Home · 2012 Ford F-350 Super Crew · Complaints

What 183 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford F-350 Super Crew

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (183)Crash / fire / injury (9)Steering (75)Suspension (75)Engine (31)Fuel system (16)Engine & cooling (14)Wheels (13)Transmission & drivetrain (10)Brakes (9)Electrical system (9)Speed control (6)

9 of 183 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Jul 4, 2025SeatsBrakesLane DepartureCrash

Death wobble

NHTSA ODI 11671293

Jul 8, 2020SteeringBrakesEngine

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE TO GET ON TO THE FREEWAY, THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING AND RATTLING I COULD SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. WHEN I TRIED TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES IT WASN'T WORKING THAN THE STEERING LOCKED. I HIT MY EMERGENCY BREAKS PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHT AND TURNED OFF THE CAR UNTIL A POLICE OFFICER ARRIVED. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 2/28/2020 AND WHEN I RETURNED TO PICK UP THE TRUCK THE NEXT DAY THEY COULD NOT PRODUCE THE KEYS, THIS TOOK ABOUT 2 WEEKS. ON 04/06/2020 APPROX. 2 WEEKS AFTER PICKING UP THE TRUCK THE IT WOULDN'T START, I JUMPED THE TRUCK AT WHICH TIME THERE WAS A RATTLING AND KNOCKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE, I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICING. I GOT THE TRUCK BACK AGAIN A LITTLE OVER 2 WEEKS LATER ON 04/23/2020. I FEEL THE TRUCK IS SO UNSAFE THAT IT WILL CAUSE ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT PLACING MY LIFE THAT OF MY FAMILY OR ANOTHER DRIVER IN A SEPARATE VEHICLE AT STAKE. UPON REVIEWING ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS NONE OF THE DOCUMENTS HAVE THE SAME ODOMETER READING AND THE NUMBER IS APPROX. 24000 OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11338214

Feb 17, 2020Speed controlBrakesCrash1 injury

TRUCK HIT BUMP (SMALL CURB) WITH DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL AND SIMULTANEOUSLY STARTED ACCELERATING AND HAD TOTAL BRAKE LOSS. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING TOWARDS A GAS BUMP IN A FILLING STATION. VEHICLE ACCELERATED FROM ABOUT 10 MPH TO PROBABLY OVER 30 MPH UNTIL IT HIT A STATIONARY TRUCK.

NHTSA ODI 11309643

Feb 13, 2020SteeringSuspensionBrakes

4 MONTHS AGO I WAS TRAVELING AT 50 MPH. WHILE DRIVING MY FORD F350 SUPERDUTY AT THAT SPEED THE TRUCK HAD AN EXTREMELY BAD AND VIOLENT SHAKE IN THE STEERING WHEEL. DURING THIS TIME I HAD NO STEERING CONTROL, BRAKING WAS AT A VERY MINIMAL, AND PULLED THE TRUCK INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS HAS HAPPENED 6 OTHER TIMES IN THE PAST 4 MONTHS. DURING THIS TIME FORD MECHANICS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THIS DOESNT APPEAR TO BE A COMMON ISSUE SINCE IT DOESNT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. I REPLACED SHOCKS, TIRES, AND EVEN HAD THE SUSPENSION LOOKED AT BY CERTIFIED MECHANICS AND NOBODY HAS AN ANSWER FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY NHTSA AND FORD AND NOBODY SEEMS TO BE DOING ANYTHING TO FIX THIS ISSUE. IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE I CANNOT DRIVE MY ONLY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION FOR FEAR OF CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT INJURING OR KILLING MYSELF, MY FAMILY, OR SOMEONE ELSE IN THE ROAD. IF AN INVESTIGATION IS NOT DONE VERY SOON I WILL SEEK LEGAL ACTION AGAINST FORD AND AGAINST THE NHTSA FOR OVERLOOKING THE SEVERITY OF THIS PROBLEM. YOU CAN READ ALL THE OTHER REPORTS ON WHAT THE INTERNET IS CALLING THE DEATH WABBLE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED SITUATION AND IF I NEED TO BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE NEWS SO IT'S MORE PUBLIC I WILL DO THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11309061

Dec 30, 2019Brakes

ON 12-24-19 I WAS DRIVING ~55 MPH ON A 2 LANE ROAD AND HAD AN ACCIDENT OCCUR IN FRONT OF ME IN WHICH I HAD TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES TO AVOID THE WRECK. MY TRUCK SLOWED BUT NOT LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO AND I HAD TO SWERVE OFF THE SHOULDER TO AVOID CONTACT WITH OTHER VEHICLES. THE BRAKES MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR HAD BLOW OFF CAUSING MY TRUCK TO LOOSE BRAKE FLUID AND THE USE OF MY BRAKES.

NHTSA ODI 11292084

May 10, 2017Brakes

BRAKES ARE SPONGY AND TAKE LONGER TO RESPOND IN A CRITICAL STOP.

NHTSA ODI 10984718

May 14, 2015Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-350. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKES SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND MADE THE VEHICLE VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP. THE REMOVED THE BRAKE PADS AND DISCOVERED THAT THE BRAKE PISTONS IN THE CALIPER WERE SHATTERED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THREE RIVETS ON THE BRAKE PADS THAT MADE CONTACT WITH THE PISTONS. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE BRAKE PADS WERE ORIGINAL PARTS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 10716536

Dec 4, 2014Speed controlBrakesCrash

ON 11/3/14, AT OUR OPERATION, WE HAD A COLLISION INVOLVING OUR EMPLOYEE AS HE WAS BACKING UP OUR 2012 F350 WHEN HIS FOOT GOT CAUGHT UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL, CAUSING HIM TO BACK INTO A DOOR ON A BUILDING. IT APPEARS DUE TO THE DESIGN AND SPACING OF THE PEDALS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET YOUR FOOT STUCK UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL AS YOU PIVOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. COINCIDENTALLY, ON 11/6 ONE OF THE LOCAL COMPANIES HAD A SIMILAR EVENT INVOLVING A 2012 F350 WHEN THERE EMPLOYEE WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, HE WENT TO STOP BUT HIS FOOT GOT CAUGHT UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HE WENT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION RESULTING IN A COLLISION. APPEARS ON THE NEWER 2014 F350 MODELS, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NARROWER, REDUCING THE CHANCE FOR THE FOOT TO GET CAUGHT. SPOKE WITH FORD DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE. THEY ADVISED BRAKE PEDAL COULD NOT BE LOWERED AND BRAKE PEDAL COULD NOT BE MODIFIED TO THE NEWER STYLE BECAUSE THE BOLT HOLE PATTERN WAS DIFFERENT. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. EMAILED FORD ON 11/21/14, THEY COULD NOT ADVISE OF ANY MODIFICATIONS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10662216

Jul 4, 2013Brakes

2012 F350 SUPER DUTY WAS PARKED AT THE TOP OF A DRIVEWAY THAT SLOPED DOWNWARD ON A 33% GRADE. I PUT THE TRUCK IN REVERSE TO BACK DOWN THE DRIVEWAY AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO REGULATE THE SPEED ON DESCENT OF THE SLOPE, THE BRAKES FROZE UP AND HAD NO POWER. I HAD TO STAND ON THEM TO ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN. THIS DID NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT SO I SLAMMED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK, WHICH ALSO HAD NO EFFECT DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION RATCHETING SAFETY FEATURE. I HAD TO STOP THE TRUCK WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. BY THIS POINT I WAS IN THE NEIGHBOR'S FRONT YARD. THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT DROP TO THE FLOOR, IT JUST NEVER MOVED AT ALL AND WAS FROZEN AT THE UNPRESSED, HIGHEST POSITION. HAVE DELIVERED VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN MAJOR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR FATALITIES. VERY UNSAFE SITUATION. TRUCK IS PRACTICALLY NEW AND STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10523164

Working with the data? Download all 183 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Ford F-350 Super Crew verdict →