What 14 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford F-450

THIS VEHICLE IS AN AMBULANCE AND WAS DISPATCHED ON AN EMERGENCY CALL. THE CREW ATTEMPTED TO CRANK THE VEHICLE, BUT THE STARTER WOULD NOT EVEN ENGAGE. ANOTHER AMBULANCE HAD TO BE DISPATCHED TO THE CALL. IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE FOUR EGT EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATUR SENSORS HAD FAILED AND DISABLED THE VEHICLE. HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION COULD HAVE OCCURRED. THERE WAS NOT AN OVER HEATED EXHAUST CONDITION NOR AN EXHAUST EMISSION PROBLEM AT THE TIME, WHICH IS WHAT THESE SENSORS ARE DESIGNED TO DETECT. THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE(PCM) SHOULD NOT BE PROGRAMED TO SHUT DOWN A VEHICLE BECAUSE OF ONE SENSOR. REDUCTION OF POWER MAY BE ACCEPTABLE. IF MORE THAN ONE SENSOR DETECTS A PROBLEM THEN THAT MAY BE ACCEPTABLE. OUR AGENCY HAS SEVERAL OF THESE VEHICLES AND HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE WITH MOST OF THEM.

NHTSA ODI 10567290

THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS AN AMBULANCE, WAS DISPATCHED TO AN EMERGENCY CALL. AS THEY TURNED INTO THE DRIVE OF THE FACILITY THE CHIMES SOUNDED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. HAD THIS VEHICLE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THE CREW INVOLVED. AT THE VERY LEAST, ANOTHER AMBULANCE HAD TO BE DISPATCHED TO THE CALL AND DELAYED CARE TO THE PATIENT. IT WAS DETERMINED LATER THAT THE EGT SENSOR HAD FAILED, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS APPARENTLY NO PROBLEM IN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AT THE TIME.

NHTSA ODI 10567358