2012 Ford F-150 Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 1,782 owner complaints for the 2012 Ford F-150.

Recalled components: powertrain and air bags. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (315 complaints, 18%). Most-reported area: powertrain (680 complaints, 38%; median mileage when it happened: 90,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Best year

Excludes the electric F-150 Lightning.

4 safety recalls for the 2012 Ford F-150

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 4 investigations that name the 2012 Ford F-150; all 4 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 1,782 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 F-150. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Loss of power or limp mode315 · 18%
  Median 25,100 miles at failure, from 295 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration190 · 11%
  Median 18,200 miles at failure, from 184 reports with mileage
• Check engine light170 · 10%
  Median 36,000 miles at failure, from 154 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off115 · 6%
  Median 29,500 miles at failure, from 102 reports with mileage
• Power steering problems or locked steering111 · 6%
  Median 82,000 miles at failure, from 89 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration108 · 6%
  Median 32,000 miles at failure, from 105 reports with mileage
• Misfires or rough running98 · 5%
  Median 33,000 miles at failure, from 91 reports with mileage
• Gauge cluster or speedometer failure73 · 4%
  Median 118,000 miles at failure, from 62 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Powertrain680 · 38%
  Most named: automatic transmission (8) · Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 535 reports with mileage
• Engine483 · 27%
  Median 24,000 miles at failure, from 435 reports with mileage
• Steering204 · 11%
  Median 72,000 miles at failure, from 163 reports with mileage
• Speed control194 · 11%
  Median 30,500 miles at failure, from 162 reports with mileage
• Electrical system173 · 10%
  Most named: instrument panel, speedometer/odometer (5); instrument cluster/panel (4) · Median 66,500 miles at failure, from 138 reports with mileage
• Brakes136 · 8%
  Most named: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, wheel speed sensor/tone ring (3) · Median 63,800 miles at failure, from 109 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper95 · 5%
  Median 60,000 miles at failure, from 87 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other119 · 7%
  Median 72,600 miles at failure, from 84 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Ford F-150 recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 F-150 drew the most (501) and the 2012 drew 399.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 F-150 MPG

Questions