Ford Flex 2009–2019

Summary

11 model years in 1 generation, 1,943 owner complaints in total.
No model year stands out as the most complained-about of its generation.
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.
Half of the complaints that give a mileage were filed by 65,000 miles (1,306 of them give one).
Owners reported 64 crashes, 11 fires, 56 injuries and 1 death across these model years.
14 recalls and 2 federal investigations cover these model years.

2009–2019

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. Fewer than three years of this generation are comparable, so no year is named.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Most reported system	Note
2009	181	45	Engine	not compared
2010	139	25	Engine	not compared
2011	144	20	Steering	not compared
2012	64	12	Steering	not compared
2013	580	92	Electrical System
2014	249	31	Steering	not compared
2015	116	22	Driver Assistance	not compared
2016	101	9	Driver Assistance	not compared
2017	42	3	Suspension	not compared
2018	69	13	Body & Structure	not compared
2019	258	7	Driver Assistance	not compared

Every model year

A model year gets its own page when four sources cover it, it holds at least 50 complaints, and it either compares with the other years of its generation or shows one system in 40% or more of the complaints that name a component. The rest are listed here with their figures.

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Investigations	Bulletins	Combined MPG	Page
2009	181	1	0	23	18–19	listed here
2010	139	1	0	37	18–20	listed here
2011	144	2	0	44	18–19	yes
2012	64	2	0	47	18–19	yes
2013	580	6	0	70	18–20	listed here
2014	249	4	0	54	18–20	listed here
2015	116	4	0	54	18–20	listed here
2016	101	3	0	87	17–19	listed here
2017	42	4	1	82	17–19	listed here
2018	69	3	1	64	17–19	listed here
2019	258	4	2	50	17–19	yes

What owners report across all years

System	Complaints	Share	Median mileage
Electrical System	396	22%	56,241 mi
Steering	381	22%	90,000 mi
Driver Assistance	251	14%	68,000 mi
Engine	228	13%	68,260 mi
Body & Structure	194	11%	55,000 mi

Shares are over complaints that name a component; a complaint naming several systems is counted under each.

Electrical System

Owner report Rear View camera image is upside down / distorted. Looks to be acknowledged by Ford and NHTSA as a recall yet Ford Dealers are making me pay to have it fixed.

Owner report UNKNOWN So we bought the car used from the dealer exactly how they received it, and it was working normally but then a few weeks or a month or two we were going somewhere and one of the headlights would go out and we'd have to turn the switch off and back on to get it to turn back on, and it was one for a few weeks but…

Steering

Owner report As with many other 2019 Flex owners, I brought my Ford Flex in for a state inspection and surprise surprise! I have to replace my toe link already! Failure after failure.

Owner report As I was driving turning at a light to go right all of a sudden my steering wheel got super hard and It almost caused me to get into an accident. I didn't have the strength to grip the steering wheel. Shortly after the advanced traction control service light came on. Luckily there was an auto parts store near the incid…

Driver Assistance

Owner report The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V69500 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. While reversing, the r…

Owner report The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally, while in reverse, the rear-view camera failed to display an image. The local dealer was …

Largest recalls

Campaign	Component	Filed	Vehicles
25V695000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2025-10-13	1,448,655
15V340000	STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM	2015-06-02	393,623
13V227000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	2013-05-31	390,783
20V072000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2020-02-10	211,207
14V710000	SEATS	2014-11-07	113,418

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

Open investigations

None open.

Service bulletins

Ford issued 612 service bulletins covering these model years, 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 a bulletin listed here may not be specific to one year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-09-30	POWER TRAIN	25E10-S1 Owner letter
2026-07-02	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-2019 Model Year Explorer, Taurus, and Flex Vehicles With 3.5L Engines Powertrain Control Module (PCM) …
2026-02-24	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Ford 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…
2025-11-26	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display operation concerns Na…
2025-11-12	POWER TRAIN	Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in the Powertrain Contro…
2024-10-10	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	While 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. …
2024-05-27	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	This article supersedes TSB 21-2175 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some 2016 MKS, 2016-2017 Navigator, 2016-2018 F-150/Focus/C-MAX/Edge/Fiesta/MKX/Transit Connect/Mustang, 2017-2018 Continental/Fusion/MKZ, 2017-2019 Explorer, 2016-201…
2024-04-24	EQUIPMENT	All 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…
2024-03-01	POWER TRAIN	During service and repair requiring removal and replacement of a crankshaft bolt and/or crankshaft damper, achieving proper torque of the crankshaft pulley bolt is critical. Incorrect torque may allow the bolt to loosen resulting in the tim…
2023-06-08	EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL	The Service Awareness Newsletter is an informal communication that contains information that may not be presently available in a TSB, SSM, GSB, or other electronic communication. This article includes information on warranty, technical serv…

How to read this page

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

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications (data as of 2026-10-28).
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines and fuel economy.

This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection.