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What 6 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford F-550 Sd

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 (6)Engine (3)Equipment (2)Electrical system (1)Lights (1)Tires (1)

3 of 6 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Aug 19, 2016Engine

VEHICLE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY DURING NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. LOST ENGINE POWER AND ALL INTERIOR POWER, INCLUDING IGNITION POWER.

NHTSA ODI 10897158

Aug 24, 2015Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD F-550 SD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, A LOUD BANGING SOUNDED WAS HEARD INSIDE THE CABIN AND THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED SUBSTANTIALLY. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AND DETECTED THAT THE TURBO BECAME STUCK AND THE TURBO HOSE DISCONNECTED. THE HOSE WAS RECONNECTED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED A SECOND TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. MA 10/6 *CN

NHTSA ODI 10758761

May 27, 2014Engine

THE TURBO BEARING FAILED IN THE TRUCK AT 21,101 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED IT, BUT SINCE THEN I HAVE SPENT WAY TOO MUCH TIME AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRUCK THAT I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING. THERE IS ALSO A TYPEWRITER TICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE AFTER OIL CHANGES, FORD IS AWARE OF IT, BUT SAYS IT IS NOT A PROBLEM. THEY STATE THAT SOME MOTORS DO IT, AND SOME DON'T. AGAIN THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SERIOUS QUALITY CONTROL PROBLEM. I NOTICED THE A/C WAS NOT WORKING IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, THE FIRST TIME IT WAS WARM ENOUGH TO USE IT. IT JUST BLEW HOT AIR AND THE TRUCK HAD ABOUT 50,000 MILES ON IT. FORD SERVICED THE A/C AT 55,019 MILES ON 22 APRIL 14. THE A/C WORKED FOR A DAY AND THEN STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. TOOK IT BACK TO FORD AT THE NEXT SERVICE AND THEY SPENT SEVERAL HOURS WORKING ON THE TRUCK AND THINK THEY HAVE IT SOLVED. HOWEVER, SINCE MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000 MILES THEY STATE THAT I OWE THE BILL. TOOK THE TRUCK IN AT 65,000 MILES TO GET THE OIL CHANGED AND THE RADIATOR SERVICED AT THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. THE FORD DEALERSHIP SAID THEY COULD NOT SERVICE THE RADIATOR BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING AND THEY DON'T WANT TO MAKE THE LEAK WORSE. THEY SAID A NEW RADIATOR INSTALLED IS $1300. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE A RADIATOR AT THIS MILEAGE. I DID SOME CHECKING AT THE WWW.FORD-TRUCKS.COM FORUMS AND FOUND THAT NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS, WITH THE TURBOS (F450S AND 550S), RADIATORS (ALL SUPER DUTY TYPES) AND A/C (ALL SUPER DUTY TYPES). THIS FRUSTRATING AND TIME CONSUMING TO SAY THE LEAST. IT HAS COST MY BUSINESS A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY ALREADY IN LOST BUSINESS AND THE REPAIRS TO GO WITH IT. I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE MOTOR TO 200,000 MILES AND AN EXTENDED SERVICE PLAN OUT TO 120,000. THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN CARED FOR AND SERVICED ONLY BY FORD. WAY TOO MANY PROBLEMS ALREADY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10594281

Working with the data? Download all 6 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 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-550 Sd verdict →