2012 Ford F-350 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a violent front-end shake, widely called "death wobble," triggered by bumps or pavement changes at highway speed; complaints run from roughly 36,000 to over 300,000 miles. A second cluster involves the 6.7L diesel's emissions and fuel hardware — DEF and exhaust sensor faults, "stop safely now" shutdowns, and high-pressure fuel pump failure — with several complaints describing loss of power while driving. Repair attempts for the shake are frequently reported as partial or unsuccessful.

1. 1
   Steering

   Front-end shake ("death wobble") at highway speed

   • 80 complaints (54%)
   • median 115,080 mi at 8.3 yrs old (57 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2025

   Complaints describe the steering wheel and front end shaking violently after hitting a bump, bridge joint, expansion strip or patch of rough pavement, usually above roughly 45-55 mph. Owners say the only reliable way to stop it is to slow sharply, often to 20-40 mph or a full stop, and several mention difficulty staying in their lane while it happens. Reported fixes include new tires and wheels, ball joints, tie rod ends, track bar, steering stabilizer and shocks; many say the shake returned afterward, and some say a dealer told them the behavior was normal or that nothing was found. Spread across the sample from about 36,000 to over 300,000 miles, most often at highway speeds on uneven pavement, bridge joints or after small bumps.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed and drive deliberately over expansion joints and rough patches to see whether the front end shakes. Ask whether the steering stabilizer, track bar and ball joints have been replaced, and check for play in the front-end linkage.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At 55 miles an hour on rough pavement, the truck begin to violently shake back and forth. This shaking and jerking caused me to enter into the oncoming lane of traffic. In order to regain I had to slam on the brake pedal control thereby getting the speed down to 40 miles an hour. Ford suggested I checking the ball joints and the steering stabilizers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10606408, filed 2014-06, 42,000 miles

   “At speeds typically over 50 MPH vehicle, vehicle has a propensity to begin shaking violently, and uncontrollably. After doing some research this appears to be a common problem known among owners as death wobble . The vehicle has been to my local dealership to for repairs and parts replacement but the problem remains unsolved. I no longer feel safe operating this vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11355429, filed 2020-09, 120,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Diesel emissions faults and sudden power loss / shutdown

   • 20 complaints (13%)
   • median 59,400 mi at 6.3 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2025

   Owners of the 6.7L diesel describe dash messages such as "drive to clean engine" that persist despite long highway runs, frequent exhaust gas temperature sensor and reductant (DEF) heater failures, and repeated dealer repairs that do not last. Several complaints describe the truck displaying a stop-driving warning and then shutting down within seconds at highway speed, or losing power and stalling; one describes heavy smoke and loss of motive power. Others report the truck going into a reduced-power mode with the check engine light on. Mostly between roughly 55,000 and 160,000 miles, with several reports at highway speed and some after repeated sensor or heater replacements.

   Recall 13V5350006 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records showing whether exhaust sensors and the reductant heater have already been replaced, and whether emission-related bulletins were applied. Confirm the truck completes regeneration cycles normally and has no stored emissions codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was 300 miles from home for work for a week. On day 1, while driving on a residential street, I suddenly got a message on the dash that stated stop safely now . Seconds later, as I was pulling over by the curb, the truck shut itself down and would not start back up. I had to rent a vehicle (being away from home). On day 3, I tried again and it started. I drove it a block away to the place I was staying. Entering the parking lot, I got the message and it shut down again just as fast. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11415326, filed 2021-05, 210,000 miles

   “Def issues, first was not feeding def, Ford regen'd the system, problem fixed. 2 months later, same issue, now def controller code fault. No covered under warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #11255299, filed 2019-09, 76,000 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   High-pressure fuel pump (CP4) failure and fuel system

   • 9 complaints (6%)
   • median 96,000 mi at 8.9 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2025

   Complaints describe the truck losing power or stalling while driving, sometimes accompanied by heavy smoke, and diagnosis pointing to the high-pressure fuel pump along with hard lines and injectors. One owner also reports rust inside the fuel tank leading to a full fuel system shutdown with the engine overheating. Repair costs described in complaints are large because the pump, lines and injectors are replaced together. Reported from about 96,000 to over 260,000 miles, typically as a sudden loss of power while driving.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the high-pressure fuel pump, lines or injectors have been replaced, and look for fuel-contamination or water-in-fuel history. Check for metallic debris in the fuel system service records and inspect the tank for corrosion on high-mileage trucks.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Catastrophic failure of cp4 high pressure fuel injection pump. Truck stopped in middle of road while driving very dangerous. Ford wants $13,000 to fix it, have already paid >$7,000 to fix exhaust system failure”

   NHTSA complaint #11339482, filed 2020-07, 96,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence and a friend diagnosed the vehicle. The contact was informed that the CP4 pump, hard lines, and injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 262,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11638712, filed 2025-01, 262,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission shifting, lockup and reverse engagement

   • 7 complaints (5%)
   • median 37,000 mi at 1.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2022

   Complaints describe the transmission jumping between gears at highway speed, locking the rear tires briefly, and losing reverse entirely, with one owner replacing the unit with a remanufactured transmission. Another owner reports the truck would not move when shifted into reverse unless the accelerator was pressed, and a dealer describing it as common for the model. A separate complaint describes a transfer case failing to respond with a loud grinding noise. Reported from very low mileage (a few hundred miles) up to about 164,000 miles, in some cases during normal highway driving.

   Recall 11V582000

   What to check: Check that reverse engages promptly from a stop, drive at highway speed and note any harsh or unexpected shifts, and ask whether the transmission or transfer case has been serviced or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving ~ 55mph on highway 146 and without warning the transnisson switched gears and locked up rear tires and truck died, heard a loud pop and tires began rolling again. I restarted the truck in neutral while still rolling on highway, shifted into drive and the transmission started jumping gears then locked into 5th gear. I was able to make it home 30 miles in 5th gear and once home I inspected and the truck had no reverse. Only 5th gear worked. I had it replaced with a reman transmission.”

   NHTSA complaint #11288986, filed 2019-12, 164,000 miles

   “We have been maintaining our vehicle and had no warning lights at the time our truck died . At the time of the incident it had oil and water. We were driving on the florida turnpike at full speed when suddenly, the truck started shuddering, and then it completely lost power. A cloud of blue-white smoke came out of the back of our truck. We were lucky to be able to get off of the turnpike to a safe place. We could have been killed. The mechanic has determined that the engine is locked up and can't be fixed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11402641, filed 2021-03, 134,000 miles

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.