The Lemon Index

All cars · Ford Flex · 2012

2012 Ford Flex. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index54100 = average car
Complaints17NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold28,224U.S. model year
Per 100K sold60complaints
Complaint rank#3 of 10among the 10 scored Ford Flex model years (2009–2019); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 8,200 and 45,000 miles. Median 26,000, from 16 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Electrical35%
Brakes29%
Steering18%
Engine18%
Body structure18%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
1710200

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 2

  • 16V247000 Apr 2016 Air Bags / Frontal

    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.

    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 Jun 2015 Steering / Electric Power Assist System

    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 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.

    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 custome

Manufacturer communications 47

Ford filed 47 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Intermittent ikt
  • Steering related noises
  • Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Ford Flex SUV AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆
Ford Flex SUV FWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
3.5L 6-cylAuto 6-spdFWD17 / 24 / 19Regular$3,300
3.5L 6-cylAuto 6-spdAWD16 / 23 / 18Regular$3,450
3.5L 6-cyl turboAuto (S6)AWD16 / 22 / 18Regular$3,450

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
20091295553,174Brakes
2010813834,227Brakes
2011893227,608Engine
2012541728,224Electrical
201357819225,953Electrical
20141835023,822Electrical
2015–30–Fuel system

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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