2012 Ford EXPEDITION - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2 has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features. It received high ratings in side crash tests with a perfect score of 5 for overall side crash rating, side crash driver's side rating, and side crash passenger's side rating. However, it scored lower in some areas such as front crash driver's side and rollover rating.

One notable safety feature is the standard electronic stability control, which helps the driver maintain control of the vehicle in challenging conditions. The car does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, which are becoming increasingly popular in modern vehicles for added safety.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the 2012 Ford Expedition has 102 complaints reported and 3 recalls, along with 1 investigation. It is important for owners to stay updated on recalls and address any safety concerns promptly to ensure the well-being of both the driver and passengers.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

102

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2012 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2 Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2 Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Ford Expedition SUV 4x2 Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 3 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 3 3
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 2 5

Complaints for the 2012 Ford EXPEDITION

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated that upon his wife depressing the accelerator pedal, the rpm raised abruptly however, the vehicle failed to respond. the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and seemed as if the transmission was in neutral(n). after restarting the vehicle and shifting to drive(d), the vehicle returned to normal functionality. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that a failure had occurred with the transmission molded lead frame. the vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. upon investigation, the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 19n01-supplement #1 (power train) however, the vehicle was out of warranty. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was 100,112."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-11-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle independently decelerated and nearly caused the vehicle to be rear ended by a tractor trailer. the contact indicated that the vehicle was driven home with the transmission stuck in 3rd gear. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 59,959."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-05-12
Complaint:
"uncommanded downshift to first gear in 6r80 transmission. while driving at approximately 30mph, transmission downshifted into 1st gear. problem repeated itself several times. no "codes" or warning lights. i put the transmission in "3" and drove slowly back home. this is the same issue that has occurred in f-150's. the problem was intermittent at first. had this occurred at highway speeds it may have resulted in a rear end "lock-up", loss of control and possible accident. took the vehicle to the repair shop where they were initially unable to get a "code". later, i was able to repeat the problem and got warning lights and codes showing failure of the transmission output speed sensor which is located on the molded lead frame. this is the same failure as on the f-150. the molded lead frame was not available as single piece so it was necessary to replace the entire valve body unit."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-07-09
Complaint:
"the speedometer went to zero when the vehicle was driven on the highway at 70mph and the transmission would shift down the wrench symbol came on the lcd display. had to pull over and shut the vehicle off and open the drivers door to make sure that the vehicle was fully off/reset. started the vehicle and drove home. dealer noted that this may be covered under the extended warranty on the lead frame issue... since the vehicle has 167759 miles on it, that the warranty would not cover the issue (warranty to 150000 miles). i will get the vehicle repaired at my cost since this is our family vehicle. since this is a safety issue the warranty should be for all the vehicles that experience this issue. the vehicle was traveling on a highway and this is not an acceptable condition for the safety of my family or others around us when driving. i am confident in noting that the warranty should be amended for this issue. if this issue was caused by me due to carless driving i would not have an issue. since this is a design/reliability issue i do not understand why i am responsible for the cost of the repair."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-05-09
Complaint:
"my gear shaft gets stuck in park as if it’s not recognizing that the break is getting pressed. it gets stuck for a while. there is no sticky substance that is causing this."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-05-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated while driving 60 mph, the vehicle independently down shifted to first gear causing both rear tires to lock up. the contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 16v248000 (power train). the manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not under recall. the failure mileage was approximately 164,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-01-07
Complaint:
"unexpected transmission downshift for no reason and it hesitate and it chugs along down shifts drops out and kicks back in"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-01-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. the contact had to restart the vehicle and continued to drive. however, when leaving work the failure occurred again which at that time the contact had pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and have it towed to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle but could not duplicate the failure, but diagnosed the failure as a front end harness issue with the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-03-04
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, there was an unexpected transmission downshift and the vehicle speed decelerated inadvertently. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-01-06
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford expedition. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted to first gear causing the vehicle to abruptly slow. the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, the contact was referred to an authorized ford dealer for assistance with an unknown recall. don myer ford, inc. (2010 n lincoln st, greensburg, in 47240) was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was over the mileage for a recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was not a safety issue. the contact was referred to nhtsa for assistance. the failure mileage was 163,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-05-04

Recalls for the 2012 Ford EXPEDITION

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
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.

Component(s) Involved: POWER TRAIN > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Date of incident: 2016-04-27

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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