RecallRadar

Home → Ford → F-250 → 2012

2012 Ford F-250 Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

423 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.14 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious11V582000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

THIS WILL ALLOW THE OPERATOR TO INADVERTENTLY SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR WITHOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED, raises the risk of A CRASH OR INJURY TO A NEARBY PEDESTRIAN.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

423 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

5Crashes
8Fires
6Injuries
0Deaths

Across 423 complaints. Severity Index 0.14.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Suspension120 · 28%Steering112 · 26%Engine27 · 6%Unknown Or Other25 · 6%Wheels16 · 4%Electrical System15 · 4%Power Train14 · 3%Fuel/Propulsion System14 · 3%
  1. Suspension — 120 reports
  2. Steering — 112 reports
  3. Engine — 27 reports
  4. Unknown Or Other — 25 reports
  5. Wheels — 16 reports
  6. Electrical System — 15 reports
  7. Power Train — 14 reports
  8. Fuel/Propulsion System — 14 reports
  9. Service Brakes — 9 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 8 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (4) · 1996 (5) · 1997 (14) · 1998 (9) · 1999 (19) · 2000 (10) · 2001 (9) · 2002 (7) · 2003 (7) · 2004 (7) · 2005 (1) · 2006 (3) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (6) · 2009 (1) · 2010 · 2011 (2) · 2012 · 2013 · 2014

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons