2012 Ford F-150 Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 194 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 2012 Ford F-150, 11% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 30,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “first gear” (10% of reports).
- 194vehicle speed control complaints
- 30,500median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 68%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- First gear: mentioned in 20 of 194 complaints (10%)
- Truck started: mentioned in 13 of 194 complaints (7%)
- Lead frame: mentioned in 12 of 194 complaints (6%)
- Ecoboost engine: mentioned in 10 of 194 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 162 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 194 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Ford F-150 vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 F-150 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2025 F-150 | 11 | 10% | 6,500 |
| 2024 F-150 | 7 | 4% | 13,290 |
| 2023 F-150 | 18 | 4% | 22,000 |
| 2022 F-150 | 16 | 3% | 18,000 |
| 2021 F-150 | 20 | 2% | — |
| 2020 F-150 | 16 | 2% | 23,000 |
| 2019 F-150 | 44 | 3% | 35,000 |
| 2018 F-150 | 73 | 3% | 15,500 |
| 2017 F-150 | 66 | 5% | 14,000 |
| 2016 F-150 | 100 | 5% | 38,869 |
| 2015 F-150 | 145 | 8% | 44,000 |
| 2014 F-150 | 102 | 7% | 52,000 |
| 2013 F-150 | 302 | 10% | 69,074 |
| 2012 F-150 | 194 | 11% | 30,500 |
| 2011 F-150 | 213 | 10% | 57,000 |
| 2010 F-150 | 39 | 5% | 52,000 |
| 2009 F-150 | 54 | 17% | 36,370 |
| 2008 F-150 | 41 | 11% | 27,225 |
| 2007 F-150 | 54 | 11% | 44,500 |
| 2006 F-150 | 31 | 5% | 50,000 |
| 2005 F-150 | 57 | 5% | 50,251 |
| 2004 F-150 | 70 | 3% | 39,500 |
| 2003 F-150 | 32 | 8% | 85,000 |
| 2002 F-150 | 86 | 10% | 120,000 |
| 2001 F-150 | 180 | 15% | 103,000 |
| 2000 F-150 | 188 | 17% | 100,000 |
| 1999 F-150 | 79 | 8% | 78,500 |
| 1998 F-150 | 116 | 8% | 108,500 |
| 1997 F-150 | 223 | 8% | 120,000 |
| 1996 F-150 | 36 | 11% | 130,000 |
| 1995 F-150 | 76 | 12% | 121,382 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists vehicle speed control for the 2012 Ford F-150. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While driving the truck suddenly shifted into first year with the automatic transmission. This was the third time that this has happened.
Our 2012 Ford F-150 truck had no issues and no dashboard lights when it randomly downshifted while driving and almost caused an accident. On Sat, May 9, 2026, my husband pulled onto the road and got up to 40 mph when the speedometer stopped working and the truck randomly downshifted. The car behind…
While driving at any speed, 55 , 65 my truck downshift to 1st gear. It locks up the back tires and the truck starts squealing. And sometimes while driving it just jumps into limp mode into 3rd or 5th gear and it wont come out of 3rd or 5th gear. I do understand there is a recall for this but Ford…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Ford F-150s have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 194 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 2012 Ford F-150 (11% of the 1,783 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford F-150 vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 30,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 2012 Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “first gear”, in 20 of 194 complaints, followed by “truck started” (13).
Other 2012 Ford F-150 problems
- Power Train problems (681)
- Engine problems (483)
- Steering problems (204)
- Electrical System problems (173)
- Service Brakes problems (124)
- Visibility/wiper problems (95)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (84)
See all 2012 Ford F-150 problems or vehicle speed control problems across all F-150 years.