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2011 Ford Flex

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2011 Ford Flex do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 139.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

117 reports with mileage · 27 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.

  • Steering. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports

What owners actually said

144 reports
164,000 miles · Dec 7, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light and wrench light illuminated, and the vehicle started driving rough. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated and then failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who re…

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light and wrench light illuminated, and the vehicle started driving rough. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated and then failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the throttle body, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who replaced the throttle body for a second time but after retrieving the vehicle the failure persisted. The dealer later diagnosed that the PCM was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 164,000.

NHTSA ODI #11496353

156,000 miles · Oct 31, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The power steering sensor fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the failure was due to the electrical pump. The vehicle was restarted …

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The power steering sensor fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the failure was due to the electrical pump. The vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

NHTSA ODI #11491655

151,000 miles · Aug 26, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver shifted to park(P), turned off, and restarted the vehicle to reset the steering wheel. The contact was able to c…

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver shifted to park(P), turned off, and restarted the vehicle to reset the steering wheel. The contact was able to continue to drive to his destination. The contact stated that her husband had experienced the failure several times on different occasions. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

NHTSA ODI #11481363

139,037 miles · Aug 3, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the service power steering assist warning light illuminated and the steering seized. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Cam…

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the service power steering assist warning light illuminated and the steering seized. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,037.

NHTSA ODI #11477359

146,000 miles · Aug 2, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact's wife was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that water was detected inside the engine and that the water pump ne…

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact's wife was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that water was detected inside the engine and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was 146,000.

NHTSA ODI #11477217

112,000 miles · Apr 20, 2022
EnginePower Train

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon her husband starting the vehicle, the vehicle entered limp mode as he exited the driveway. Her husband then drove the vehicle back into the driveway and turned the vehicle off. The next day, her husband started that vehicle and was temporarily able to resume normal …

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon her husband starting the vehicle, the vehicle entered limp mode as he exited the driveway. Her husband then drove the vehicle back into the driveway and turned the vehicle off. The next day, her husband started that vehicle and was temporarily able to resume normal driving; however, the vehicle entered limp mode while in traffic as the power train warning light illuminated. Her husband was able to coast the vehicle back home while in limp mode and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer initially diagnosed the vehicle with a defective throttle body; however, the failure persisted after the part was repaired. The contact made numerous trips back to the dealer; however, the failure persisted after each visit. The contact was then informed to take the vehicle back once the wrench light had illuminated. Once the wrench light illuminated, the contact began to drive the vehicle to the dealer. While driving, she heard an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle as the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle entered limp mode. The contact made it to the dealer as antifreeze began leaking from the vehicle. The contact was then informed by the mechanic that the radiator fluid had begun to leak out of the vehicle as a result of the water pump, which was previously replaced. The mechanic also discovered that the radiator fluid had leaked out of the rear main seal of engine which caused engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The vehicle remained at the dealer and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ODI #11461446

192,000 miles · Mar 24, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while reversing and make a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not…

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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while reversing and make a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called a second local dealer; Allan Vigil Ford (6790 Mt Zion Blvd, Morrow, GA 30260: (678) 364-7350) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 192,000.

NHTSA ODI #11458188

Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2021
Steering

When I put my car in reverse, it is very hard to turn the steering wheel. I called my local Ford dealer and have an appointment for service. Inspection will occur tomorrow (10/26/21). I have not used the car since I noted the problem on 10/22/21.. However, if I were to use my car, I might have an accident due to th…

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When I put my car in reverse, it is very hard to turn the steering wheel. I called my local Ford dealer and have an appointment for service. Inspection will occur tomorrow (10/26/21). I have not used the car since I noted the problem on 10/22/21.. However, if I were to use my car, I might have an accident due to the extreme steering difficulty. I went to www.safercar.gov to look up recalls based on my VIN number. No recalls came up. Then I went to the "Safety Issues & Recalls" section of the NHTSA website. There I found that certain 2011 Ford Flex vehicles were recalled, beginning on 7/21/15. This recall was to check the Power Steering Control Module for Diagnostic Trouble Codes. I never received any notification regarding this recall. So I called Ford Customer Service and gave them Ford's recall # 15S18. A recording gave me the same information I got from NHTSA's Safety Issues & Recalls. I asked to speak to a rep and eventually spoke to a supervisor. They both told me that my vehicle does not qualify for recall, even though I'm currently having problems with the power steering which fits the reason for recall. They said this was because my VIN number does not fall into the batch of vehicles recalled. They recommended that I contact the NHTSA to report my vehicle's problem. My question is that since my vehicle is currently experiencing the very same problem that triggered the recall of certain 2011 Ford Flex vehicles, why can't my 2011 Ford Flex be included in the recall? To answer your other questions above: My vehicle's problem will be confirmed by a Ford dealer tomorrow (10/26/21). There's been no inspection by manufacturer, police, insurance reps or others. I do not recall any warning lamps, messages or anything prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI #11438136

Mileage unknown · Oct 16, 2021
Steering

Problem with the power steering control failure...Clearly that is a known problem for Ford Flex that can cause people to crash during this issue...Mi car is 2011 Ford flex limited....

NHTSA ODI #11437011

Mileage unknown · Jul 5, 2021
Fuel System, Diesel

Fuel pump failure shut down engine in seconds on the freeway and left us stranded on the freeway with highspeed traffic. Problem confirmed by the dealer. Vehicle inspected by the manufacturer. No warning, engine just lost power on the freeway.

NHTSA ODI #11423512

Official recalls

2

16V247000 · 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.

15V340000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Jun 2, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.