2012 Ford F-350 SD problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Ford F-350 SD, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 10 | 34% |
| Steering | 9 | 31% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 17% |
| Tires | 4 | 14% |
| Wheels | 4 | 14% |
| Engine | 3 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 36,000 miles (middle 50% between 30,000 and 71,193 miles), based on 27 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The message "Stop Vehicle Safely Now" was displayed. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Feb 27, 2023
“High speed wobble in front end Goes away of You slow down Getting worse Very scary, pulls steering wheel out of my grasp Wife refusing to ride in the truck”
Power Train · filed Feb 19, 2023
“Death wobble at speeds starting anywhere from 40 mph up. Very difficult to control especially when you are on a highway or overpass and there's nowhere to slow down or try to steer to. Extremely scary. Have had the problem 'try' to be fixed greater than 5 times. The last fix was about 4 months ago and has lasted so…”
Steering · filed Aug 12, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Vehicle Commanded Engine Shutdown
Recall Query RQ14005 · opened Jan 13, 2015 · closed Mar 15, 2016 · led to recall 15V175000
Technical service bulletins
130 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Ford F-350 SD. The 10 most recent:
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
Certain 2011-2022 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with 6.7L Engine - Emission Control Information Label Update for Qualified Vehicles
24L05 · Other · issued Aug 23, 2025
While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024…
SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 10, 2024
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
2024 F-Super Duty vehicles are equipped with XL-22 (WSS-M2C184-A1) high temperature power steering fluid that looks like clear hydraulic fluid. This fluid is an improvement in high temperature and thermal oxidative…
SSM 52188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2024
Certain 2011-2012 Model Year F-Series Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with a 6.7L Diesel Engine State Inspection and Maintenance Test Failure Due to DTCs P2073 and/or P2074 Adding owner letter and corrected dealer…
22N14 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 11, 2024
Certain 2011-2012 Model Year F-Series Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with 6.7L Diesel Engine State Inspection and Maintenance Testing Failure Due to DTCs P2073 and/or P2074
23B63 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2023
Customer Satisfaction Program 22N14 â Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2012 Model Year F-Series Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with a 6.7L Diesel Engine - State Inspection and Maintenance Test Failure Due to DTCs P2073 and/or…
22N14 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 24, 2023
2011-2023 F-Super Duty and 2016-2024 F-650/F-750 vehicles equipped with a 6.7L engine may exhibit an elevated idle condition. During prolonged idle time, vehicles may experience this elevated idle to reduce unburned…
SSM 51691 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 8, 2023
For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle…
SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2012 Ford F-350 SD has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2012 Ford F-350 SD?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 36,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.