2012 Ford F-250 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other F-250 years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 24 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 266 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford F-250. That ranks 4th out of 24 F-250 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (125 complaints, 47%), typically at around 86,700 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 5 fires, 5 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 266owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Ford F-250 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension problems | 125 | 47% | 86,700 | “death wobble” (54%) | — |
| Steering problems | 112 | 42% | 89,878 | “death wobble” (53%) | — |
| Engine | 27 | 10% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 25 | 9% | 89,755 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 18 | 7% | 98,202 | — | — |
| Wheels | 16 | 6% | 108,657 | — | — |
| Power Train | 15 | 6% | 82,750 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 14 | 5% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 12 | 5% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 3% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 9 | 3% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 5 | 2% | 113,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 5 | 2% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 41,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 157,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 1% | 35,225 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 51,022 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 1% | 52,500 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 1,044 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 24,989 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0% | 32,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Ford F-250 recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 f-150 vehicles manufactured from september 9, 2011, through september 22, 2011, and model year 2012 f-250, f-350, f-450 and f-550 heavy duty vehicles manufactured from september 12, 2011, through september 22, 2011. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 114, âtheft protection.â the transmission can be shifted out of the park position without pressing the brake pedal due to brake shift interlock switch problem.
Risk: This will allow the operator to inadvertently shift the vehicle into gear without the brake pedal being depressed, increasing the risk of a crash or injury to a nearby pedestrian.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake shift interlock switch function and replace the switch if necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on december 22, 2011. Owners may contact the ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle Commanded Engine Shutdown (RQ14005) — opened Jan 13, 2015, closed Mar 15, 2016, led to recall 15V175000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that they discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 141,000. It was later discovered upon checking Carfax, that the…
Over 1 year (2025) steering front end shaking began. Our dealership on oil changes did not tell us to watch for anything and we should have been warned. When the shaking occurred we changed Ford shock asborbers from Ford dealership. Problem still occured. We lost faith in Ford and our regular…
CP4 pump continuous failure sending metal into the fuel system. Ford still uses an inferior product causing truck owners up to $18000 in repairs.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 219,825 and at the time of registration, it was…
I bought this truck used from a dealership in 2022-23 haven't really had any problems till about 2 months ago. Front end started a wobble. A friend of mine just sent me information NHTSA put out about the Death Wobble. I believe it expired in 2024. I never received any kind of recall on this. I was…
Other Ford F-250 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 F-250 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 F-250 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 F-250 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 F-250 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 F-250 | 142 | 0 |
| 2013 F-250 | 95 | 0 |
| 2012 | 266 | 1 |
| 2011 F-250 | 248 | 2 |
| 2010 F-250 | 73 | 0 |
| 2009 F-250 | 54 | 0 |
| 2008 F-250 | 196 | 7 |
| 2007 F-250 | 60 | 4 |
| 2006 F-250 | 221 | 4 |
| 2005 F-250 | 144 | 3 |
| 2004 F-250 | 154 | 2 |
| 2003 F-250 | 116 | 2 |
| 2002 F-250 | 156 | 2 |
| 2001 F-250 | 220 | 4 |
| 2000 F-250 | 326 | 5 |
| 1999 F-250 | 581 | 14 |
| 1998 F-250 | 56 | 6 |
| 1997 F-250 | 304 | 10 |
| 1996 F-250 | 176 | 4 |
| 1995 F-250 | 184 | 3 |
See all Ford F-250 problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford F-250?
Owners most often report suspension, steering, engine problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 125 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford F-250?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Ford F-250 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other F-250 model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.