2012 Ford Expedition Problems, Recalls & Reliability
167 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Ford Expedition, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 109,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2012 Ford Expedition has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2012 sits among all Expedition years
What owners report
“While exiting the freeway at approximately 45 to 50 mph, the transmission downshifted to 1st gear locking up the tires.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Expedition
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 112 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 79,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 53,000 and 123,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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…
Fix: 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…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 FORD F-150, 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR, AND 2012-2013 MUSTANG VEHICLES, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NOS. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE TRS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER…
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 19, 2011, THROUGH DECEMBER 2, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 202, "HEAD…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEAD RESTRAINTS AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 21, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 19V075000.
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and electrical — are on file for the 2012 Ford Expedition. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2012 Expedition TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Ford Expedition reliable?
The 2012 Ford Expedition drew 167 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 11/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2012 Ford Expedition problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Ford Expedition are transmission & drivetrain (64 complaints), electrical (21), and speed control (18).
At what mileage do 2012 Ford Expedition problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Ford Expedition problems around 79,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 53,000 and 123,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Ford Expedition have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Ford Expedition. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.