2012 Ford F-150 problems
The 2012 Ford F-150 has 2,450 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (28%) concerns drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (20%) and steering (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,450 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 57 and 21
- Injuries and deaths
- 42 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 59,000 miles 2,018 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 483 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 284 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 249 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 254 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 233 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 153 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 143 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 104 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 69 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 16 |
| 200k+ miles | 30 |
What the data shows
Among the 2,018 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 59,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 90,000 miles (534 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 57 complaints mention a crash; 21 complaints mention a fire; 42 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 85% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford F-150 with enough data (1,325 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the driver side of a second vehicle causing significant damage to the front end. During the incident, the air bags failed to deploy. The driver suffered neck, back and leg injuries and the passenger suffered contusions and trauma to the chest area which required medical attention. The contact mentioned that the driver of the second vehicle died during the crash. A police report was filed.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 ford f-150. While at a complete stop, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact's vehicle was pushed under an eighteen wheeler. The frontal air bags did not deploy. The vehicle that crashed into the contact continued to drive, sideswiped another vehicle, and crashed into a pole. The police and fire department were called and a police report was filed.
The rear-window defroster over heated on the passenger side causing that window to chatter. At one spot at the bottom, the rubber frame around the glass started to melt and burn just before the window chattered. If I had not been standing close to see what was happening, and turn the control off, I believe this could have started a fire that could have burned the entire truck and areas around it threating people and property.
My 2012 f150 rear drivers side window section suddenly shattered after turning on the rear defrost function. Rear defrost went on then I smelled something burning g. The rear drivers side glass section then shattered. There was absolutely no trauma that caused this. The rear defrost will no longer operate since. I contacted ford service and there is no recall at this time. I searched online and found close to 150 similar complaints.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the transmission downshifted from 7th to 6th gear, without warning. The contact pulled to the side of the road and shifted the vehicle into park(P) then back into drive(D). The contact stated that the transmission then selected 5th gear remained in 5th gear. The wrench warning light then illuminated. The contact stated that after arriving home, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode.