Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2010 Ford Flex submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
While driving car suddenly losses power and the wrench light comes on. Loss of power with the car transmission wont move the car at all. have to pull over and turn off car about 5min then start it back up and now everything works with no codes. Happened 3 times.VERY DANGEROUS BECUASE CAR LOSSES POWER AND CARS BEHIND YOU ALMOST HITS YOU.
POWER TAKE OFF UNIT OR POWER TRANSFER UNIT STARTED MAKING A LOUD WHINING SOUND STARTING AT 40 MPH. NOW BEING TOLD THE UNIT MUST BE REPLACED. LOOKING ONLINE AND SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE MAJORITY OF FOR FLEX AND FORD EDGE.
VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION 45+ MPH OR SO DRIVEN ON A DECLINE LONG WINDING ROAD. VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR FROM MUCH HIGHER GEAR CAUSING RAPID DECELERATION AND ALMOST REAR END COLLISION, PULLED IN REST AREA VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO GEAR SELECT WHEN STOPPED AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. TURNED OFF VEHICLE AND PUT INTO PARK LET SIT AND RESTARTED TRANS WORKED NOTICEABLE THUNK WHEN PUTTING INTO REVERSE AFTER LONG DRIVING NOW, VEHICLE IS ALL WHEEL DRIVE.
TRANSMISSION AND POWER TRANSFER UNIT (PTU). THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SHIFTING AWKWARDLY SINCE 10,000 MILES. HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE. A MECHANIC AT LARRY H. MILLER FORD, IN LAKEWOOD CO, RECENTLY TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION MIGHT OR SHOULD BE RECALLED IN THE FUTURE. AT 87,506 MILES THE PTU WENT OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1,692.26. THE PTU CAME ORIGINALLY WITHOUT A DRAIN PLUG AND WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SERVICE. REPLACEMENT PTU DOES HAVE A DRAIN PUG. I BELIEVE BOTH THE TRANSMISSION AND PTU ARE DEFECTIVE DESIGNS AND NEED TO BE RECALLED.
TOTAL MOTOR FAILURE WHEN DRIVING! TRANSMISSION FREQUENTLY SLIPS. MOTOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. WHEN PRESSURE EXHAUST FOR ECOBOOST IS REDIRECTED TO CYLINDER 3 AND 5 THE HEAD GASKET FAILS ALLOWING WATER TO ENTER THE HEAD OF MOTOR WHICH THEM STEAM FRIES THE CYLINDERS. THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THE 2010 FLEX WITH ECBOOST AND NEED TO BE RECALLED ASAP! MOTORS UP TO 100,000. MINE HAD 74000 WHEN FAILURE OCCURRED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FLEX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION TRANSFER CASE BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.
ORIGINAL OWNER 2010 FORD FLEX, ECOBOOST ENGINE: SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WITH SHUDDERING AND STALL IN FAST LANE; UP HILL WHILE PASSING AT SPEED, 60MPH TO 20MPH IN SECONDS CAUSING NEAR COLLISION FROM BEHIND. ENGINE WOULD NOT RECOVER, 20MPH IN FAST LANE WITH SEMI'S AND SPEEDING TRAFFIC, NO PULL-OFF AREA. CLEAR DRY DAY, TEMPERATURE AROUND 55 DEGREE. NOT THE FIRST TIME ENGINE SHUDDERING EXPERIENCED, BUT THE MOST DANGEROUS. ALWAYS OCCURS DURING ACCELERATION (PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC OR PASSING, ETC.). BEGAN TO NOTICE LOSS OF POWER, WHINING AND GRINDING NOISES FROM TURBOS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO; SUBSEQUENT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF BOTH TURBO CHARGERS WITH BILLOWING BLACK SMOKE AND OIL DRIPPING FROM EXHAUSTS. 38K MILES, GARAGE KEPT, ALL SERVICE POINTS MAINTAINED, DRIVEN LIKE GRANDMOTHER SINCE NEW. FIST THE REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING AT 18K MILES, NOW ENGINE FAILURE AT 38K. DO SOMETHING NTSB BEFORE THESE VEHICLES KILL SOMEONE! *TR
V6 ECOBOOST ENGINE, HAS SAME ACCELERATION / STALLING SYMPTOMS AS THE F150 ECOBOOST HAPPENS SEVERAL TIME A WEEK, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO HELP WHEN IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. STARTED WITHIN MONTHS OF PURCHASE (NEW) IN 2010. HTTP://WWW.LATIMES.COM/NEWS/LA-FI-HY-FORD-F150-ECOBOOST-INVESTIGATION-20130526,0,2968753.STORY. *TR
SITTING AT RED LIGHT..FOOT ON BRAKE...CAR LURCHED FORWARD ALMOST HITTING CAR IN FRONT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES. THIRD TIME MARCH 29, 2013 CAR WAS COASTING ABOUT 2-5 MILES AN HOUR...SUDDEN ACCELERATION SO CAR LURCHED FORWARD. *TR
SUDDEN LEAKING PTU CAUSED FAILURE AND FLUID TO CATCH FIRE WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN EXPOSED TO EXHAUST DIRECTLY UNDER UNIT . DAMAGE ALSO RESULTED IN TRANSMISSION HOUSING DAMAGE AND SEVERE POWERTRAIN FAILURE. FORD HAD TWO TBS TO REPLACE PTU HOWEVER NOT ISSUED ANY RECALL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS VIOLENTLY JERKING INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER MADE FOUR ATTEMPTS TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 20,000. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
AFTER OWNING THE NEW VEHICLE FOR THREE MONTHS IT STARTED RANDOMLY SLIPPING INTO NEUTRAL. AT FIRST, IT DID THIS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP (WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS IN BUSY INTERSECTIONS, LEFT TURNS AND MERGING). IT NOW DOES IT THEN AND IN ADDITION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS - 50+. IT ALSO AT TIMES HAS ENGINE SURGES WHEN AT A COMPLETE STOP. IT ALSO SURGES AND HESITATES AT 45MPH TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AT TIMES CAUSING SUCH A SPEED VARIANCE THAT IT WILL SHUT CRUISE CONTROL OFF, SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND RAPIDLY DECELERATE BEFORE CORRECTING ITSELF. THERE HAVE BEEN 5 REPAIR ATTEMPTS AT A FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THEY SENT IT HOME WITH ME UNTIL IT DOES IT "ALL THE TIME" OR BREAKS DOWN. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .