Your vehicle report
2014 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
- 249
- Received Feb 2014 to Jul 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving31 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Rearview backup camera fails or goes black20 complaints · 8.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Door ajar light stays on when closed19 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #20V072000Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
- Recall #16V621000Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines and 2013-2015 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor vehicles. A component within the fuel pump electric module (PEM) may overheat causing a loss of electrical power to the fuel pump.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Power steering cuts out while drivingFirst signal: Mar 2017
- Rearview backup camera fails or goes blackFirst signal: Dec 2024
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 11 crashes, 2 fires, 10 people injured, 0 deaths.
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 18 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
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 |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 19 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 31 |
| 2019 | 37 |
| 2020 | 39 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 17 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 26 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 6 |
| Total | 249 |
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 | 31 | 12% | 9.2× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Mar 2017 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.5% |
| Rearview backup camera fails or goes black | 20 | 8.0% | 15.6× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Dec 2024 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.2% |
| Door ajar light stays on when closed | 19 | 7.6% | – | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 18 | 7.2% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 17 | 6.8% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 16 | 6.4% | – | NHTSA recall #16V621000 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 9 | 3.6% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 9 | 3.6% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 8 | 3.2% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 7 | 2.8% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 6 | 2.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 2.4% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 5 | 2.0% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Exhaust smell enters cabin during acceleration | 3 | 1.2% | – |
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 #20V072000February 10, 2020211,207 vehicles affected
suspension: rear
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.
NHTSA recall #16V621000August 25, 201677,502 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines and 2013-2015 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor vehicles. A component within the fuel pump electric module (PEM) may overheat causing a loss of electrical power to the fuel pump.
A loss of power to the fuel pump will cause the engine to stall or prevent the vehicle from starting, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel PEM part number and replace the fuel PEM, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S31.
NHTSA recall #14V710000November 7, 2014113,418 vehicles affected
seats
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford F-150 and Flex vehicles manufactured March 1, 2014, to May 31, 2014. The affected vehicles were manufactured with a reduced clearance between the seat frame and the seat track assembly. This can cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to inaccurately register passenger weight and improperly suppress the passenger front airbag when the passenger seat is occupied by an adult passenger. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Improper suppression of the passenger airbag increases the risk of an injury to the seat occupant in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front passenger airbag.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will widen the gap between the seat frame and seat track assembly and recalibrate the seat OCS, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14C10.
NHTSA recall #14V393000July 2, 201483,250 vehicles affected
power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.
If the halfshaft and linkshaft become disengaged while driving, power will no longer be transmitted to the wheels, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, if the parking brake is not applied before exiting the vehicle, the vehicle may roll away despite the transmission being placed in 'Park', increasing the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.
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 2014 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