← New search

2012 Ford Flex

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Fewer warning signs than most model years

Owner complaints for the 2012 Ford Flex are lower than the model-year median of 139.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected 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

46 reports with mileage · 18 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 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
178,000 miles · Jul 20, 2018
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

MY VEHICLE HAS 188,000 MILES ON IT AND IS AN AWD MODEL. IT HAS ALWAYS, UNTIL THE LAST TWO OIL CHANGES EVERY 3000 MILES, BEEN SERVICED BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THE CAR WAS BOUGHT FROM (LEO CAYTES FORD). THE RPMS SKYROCKET TO 3000 - 4000 RPMS WHEN THE CAR IS CONTROLLED BY SPEED CONTROL SUDDENLY, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T SPEED UP. WHE…

Read full complaint

MY VEHICLE HAS 188,000 MILES ON IT AND IS AN AWD MODEL. IT HAS ALWAYS, UNTIL THE LAST TWO OIL CHANGES EVERY 3000 MILES, BEEN SERVICED BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THE CAR WAS BOUGHT FROM (LEO CAYTES FORD). THE RPMS SKYROCKET TO 3000 - 4000 RPMS WHEN THE CAR IS CONTROLLED BY SPEED CONTROL SUDDENLY, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T SPEED UP. WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS RELEASED, THE RPMS DROP TO THE NORMAL SETTING FOR THAT SPEED. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY TIME THE SPEED CONTROL IS USED, BUT, MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AS OF LATE. THE FRONT AWD MECHANISM (BETWEEN THE FRONT WHEELS - PTU????) IS LEAKING AND THE OIL HAS SHAVINGS AND "DIFFERENT COLORS" IN THE FLUID. AND, ON OCCASION THE LEFT INTERIOR FRONT LIGHT ( BY THE REAR VIEW MIRROR) WILL TURN ON BY ITSELF. THESE ARE RECENT EVENTS AND I LOVE MY FLEX AND WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE IF I COULD AFFORD TO DO SO. IT HAS REALLY GIVEN ME NO PROBLEMS FOR THE MOST PART, AND I WOULD SAY, "ITS THE BEST CAR I'VE EVER OWNED, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC!!!! ALSO, ON MOST OCCASIONS, THERE HAS ALWAYS, FROM THE BEGINNING OF OWNERSHIP - BOUGHT NEW - BEEN A PROBLEM IN THE WINTER THAT WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY (PARKED OR AT A LIGHT) WITH THE HEAT ON, IT BLOWS COLD AIR! THE DEALER HAS TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES, BUT, TO NO AVAIL. AS SOON AS THE CAR MOVES, HEAT FUNCTIONS OK!

NHTSA ODI #11112726

40,000 miles · Jan 2, 2018
Air BagsVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING 1 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED BACKWARDS RAPIDLY AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO THE KNEES, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO RICHMOND FO…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING 1 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED BACKWARDS RAPIDLY AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO THE KNEES, WHICH DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO RICHMOND FORD LINCOLN (4600 W BROAD ST, RICHMOND, VA 23230) WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11057995

45,000 miles · Mar 1, 2014
Fuel System, GasolineVehicle Speed Control

VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN OR INCREASE ENGINE POWER: PRESSING DOWN THE THROTTLE HAD NO EFFECT. FIRST I THOUGHT THE ENGINE HAD STALLED. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS THE ENGINE DID FUNCTION AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE, BUT ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM FOR ME BECAUSE IF IT HAPPENS WHILE I AM PASSING A CAR…

Read full complaint

VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN OR INCREASE ENGINE POWER: PRESSING DOWN THE THROTTLE HAD NO EFFECT. FIRST I THOUGHT THE ENGINE HAD STALLED. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS THE ENGINE DID FUNCTION AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES BEFORE, BUT ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM FOR ME BECAUSE IF IT HAPPENS WHILE I AM PASSING A CAR I AM LOSING A MAJOR CONTROL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10566570

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.