Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was involved in a traffic accident June 4, 2016 in which a car attempted to make a left turn in front of me at an intersection and the result was a moderate collision. Due to the collision my vehicle lost all power (engine and electrical) and the air bags failed to deploy.
Yesterday as I was making a turn through a busy intersection, my steering wheel suddenly locked up and the alert "service advancetrac" popped up on my dash. I was unable to complete the turn, and a car going nearly 55 MPH swerved around me and missed t-boning me by a few feet. Initially, I was just concerned. But after going to the mechanic and finding that my steering control module is faulty (this vehicle only has 62,000 miles on it), and this is a well-known issue in other Ford vehicles and in the f150 as well, I became furious that Ford has not issued a recall when I could have been killed yesterday. …
Driving down the road when the truck lurches forward, rear tires make a squealing sound from skidding. It was hard to keep truck in center lane of interstate and immediately had to make my way to the emergency lane. Once I turned the truck off and sat for a few minutes it acted like nothing ever happened. I have read the reports of the intercooler being messed up and several years ago I had to replace that part due to oil and water entering it but Ford says it wasn't under warranty due to a part not being covered. I have had coils replaced, spark plugs replaced, and now I'm having to go thru the whole process again. Its dangerous and frustrating. I've had it happen a couple more times but not to that extent. The gauges will peg all the way to the right then go to zero and airbag light will come on. Truck resets to normal when turned off and back on again. …
While driving at 60 MPH on the highway, the electric power steering locked up during a turn. The system locked for less than a second, and then freed up so that I could finish the turn. Luckily the steering did not lock up before or after the turn, so that I could complete the turn and get off the highway. After getting off the highway, I stayed on county roads to reduce speed to 30mph and see if the reduced speed helped. After 30 more minutes of driving the steering was completely locking up when driving straight or turning, and screeching very loudly. The "service advance trac" message showed up, followed by "electric power steering fault" message. I had the vehicle towed to the nearest mechanic, where they said the whole electric power steering needs to be replaced, costing around $2000. …
Vehicle is displaying "service advancetrac" error message when vehicle is turned sharply left or right. When the error message comes on, the turn signals do not function properly. The driver must hold the turn signal switch to activate turn signals anytime needing to change lanes or turn off roadway. Vehicle error has been checked by servicing dealer and an update was performed to ABS module to attempt to fix the problem, but explained that a possible need to replace the power rack and pinion to resolve the problem. I am afraid that the power rack and pinion is going to fail and cause me to have an accident, or the turn signals not functioning properly is going to cause an accident. Ford needs to issue a safety recall to fix this failing part in the 2012 f150 model line.
3/7/2017 20 minute drive home, shut truck off to run inside house cameout to run errand to pharmacy and upon starting truck after pharmacy service advance trac showed up in instrument cluster, this has also caused my turn signals not to work. This truck has had a faulty tourque convertor, rear window replacement due to break in rear window defroster. Now this, I do not feel safe in this vehicle and will be pursuing the lemon law in my state. When safety issues arise and are reported they should be acted on immediatly! Should not wait til numbers of deaths before action is taken. A conscientious automaker with customer safety in mind would put out recalls to keep the public safe.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Ford f-150. While driving various speeds and making a left or right turn, the traction control system warning indicator illuminated. When the brakes were engaged by the system, the vehicle's speed was severely reduced and almost caused several crashes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a recording device was attached, indicating that the contact depressed the brake pedal when, in fact, he did not. The brakes and several parts were replaced by the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
I have a 2012 Ford f-150 fx4 with less than 60,000 miles on it. The electronic power steering failed unexpectedly. Fortunately the vehicle was stationary when this occurred. Although I was not moving, I happened to be over thirty miles from home. My concern is that this issue could possibly present itself while the vehicle is in motion. I am in decent shape and was absolutely exhausted by the time I arrived at home. My thoughts went to my wife operating the truck in traffic, with my children in it, which in my eyes poses a very real safety hazard. I have contacted Ford customer care several times and received not help, or potential solutions.
We purchased our f-150 on or about 1/2/2018 with no known problems, the next day it didn't want to start and several engine codes showed up. The dealership said they cleared, reset program and we shouldn't have any more issues, but said their is a recall on engine coolant and they ordered part. The next day the codes appeared and we brought it back to the dealership for the same problem and they said it was normal for the truck to learn our driving habits and the codes would disappear. We left and the next day the truck didn't want to start again and we are currently driving it to the dealership for the same issues. 1/9/2018
There have been multiple instances while driving in which the truck seems to lose power and shifts to a lower gear. The speedometer and odometer do not display when this happens. On some occasions the wrench has shown. One one occasion while accelerating to enter a highway the gear shifted down and the tires squealed and the truck dramatically slowed down. Some occasions when this has happened the shifting between gears is extremely rough. These occasions have happened while in motion, on city streets, on highways, and entering or exiting highways.
Traction Control complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2012 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2012 Ford F-150, 2% of the model year's 1,783 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Ford F-150 traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2012 Ford F-150, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Ford F-150 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to stability & traction control problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.