Factory build sheet
2012 Ford Explorer Limited
Build 1FMSK8FH-C · Four-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMSK8FH and position 10 reads C. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Explorer whose VIN starts 1FMSK8FH and carries C in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 1 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 1 known VINs
Factory specification
As filed by Ford with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Engine model
- 290 hp 35l v6
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- Four-wheel drive
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
The same build, other model years
Ford used the VIN pattern 1FMSK8FH for 6 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
-
2012 You are here code C
- 2020 Limited 2.3L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 13,410 vehicles code L $22,475
- 2021 Limited 2.3L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 16,097 vehicles code M $23,950
- 2022 Limited 2.3L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 11,321 vehicles code N $29,524
- 2023 Limited 2.3L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 11,406 vehicles code P $33,599
- 2024 Limited 2.3L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 3,729 vehicles code R $36,480
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | SK8FH | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | C | Model year — 2012 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2012 Ford Explorer as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
7 recall campaigns are recorded for the 2012 Explorer. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
1 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMSK8FH-C shares the specification above.
- 1 Known VINs
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Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 1 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.