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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 1 of 24)

problem #463

Jun 242024

F-150

  • miles

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

Driving at approximately 40-50 mph and it suddenly downshifted to 2nd gear, stopping the truck. This was the first time this happened. Recall 19s07 was performed on 05/03/2019 that supposedly fixed and prevented this from happening.

- North Canton, OH, USA

problem #462

Jun 012024

F-150

  • miles
Driving down the road at 60 mph and heard a boom pulled over and seen oil coming out of motor and a pulley was broken off of the timing housing of the motor putting a hole in motor where pulley used to be. (Did some research ford 2011-2012 do not have supports on engine housing where pulley mounts but the newer 5.0 motors do have the supports to stop motor from breaking where pulley mounts I will include photos below the new supplied replacement part has supports) This has happened to multiple people

- Port Barre, LA, USA

problem #461

Jun 092024

F-150

  • miles
Transmission lead frame module needs replacement. Truck will not shift properly and the wrench light illuminated on dash; I took it for an assessment and it was determined that the lead frame module was bad. I found a safety recall for the lead frame module for my truck for which I never received any correspondence about and would like to have it investigated.

- Channelview, TX, USA

problem #460

Feb 262024

F-150

  • 168,000 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 stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended, prompting the contact to attempt to jump-start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power train control module. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who then diagnosed an additional failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 168,000.

- Carbonado, WA, USA

problem #459

Apr 202024

F-150

  • 137,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N01 (Lead frame Extended Coverage). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 137,000.

- Harahan, LA, USA

problem #458

Feb 072024

F-150

  • miles
At 76,000 miles my Turbo-??s started leaking engine coolant. From what I am told the rubber seal failed on the lines from the radiator to the turbos. The repair parts are cheap but the labor is intensive (7.5 hrs). To get to the turbos in 7.5 hrs the cab has to be lifted off the chassis. Without lifting it takes longer. In the end I spent over $2000 to fix some pieces of rubber. I consider this a design flaw that is costing the consumer big money. I am [XXX] old. This is the only car I ever owned that had engine trouble at 76,000 miles. I am soured on Ford at this time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Cleves, OH, USA

problem #457

Mar 142024

F-150

  • miles

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

Ecoboost engine shut down on highway in rush hour traffic. Had my truck in the shop after $9526 in repairs and new engine it happened again this week. 1 year later. My truck was under 2 warranty extensions. And was in the Ford dealership at those times. I mentioned to service manager that it seems that possible could be the problem. Now I'm stuck with this mess. And it took 18 months for them to fix/ not fix it. Ford dealership

- Kankakee, IL, USA

problem #456

Nov 012023

F-150

  • miles
hello i purchased my truck in april 2020.since this purchase this past year i've been on the highway and all of the sudden truck drops down from 65mph to 20mph. no injurys in these three separate instances. I will file this claim and visit closest dealer.

- Murphy, NC, USA

problem #455

Nov 102023

F-150

  • miles
highway traveling, transmission dropped into lowest gear from 65mph. no injury of myself or others in the vehicle. no accident occurred as result. I have not taken the issue up with the manufacturer or scheduled inspection. no other representatives police, insurance were contacted. no warning lights on dash when this happened two separate times since owning the vehicle in 2021.

- Murphy, NC, USA

problem #454

Sep 052023

F-150

  • miles
Attempted to merge onto a highway and car stayed in first and not allowing for proper acceleration. Ended up not being included under a current recall. Replace the lead frame connector in the transmission.

- Arvada, CO, USA

problem #453

Nov 132022

F-150

  • miles

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

Cylinder 2 had a stored code for misfire and oil and coolant mixture leaking from block. With the F150 raised up on the lift I removed the lower splash shields and continued inspection. Oil was found predominantly on passenger side with a mixture of oil and coolant leaking out drivers side. Using my lab scope I was able to locate the damage in the block. A large crack split down in a Y pattern. This split is located on cylinder #2 location. I would say #2 connecting rod has impacted block due to internal failure.

- Washington Twp , OH, USA

problem #452

Oct 012023

F-150

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after starting the engine, a rattling noise was present coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine cam phasers and engine timing system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Hendersonville, NC, USA

problem #451

Oct 092023

F-150

  • 158,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was being serviced for an oil change. The contact stated that the dealer observed condensation in the coolant reservoir and diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

- Brighton, MI, USA

problem #450

Jun 232023

F-150

  • 176,763 miles
Truck has jumped time and or timing chain stretched will driving truck geared down and was like it went into limp mode I turn the truck off and back on it straightened out enough to get it home dealer said it was the timing chain after running scans on

- Big Stone Gap, VA, USA

problem #449

Jul 182023

F-150

  • 145,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

- Forest Grove, OR, USA

problem #448

Jun 272023

F-150

  • miles
Turbo booster are causing the wastegate to be stuck in the open position and then causing the gas pedal to accelerate on its own.

- Cameron , TX, USA

problem #447

Mar 062023

F-150

  • miles
The problem with this vehicle is the body control module has gone out. It controls everything from the safety functions to back up cameras and engine function and starting. My truck first, lost its back up camera within the first year of purchase, then the driver side, turn signals, stopped working, the battery drains overnight, and the latest issue is that the truck will turn off while driving down the road. Three months ago, the engine cut off and all systems locked up while I was driving 45 mph in town. There are no issues with any other system in the truck. Mechanics have tested everything and state. It is only the body control module. I am unable to purchase a body control module from Ford and my mechanic, the Ford mechanics, the Ford distributor for this region, nor Carmax, where I bought the car can get the part because Ford says that all of their shelf held parts for this vehicle type are defective. They state is a known issue and there is no date for resolution at all. The date on the shelf hold is zero month zero day zero year meaning no date. The body control module in this series of Ford F1 50s is a -??known issue-?? to Ford. Due to their semi conductor manufacturer contract that has lapsed for this older technology, they state that the 4000 vehicle-??s that currently require this part are not they-??re greatest concern. They stated that there is an indefinite -??shelf hold-?? on this part due to their only being less than 50 of them available for anyone to purchase. Those parts that are being held are also suspect of defect. Since I have only owned this vehicle for two years and it is under the extended warranty, I purchased with it having only 19,000 miles on it that I have put on it, it seems that they should at least allow me to buy one of the shelf, held pieces to replace mine. Please help the 4000 of us. Please encourage them to do what-??s right for all of us. I still owe $17k on a non-running vehicle Carmax or Ford wont buy back.

- Spanish Fort, AL, USA

problem #446

Jan 082022

F-150

  • miles
3.5L ecoboost timing chain failure at only 58,000 miles (code P0016 possible turbo problems TBD Front suspension springs are broken. All of these are common threads on many forums. Ford should be held accountable even though mine is 10 years old, the mileage is the issue. FWIW, they completely redesigned the engine a few years later, but never notified anyone to watch out for these common problems or offer a recall

- Exton, PA, USA

problem #445

Mar 202023

F-150

  • miles
Illuminated wrench light followed by malfunctioning speedometer, cruise control, & turn signal cancellation. Delayed and no gear shifting including an unexpected transmission downshift to 1st gear occurring at 40 mph: rear wheels locked up, engine revved to redline, had to put hazard flashers on and shut engine down in heavy moving traffic. Finally Check Engine/Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL); later reading P0720 code.

- Ormond Beach, FL, USA

problem #444

Sep 272022

F-150

  • miles
Timing chains stretch, cam phasers fail, timing chain tensioners fail. This resulting in engine failure, ford charges $5000 for timing chain phasers and tensioners

- Shelby Twp, MI, USA

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