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What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2012 Ford F-150?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow commonly means something less unhealthy but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is fundamental promptly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2012 Ford F-150, we exceedingly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ford service today. Below is a list of the most current reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your car will be less forceful when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2012 Ford F-150's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to opt for the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your 2012 Ford F-150 has a vacuum leak. Each Ford F-150 has a vacuum system that performs a wide mixture of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme bitter.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2012 Ford F-150’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's perform is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is often caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with each Ford service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2012 Ford F-150 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other problems from overheating.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ford F-150 is what determines how much fuel is imperative to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to understandable changes, like altitude. If your Ford F-150 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak havoc on your 2012 Ford F-150 if it’s not installed well. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prohibit the car from starting. If these issues sound common, bring your F-150 to Ford and have our company of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts initial place might cost a little bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are imperative for your 2012 Ford F-150. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or erstwhile, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, dominant to more expensive repairs.
  • One of the most routine and copious cause is that your 2012 Ford F-150 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2012 Ford F-150 serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is erstwhile or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your 2012 Ford F-150, initial thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • The battery is scanty or dead. The battery in your 2012 Ford F-150 is each vital. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did some decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ford you drive, but check our respectable service coupons and specials.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. It could be anything from a destructive sensor to plug wires needing to be replenished. If you check engine light is flashing, we suggest that you pull over and contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg to help determine if your vehicle is protected to drive in or if we suggest a tow truck. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how many miles you can drive with the warning light on.

2012 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless conceivable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are several effortless causes including something as effortless as a loose gas cap. Different effortless reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Ford Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as basic to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Ford issue was fixed.

Every 2012 Ford F-150 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the automobile on its crucial systems. The sensors are constantly detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what specifically is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Tremendously Qualified Service skilled.

Check Engine Light Service 2012 Ford F-150

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford F-150 and suddenly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ford owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t represent you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2012 Ford F-150 checked as soon as achievable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing good damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2012 Ford F-150's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t polite, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is customarily labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is find out with an electronic diagnose tool that is used by our Ford auto repair mechanics at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. There are also a number of somewhat correct code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you elect for that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced competent to mean the issue and repair it.

2012 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light

A flashing light suggests that the problem is perilous and if not taken care of swiftly may result in best damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2012 Ford F-150 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Ford should be brought in swiftly. This blinking light usually indicates a important engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A bad, historic or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our company of automotive experts at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg urgently by calling 3177903264. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is consistently between $88 and $111. The exemplary news, Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist represent the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not properly tightened to a more risky failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exemplary to get the lawful code reading and diagnosis.

Is it safe to drive your 2012 Ford F-150 with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a precarious issue and it is recommended to service your Ford F-150 abruptly. This question is not very prevailing because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is usually indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the automobile, it could be an indication of a more perilous problem. Call the experts at Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg by dialing 3177903264 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2012 Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as functional.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most mostly misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2012 Ford F-150 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in assorted detectable ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2012 Ford F-150. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a mixture of different things. It can be as compelling as your gas cap being loose or as important as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2012 Ford F-150, contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg. Our Ford service department can help you read what code is turning your check engine light on or inspect why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg today!

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2012 Ford F-150 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going efficient, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2012 Ford F-150 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that ditch and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

2012 Ford F-150 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard quickly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear proper away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your F-150. There are hundreds of odd codes that your check engine light can mean. While that sounds daunting, with a few patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is truly supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, conspicuous and appropriate vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:

  • Emissions controls issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • O2 Sensor
  • Transmission issues
  • Old Battery
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Ignition system faults
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap

This is why it is curious for someone who does not have a few of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Bill Estes Ford Brownsburg at 3177903264 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out urgently by a certified Ford technician. If the engine light comes on due to a forceful concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue good away.