RecallRepo

2012 Ford F-150 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2012 Ford F-150 has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,427,233 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2,432 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

POWER TRAIN 19V075000 2019-02-11 1,263,051 affected
Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission may unexpectedly downshift into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.

Consequence

Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S07.

POWER TRAIN 16V248000 2016-04-27 153,581 affected
Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.

Consequence

An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12V190000 2012-05-03 10,500 affected
Defect

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT" AND…

Consequence

IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT GO INTO REVERSE OR WHEN THE DRIVER PUSHES THE SHIFT LEVER IN THE REVERSE “R” POSITION AND THE VEHICLEÂ’S TRANSMISSION DOES GO IN REVERSE, THE “R” MAY NOT ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE F-150, EXPEDITION, OR NAVIGATOR MODELS AND/OR THE BACKUP LAMP ON THE REAR…

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

AIR BAGS 12V198000 2012-05-03 101 affected
Defect

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 F-150 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 6, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 15, 2011. INCORRECT SOFTWARE FOR THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MODULE (OCSM) WAS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLES EITHER AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING OR DURING THE COURSE OF REPLACEMENT OF THE MODULE AS PART…

Consequence

A FAILURE TO DEPLOY, FAILURE TO DEPLOY AS INTENDED, OR A DEPLOYMENT WHEN NOT INTENDED, INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT OCCUPANT.

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCSM FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN
663
12crashes1fires10injuries
ENGINE
482
4crashes3fires
STEERING
201
3crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
193
4crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
153
1crashes7fires1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
124
14crashes3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
119
3crashes1fires5injuries
VISIBILITY/WIPER
95
3fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
84
1fires
AIR BAGS
37
10crashes9injuries2deaths
Total complaints2,432

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Transmission randomly down shifting many gears at speed, almost causing accident”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-06-03

“The onboard speed sensor (oss) failed, causing my vehicle to abruptly, and without advanced warning of a problem, to shift from 6th gear at 65mph, to 3rd gear. This caused an immediate deceleration in the middle of a flow of traffic travelling at highway speeds. Several cars behind me were forced…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-05-12

“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…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-05-09

“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…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2026-05-09

“The contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from third gear to first gear. The…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-04-17

“The component involved is the electronic power assisted steering (epas) system. It intermittently fails and returns unexpectedly, causing sudden changes in steering effort and jerking of the steering wheel. This creates a serious safety risk because vehicle control can change without warning,…”

STEERING · reported 2026-04-09

“While accelerating onto the interstate, the vehicle suddenly downshifted into limp mode and the repair wrench showed on the screen. Fortunately, it was late at night as I was traveling and there were no vehicles behind me. This occurred 4 days after getting my vehicle back from having the oil pan…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-03-14

“Recall 19s07 was performed on my vehicle. The dealership attempted the repair multiple times, and although the software update was eventually completed, the diagnostic trouble codes indicating a lead frame failure remained present immediately afterward. The recall did not resolve the defect…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-03-01

Defect investigations

Investigation EA15006 Opened 2015-10-16 · closed 2016-04-28

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On February 15, 2016, Ford Motor Company initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 15N05 to extend warranty coverage for the electric vacuum pump in certain model year (MY) 2011 through 2012 Ford F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines.The program extends coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000…

Investigation EA15006 Opened 2015-10-16 · closed 2016-04-28

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On February 15, 2016, Ford Motor Company initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 15N05 to extend warranty coverage for the electric vacuum pump in certain model year (MY) 2011 through 2012 Ford F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines.The program extends coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000…

Investigation EA15006 Opened 2015-10-16 · closed 2016-04-28

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On February 15, 2016, Ford Motor Company initiated Customer Satisfaction Program 15N05 to extend warranty coverage for the electric vacuum pump in certain model year (MY) 2011 through 2012 Ford F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines.The program extends coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000…

Investigation PE13018 Opened 2013-05-22 · closed 2014-04-07

Reduced power during hard acceleration

On May 22, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE13-018 to investigate 95 complaints alleging incidents of reduced engine power during hard accelerations in model year (MY) 2011 through 2013 Ford F-150 trucks.ODI was aware of three technical service bulletins (TSBs) issued by Ford for a condition…

Investigation PE13018 Opened 2013-05-22 · closed 2014-04-07

Reduced power during hard acceleration

On May 22, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE13-018 to investigate 95 complaints alleging incidents of reduced engine power during hard accelerations in model year (MY) 2011 through 2013 Ford F-150 trucks.ODI was aware of three technical service bulletins (TSBs) issued by Ford for a condition…

Investigation PE15026 Opened 2015-06-22 · closed 2015-10-19

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On June 22, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-026 to investigate incidents of increased brake pedal effort at cold start and extended stopping distance while driving in traffic, resulting from failures of the electric brake vacuum assist pump in model year (MY)…

Investigation PE15026 Opened 2015-06-22 · closed 2015-10-19

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On June 22, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-026 to investigate incidents of increased brake pedal effort at cold start and extended stopping distance while driving in traffic, resulting from failures of the electric brake vacuum assist pump in model year (MY)…

Investigation PE15026 Opened 2015-06-22 · closed 2015-10-19

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

On June 22, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE15-026 to investigate incidents of increased brake pedal effort at cold start and extended stopping distance while driving in traffic, resulting from failures of the electric brake vacuum assist pump in model year (MY)…

Investigation RQ17010 Opened 2017-12-25 · closed 2019-10-22

Unexpected Transmission Downshift

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of transmissions unexpectedly downshifting to a lower gear without input from the driver on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford F-150, Expedition and Navigator vehicles. ODI has received 455 unique reports related to the…

Investigation RQ17010 Opened 2017-12-25 · closed 2019-10-22

Unexpected Transmission Downshift

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of transmissions unexpectedly downshifting to a lower gear without input from the driver on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford F-150, Expedition and Navigator vehicles. ODI has received 455 unique reports related to the…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Ford F-150 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.