IllustrationTHE 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.
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
Seat Belts complaints
4 reportsTHE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT RETRACTOR IS NOT RELEASING THE BELT WHEN TRYING TO BUCKLE IN PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON A TRIP. THIS HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. I AM CONCERNED THE SEATBELT WILL NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. WHEN CONTACTING FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM I WAS ADVISED THAT FORD DOES NOT PROVIDE A LIFETI…
Read full complaint
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT RETRACTOR IS NOT RELEASING THE BELT WHEN TRYING TO BUCKLE IN PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON A TRIP. THIS HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY. I AM CONCERNED THE SEATBELT WILL NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. WHEN CONTACTING FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM I WAS ADVISED THAT FORD DOES NOT PROVIDE A LIFETIME WARRANTY ON ITS SEATBELTS!
2009 FORD FLEX. SECOND ROW PASSENGER OUTBOARD SHOULDER SAFETY RESTRAINT INOPERABLE. NO SIGNIFICANT EVENT OCCURRED PRIOR TO THE INOP CONDITION. CHILD ENTERING SECOND ROW PULLED SEAT BELT FROM D-RING. BELT CAM OUT APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES AND STOPPED. THE BELT WILL NOT RETRACT OR PAY OUT. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ALR LOCK…
Read full complaint
2009 FORD FLEX. SECOND ROW PASSENGER OUTBOARD SHOULDER SAFETY RESTRAINT INOPERABLE. NO SIGNIFICANT EVENT OCCURRED PRIOR TO THE INOP CONDITION. CHILD ENTERING SECOND ROW PULLED SEAT BELT FROM D-RING. BELT CAM OUT APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES AND STOPPED. THE BELT WILL NOT RETRACT OR PAY OUT. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ALR LOCKOUT ISSUE. *TR
IN A HEAD ON COLLISION WITH A PARKED VEHICLE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 TO 50 MPH NONE OF THE AIR BAGS WERE SET OFF AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD THE DRIVER BACK AND HE WAS THROWN INTO THE STEERING WHEEL BENDING THE STEERING WHEEL AND COLUMN. *TR
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.