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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

Engine complaints

11 reports
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5,020 miles · Oct 31, 2012
EngineService BrakesSteering

FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IDIOT LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH AND THE CARS ENGINE TURNED OFF. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO GET CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. CAR CRANKED RIGHT BACK UP. 5 DAYS LATER WHILE SITTING IN A FAST FOOD LINE, SAME THING HAPPENED AND WAS ABLE TO CRANK CAR. CALLED DEALERSHIP IN TOWN…

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FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IDIOT LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH AND THE CARS ENGINE TURNED OFF. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO GET CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. CAR CRANKED RIGHT BACK UP. 5 DAYS LATER WHILE SITTING IN A FAST FOOD LINE, SAME THING HAPPENED AND WAS ABLE TO CRANK CAR. CALLED DEALERSHIP IN TOWN, BROUGHT CAR IN AND THEY SAID, "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR CAR, COME AND GET IT" PICKED UP CAR. 2 DAYS LATER WHILE DRIVING IT DOWN OUR STREET, I STOPPED TO GET MAIL ABOUT 9PM AND THE CAR TOTALLY DIED. NO POWER AT ALL. WAS STUCK IN PARK HAD TO BE TOWED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE I AM DRIVING!!! THANK GOD THAT IT HAS NOT HAPPENED WHILE GOING 65 MILES AN HOUR WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR. CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP. HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR SEVERAL MONTHS. NOT A GOOD TRACK RECORD SO FAR! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10482817

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.