IllustrationEXITING HWY AT 50 MPH, HIT BRAKE. HARD BRAKE PEDAL-NO BRAKES FOLLOWED BY ENGINE FULL THROTTLE ACCELERATION-VEHICLE WAS SENT TO THE FORD DEALER IN OCT FOR A CHECK ENG LIGHT THAT COULDN'T BE EXTINGUISHED. COMPUTER WAS REFLASHED WITH BASIC PROM. NO OTHER ISSUES UNTIL ACCIDENT
2009 Ford Flex
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Ford Flex do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 139.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Flex years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
400–25K
2525–50K
2650–75K
2275–100K
27100–150K
10150K+
150 reports with mileage · 31 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports2 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
181 reportsAS HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIME ON HERE AND IN THE FLEX FORUMS, THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY STALL AT A 1/4 TANK OF GAS FOR NO REASON. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT HIGH WAY SPEED WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE DROPPED TO E AND THE MILES TO EMPTY READ 0. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I CALLED ONE OF MY LOCAL DEALERS WHO INSISTED THEY…
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AS HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY TIME ON HERE AND IN THE FLEX FORUMS, THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY STALL AT A 1/4 TANK OF GAS FOR NO REASON. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT HIGH WAY SPEED WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE DROPPED TO E AND THE MILES TO EMPTY READ 0. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I CALLED ONE OF MY LOCAL DEALERS WHO INSISTED THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM AND NOTHING WAS DONE. THERE ADVICE WAS TO NOT LET THE CAR GET TO A 1/4 OF A TANK. THEY HAVE NO FIX FOR THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM.
VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND IT CUT OFF FOR THE 2ND TIME. NOW IT WONT STARTM ROLLED INTO BUSINESS PARKING LOT.
THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM ON THE 2009 FORD FLEX CONSTANTLY HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE LOWER CONTROL ARM UPPER CONTROL ARM CAUSING BRAKING SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION.
PART OF MY POWER IN MY CAR SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY, AT 1:39 PM AT 67 DEGREES OUTSIDE . I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 MINUTES. MY DASHBOARD WENT DARK, AND ONLY MY CLOCK TIME WAS ON. I GLIDED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT (AS THE POWER STEERING WAS OFF). THEN TURNED THE KEY TO OFF, WAI…
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PART OF MY POWER IN MY CAR SHUT OFF ON THE FREEWAY, AT 1:39 PM AT 67 DEGREES OUTSIDE . I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 MINUTES. MY DASHBOARD WENT DARK, AND ONLY MY CLOCK TIME WAS ON. I GLIDED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT (AS THE POWER STEERING WAS OFF). THEN TURNED THE KEY TO OFF, WAITED 3 MINUTES TURNED THE KEY AND IT WENT BACK ON. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN.
THE SEATBELT BUCKLE WILL NOT RELEASE THE SEAT BELT. STARTS OFF WITH THE RELEASE BUTTON STICKING, AFTER TIME THE BUCKLE BUTTON BREAKS AND NO LONGER IS ABLE TO BE USED. THE 3RD ROW BUCKLE WAS FIRST, NOW THE DRIVER'S BUCKLE IS STARTING TO STICK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER (GANLEY FORD WEST, 16100 LORAIN AVE, CLEVELAND, OH 44111, (216) 941-9800) REPLACED THE BRAKE SYSTEM FOUR TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE INTERNAL FAILURES WIT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER (GANLEY FORD WEST, 16100 LORAIN AVE, CLEVELAND, OH 44111, (216) 941-9800) REPLACED THE BRAKE SYSTEM FOUR TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE INTERNAL FAILURES WITH THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKE SYSTEM (ANTI-ROTATION PIN, ADJUSTER SPRING, SPRING SEAT, PISTON SEALS, SLIDER FRAME, ANTI-RATTLE CLIPS, SLIDER PINS, AND CALIPER FRAME). THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE BRAKES HAD BEEN REPLACED EVERY 20,000 MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER MADE A RECOMMENDATION TO HAVE THE DEALER REPLACE THE PARTS AGAIN. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.
2009 FORD FLEX LIMITED OVERHEATS WHILE IDLING FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS. RAN MULTIPLE VACUUM TESTS AND THERE IS NO LEAK OR SHORTAGE OF COOLANT. A/C BLOWS HOT WHILE IDLING. REPLACED RELAYS, THERMOSTAT, AND FUSES TO NO AVAIL. REPLACED COOLING FANS RECENTLY WITH OEM PARTS. CAR IS NO LONGER OVERHEATING, BUT NOW HAS A STRONG ELECTRICAL OR…
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2009 FORD FLEX LIMITED OVERHEATS WHILE IDLING FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS. RAN MULTIPLE VACUUM TESTS AND THERE IS NO LEAK OR SHORTAGE OF COOLANT. A/C BLOWS HOT WHILE IDLING. REPLACED RELAYS, THERMOSTAT, AND FUSES TO NO AVAIL. REPLACED COOLING FANS RECENTLY WITH OEM PARTS. CAR IS NO LONGER OVERHEATING, BUT NOW HAS A STRONG ELECTRICAL OR MELTING SMELL AFTER DRIVING. FANS POTENTIALLY FAILING AGAIN.
TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VERY ROUGH.WHILE IN MOTION.
HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THIS OCCURS WHILE IN MANUAL MODE AND IN AUTOMATIC MODE. TURNING THE KNOW TO "OFF" AND BACK TO "ON" RESTORES THE LIGHTS TO WORKING CONDITION. WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF, THE PARKING LIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS STAY ON MOST OF THE TIME. WE HAD ONE OCCASION WHERE ALL FRONT END LIGHTS S…
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HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THIS OCCURS WHILE IN MANUAL MODE AND IN AUTOMATIC MODE. TURNING THE KNOW TO "OFF" AND BACK TO "ON" RESTORES THE LIGHTS TO WORKING CONDITION. WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF, THE PARKING LIGHTS AND FOG LIGHTS STAY ON MOST OF THE TIME. WE HAD ONE OCCASION WHERE ALL FRONT END LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING - ESPECIALLY CONCERNING AS WE WE RE DRIVING AT NIGHT, IN COMPLETE DARKNESS ON A RURAL ROAD.
Official recalls
116V247000 · Air Bags:frontal
Apr 26, 2016
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.