2012 Ford F-250

Typical pattern

2.6% of complaints about the 2012 Ford F-250 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.7 yr in service. The most-reported system is suspension (125 complaints), typically at 8.2 yr or about 86,700 miles.

Complaints: 421
Median age at failure: 7.7 yr
Median mileage: 79,500 n=308
Crash / fire / tow: 4.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Suspension

125 reports · 86,700 mi

8.2 yr

1.6%

Steering

112 reports · 90,000 mi

8.2 yr

Engine

26 reports · 63,200 mi

6.4 yr

15.4%

Other

25 reports · 89,755 mi

8.3 yr

Engine cooling

19 reports · 30,000 mi

2.4 yr

5.3%

Electrical system

17 reports · 113,000 mi

9.3 yr

17.6%

Wheels

16 reports · 108,657 mi

8.1 yr

Power train

15 reports · 90,000 mi

6.8 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

11V582000 2011-12-08

Power train:automatic transmission

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, THEFT PROTECTION. THE TRANSMISSION CAN BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL DUE TO BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK SWITCH PROBLEM.

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.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 1,044 mi 3 mo in service

DRIVING THROUGH A FARM FIELD AND SOMETHING HIT THE OIL PAN AND CRACKED IT WITH A HAIR LINE FRACTURE, 1/8 INCH, AND OIL LEAKING. NO VISABLE DAMAGE OR MARKING UNTIL PULLED FROM TRUCK, EVEN THAN NO MARKS BUT A SLIGHT DENT IN PLASTIC. NO OTHER VISABLE DAMAGE ANYWERE ELSE UNDER TRUCK. ASKED IF ALL OIL PANS ARE PLASTIC AND I WAS TOLD BY DEALER, YES. THIS IS A TRUCK DESIGNED TO FOR OFF ROAD HEAVY DUTY WORK. *TR

Engine cooling 1,600 mi 1.5 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT MOVED OFF THE ROADWAY AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER THIRTY MINUTES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE EGT EXHAUST TEMPERATURE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE EXHAUST TEMPERATURE SENSOR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,600. ...UPDATED 04/25/13 *BF UPDATED 05/22/2013 *JS

Engine cooling 1,600 mi 1.5 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT MOVED OFF THE ROADWAY AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER THIRTY MINUTES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE EGT EXHAUST TEMPERATURE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE EXHAUST TEMPERATURE SENSOR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,600. ...UPDATED 04/25/13 *BF UPDATED 05/22/2013 *JS

Suspension 35 mi 10 mo in service

TRAVELING ON BUMPY ROADS AT 55 TO 60 MPH THE FRONT END WILL START TO SHAKE SO VIOLENTLY THAT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CONTROL I HAD TO BRAKE AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN A DAY AND I TOOK THE TRUCK INTO A FORD DEALER IN MINNESOTA. THIS DEALERSHIP PUT A DAMPENER ON THE FRONT END AND I THOUGHT IT WAS SOLVED. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM HAS STARTED AGAIN IN JAN OF 2013. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SHAKE AND I FEEL IT WILL CAUSE A ACCIDENT IF NOT RESOLVED. *TR

Other F-250 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.