Motor Almanac

Ford / Flex / 2012

2012 Ford Flex

Family: Flex · filed with NHTSA as FLEX

Summary

  • Of the 59 complaints that name a component, 41% concern Steering (24).
  • These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
  • Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
  • 2 recalls filed for this model year.
  • No federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints
64
Recalls
2
Investigations
0
NCAP overall
Not rated
Combined MPG
18–19
Annual fuel cost
$3,300–$3,450
Median mileage at complaint
70,000 mi (n = 46)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths
4 / 1 / 4 / 0

What owners report

Steering

24 complaints · 41% of complaints that name a component · median 59,620 mi (n = 13)

Owner report The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the ABS and the ESC warnings illuminated. The contact stated that she had recently heard an abnormal grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it w…
Owner report Ford said the recall was fixed 10 years ago, however it went out on me last night. It's been towed to the Folsom Ford dealership in California, they quoted me $3,000 to fix my power steering assistant failure that had a Safety recall and it was a 'safety recall'. I couldn't steer my car. Very scary! please investigat…

Engine

11 complaints · 19% of complaints that name a component · median 108,300 mi (n = 11)

Owner report The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired however, the failure recurred and persisted. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assis…
Owner report THROTTLE BODY HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED ON MY 2012 FORD FLEX. LOOKING AT VEHICLE HISTORY, THE SAME THROTTLE BODY HAS RECALLS FOR DIFFERENT MODELS. YESTERDAY, 9/252020, I HAD MY FLEX DIE ON ME THREE TIMES ON THE INTERSTATE DURING TRAFFIC. THE MILAGE IS UNDER 100K MILES. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE DIES IS WHEN IM UNDER 30 MPH.

Electrical System

10 complaints · 17% of complaints that name a component · median 60,012 mi (n = 9)

Owner report TOUCH SCREEN WENT COMPLETELY BLANK. COULD NOT OPERATE ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH TOUCHSCREEN. CALLED DEALER, TOLD ME THEY COULD GET IT IN NEXT WEEK. ARE YOU KIDDING. LOOKED ON LINE FOR HELP. ENDED UP DISCONNECTING BATTERY, AND RECONNECTING. WORKS NOW. *TR
Owner report TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FLEX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE ENCLOSED GARAGE ATTACHED TO HIS HOME, A BURNING ELECTRICAL ODOR WAS NOTICED. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE GARAGE AND NOTICED FLAMES SURROUNDING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND FLAMES WERE VISIBLE BETWEEN THE REAR OF THE ENGI…

8% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2009–2019)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints.

Model yearAll complaintsFirst three yearsNote
200918145not compared
201013925not compared
201114420not compared
20126412not compared
201358092
201424931not compared
201511622not compared
20161019not compared
2017423not compared
20186913not compared
20192587not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

16V247000 · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Filed 2016-04-26 · 695 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.

15V340000 · STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Filed 2015-06-02 · 393,623 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.

Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.

Federal investigations

None on file.

Engines and fuel economy

VersionEngineTransmissionDriveCityHwyCombinedFuel cost / yr
Flex AWD3.5L 6cylAutomatic (S6)All-Wheel Drive162218$3450
Flex AWD3.5L 6cylAutomatic 6-spdAll-Wheel Drive162318$3450
Flex FWD3.5L 6cylAutomatic 6-spdFront-Wheel Drive172419$3300

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

VariantOverallFrontalSideRollover
2012 Ford Flex SUV AWDNot RatedNot RatedNot Rated★★★★☆
2012 Ford Flex SUV FWDNot RatedNot RatedNot Rated★★★★☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 47 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about equipment.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

DateComponentSummary
2026-02-24ELECTRICAL SYSTEMFord and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access…
2024-10-10UNKNOWN OR OTHERWhile performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. …
2024-04-24EQUIPMENTAll accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicles owner during ini…
2023-04-04STRUCTUREFor 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification numbe…
2020-09-25ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGSome 2009-2020 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbochargers may exhibit an oil leak from the turbocharger oil supply or return tubes, O-rings or 6.7L pedestal gasket. Although oil may collect on the turbocharger, it is very rare fo…
2019-08-09VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REARSome 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. This is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. Hydrofluoric acid …
2019-08-07ELECTRICAL SYSTEMFor Ford and Lincoln vehicles that require positive or negative battery terminal replacement, it is not necessary to replace the complete battery cable harness (14300 and 14301) for this concern. Positive battery cable clamp BT4Z-14450-AA a…
2019-07-02EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONERSome 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or intermittent HVAC blower motor …
2019-05-10POWER TRAINOn vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with Motorcraft Multi-Purpose Grease Spray XL-5-A even if grease was not applied from the factory. Also verify that the engine/tran…
2019-02-07EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONERSome 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or intermittent HVAC blower motor …

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Flex, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Flex model page.

Sources

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.