IllustrationTHE STEERING BECAME TIGHT AND DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE SHOP AND AFTER INVESTIGATION THEY SAID THE ENTIRE STEERING SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. FORD SAYS THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN HAS TO BE DONE. FORD NEEDS TO EXPAND THE RECALL AS IT IS AFFECTING MORE MODELS.
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 →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
200–25K
1525–50K
2550–75K
1075–100K
35100–150K
12150K+
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
Steering complaints
57 reportsWHILE ENTERING MY PARKING GATE WHEELS LOCKED AND I COULD TURN STEERING WHEEL, SAW STEERING DEFAULT FLASHING ON DASH READING. TURNED OFF CAR PUT STEERING INTO PARK AND WAITED. TRIED TO START CAR IT WAS PHYSICAL HARD TO TRUN WHEELS TO ENTER M YPARKING AREA. GOT IT PARKED AND HAD TO WAIT FOR MONDAY TO CALL FORD DEALER TO TOW CAR …
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WHILE ENTERING MY PARKING GATE WHEELS LOCKED AND I COULD TURN STEERING WHEEL, SAW STEERING DEFAULT FLASHING ON DASH READING. TURNED OFF CAR PUT STEERING INTO PARK AND WAITED. TRIED TO START CAR IT WAS PHYSICAL HARD TO TRUN WHEELS TO ENTER M YPARKING AREA. GOT IT PARKED AND HAD TO WAIT FOR MONDAY TO CALL FORD DEALER TO TOW CAR FOR SERVICE. THEY COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM, BUT THE DEFAULT STEERING FREEZES THE WHEELS HAS HAPPEN TWO MORE TIMES. I REPEATED TURNING OFF KEY AND RESTARTING THE CAR. DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING, FEARFUL IT MAY HAPPEN WHILE ON FREEWAY OR BUSY STREETS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD FLEX. WHILE AT THE DEALER FOR UNRELATED SERVICE, THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.
DRIVING MY 2011 FORD FLEX A WARNING CAME ON FOR "SERVICE POWER STEERING" BEFORE THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS WARNING AND THE INCIDENT NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR
ON AUGUST 8, 2011 AND FEBRUARY 8, 2012, MY NEW FLEX SHUT DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLASHED ON, AND THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF - TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE - COULDN'T ACCELERATE OR BRAKE - HAD TO PAINFULLY PULL CAR OFF THE ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. FORD DEALER PERFORMED DIAGNOSTICS TO NO AVAIL, AS WHEN THE …
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ON AUGUST 8, 2011 AND FEBRUARY 8, 2012, MY NEW FLEX SHUT DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLASHED ON, AND THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF - TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE - COULDN'T ACCELERATE OR BRAKE - HAD TO PAINFULLY PULL CAR OFF THE ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. FORD DEALER PERFORMED DIAGNOSTICS TO NO AVAIL, AS WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN, I TURNED THE KEY OFF, THEN BACK ON AGAIN - THIS DESTROYED THE DATA. SEEMS LIKE A FUNDAMENTAL DATA SYSTEM FLAW. NONETHELESS, I DROVE AWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN FEAR, ONLY TO HAVE THE INCIDENT RECUR SIX MONTHS LATER. NOW I AM DRIVING WITH A DATA FLIGHT RECORDER FOR A MERE TEN DAYS, THE BUTTON OF WHICH I MUST PUSH, IF AND WHEN THE CAR SHUTS DOWN AGAIN. WITHOUT RECORDED DATA, THOUGH FORD BELIEVES MY REPORT, I SEEM TO HAVE NO RECOURSE WITH FORD. I NOW AM DRIVING IN FEAR FOR MY OWN AND OTHERS' LIVES. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE? *TR
INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES IN A 6 MONTH PERIOD. FAILURES ON INITIAL VEHICLE START, TRACTION/STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE IS INDICATED. STEERING WHEEL IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN DUE TO LACK OF POWER ASSIST. TURNING CAR OFF AND RESTARTING WILL CLEAR FAILURE INDICATION. …
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INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST. THIS HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES IN A 6 MONTH PERIOD. FAILURES ON INITIAL VEHICLE START, TRACTION/STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE IS INDICATED. STEERING WHEEL IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN DUE TO LACK OF POWER ASSIST. TURNING CAR OFF AND RESTARTING WILL CLEAR FAILURE INDICATION. REPORTED TO FORD DEALER, FORD WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE INTERMITTENT ISSUE. *TR
CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY AND ONCE ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN BOTH TIMES POWER STEERING WAS GONE. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING BECAUSE IT DID NOT LEAVE A SIGNATURE. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP SHOP FOR TWO WEEKS NOW. *TR
Official recalls
216V247000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.