2012 Ford F-350 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 6%of 149 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 38,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Ford F-350, 6% of the 149 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 38,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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. Our truck only has 134,000 miles - it should not have blown up like this.”
NHTSA complaint #11402641, filed 2021-03, 134,000 miles“The first time it happened to me I was on a trip in canada from texas. The road was a little bumpy (farm road) I was driving 30 m/h accelerating to get to 60 m/h when all of sudden the truck started shaking so badly my head hit the side window. I couldn't steer the truck at all I slowed down to 0m/h put it on park then started rolling slowly and it was gone. It did it to me 3 times on a 3 weeks period. Since the roads are bad up there I kinda left it as that and told my husband about it when I came back to texas. …”
NHTSA complaint #10672741, filed 2015-01, 36,000 miles“Radiator failed at 37,500 miles due to leaking. Engine overheated. This is a common problem with this particular vehicle and Ford is aware, as they extended the warranty on the 2008 (same model radiator) and have since changed the design on the latest model. They will not cover this item under the 100k mile powertrain warranty, and will not extend the warranty on a common failure item. Failure of the radiator can not only cause engine damage but can be a safety concern if engine self destructs while driving due to overheating.”
NHTSA complaint #10692059, filed 2015-03, 38,500 miles“Delayed reaction of accelerator : engine RPM does not decrease immediately when accelerator pedal is released therefore making the vehicle difficult to stop in an emergency situation .”
NHTSA complaint #10499463, filed 2013-02, 1,500 milesRelated recalls
- 11V582000Dec 8, 2011Ford 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…Covers: Ford F-350 2012, F-150 2011, F-250 2012 +2 more
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 | 8% |
| 2013 | 5 | 7% |
| 2012 | 9 | 6% |
| 2011 | 9 | 7% |
| 2009 | 1 | 4% |
| 2008 | 3 | 2% |
| 2007 | 3 | 8% |
| 2006 | 3 | 2% |
| 2005 | 5 | 4% |
| 2004 | 18 | 11% |
| 2003 | 4 | 4% |
| 2002 | 10 | 9% |
| 2001 | 17 | 11% |
| 2000 | 28 | 9% |
| 1999 | 64 | 16% |
| 1998 | 1 | 8% |
| 1997 | 21 | 14% |
| 1996 | 15 | 12% |
| 1995 | 14 | 10% |
| 1994 | 22 | 23% |
| 1993 | 15 | 15% |
| 1992 | 8 | 15% |
| 1991 | 3 | 10% |
| 1990 | 5 | 13% |
| 1989 | 2 | 5% |
| 1988 | 3 | 10% |
| 1987 | 1 | 13% |
| 1986 | 1 | 7% |
Other parts of the 2012 Ford F-350
66 complaintsSuspension
65 complaintsEngine
25 complaintsOther or unknown
17 complaintsFuel system
14 complaintsWheels
9 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsEngine cooling
8 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Ford F-350
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology