Problem Lookup âș Ford âș Flex âș 2012
Car problem report
2012 Ford Flex problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2012 Ford Flex has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated November 2, 2026.
- 2safety recalls
- 64owner complaints
- 4crash reports
- 1fire report
- 4injuries reported
64 complaints, against an average of 201 for the other 7 Ford Flex model years.
Every Ford Flex model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2012 Ford Flex?
The components named most often in the 64 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2012 Ford Flex owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 64 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2012 Ford Flex been recalled?
2 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Air Bags: Frontal 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 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.
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.
What do 2012 Ford Flex owners report?
12 of the 64 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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 that the ABS sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic had heard the abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel but had not run a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had researched online and hadâŠ
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 werenât 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 vehicle and the ABS brake system comes on as soon as I crank up the vehicle and the brake goes down to the floor too loosely. The dealership says these potential recalls were noted for this 2012 Ford Flex in 2015. But the owner at the time didnât have themâŠ
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 was fixed right the first time. it should not have gone out. I hardly drive my car. thank you
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.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated while rolling down the driverâs side window, she noticed some resistance and black marks at the bottom of the window. The contact stated that the seal around the window was deteriorating. The contact also stated that the failure was occurring on all the windows. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired however, the failure recurred and persisted. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 126,828.
THROTTLE BODY HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED ON MY 2012 FORD FLEX. LOOKING AT VEHICLE HISTORY, THE SAME THROTTLE BODY HAS RECALLS FOR DIFFERENT MODELS. YESTERDAY, 9/252020, I HAD MY FLEX DIE ON ME THREE TIMES ON THE INTERSTATE DURING TRAFFIC. THE MILAGE IS UNDER 100K MILES. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE DIES IS WHEN IM UNDER 30 MPH.
2012 FORD FLEX LI HAS 70K THOUSAND MILES. WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE STARTED TO HUM. SUDDENLY CAR STARTS TO SHAKE AND GRINDING NOISES COMING FROM CENTER OF VEHICLE AND VEHICLE BECOMES DISABLED IN MID-STREAM DRIVING. VEHICLE SMELLS OF BURNT TRANSMISSION OIL. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON POSSIBLE PROBLEMS, PTU IS IMPROPERLY FILLED WITH EXTREMELY LOW AMOUNTS OF LUBRICANT FROM FACTORY. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH, SEE LEAKING OIL FROM PTU WHICH IS ALREADY LOW. I WAS LUCKY TO BE DRIVING AT A SLOWER SPEED OR THE SHAKING AND VIBRATIONS COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT DUE TO POOR DESIGN FLAWS. A RECALL IS A MUST.
10/15/2019 CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE WITH WRENCH SHOWING. TURNED THE CAR OFF AD BACK ON TO SEE IF IT WOULD HELP AS IT DID THIS WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ON A CITY STREET. IT PROCEEDED TO RETURN TO LIMP MODE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. CAR WAS TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO INDICATED THE CODES THROWN WERE FOR A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. A FEW DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR A SECOND TIME ALONG WITH THE PCM. ABOUT 10 DAYS LATER THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AGAIN AND THIS TIME SOME WIRING WAS REPLACED AND WE ARE WAITING ONâŠ
MY VEHICLE HAS 188,000 MILES ON IT AND IS AN AWD MODEL. IT HAS ALWAYS, UNTIL THE LAST TWO OIL CHANGES EVERY 3000 MILES, BEEN SERVICED BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THE CAR WAS BOUGHT FROM (LEO CAYTES FORD). THE RPMS SKYROCKET TO 3000 - 4000 RPMS WHEN THE CAR IS CONTROLLED BY SPEED CONTROL SUDDENLY, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T SPEED UP. WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS RELEASED, THE RPMS DROP TO THE NORMAL SETTING FOR THAT SPEED. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY TIME THE SPEED CONTROL IS USED, BUT, MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AS OF LATE. THE FRONT AWD MECHANISM (BETWEEN THE FRONT WHEELS - PTU????) IS LEAKING AND THE OIL HASâŠ
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FLEX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE ENCLOSED GARAGE ATTACHED TO HIS HOME, A BURNING ELECTRICAL ODOR WAS NOTICED. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE GARAGE AND NOTICED FLAMES SURROUNDING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND FLAMES WERE VISIBLE BETWEEN THE REAR OF THE ENGINE AND WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS WERE NOT NOTIFIED. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL HIS AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THEâŠ
BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS STUCK SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, GOING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL ROAD, WHEN THERE WAS A THUMP FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE (FRONT) WHEEL. IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BRAKE PADS WANTED TO FALL OUT. THERE WERE NO OBSTRUCTIONS, DEBRIS, POTHOLES AND I WAS NOT BRAKING AT THE TIME. TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR EVALUATION, WHERE THE MECHANICS ADVISED BOTH CALIPERS WERE BAD. I HAD TO HAVE BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS, ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS NOT DRIVEN HARD OR THROUGH HARSH CONDITIONS. SIMILAR EVENT OCCURREDâŠ
2012 Ford Flex: questions owners ask
Is the 2012 Ford Flex reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 64 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Flex; the most common categories were steering (24, 37.5%), engine (11, 17.2%), electrical system (10, 15.6%). There are 2 safety recalls. 4 complaints mention a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 4 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Ford Flex?
Across 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are steering (37.5% of complaints), engine (17.2% of complaints), electrical system (15.6% of complaints), service brakes (12.5% of complaints), fuel/propulsion system (7.8% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2012 Ford Flex have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2012 Ford Flex; the most recent (campaign 16V247000, 2016-04-26) concerns Air Bags: Frontal. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does the power steering fail or feel heavy on my 2012 Ford Flex?
9 of the 64 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Ford Flex (14.1%) describe power steering failing, locking up or turning heavy. A related recall exists: campaign 15V340000 (steering: electric power assist system). The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). One owner wrote: "Complete loss of power steering and steering effectiveness. Warning message on display said âpower steering assist faultâ." (NHTSA complaint 11512341, March 2023). Recall repairs are free at a dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2012 Ford Flex stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
5 of the 64 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Ford Flex (7.8%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "Complete loss of power steering and steering effectiveness. Warning message on display said âpower steering assist faultâ." (NHTSA complaint 11512341, March 2023). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Flex
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved November 2, 2026. Model year 2012 only. How these reports are made.