2012 Ford Flex: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
64
Complaints
2
Recalls
4
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
4
Injuries
84.4
Severity index
Severity index 84.4 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Ford Flex ranks 43 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 67% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 24 | 37.5% |
| ENGINE | 11 | 17.2% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 | 15.6% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 8 | 12.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 7.8% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 7.8% |
| STRUCTURE | 4 | 6.2% |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 | 6.2% |
The single most-reported system is STEERING, cited in 24 of 64 complaints (37.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 5 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V247000 | 26/04/2016 | 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 |
| 15V340000 | 02/06/2015 | 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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.