles
Upon startup engine makes a terrible rattle knock noise, upon investigation we came to the conclusion that timing chain stretched and or tensioners and cam phasers may have failed. That is until the oil pressure is high enough to correct this issue

- Utica, MI, USA

problem #403

Jul 292019

F-150

  • 88,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 19V075000 (power train). Butler county Ford (400 S main St, butler, pa 16001, (724) 287-2766) performed the recall repair. After the repair, the speedometer malfunctioned and several unknown warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer the following day. The dealer stated that the manufacturer would not authorize additional repairs to replace the molded lead frame because the vehicle had a restructured title. The contact wondered why the dealer did not inform him of the restructured title during his initial visit. The failure mileage was 88,400.

- Butler, PA, USA

problem #402

Aug 082019

F-150

  • 94,000 miles
Vehicle shows huge wrench on screen. Speedometer/odometer stops working and only have 3rd and 5th gear. Next the truck violently downshifted to 1st gear. Took to the dealer to have recall fixed. They said they reset the computer and downloaded new software. 2 days later, truck was stuck in 1st gear. Pulled over, restarted it and seemed fine. Now about once a day, will suddenly shift into 1st at any speed again. Seems like they never fixed. Back in the shop now so let's see what happens. Loss of work, and my safety is a huge concern. Paying for a vehicle that is truly unsafe!

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #401

Jun 052019

F-150

  • 152,000 miles
While driving at 60mph the transmission shifted into first without warning, causing a sudden loss of control of the vehicle almost causing multiple accidents as I was in the middle of rush hour traffic. The sudden down shift over spun the motor, resulting in a lower engine knock which a certified Ford technician believes is the result of a bearing failure. Even though the technician performed a cylinder leakage test in which no indication of valve interference was identified, the Ford engineer he was dealing with said he had seen this issue before! this is the same recall issue that has caused multiple accidents! there are dozens of blog posts where this issue has caused, at the very least, multiple trips to the dealerships and in rare cases (not including mine), engine failure. I have calculated the engines RPM's using the formula: Axle ratio X vehicle speed X transmission ratio X 336.13) / tire diameter = engine speed. At the time of the incident, the engine's RPM's were at an estimated 9,074 RPM's [(3.55 X 60mph X 4.17 X 336.13)/32.9]. the tachometer only goes to 7,000 RPM's! there are two recalls (19N01 and 19S07) that can cause intermittent shifting into first. The day before the incident, I went to the local Ford dealership and was told they couldn't get me in for recall fixes because they needed to "take care of their paying customers first." I have talked with four different Ford customer service representatives, the answer has been the same; "there is nothing Ford Motor Company can do for you at this time." I feel Ford has been very neglectful in taking responsibility of this issue, not only for myself but the countless other people that have had similar problems.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #400

Jul 152019

F-150

  • 120,066 miles
Secondary timing chain link came apart soon after I bought the truck in 2015 at 66,000 miles my warranty paid for it. Now it is happening again but on the other side of the engine. 2 time chain links fall apart. Ford is not paying for this because my warranty was up 2 months ago and it is not a pre certified truck, miles are 120,066 miles. 2 timing chain links break in 4 years"??????" the technicians at santa maria Ford said they have never seen anything like this before. Ford is denying to pay for this repair!!!!!!!

- Santa Maria, CA, USA

problem #399

Jul 252019

F-150

  • 70,000 miles
My 2012 Ford F150 has an automatic transmission 6R80. While going 15-20 mph the transmission suddenly and violently downshifts from 2nd to 1st causing the rear tires to slide.this has happened repeatedly. The Ford dealership has completed all the known service bulletins which include a software update and a lead frame replacement. This is a dangerous issue on slick roads.

- Murphy, NC, USA

problem #398

Jul 012019

F-150

  • 80,000 miles
After the transmission recall, to prevent the vehicle from downshifting into first gear when at speed, the truck's mileage has dropped drastically. Although not a safety issue, it has not been addressed by Ford through complaints to it dealerships.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #397

Aug 172018

F-150

  • 97,000 miles
Down shifts and ruck jerk so hard. When you go from stop and accelerate, if you let up at all or break, it will do it.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #396

Jun 222019

F-150

  • 122,000 miles
Driving 75mph towing boat. Truck shifts into 1st gear. Redlined engine, many noises, slipping transmission, step on pedal to accelerate, it goes to 5K before shifting. Almost caused major highway disaster. Now my family is afraid to ride in vehicle. Also when first start up no brakes. Recalls where done for both, did not fix either.

- Renfrew, PA, USA

problem #395

Jul 032019

F-150

  • 96,000 miles
The truck was in park I had stepped out to check the mail with my children in the truck the next thing I knew my truck was moving like it was in gear I jumped in pressed the break and it still showed it in park I pushed into park harder and it stopped.. I was not on a hill or anything to make it roll and it was actually moving like it was put into gear

- Dongola, IL, USA

problem #394

Apr 252019

F-150

  • 152,000 miles
I purchased my vehicle used from a Ford dealership in 2017. I brought it in a few months after I purchased it due to rear tires locking up and a sudden downshift. Was told no codes were found wrong and they couldn't duplicate the issue. April 30, 2019 had to have it towed back in. Was informed of a recall on lead mane frame for first time. After replacing lead frame vehicle still will not preform properly and I have now been told entire transmission needs to be replaced. I haven't received any letter nor made aware at time of purchase of any recall. Ford continues to refuse any remedies to justify this problem. I'm a single mother of 3 and am outraged by the companies failure to notify me of this safety recall. The company refuses to help because my mileage is 152,000 miles. 2,000 over the extended warranty for recall. If I would have been notified in a timely manner of this faulty transmission and possibly deadly recall I would have immediately tended to it. My children are my world and Ford cares less about their safety and mine and it is wrong. Please help me and my babies.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

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