2012 Ford F-150 complaints

Transmission Repairs, Molded Lead Frame Components Due to sudden downshift symptoms from sixth speed, gear to fist speed gear while drive higher speeds and low speeds. $1,421.00 Repairs completed 9/10/2025, at [XXX] , [XXX] , [XXX] . [XXX] , [XXX] , [XXX] , knowingly sold this said vehicle as Certified Pre-OWNED 8/27/2025. Now additional concerns, issues have been discovered with said vehicle Monday, September 22, 2025, AM, 1. Oil burning odor inside the passenger compartment. Vacuum Pump Gasket Failure, allowing oil to drip onto the exhaust manifold hot engine parts, components. Valve Cover Gasket Leaks. Safety consideration, due to symptoms, this vehicle is UNSAFE to operate, drive. Technical bulletins TSB’s were stated as issued from Ford Motor Company Engineering Service Operations, Ford Customer Service Division, Mr. [XXX] , Director, Ford Motor Company, [XXX] , [XXX] . Symptoms include Fuel Dilution PCV System TSB 15-00003, addresses fuel odor inside the passenger cabin on EcoBoost engines, this 3.5 L V6 (DOHC) Turbocharged Twin, PCV Valve Calibrations to reduce the fuel dilution in the engine oil. Oil leaks from the valve cover gaskets and turbo seals especially when accelerating and stopping said vehicle. Creating the oil dripping onto hot engine parts, components, causing the strong burnt oil smell within inside the passenger compartment while driving said vehicle. Intercooler condensation, 2011-2012 EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine experiences intercooler condensation leadin

I had an issue with the Transmission lead frame where my vehicle downshifted from 5th to 1st gear which to me is a safety issue. Notified Ford and they said this was a customer satisfaction program that expires after 10 years. How is this not a safety recall?? This could be very dangerous if you were on the interstate and you’re going 70 mph, please help.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the front passenger's side door and the rear driver's side door had failed to latch while closed and opened unexpectedly while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the door latches were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the doors were required to be kept closed with a rope. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000. The VIN was not available.

Previously had the vehicle diagnostic at Georgia Lina automotive into which I can provide the diagnostics later I was advised that it may be a internal issue dealing with the instrumental cluster a continuously battery warning flash on the dash panel. I was also told that it may be a electrical problem that even cause a fire internally which may damage the vehicle. I was told that out of pocket calls would be $1,956.05 I reviewed all of the issues that are considered or recall and wiring was most definitely listed under recall versus warranty. I've most recently had the issue of the powertrain warranty for the transmission taken care of under the customer satisfactory program. Unfortunately they did not have this particular issue of the instrument cluster listed due to faulty wiring. Now there maybe many others that face the very same issue, for it seems to also affects the Bluetooth connecting with phone under sync. And I am submitting this complaint in a better hope for for the review by your board or committee to conduct their own independent investigation which may makes the difference not only for me but once again for many others. I don't know if there's window. Past the 15 years if a vehicle has been previously purchased such as myself and there was a recall for this particular issue does the manufacturer allows the new owner a grace period as a courtesy which I believe would be appropriate as well as deemed it in the respect of hospitality. I thank you for hearing my

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the rear wheels locked up. No warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 275,000.

Suddenly downshifting into low gear. Recall not being accepted by ford. Please help

I have this exact problem (usually get an inverted, distorted, or blank image (blue screen)) with the backup camera on my 2012 F150. It's been happening for about two years. Why does the recall only go back to 2015? "Ford is recalling about 1.5 million vehicles in the United States due to a rear-view camera issue causing inverted, distorted, or blank image, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Sept. 9. The recall affects select vehicles from model years 2015 to 2019 of Lincoln MKC, Lincoln Navigator, Mustang, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Expedition, Edge, Transit, Transit Connect, Econoline and Ranger, NHTSA said."

Fuel pump went bad causing the pump to overdraw electricity on the electrical circuit which melted the fuse in the fuse box. The fuse and fuse position was melted beyond being able to use this again. It could have caused a fire in the engine compartment if the circumstances were different. My mechanic reported that he's seen some of these melt the whole fuse box, creating major damage and a major fire hazard. he reported there is a Temporary Service Bulletin out for this issue, so it seems like the manufacturer knows its and issue, but has not chosen to do anything about it.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, and the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with lead frame failure. The contact was informed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,400.

I have a 2012 F150 that has an issue with its Output shaft speed sensor, at random times my speedometer and odometer will quit working and my the transmission will make hard shift or won’t shift at all while driving.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into first gear, and the rear wheels locked up, causing the vehicle to stop in a ditch. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and notified the contact of a Customer Satisfaction Program; however, the Customer Satisfaction Program had closed. No additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

I was just told my 2012 F-150 molded lead frame needed to be replaced. I google this issue and it seems to be a major issue with F150 pickups spanning multiple years. I checked this site for recalls and my truck is not included in any of the recalls, butexists the same issue on different year models. The recalls need to be expanded as the fault is not a consumer caused issue but a design flaw by Ford and it's outrageously expensive!!

I had several instances where my electronic power assist steering (EPAS) has failed resulting in advance trac and other errorson my information screen.This has resulted in effectively NO steering. Thank goodness I was in a parking lot or going slow otherwise may have resulted in severe injury or death. This appears to be a problem with my make and model of truck based on what I have read on the internet and my personal experiences. I am in shock that there has not been a proper recall as of this date. I am having dealer put in a second EPAS unit in less than 2 years and considerable cost to me.

While driving, wrench light comes on dash and I lose ability to accelerate. Have to turn truck off and on again to clear this problem but then it will continue to come back. Unsafe as it downshifts to first gear while driving. Doing research online, this is a common problem with Ford F150 and you issued campaign 19N01 in 2019 - Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended coverage. Problem is, this just started happening to my vehicle, and it looks like this extended warranty would have expired in 2022 or 2023. I purchased the truck used in 2020, but never knew about this. And since I wasn’t having these issues till a few weeks ago, I would not have been covered. I am writing as there are numerous other drivers having this same issue now after the warranty expired, and are having to pay $1500-$4000 out of pocket to fix a known issue. This seems like it should be a recall fixed free of charge, no matter when it starts happening. Just because it happens now vs before 2022-2023 does not make the issue any less serious. This can still cause accidents. Is there any solution to having this covered by Ford? Can the campaign be extended or just be turned into a repair recall?

I was proceed up to 45mph, when back tires started sliding. I rolled the truck and damage my ribs, was pined for 1.5hrs lost a $80k+

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the cam phasers and timing chain had failed, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not covered under a recall or warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Vehicle rolls backwards OR potentially forwards intermittently depending on direction of incline. Have only observed it rolling backwards. When changing gears, above third gear usually, there is a resonant grumbling sound.

The transmission made a noise of metal and all electrical when out while driving but the engine stay on but no power to the road. yes its available. my car loss all power electrical and power to the road, had to put off to the side on the road and turn the truck off and on again. The problem has been reproduced but not confirmed by a dealer. I have done a existential look of the under and power train and cant see everything out of place. yes like every warning light when on seconds before all power when out. has never done that before.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 27,000.

Vehicle is downshifting unexpectedly into 2nd gear. Rear tires momentarily lock up and the engine RPM’s go extremely high. This behavior is causing potential accidents to happen.

The backup camera is spuratic in its operations. It works sometimes, but then it goes blank on the screen, or flutters. Also some times the screen shows clear picture, but the picture is 180 degrees out. What is on the left of the truck shows on the screen as on the right.

The cam phasers are in need of changing. Ford has acknowledged they are aware of the problems with the 3.5 Ecoboost engine but will not take responsibility and repair them. I definitely can not pay for this type of tepair

The backup camera intermittently work then gose dark and won't come back on it dose it while backing up

My truck started to skid as I was making a left turn. I wasn't going fast enough to skid. I then noticed the idiot light was on so I took it in for an estimate. I was told that the truck needed a power steering rack and the cost would be around $3000.00 I arranged for the repair. Truck mileage was 101051.

Three of my four doors sporadically fail to close and latch. When I open the door the latch does not fully open, so when I try to close the door the latch prevents it from closing. Maybe it is just normal wear and tear, but I understand there was a recall for something with latches on this era of f-150s, and my VIN is not part of that. I'm reporting this in case it's useful information and in case it indicates the recall should be expanded. So far I have been able to use a screwdriver to push the latch open, and the door will close and latch after that. I can not replicate this consistently.

While driving on local roads travelling at approximately 30 mph truck downshifted unexpectedly into 1st gear. The message area in the instrument cluster had a large wrench image displayed. Proceeded slowly to the grocery store and went shopping. When I restarted the truck the wrench image was gone and the truck appeared to operate normally on the drive home but I drove slowly on back roads because I was afraid of what would happen if the issue occurred at highway speeds. The truck is available for inspection. I have not taken the truck to the dealer. This issue seems to be what the current NHTSA investigation is about

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the timing chain and valve had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from a higher gear into a lower gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and DTC: P0721 (Output speed Sensor Circuit Range/Performance; TCM)was displayed. The contact was informed that the transmission leadframe was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Ford F-150. 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 110,458 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 174,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that occasionally the electric mirrors were moving in and out while driving without user input. Additionally, the taillights was turning on and off unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the main power distribution box was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact came to a stop and then while attempting to proceed, the instrument cluster showed a black screen, and the transmission independently downshifted to first gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact drove the vehicle in LIMP Mode to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN). The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the transmission occasionally struggled to get out of gear or was slipping. The contact stated that the “Service Vehicle Soon” warning light remained illuminated, and the miles to empty was blank on the instrument panel; however, and the RPM gauge remained illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 121,600.

I am having safety related issues that are perfectly described in compliance recall notice "12C23". However, when calling a ford dealership, or looking up the VIN myself, there is no open recalls on my vehicle. My truck was manufactured at the same plant as the recall, in the same time frame. The issues I am seeing are related to the Transmission Range Sensor inside the lead frame. This causes my gear indicator to not work, starting difficulties, sudden shifts while driving, and reverse lights to not turn on when in reverse gear. These issues have been inspected and verified by an ASE certified auto shop "North County Auto" in Oceanside, CA. This is firstly a safety issue that is recognized by ford on the 6R80 transmission. Secondly, this is a very costly fix to come out-of-pocket. However, because my VIN does not reflect it as an open recall even though ALL symptoms are exactly the same Ford will not make corrective action. I think a revision needs to be made to the initial recall notice, and include more VIN numbers.

Wrench light popped on downshift to first gear, speedometer goes to zero. My son and I driving down highway and it suddenly drops to first gear. Dealer said it sounds like transmission molded lead frame. Code reader says it's speed sensor which is in lead frame harness.

Sudden shift into first gear at any speed. Dash lights flickering between p,r,n,d. Tool light coming on dash.

I just got the truck in September 24 and just found out that the recall was never fixed on it valvo body lead framing is acting up on me now I just want it fixed since I have the car fax to prove it was not fixed at all I don't have the money to fix my self I am on disability and I had my family in the truck when I looked at my speedometer and it was not working but the RPM was and the engine light was on

My 2012 F150 has been experiencing the same rearview camera issue the 2015 Ford F150-450s have been have issues with that can intermittently display "a blank or distorted image," reducing the driver’s view of what’s behind the vehicle – increasing the risk of a crash. This has been happening for the past year and has been found on several message boards stating the same issue.

When slowing down the transmission slams down into a lower gear with a loud noise. it hits hard

Engine coolant over temperature condition. Cylinder head overtemperature condition. Engine air filter restriction pending. Ceased running boards/ rusted. Broken suspensions and bad tie rods. Bluetooth doesn’t connect sometimes. Engine or turbo making loud noises when accelerated.

2012 f150 3. 5L Ecoboost engine. Had the all too well known rattle at start up because of failed to ing components/timing chain stretched. Repair cost me 5k dollars and failed AGAIN after only 4000 miles. Got code for timing being over-retarded. Took to dealer that initially did the job. Were supposed to repair at no cost to me, in my opinion anyway. Then they send me a video and tell me something else with the timing was the issue. When I called back to confirm, the story changed again that they never replaced the current failed part in the first place. All these engines have the same problem spanning numerous years and not my truck is being held hostage because they want another 15,000 from me for a new engine! 20,000 for a remanufactured engine is crazy! Please help owners and investigate this issue with Ford Ecoboost engines!

ECM automatically downshifts to fifth or third gear. The picture uploaded is a picture while driving on interstate.

I went to Maplecrest Ford in Unión New Jersey to resolve this recall which is to include a Lead Frame replacement because the truck dropped gears and I almost crashed thanks to this recall they refuse to fix the issue only state to me they reprogrammed what was to be done and they said the rest is not their issue because the title is salvaged. Whether or not the title is salvaged it is their responsibility to fix the issue so that other drivers myself and my family are safe . I’m really upset simply because they just want to charge for these recall services when it is there obligation to fix for all involved safety.Im addition this vehicle has a airbag recall of which they also refused to fix so if I’m driving this airbag can deploy and who knows what damage can be be done not only to myself on the road but others as well .

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently downshifted into first gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact was advised not to drive the vehicle for safety reasons. The contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); two days prior to the failure; however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred three days after the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

This os a complaint Ford knows that at some point this is goign out. I have only 45k on i. I called ford and they will do nothign to prevent it goign out. When this breaks or malfunstions the car can go into 1st gear at 60+ miles and hour which could be life threatening. If the recall is for 150,000 miles it should be honored no matter the Age most everyone reports a problem around 85-120k miles. They know hw ot fix it and they know it is life threatnening here is the ford info. I am afraid ot drive my truck and cannot afford to prevent it. I bought the truck from a dealer. THIS IS LFIE THREATENING IMAGINE SUDDEN DOWEN SHIFT AT 70 MILES A HOUR ON A BUSY FREEWAY OR GOIGN AROUND A CORNER ON A TRIP> OR HAULING MY BOAT IT IS OR HAS ALREADY KILLED PEOPLE> PLEASE HELP [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The contact stated that upon adding fuel to the vehicle, the vehicle restarted and was drivable. The power train warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission lead frame failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered because Ford Campaign Number: 19N01 had expired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle hesitated and lost motive power. The transmission slipped and downshifted to first gear. The contact was able to move over to the side of the road. The wrench warning light and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for a while. The vehicle was restarted and returned to normal functionality; however, the vehicle failed to get up to speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer weeks prior the failure for service. The contact was provided with the manufacturer's recall number: 19N01 and an unknown update was performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 175,000.

2012 Ford F-150 Platinum, 154000 miles. My truck has the problem of un-commanded transmission gear change to a lower gear. It started a couple of years ago but it took me a while to identify the problem and when it happened. Once, I was traveling at 70mph and, all by itself, it downshifted into 1st gear. The truck lurched and made a loud bang. It also caused a minor control problem due to the change is gears at that speed. I took it to my local Ford dealer and they replaced the shift motor in the transfer case (at my expense), maybe in Nov 2024. It worked fine after that until my recent road trip, Mar 2025. The un-commanded shift happened again three times during my trip to GA from PA. I'm taking it back to Ford tomorrow. When this shift happens, there is a bang followed by a sudden slowing of the vehicle. It's somewhat scary to have the truck act in this manner.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated when the vehicle started, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with failed variable camshaft timing (VCT) cam phasers. The contact was informed that the VCT cam phasers and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly shifted from 3rd and 2nd gears to first gear, causing the vehicle to abruptly decelerate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 175,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the air conditioner had seized, and the pulley from the engine was damaged and had detached from the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.