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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
75,062 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 29 of 29)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #20

May 142013

F-150 6-cyl

  • 17,025 miles

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

Lost power with easy accelerating from stop light at low speed. Engine running with transmission in drive gear, but will not move while pressing accelerator. Stopped, shifted to park then back to drive and was able to move but smelled burning oil.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #19

Mar 092012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 2,300 miles
While trying to accelerate from 50 up to the posted speed limit of 70 on interstate highway 10, the ecoboost engine in my truck stalled and started to misfire and shutter so severely causing my speed to decrease that I had to pull over to the side of the road to prevent from getting run over.

- Thicket, TX, USA

problem #18

Mar 192013

F-150 6-cyl

  • 6,300 miles
Vehicle was purchased on 3/16/13 as a demo model with 6300 miles on it. Made a left turn and accelerated to merge into traffic on 3/19/13 when the whole vehicle shuddered violently and the engine lost power resulting in people having to hit their brakes and honk at us to avoid hitting us. The engine continued to bog down as the accelerator was pushed. I let the vehicle coast to almost a stop before the symptoms went away and could drive as normal. I looked up symptoms on internet and found many people experiencing same symptoms with this new eco-boost engine by Ford in their trucks. It seems that the intercooler can collect condensation in humid or rainy environments and have that water forced to the engine when the accelerator is pushed hard causing the vehicle to shudder and lose power. Ford has apparently identified this problem and issued a tbs service bulletin instructing the charged air cooler be replaced with a newly designed one for model year 2011-2012 F-150's with the 3.5L V6 eco-boost engine if a customer complains of the above symptoms and some people have reported this solution has not fixed the problem. This is extremely dangerous as one could lose power as many have reported, towing heavy loads, on the highway passing and other situations that a loss of power could lead to a fatal accident. The "newly designed" charged air cooler has been on back order for months and people are being told to "drive their vehicles carefully" if their dealer doesn't provide a rental or vehicle to drive while awaiting repair. My vehicle was taken back to dealership on 3/21/13 and has been sitting their awaiting the part as I feel it is unsafe to drive.

- Greenwood, AR, USA

problem #17

Sep 192012

F-150

  • 3,500 miles

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

Traveling West on I-20 in tx for several hours through rain/mist/foggy conditions. Exited the highway for fuel. Upon reentering the highway and attempting to accelerate to speed, truck began shaking violently and did not respond to inputs from the throttle. I was able to speed up to about 45mph before the engine problem developed. Luckily I had a shoulder to pull over on as I had entered the interstate ahead of a tractor-trailer combo who was doing the speed limit and approaching my rear bumper very quickly. After the engine began misfiring at about 45 mph, I could not increase speed, I was only able to slow down and pull off onto the shoulder. During the incident, the check engine light illuminated, began flashing until the vehicle came to a stop on the shoulder, then remained illuminated until the truck was restarted 5 times on the shoulder.

- Eureka Springs, AR, USA

problem #16

Oct 152012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 4,868 miles
I purchased my new F-150 in August 2012 and immediately noticed a "hesitation" when starting out in drive, until the engine shifted to second gear and a "miss" in the engine when driving at highway speeds. I called the dealer, told them my truck has safety defect and took the truck back for an evaluation and oil change. The dealer told me they found no defects on the computer codes and no bulletins from Ford but "we've had several complaints from other customers about this problem. We can't do anything unless the computer shows something wrong. I called Ford "customer relationships center" in Michigan and was told to take it to another dealer for a second evaluation. I did this and the new dealer gave me the same story as the first dealer. I called the "customer relationship center" again and advised them that what the dealerships have told me is unacceptable and that I would not have bought the truck, if I had known or been told that this "defect is common" with this truck. The "crc" told me they would have the regional service manager call me, which she did a few days later and told me that "the problems you are having with your truck are characteristic of the performance of these trucks and no other action will be taken. I told the regional service manager that her and Ford' response is unacceptable and if there is no fix, I want the vehicle repurchased or replaced. She said, "no further action will be taken by Ford."

- Selah, WA, USA

problem #15

Sep 122012

F-150

  • 4,200 miles
While cruising at 65 mph on the interstate, heavy acceleration was applied to pass an 18-wheeler. At about 75% throttle and when the automatic transmission downshifted into second gear, the truck began vibrating violently and a check engine light appeared, blinking. Immediately letting off the throttle, the truck shifted back to sixth gear and stopped vibrating. A few seconds go by and the check engine light stopped blinking. Once I pressed the throttle again, it vibrated violently again, then stopped shortly after. The check engine light stayed solid.

- Sumter, SC, USA

problem #14

Dec 292012

F-150 4WD 6-cyl

  • miles

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

2012 Ford F-150. Consumer writes in regards to transmission malfunction. The consumer stated the gear moved from park to reverse twice, since he purchased the vehicle in September 2012. The most recent incident caused approximately $5800 damage to the vehicle, plus damage to landscaping property of a business. The consumer stated he placed the vehicle in park and left it running. When he went around the truck, he saw the truck starting to move in reverse. He ran around to the truck, opened the driver's door and tried to climb into the truck, to stop it, but was knocked down to his knees and caught between the door and the door jamb on the truck. He was dragged to his knees for several feet, before he decided to let go down and rolled away from the truck. The vehicle continued in reverse for approximately 75 feet before running up over a curb and down an embankment over two trees, some small bushes and destroying 30 ' of vinyl fence before coming to a rest. On October 1, 2012, the consumer backed the truck into his driveway, placed it in park and exited the vehicle, and left it running with the driver's door open, when suddenly, the vehicle started move backwards. He tried to get in the vehicle to stop it, but was knocked down by the door. The vehicle continued back for about 25 feet hitting a landscaping boulder before coming to a stop. The consumer has since traded the vehicle.

- Eagle, ID, USA

problem #13

Jan 092013

F-150 6-cyl

  • 5,400 miles
Vehicle would not accelerate from 40 mph while attempting to merge with highway traffic. When the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle shuttered and would accelerate past 40 mph while trying to merge with heavy traffic going 65 mph. Continued with a very slow acceleration which took about a mile to reach 60 mph. Then the vehicle started to perform normally.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #12

Nov 202012

F-150 8-cyl

  • 2,900 miles
GM [xxx] at chino hills Ford failed to allow his service dept. To repair, correct or replace defective driveline or driveshaft componets that clunk and rattle on a new Ford raptor truck under factory warranty and an esp Ford 100,000 extended warranty. These faulty componets could fail and cause loss of control or serious injury or death to myself or passengers and other vehicles on the highway should they fail and seperate from the drivetrain, driveshaft, U joint or yoke of the truck. This is a known and much complained about issue on these Ford raptors and Ford motors has ignored the drivetrain clunk issues. This should be a Ford recall to determine what the drivetrain issues are with this $60,000. Truck and correct them asap for safety reasons. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

problem #11

Dec 202012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 14,000 miles
The vehicle has been in the Ford shop three times for a clicking or popping noise that came from the rear of the truck. I have complained about it since the vehicle reached 6,000 miles or 4 months old. The dealer has attempted numerous repair attempts (3 ea.)to fix the problem the vehicle has spent many days at the shop while the mechanic tried to fix the problem. The Ford engineers or so I have been told where aware of the issue and instructed the dealership to try the ssm# 22384 to fix the issue. The dealership performed the ssm# on Friday the 14th of Dec and after driving the truck I noticed the same complaint of the clicking noise and there was no apparent change to or after bringing the truck in for repair. I notified the dealership and they said the truck was safe to drive and they would keep me notified on any other fixes as they come available through Ford.after almost 200 miles after the attempted repair I was driving down the highway when I felt the truck shake then heard a large pow then bang, I quickly looked out the rear view mirror and saw smoke and sparks. I was able to recover and get the vehicle to the shoulder of the road where I noticed the driveshaft on the ground the only thing attached was the front of the drive shaft. The pinion bearing flange (rear) was attached to the driveshaft and the pinion shaft was sheared off the rearend. I feel this problem could have caused a serious injury to me or others if I was in a different scenario and not so lucky to not be carry my children and towing my boat. This is a unsafe condition and should be dealt with to ensure others don't have my incident that could create a accident. I have the service record copies and my truck is still at the dealership waiting on parts.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #10

Oct 052012

F-150

  • 10,250 miles

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

I was driving to work entering the freeway doing 55 I tried to accelerate the vehicle past a slower moving car and the vehicle began to shake violently and the truck lost power. Had I been in heavy traffic this would have certainly caused a serious collision as I was unable to control the vehicle and had to slow down to 30 mph on the freeway before I could slowly accelerate back up to speed. This has occurred multiple times since October especially after rain or even in the mornings when it has been a heavy frost overnight. Also my M.P.G is down to 11 to 13 M.P.G this is horrible especially this day and age in vehicle technology. I have brought my truck to the local dealer and of course they stated they were unaware of a problem. I had to show them multiple complaints from this website and off the Ford 150 forum. It has been 6 weeks and the part still is not in for my vehicle.

- Chardon , OH, USA

problem #9

Aug 302012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 8,500 miles
Traveled from benton, la to little rock ar. Was driving down two lane highway at 55 mph in the rain. Had to come to stop as a vehicle was turning left. Upon accelerating vehicle began to shake violently and would not accelerate past 15 mph. Was able to pull over to shoulder. Turned off vehicle and removed key. Restarted engine. Vehicle would only run approximately 20 mph. Drove to next town about 10 miles away. Stopped at gas station for approximately an hour. Since it was late in the evening we had to continue traveling. Truck then would run about 70 mph down the interstate, but any acceleration would cause the truck to hesitate, shake, and loose power. Only extremely easy acceleration would work. No down shifting possible. Truck was diagnosed at chenal Ford in little rock ar. Found to have water in the engine from entering the turbo charger air intake. Water apparently accumulates in the turbo charger in the rain. If hard acceleration occurs during the rain, water is pulled to the engine damaging the spark plugs and coil packs. This is a known issue with Ford as the have several service bulletins out. Unfortunately, the dealer in Louisiana has not been provided a correction from Ford. My understanding is that the turbo intake system has been redesigned for the 2013 model year. Ford at this time is not offering to replace the air intake. As such, I this vehicle is not safe in the rain. A car should not stall when accelerating.

- Benton, LA, USA

problem #8

Mar 152011

F-150 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles
While attempting to merge into traffic pulling a trailer I pushed the gas pedal and the truck down shifted but would not accelerate. The truck will drop into 3rd gear and will not exceed 4000 RPM. This has occurred several times and has been in the shop 3 or 4 times. It has also happened without a trailer. On several occasions I have had to pull over and turn the truck off to get it to go. Sometimes I can just come off the pedal and press it again to correct. This is a dangerous issue that could cause an accident. The dealer has reprogrammed the truck several times and replaced the converters twice. I have asked Ford to buy back the truck but they have not responded yet. The truck is going back into the shop tomorrow and I am considering utilizing the lemon law.

- Forest Hill, LA, USA

problem #7

Feb 142012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 125 miles
There are thousands of reports of this all across the country on the net. It is commonly referred to as a "transmission bump". the problem is, when coming to a stop, the transmission down shifts & causes a bump, or a push. The first time it happened to me, I thought someone rear ended me! it can also happen while you're at a dead stop. The truck actually lurches forward. I was told that this is "normal" for the 6 spd. Transmission in my Ford. No tsb has been announced from Ford to fix this!!!

- Ft. Worth, TX, USA

problem #6

Nov 012012

F-150

  • 13,100 miles
2012 F150 ecoboost. Was cruising on the highway at 60-65 closing in on a slower moving bus. Pulled out to pass and gave it more throttle the vehicle did not accelerate even with throttle to the floor. Had to hit the brakes and pull back behind the bus to avoid a collision. After recovering the motor seemed to recover and allowed for acceleration again. This was the second time this has happened to us. Neither time did the computer register a fault code or check engine light. The first time we took it for the issue, Ford service could not do anything as no code was found and unable to recreate in test drive. At that time tsb 12-6-4 was out pertaining to this issue. After the second time, again there was no code or recreation but a new tsb 12-10-19 superseded the previous tsb and allowed for repairs. This is a dangerous condition that Ford is aware of and could possibly affect all 2011-2012 F150 ecoboost motors and some early 2013 models. The charge air cooler as originally designed is creating condensation that causes these power loss events. The corrective actions in tsb 12-10-19, if successful, should be applied to all F150 ecoboost vehicles built with the older intercooler design.

- Glendive, MT, USA

problem #5

Jul 172012

F-150

  • 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle decelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who upgraded the transmission software. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 2000 and the current mileage was 5,000.

- Redmond , OR, USA

problem #4

Jun 152012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 1,200 miles
Purchased truck new April 2012. While driving on the interstate I tried to accelerate past a slower vehicle. The truck would hardly run, lost power and speed. This is a known problem with Ford ecoboost engine. Unfortunately I did not do my "homework" on this engine package. Many complaints of this problem can be found on the internet. Ford Motor Co. Knows and admits that there is a problem with condensation build up in the intake tract of this engine. It has been aproblem from introduction. They still have not found a "fix" for this defect. So far this truck has been to the dealer 2 times for this problem and nothing has worked. This truck is dangerous to myself and my family. If it is raining while driving, it will hardly run. It is unsafe to own or operate.

- Foley, AL, USA

problem #3

Jul 312012

F-150 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 60 mph with the cruise control activated, the pedal was released and the transmission abruptly down shifted three gears. The contact was able to continue driving after waiting ten seconds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised the contact that the vehicle was functioning as designed. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000. Updated 9/25/12 updated 10/03/2012

- Belvidere, IL, USA

problem #2

May 012012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles
While driving my 2012 Ford F150 4X4 with the ecoboost motor to work on the garden state parkway I experienced the following issue: After cruising for about 20 miles at 65mpg I attempted a pass of slower moving traffic. The truck accelerated to about 80mph during the pass then suddenly the engine lost power and created an engine breaking situation. The trucks' speed dropped rapidly from 80 to 60mph and I had to abruptly move into the slow lane cutting off other cars to avoid being rear ended. As soon as the power/speed loss occurred the truck began to shake violently for about a minute or two until I eventually slowed to about 50mph. This has happened 2 times since owning the vehicle. The truck has 5000 miles presently and has been back to the Ford dealership 3 times for software updates, a catalytic converter replacement, to add an air deflector and it continues to throw codes and turn on the check engine light. I got it back yesterday and the check engine light went on again on my drive home. Also mileage seems to becoming progressively worse. I try to avoid passing situations as much as possible in fear the vehicle will create a dangerous situation for myself and other drivers on the garden state parkway.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #1

Feb 232012

F-150 6-cyl

  • 341 miles
When accelerating the truck bogged. RPM of engine increase truck did not. Let off gas and depressed truck began to shake violently. Attempting to merge on interstate. Had to pull over and shut truck off to return to normal. This has happened several occasions. I have documented each time it has happened with more details each time. Ford has looked at truck several times. Latest word is that they have a problem, started a tsb however there isn't a fix available. This is very dangerous when driving especially on the interstate when changing lanes or merging from ramp. There is not any warning and scares the devil out of the driver.

- Mckean, PA, USA

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