Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Ford E-250 problems

Owners filed 8 complaints about the 2012 Ford E-250 with NHTSA between Jul 2014 and May 2022. The most-cited component is seat belts (2).

Complaints
8
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Seat belts2
  2. Power train2
  3. Electrical system2
  4. Engine1
  5. Fuel/propulsion system1
  6. Structure1
  7. Engine and engine cooling1
  8. Tires1
  9. Wheels1
  10. Other / unknown1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20144
20151
20161
20170
20181
20190
20200
20210
20221

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Seat belts

2 reports1 fire
“The contact owns a 2012 Ford E-250. The contact stated that the front passenger’s seat belt was locked as the seat belt was unable to be removed from the buckle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic test or repair. The contact stated that he called a dealer however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact stated the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 23, 2022Seat beltsODI 11465755

Power train

2 reports1 crash
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD E-250. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY DOWNSHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR AND THE WHEELS SEIZED. WHEN THE CONTACT SLOWED DOWN THE VEHICLE, THE FAILURE SUBSIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V248000 (POWER TRAIN), BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 20, 2016Power trainODI 10875395

Electrical system

2 reports1 crash
“AS I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 FORD F250 DIESEL A LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC LOCKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL. SECONDS LATER THE COMPUTER SCREEN STATED FLASHING DIFFERENT WARNINGS- THE COMPUTER CHIMED NON-STOP WITH THE ALARMS UNTIL, WITHIN 10 SECONDS FROM THIS STARTING, THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE COMPUTER AND I WAS LEFT TO COAST TO A STOP. IT WAS NOT AN EASY STOP- THIS TRUCK WEIGHS 8,500 POUNDS AND WITH NO POWER IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TWO CARS APPEARED TO COLLIDED WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OUT AND I COULD NOT KEEP IN THE LANE ON THE CURVE. I WOULD SURELY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR DEAD OR INJURED/KILLED OTHERS IF I WAS TOWING A LOAD ON ONE OF THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WHEN THIS SHUT DOWN OCCURED- THIS TRUCK HAS A DIESEL AND PURPOSELY DESIGNED FOR HEAVY TOWING- 16,000 MILES ON IT AND FORD'S NEW DIESEL IS A POTENTIAL KILLER. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 24, 2014Power train, Electrical system, StructureCrash reportedODI 10660701

Engine

1 report
“VEHICLE WARNING SYSTEM INDICATED TO SAFELY STOP TRUCK IMMEDIATELY. TRUCK WOULD NOT RESTART. TRUCK WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP (~60 MILES). FORD REPLACED ONE OF THE EXHAUST GAS SENSORS UNDER WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP PERSONNEL INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM AND IT WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN AGAIN. MARCH OF 2015 SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, VEHICLE WARNING SYSTEMS INDICATED TO SAFELY STOP TRUCK IMMEDIATELY. TRUCK CONTINUED RUNNING AND DROVE THE 80 MILES BACK TO DEALERSHIP. MILEAGE AT THE DATE OF THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WAS ~54,500. A DIFFERENT EXHAUST GAS SENSOR WAS REPLACE, NO WARRANTY COVERAGE. DEALERSHIP PERSONNEL CONTINUE TO INDICATE RECURRING PROBLEM AND IT WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN AGAIN. CONTACTED FORD, NO RESOLUTION ON COST INCURRED OR IF THERE IS A RE-DESIGN AND REPLACEMENT OF SENSOR (S). *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 11, 2015Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 10693668

Fuel/propulsion system

1 report

Structure

1 report1 crash
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.