2012 Ford Flex problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (23) · Engine (6) · Service Brakes (5)
🧭 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
46 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 (47)
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
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 47 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-30 · Steering“there is serious safety trouble occurring with the power steering components, and the brake system. i went to the ford dealership and they said the recalls weren’t fixed back in 2015. and those recalls are the same issues that are occurring with my 2012 ford flex se now. i just bought this vehicle and there is grinding noise when steering my vehicl…”
2025-12-30 · Steering · 180,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 ford flex. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the abs and the esc warnings illuminated. the contact stated that she had recently heard an abnormal grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. the contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined th…”
2025-04-23 · Steering:electric Power Assist System“ford said the recall was fixed 10 years ago, however it went out on me last night. it's been towed to the folsom ford dealership in california, they quoted me $3,000 to fix my power steering assistant failure that had a safety recall and it was a 'safety recall'. i couldn't steer my car. very scary! please investigate this and make sure that it w…”
2025-02-28 · Steering · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 ford flex. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle intermittently became difficult to maneuver. the failure occurred on several occasions, including while the contact was driving. an unknown warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering co…”
2025-02-24 · Steering“vehicle power steering stops working. manual steering is extremely difficult to operate. …”
2024-08-23 · Air Bags“front passenger seat air bag light is on all the time. should i stop driving the car? is this dangerous what does it mean? it is a 2012 ford flex which i love and have not had any trouble with. …”
2024-07-29 · Steering · 108,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 ford flex. the contact stated while his granddaughter was driving 10 mph and attempting to leave a parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. after the failure occurred, the "power steering assist fault" message was displayed. the vehicle was parked, and then the contact drove the vehicle to an independent…”
2024-05-15 · Wheels“i was driving around 55 and suddenly lost control and fish tailed to the right, then to the left over the center line, then back to the right. luckily no other vehicles on the road. the rear driver side toe link broke. i discovered there's a recall for this exact problem with the exact possible worst case scenario that i went through. [ford recal…”
2023-07-21 · Steering“the contact owns a 2012 ford flex. the contact stated while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel stiffened while attempting to steer the vehicle to the left. the power steering failure message was displayed. the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway where the vehicle remained. the contact called the dealer a…”
2023-05-30 · Steering“vehicle power steering will stop working while driving and notification of (power steering assist failure) will appear. vehicle becomes extremely unsafe to operate as the steering wheel is very difficult to move. i reached out to ford and was advised that the recall for this was already repaired and a second recall was opened for vehicles that st…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.