Your vehicle report
2011 Ford Flex
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 144
- Received Oct 2010 to May 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving21 complaints · 15% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly19 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract8 complaints · 5.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #16V247000Ford 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."
- Recall #15V340000Ford 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 5 crashes, 1 fire, 9 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 16 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Power steering cuts out while driving
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
- Tires blow out or tread separates
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 11 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 18 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 12 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 2 |
| Total | 144 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 21 | 15% | – | NHTSA recall #15V340000 |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 19 | 13% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 8 | 5.6% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 4.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 4.2% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 6 | 4.2% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 5 | 3.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 5 | 3.5% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 4 | 2.8% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 2.1% | – | NHTSA recall #16V247000 |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 2.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 2.1% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 2.1% | – | |
| Exhaust smell enters cabin during acceleration | 3 | 2.1% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 3 | 2.1% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 2.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #16V247000April 26, 2016695 vehicles affected
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."
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.
NHTSA recall #15V340000June 2, 2015393,623 vehicles affected
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.
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 customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2011 Ford Flex.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN