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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,288 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 5 of 24)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #383

Dec 242018

F-150

  • 137,000 miles

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

Immediately following an oil change, my truck began making insanely loud grinding noises. I attempted to drive from knoxville to chattanooga and barely made it to cleveland. My truck stalled, started back up and I coasted into a parking lot. It would not go over 50. I then found a massive puddle of oil underneath where I parked. The truck was taken to jiffy lube.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #382

Nov 162018

F-150

  • 65,000 miles
Code P0016 timing chain failure. Causing car to lose power when accelerating. This happened on expressway when I was turning into a lane to pass a semi in my lane. I had no power to get going in the passing lane and almost got rear ended.also causes truck to jump when fully stopped and foot on break. This is a on going problem.

- Palatine, IL, USA

problem #381

Dec 032018

F-150

  • 125,000 miles
Vehicle backfired and started shuttering upon acceleration...check engine light came on replaced ignition coil 6. 1000 miles later, same situation cylinder 1&2...replaced those coils and replaced spark plugs. Shuttering lessoned, still backfired on upon strong acceleration. Definitely a safety concern. The backfire does not trigger the engine light to come on...from the research I've done, this seams to be a common problem with the eco boost

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #380

Sep 102018

F-150

  • 20,000 miles

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

2012 F-150 has an eco boost 3.5 L motor that misfires in damp/wet/rainy/cool weather. Motor goes into a misfire mode with no power to drive or accelerate truck. Before the mileage warranty was up, truck was taken to Ford for their "fix". however, the issue has remained from 2012 to current year, 2018, and without Ford fixing this problem will continue for the indefinite future of these motors from Ford. Cannot trust truck to perform when needed and a safety hazard when driving, towing or accelerating when this occurrs.

- Sedalia, MO, USA

problem #379

Aug 242018

F-150

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle lacked engine power when the vehicle was stationary. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and found a P0016 error code, which indicated that the timing belt was loose and needed to be replaced. The contact visited the dealer (medford motors, Inc, 105 Wisconsin ave, medford, wi 54451, (715) 748-3700) and the failure was confirmed. The dealer stated that the repair would cost over $3,000 without a recall available. The manufacturer was notified and confirmed what the dealer stated. The failure mileage was 77,000. Consumer stated loss of power.

- Medford, WI, USA

problem #378

Sep 202018

F-150

  • 85,500 miles
Engine failure while driving on city street. 85, xxx miles on vehicle. I purchased vehicle new. Engine threw a rod. Oil spilled all over roadway. Research conducted shows this is a common problem with the ecoboost engine due to intercoolers or timing chain issues. Had there been another vehicle behind me, this could have resulted in a crash due to vehicle losing power with no warning.

- Brimfield, MA, USA

problem #377

Jul 122012

F-150

  • 500 miles

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

I have a 2012 F150 it keep locking up on the road. Ford say moisture is getting in the engine. The truck suddenly stop on the road I have almost been hit atleast 10 times. Suburban Ford dealership is blaming me. I have found 330 pages of complaint about this issue. But yet knowbody is doing nothing about it. I am requesting the government to investigate this issue. This is a safety issue I have been narrowly miss by a semi truck my family could have been killed. If the government does not think this vehicles locking up on the road is of concern I dont know what is. The truck sends codes for #1 #3 #5 cylinders have shut down while driving. Then I have had the engine vapor lock up, because the induction is not allowing water in the motor. How many people that have spent their hard earned money on this truck and have had major issues. Who is protecting the public we look to government to help. This vehicle has big issues please help. One of your questions are when did this happen, since I bought the truck. Ford told me not to drive it when it rains or when the humidity is high. $65000 for a truck and I can't drive it when it rains.

- Shelby Twp, MI, USA

problem #376

Jul 042018

F-150

  • 90,000 miles
My 2012 Ford F-150 is having serious safety issues that are addressed in for tsb's and safety recalls. Upon contacting Ford Motor Company, I was informed that my vehicle did not have the specific VIN number that matched with their cases. My vehicle fits the recall descriptions with make, model, year, and even manufacturing location and has the exact issues that these recalls are about. The first recall is Ford recall 16S19 : unexpected transmission downshift this will cause my vehicle to randomly downshift multiple gears. When it shifts down it also causes the rear tires are lock up and I have lost control momentarily trying to drive at highway speeds. This also causes wear and tear on the drivetrain. Shifting the motor from 5th gear to 1st immediately sends the motor into a dangerous RPM range causing damage. The second recall is Ford tsb 13-6-8: this causes me to lose all indication on my gauges except for RPM' S. I lose indication on my current speed randomly and also on all of my critical engine temperatures and pressures. This also locks the transmission into 5th gear, making it difficult to slow down properly and accelerate from a stop or slow speed. These two issues combine makes the vehicle a danger to drive. I do not feel safe anymore taking this vehicle anywhere and cannot trust it. I have contacted Ford Motor Company both locally and at its headquarters. Their reply is that they have to fix it. I was told to contact the NHTSA for further help from a friend who encountered similar issues with Ford Motor Company. Thank you for your help.

- Soldotna, AK, USA

problem #375

Aug 312018

F-150

  • 101,000 miles
While driving vechicle suddeningly lost power, this is the second time this has happened in the last 7700 miles. Very dangerous as this has happened in heavey traffic and almost caused an accident. Truck has the ecboostengine. ## VIN passed ## 2012 Ford F150 ##

- Greencastle, IN, USA

problem #374

Aug 152018

F-150

  • 45,000 miles
Vehicle has less than 45000 miles. Has erratic loss of power while accelerating. Evidence of water in the air intake. Research is showing that the ecoboost engine is collecting more water in the intercooler than the engine can consume. Problems increases in southern humid states. This is problem caused by faulty engineering in the 3.5L ecoboost engine and could cause accidents due to unpredictable loss in power. Loss of power is felt while driving on city and highway driving.

- Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA

problem #373

Jun 042018

F-150

  • 85,000 miles

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

We have a Ford F-150 and it is losing power as you travel down the road. We have to pull over and turn the truck off and restart it. We have had it in the shop at least twice with no success in finding the problem. We have had sensors replaced and the intercooler drained twice. This is dangerous because as your traveling it will loose power and it's hard to get off the road sometimes and could cause an accident. We don't know what to do at this point.

- Robbinsville, NC, USA

problem #372

Jun 012018

F-150

  • 154,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle misfired and stalled. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician replaced the spark plugs and the coils. But the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The technician called woodhouse Ford at 402-574-2759 (located at 3633 N 72nd St, omaha, ne 68134), but the dealer was unable to provide any assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

- Dorchester, NE, USA

problem #371

Jun 272018

F-150

  • 5 miles
My 2012 Ford F150 XLT supercrew ecoboost has about 85000 miles and abruptly went from about 30-40mph to about 0mph a few times now while driving. Once time was very scary on a congested road. After this happened, its like my transmission misfires and misses gears all of the time. There is now a vacuum noise also coming out if the engine and it doesn't run right. I brought it to Ford and they told me that I probably wasn't changing the oil properly (I had changed my oil every 3000-5000 miles regularly.), but now they said I messed up the timing chain and phasers and they had to be changed for a price of about 4000 dollars. I have owned other Ford not ecoboosts and they all ran fine. I started doing some research and I am sure this is an engineering flaw on the part of Ford. I actually read that the NHTSA did research on this topic. There are tons of forums that have the information on them and believe that Ford should do the right thing and do a recall or fix the problem. I know its a big problem. I don't think it is fair to the american consumer to have to shell out that kind of money on a bad design flaw on apart of Ford that almost got me into an accident bad one time and when my kids and I have to go to an erupt stop. I don't tow anything and drive the truck like a car. This shouldn't be happening.

- Lambertville, NJ, USA

problem #370

May 202018

F-150

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving and attempting to make a turn, an abnormal sound was heard coming from the rear driver's side of the vehicle. When the brake pedal was depressed, the vacuum pump indicator illuminated. The contact called gordie boucher Ford of kenosha (8301 75th St, kenosha, wi 53142, (262) 697-0700), but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the failure was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Kenosha, WI, USA

problem #369

Mar 072018

F-150

  • 137,983 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. In addition, while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to coast to the side of the road. When the contact powered off and restarted the engine, he was able to drive normally. The contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to crossroad Ford of wake forest, Inc. (10101 capital blvd, wake forest, nc 27587, (877) 331-8117), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The approximate failure mileage was 137,983.

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

problem #368

Oct 062017

F-150

  • 96,000 miles
Exhaust manifold studs. Design flaw of the exhaust manifolds on the F-150 ecoboost causing manifold bolts to snap/sheer, which in turn causes the manifolds to warp. This is causing noise, and possibly exhaust gases to enter the passenger compartment. Ford is offering a fix under program code: 17M05 for the F450/F550, but is excluding the other "F series" trucks which suffer from the same/similar issue. The issue was noticed immediately after an engine misfire began occurring (which is also a known issue). The dealership has quoted $1,400 to replace the manifolds and studs.

- New Lenox, IL, USA

problem #367

Dec 012017

F-150

  • 95,000 miles
Timing chain stretched due to poor design. Making a knocking sound during cold start. Cam sensor is triggering check engine light.

- Mapleton, ND, USA

problem #366

Mar 182018

F-150

  • 111,000 miles
While driving the truck would jump gears after a few moments it would smooth out research the issue found there was a recall for trucks with T he same issue but was told my VIN # wasn't covered. The leas frame was the issue addressed after this $900 repair the check engine light illuminated codes suggested turbo and tune was needed these situations was not happening prior to the previous mention repair.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #365

Mar 122018

F-150

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle started to shutter and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto mechanic shop where it was diagnosed that the third cylinder coil pack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called beach Ford at 843-839-8168 (855 jason blvd #1, myrtle beach, SC 29577) and was informed that there would be a diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

- Surfside Beach, SC, USA

problem #364

Mar 082018

F-150

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving 35 mph, the transmission seized in fifth gear. Additionally, the check engine and seat belt warning indicators illuminated, the speedometer became inoperable, and the vehicle went into limp mode. The vehicle was taken to washburn Ford Lincoln (1819 ok-14, alva, ok 73717, (580) 327-1296), but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

- Alva, OK, USA

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