2012 Ford F150 transmission lead frame internal failure causing intermittent harsh shifting. Highway speeds and truck shifting into 2/3 gear and almost causing wreck. Took it into shop for repair and they said I had a recall. However Inwas outside of recall period. Now I have to pay $2k to fix a for a known recall issue. Does should fix all vehicles with this known safety issue.
2012 Ford F-150: harsh or hard shifting
23 of the 1,784 complaints about the 2012 Ford F-150 describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 23
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 37,400
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 18 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
What owners say
I have a 2012 F150 that has an issue with its Output shaft speed sensor, at random times my speedometer and odometer will quit working and my the transmission will make hard shift or won’t shift at all while driving.
The vehicle will jerk when down shifting on highway. The jerk feels like a car accident as if rear ended with a loud clunk.
While going over speed bumps around 10 MPH the truck tends to make a "clunk" sound and the engine revs real high - as if it missed a gear.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was excluded from manufacturer campaign number: 15n05 (electric vacuum pump extended coverage); however, the vehicle exhibited the same failure. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clunking sound when the brake pedal was depressed and when reversing. There was no warning indicator each time the failure occurred. The contact stated that the brake pedal was becoming harder to depress as the failure was becoming more intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was not available.
Jerks at low speeds when shifting if not on the gas. Really bad clunk, made our truck hit a pole. Keeps doing it and feels like transmission wants to drop out. Seems like 1st and second gears.
The car started with a hard shift from 3-4 gear. Now (it has happened twice) on the highway, when accelerating, it will drop from 4/5 gear to 1 randomly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle downshifted independently without warning and made a loud clunking sound. The contact stated that the abnormal sound emitted from the transmission. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, but not as severe. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.
My trucck began to downshift on its on and jerk real bad. I could watch my speedometer drown instantly as it downshifted. It downshifted at different speeds and a loud clunk.
My truck does two things, both with the transmission. 1rst this is random and happens at any unsuspecting time and at all speeds. The truck goes into limp mode (killing all power) starts to clunk in and out of gears to the point it locked up the tires once going 55 MPH for a second as this is happening my MPH needle goes to 0, also the wrench light comes on. The other problem is random as well. The truck displays the airbag light while driving along, the transmission will get stuck in third and won't shift, some times it gets stuck in first and never make it up to 6th gear it will eventually shift through the gears as this is happening the miles, avg fuel display goes to all blanks. Both very unsafe and very scary, as I don't know when it will happen. I will not put my daughter in the vehicle until I feel it's save to do so.
Bought truck less than a year ago with 28k miles on it. I now have 37k and my service advancetrac light would come on intermittently. I noticed too that the steering felt kind of clunky and would make a strange grinding type noise, mostly at low speeds. I brought it in to a local dealer and they diagnosed the problem and had to replace the steering rack. $1754.00! When I bought the used, very low mileage, one owner truck I thought I struck gold. Not quite, but love the truck otherwise! A poorly designed steering system seems to be common for these. Shame on ford for not owning up to this problem. More about profit I guess.
Makes clunking noise when making left turns, especially when steering wheel is turned fully to the left. It doesn't matter if its going forward for reverse. Seems like noise and vibration is coming from right suspension.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area
- This program extends the warranty coverage of the automatic transmission molded leadframe to 10 years of...
- Certain 2011
- On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be...
- Certain 2011
- No start condition with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and a DTC P161A after PCM replacement
- 2009-2017 vehicles equipped with a 6R80, 6R100, 6R140 automatic transmission have an updated main control...
- Some 2004-2014 F-150 and 2006-2008 mark lt vehicles equipped with four-wheel drive (4WD) may exhibit noisy...
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission may unexpectedly downshift into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
- Risk
- Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S07.
Recall number 19V075000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks, 2012 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Mustang vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with an automatic transmission that may unexpectedly downshift to first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
- Risk
- An unexpected downshift into first gear can cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly without warning and the rear tires may slide or lock, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began on September 19, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S19.
Recall number 16V248000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Ford F-150 harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 2012 Ford F-150?
23 of 1,784 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford F-150 (1%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Ford F-150?
There are 2 recalls and 18 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Ford F-150
Loss of power 246Check engine light 196Stalling 100Won't shift 90Power steering loss 76Misfire 73Shudder 71Jerking 58Engine failure 47Airbag light 38Hesitation 31Grinding brakes 28Adaptive cruise 26Brake failure 26Steering lock-up 22Fuel pump 20Won't start 18Fire or smoke 16Transmission failure 16Sudden acceleration 13No deployment 12Door locks 12Knocking 12Slipping 12Backup camera 11Overheating 11Spongy pedal 10Wipers 10ABS 9Sunroof shattered 9Tire blowout 8Steering noise 7Ball joint 6Fuel smell 6Headlights 5Water leak 5
VIN decoder
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