ubuntu 12.04: apt-get install autofs5: post-installation script fails

I suggest you report a bug. Precise is NOT stable and NOT ready. You will get issues leadinig up to and even a few weeks after release.
It's beta software. What did you expect!?

Well, I thought it's only tree weeks until the release. Ok, I'll try to report a bug.

Try:

sudo cp -arf /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg.backup
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/available-old /var/lib/dpkg/available
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/updates/*
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partial
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo dpkg --clear-avail
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

@actionparsnip: didn't help :(
each times it tries to configure autofs5 an error is generated:

Setting up autofs5 (5.0.6-0ubuntu4) ...
start: Job failed to start
invoke-rc.d: initscript autofs, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing autofs5 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

I've reported the problem as a bug.