Problem Lookup › Ford › F-250 › 2012
Car problem report
2012 Ford F-250 problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2012 Ford F-250 has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 0safety recalls
- 323owner complaints
- 5crash reports
- 5fire reports
- 5injuries reported
323 complaints, against an average of 303 for the other 14 Ford F-250 model years.
Every Ford F-250 model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2012 Ford F-250?
The components named most often in the 323 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2012 Ford F-250 owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 323 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2012 Ford F-250 been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2012 Ford F-250 as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.
What do 2012 Ford F-250 owners report?
12 of the 323 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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 mileage was 477,000.
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 dealership. We then at Moore's tires purchased 4 Michelin premium tires for F250 heavy duty truck and told them about the severe shaking in front end that we will crash because we can't maintain control only to pull off the road with a prayer. Very difficult when this happens on the route 80 highway going…
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 discovered that the mileage was over 330,000.
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 wondering if it would still be something I could get looked into. Thank you.
I just had to replace the ECM because it fired. after replacing that it still won't start. I've talked to multiple people who have had the same problem.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine seizure due to coolant intrusion in the engine. The contact stated that while the dealer was in the process of replacing the engine, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission also needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the engine and the transmission. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was bucking and jerking. The gear shift indicator light displayed that the transmission was slipping from…
it keeps throwing a check engine light for miss fire but ive replaced all of the ignition and fuel parts and it keeps happening now its loosing power and getting hot for no reason.
Driving on Pa turnpike twice this year and at 70 mph my 2012 ford f 250 with 79000 miles on it started shaking uncontrollably , had my wife and granddaughter with me and they cried and screamed till it stopped. Going to the dealer to see what Ford is going to fix for me before someone is killed ! Hopefully a recall or free fix! I have been educated that this has been an on going issue in many F250 Fords.
Today 11/21/24, I notified my husband as I am driving up the ramp going 50 my ford started to shake hard. I had to hold on to the steering wheel and pull over with out pressing the break. I came to a stop and kept him on the phone in case I were to flip over. The vehicle stopped wobbling and I started up again. I was not able to drive but less than 40 and again the wobble coming back. The commute for me was over 1 hour. I would not make it alive home. This vehicle had to go to the shop as if I were to drive home I would not be alive at this moment
The front suspension randomly shakes when doing speeds above 60 on the freeway. It’s very dangerous especially because we almost experienced running into a semi while driving on I-50 between a cement construction wall and the semi. I find it hard to believe that Ford will NOT own up to this. There is clearly a history of this. I simply want my front suspension fixed to meet safety standards.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over 50 MPH, the vehicle shifted into LIMP Mode. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the failures could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted and that the transmission was slipping while shifting. The contact also stated that prior to entering the vehicle, he noticed a fluid leak underneath. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where unknown transmission repairs were completed; however, the…
2012 Ford F-250: questions owners ask
Is the 2012 Ford F-250 reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 323 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford F-250; the most common categories were suspension (139, 43%), steering (130, 40.2%), engine (42, 13%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 5 complaints mention a crash, 5 mention a fire, 5 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford F-250?
Across 323 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are suspension (43% of complaints), steering (40.2% of complaints), engine (13% of complaints), electrical system (8.7% of complaints), engine and engine cooling (5.9% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2012 Ford F-250 have any recalls?
As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2012 Ford F-250. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2012 Ford F-250 vibrate or shake while driving?
43 of the 323 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Ford F-250 (13.3%) describe vibration or shaking while driving. One owner wrote: "Today 11/21/24, I notified my husband as I am driving up the ramp going 50 my ford started to shake hard. I had to hold on to the steering wheel and pull over with out pressing the break. I came to a stop and kept him on the phone in case I were to flip over." (NHTSA complaint 11626732, November 2024). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2012 Ford F-250 stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
23 of the 323 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Ford F-250 (7.1%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "While driving with cruise control on, when adjusting speed, engine will stall out and power steering, brakes stop working, all interior and exterior lights remain on, incident has happened twice within a week" (NHTSA complaint 11339902, July 2020). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own F-250
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2012 only; combines NHTSA's entries for F-250 REGULAR CAB, F-250 SUPER CREW and F-250 SUPERCAB.