2012 Ford Flex Recalls, Complaints & Specs
2 safety recalls list the 2012 Ford Flex, and owners have filed 64 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
2 safety recalls for the 2012 Ford Flex
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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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…
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…
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Electric power assist system (steering)
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…
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…
64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2012 Ford Flex have filed 64 complaints with NHTSA; 4 describe a crash and 1 describe a fire. Reports cite 4 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 73,019 miles. Complaints peaked in 2016 with 7 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“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 g”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, December 30, 2025 · Steering
“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 weren’t fixed back in 2015. And those recall”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, December 30, 2025 · Service brakes
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2012 Ford Flex (Flex AWD, Flex FWD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 18–19 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 16–17 / 22–24 |
| Fuel | Regular |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 6 cyl, 3.5 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S6); Automatic 6-spd |
Compare Ford Flex model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Flex model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 Ford Flex | 1 | 181 |
| 2010 Ford Flex | 1 | 139 |
| 2011 Ford Flex | 2 | 144 |
| 2012 Ford Flex | 2 | 64 |
| 2013 Ford Flex | 6 | 580 |
| 2014 Ford Flex | 4 | 249 |
| 2015 Ford Flex | 4 | 110 |
| 2016 Ford Flex | 3 | 98 |
| 2017 Ford Flex | 4 | 42 |
| 2018 Ford Flex | 3 | 67 |
| 2019 Ford Flex | 4 | 253 |
Checking a specific 2012 Ford Flex
How do I know if my 2012 Ford Flex has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 2 campaigns currently list the 2012 Ford Flex; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Ford dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 15V340000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Ford models
- F-15037,961 complaints
- Explorer34,566 complaints
- Escape27,430 complaints
- Fusion22,405 complaints
- Focus22,096 complaints
- Taurus18,159 complaints
- Windstar14,158 complaints
- Edge14,065 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.