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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.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
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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

Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints

2 reports
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33,024 miles · Mar 4, 2015
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)

I WAS REVERSING FROM MY DRIVEWAY GOING LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HR. WHEN MY VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN GOING AT A FAST SPEED LOSING TOTAL CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN FINALLY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND DIED OUT. I COULD OF KILLED SOMEONE OR HIT SOMETHING IF THEY WERE BEHIND ME. I TOOK MY FLEX TO SERVICE D…

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I WAS REVERSING FROM MY DRIVEWAY GOING LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HR. WHEN MY VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN GOING AT A FAST SPEED LOSING TOTAL CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN FINALLY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND DIED OUT. I COULD OF KILLED SOMEONE OR HIT SOMETHING IF THEY WERE BEHIND ME. I TOOK MY FLEX TO SERVICE DEPT. AT DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY. IT WAS REPLACED AND NO MENTION OF RECALL. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10692193

8,000 miles · Jul 28, 2014
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH ADVANCE TRAC AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. OCCURS EVERY FIVE TO SIX MONTHS. SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC INDICATOR COMES ON ALONG WITH CONTROL ISSUES IN RAIN AND SNOW, BRAKE LIGHTS NOT SHUTTING OFF, CRUISE CONTROL NOT OPERATING AND IGNITION SYSTEM HAS QUIT WORKING. NOT ALL OF THIS HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME BUT THE RECUR…

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MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH ADVANCE TRAC AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. OCCURS EVERY FIVE TO SIX MONTHS. SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC INDICATOR COMES ON ALONG WITH CONTROL ISSUES IN RAIN AND SNOW, BRAKE LIGHTS NOT SHUTTING OFF, CRUISE CONTROL NOT OPERATING AND IGNITION SYSTEM HAS QUIT WORKING. NOT ALL OF THIS HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME BUT THE RECURRING ISSUE IS THE ADVANCE TRAC SYSTEM AND THEN ANOTHER PART OF THE SYSTEM FAILS OR HAS PROBLEMS ALONG WITH THE SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC WARNING. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10616891

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.