2011 Ford Flex problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (54) · Engine (16) · Power Train (14)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Flex model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
117 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags:frontal 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V247000 · 695 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2015-06-02 · campaign 15V340000 · 393,623 vehicles
Defect: 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 ste
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (45)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-09-25 · SSM 49210 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2009-2020 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with turbochargers may exhibit an oil leak from the turbocharger oil supply or return tubes, o-rings or 6.7l pedestal gasket. although oil may collect on the turbocharger, it is very rare for a turbocharger to leak oil. to isolate the source of the l
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-08-09 · SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. this is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. hydrofluoric acid can attack the glass and cause visual distortion and/or disc
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2019-07-02 · SSM 48070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2009-2017 expedition/navigator, 2009-2014 f-150/mustang, 2008-2009 sable, 2008-2019 taurus/flex/mkt, 2013-2019 police interceptor sedan/utility, and 2011-2019 explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or intermittent hvac blower motor function at various fan speed settings. this may be due to a
Showing the 6 most recent of 45 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-10 · Suspension“i have had this vehicle since about august 2025, the brakes and wheel bearings have failed twice, the strut failed, the power steering system has messed up repeatedly, the coolant came flying out of the car (while parked) for absolutely no reason! there have been multiple warning lights on since i got the vehicle and i have been told they are just …”
2026-04-28 · Power Train“went to put car in reverse and it kept driving forward- no weird sound or anything. proceeded to put the car in park and it was still moving forward. transmission was stuck on drive.the shifter is disconnected from the transmission with no warning .just looked and the transmission shifter bushing is disconnected. also saw that this part is a recall…”
2025-10-22 · Steering“i had changed all my bulbs and fuses to my car for my brake lights several times and they still don’t work. my car almost got hit with me and my kids in it due to my break lights not working. also my car keeps saying service advance trac and keeps saying it every time i drive. my car also keeps running out of power steering fluid every two week i h…”
2025-10-18 · Wheels“my brakes locked up suddenly on the rear end causing me to get stuck in the middle of the road and unable to move it, even to tow it. i had to take 2 days almost to fix it in the middle of the road, since yesterday morning. they also began locking up suddenly on the front end, the wheel bearing, cv joint, tie rods, cv axles, cv boots, and sway bars…”
2025-08-18 · Steering · 170,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to start the vehicle, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering module link needed to be replaced. the vehicle was…”
2025-05-08 · Steering“electric power steering lights up and steering wheel locks up, can hardly make it move at it. we turn the car off and turn it back on. sometimes the power steering returns, sometimes it doesn't and we can't drive the car. we called the dealer after this happened and they said it was an ecoboost flex and wasn't included in the safety recall 15s18 n…”
2024-12-30 · Steering · 118,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. the service power steering warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnos…”
2024-07-23 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“this accident didn’t involve myself. it involved my father who borrowed my 2011 ford flex for the evening. this was a one vehicle accident. it is unknown what happened to cause him to swerve and hit a hit. the air bags didn’t deploy in the vehicle. my father was wearing his seatbelt. an electric fire started and the car burnt along with my father h…”
2024-01-26 · Steering“loss of power steering driving down interstate. service power steering and service advance trac lights came on. had to call for tow…”
2024-01-18 · Steering · 125,436 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. the contact coasted to the side of the roadway and had the vehicle towed. the failure occurred intermittently. the contact would make several attempts to start the vehicle to regain normal functionality; however, th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.