Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Ford Flex submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 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
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired however, the failure recurred and persisted. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 126,828.
THROTTLE BODY HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED ON MY 2012 FORD FLEX. LOOKING AT VEHICLE HISTORY, THE SAME THROTTLE BODY HAS RECALLS FOR DIFFERENT MODELS. YESTERDAY, 9/252020, I HAD MY FLEX DIE ON ME THREE TIMES ON THE INTERSTATE DURING TRAFFIC. THE MILAGE IS UNDER 100K MILES. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE DIES IS WHEN IM UNDER 30 MPH.
10/15/2019 CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE WITH WRENCH SHOWING. TURNED THE CAR OFF AD BACK ON TO SEE IF IT WOULD HELP AS IT DID THIS WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ON A CITY STREET. IT PROCEEDED TO RETURN TO LIMP MODE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. CAR WAS TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO INDICATED THE CODES THROWN WERE FOR A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. A FEW DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY FOR A SECOND TIME ALONG WITH THE PCM. ABOUT 10 DAYS LATER THE CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE AGAIN AND THIS TIME SOME WIRING WAS REPLACED AND WE ARE WAITING ON THE ECM. IT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE WHEN THIS OCCURS AND WE ARE FEARFUL THE PROBLEM WILL NOT BE FIXED SINCE IT HAS BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE SHOP FOUR TIMES NOW; WE ARE ALSO AFRAID TO TRAVEL ON THE HIGHWAY FOR FEAR THE CAR WILL GO INTO LIMP MODE DROPPING FROM 65 MILES PER HOUR TO 5 ALSO IMMEDIATELY. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH SEVERAL MAKES AND MODELS OF VEHICLES ACCORDING TO COMMON REPAIR COMPLAINTS BUT ESPECIALLY FORD. COSTS OF REPAIR AND TROUBLE SHOOTING IS ALSO PROBLEMATIC. A COMPLAINT IS ALSO BEING FILED WITH FORD.
BAD THROTTLE BODY. STALL WHEN DRIVING AND JERKY MOTION, BOTH WHEN GOING SLOW AND WHEN GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. RED WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON, PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD SHUT OFF AND TURN BACK ON AND DRIVES FINE UNTIL THE NEXT TIME. I HAD IT REPLACED W/ BRAND NEW PART AT A SHOP AND IT IS STILL MALFUNCTIONING.
WE HAVE A 2012 FORD FLEX NORMALLY ASPIRATED ENGINE. STARTING IN AUGUST, WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH OUR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WHICH CAUSED OUR CAR TO SHUT DOWN. WE HAD THE PART REPLACED, SHORTLY AFTER A SIMILAR PROBLEM OCCURRED. THIS WAS DUE TO THE DEALERSHIP FRYING THE COMPUTER. THIS WAS REPLACED, BY THE DEALERSHIP, AFTER CALLING FORD DIRECTLY. IN FEBRUARY, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY FAILED AGAIN. REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED LAST NIGHT AND THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. ALL SIGNS POINT TOWARD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY AGAIN. EVERY TIME THIS ISSUE ARISES, THE CAR GOES INTO A SAFE MODE WHILE TRAVELING DOWN BUSY STREETS. THIS RESULTS IN SPEEDS OF AROUND 5 MILES PER HOUR AND CAN CAUSE MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE AND THE PART INSTALLED ARE NO LONGER CONSIDERED SAFE TO DRIVE ANY DISTANCE GREATER THAN FIVE MILES FROM OUR RESIDENCE, IN CASE WE NEED TO GET HOME. TO CLARIFY, THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION .
OIL SEPERATOR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FLEX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE ENCLOSED GARAGE ATTACHED TO HIS HOME, A BURNING ELECTRICAL ODOR WAS NOTICED. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE GARAGE AND NOTICED FLAMES SURROUNDING THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT OPENED THE HOOD AND FLAMES WERE VISIBLE BETWEEN THE REAR OF THE ENGINE AND WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS WERE NOT NOTIFIED. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL HIS AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHOM DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AS BEING RELATED TO THE WIRING HARNESS LEADING TO THE POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TOWED TO CAPITAL FORD LINCOLN OF ROCKY MOUNT (2012 STONE ROSE DR, ROCKY MOUNT, NC 27804 (252) 977-1234) WHERE THE WIRING HARNESS WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000. CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING, NOR WAS THERE A KEY IN THE IGNITION AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE. UPDATED 9/13/18*JB
DRIVING UP AN ON RAMP TO AN INTERSTATE, SUDDENLY ALL THE LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING ON THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY. I COULD NOT SEE ANY SPEED OR DRIVING INFORMATION. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND IT WOULD NOT RESTART. NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN WHEN I TURNED THE KEY, DASHBOARD LIGHTS STILL FLASHED. CAR RESTARTED AFTER 5 MINUTES AND I DROVE IT DIRECTLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT GRAPPONE FORD IN CONCORD, NH MY DEALERSHIP THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE AGAIN FLASHING AND I COULD NOT SEE ANY DATA.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT INCIDENCES THAT HAVE OCCURRED. (1) WHILE TURNING A CORNER OR SLOWING DOWN THE A/C WILL SHUT DOWN. (2) THE CONTROL PANEL INSTRUMENTS WILL GO ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE RIGHT AND THEN SURGE FORWARD WHEN TURNING A CORNER. (3) CAR HAS DIED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ESPECIALLY WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE ONTO HIGHWAY. (4) A/C WILL TURN ON BY ITSELF AND BLOW ON MAXIMUM EVEN WHEN POWER SWITCH IS TURNED OFF. (5) WHEN CAR LOSES POWER, ALL CODES ARE RESET SO DEALER IS UNABLE TO GET A CLEAR REASON WHY CAR IS DOING THIS. WE HAD A BLACK BOX INSTALLED FOR TWO WEEKS WITH SOME RESULTS PINPOINTED BUT AFTER IT WAS "FIXED" WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. DEALER CONNECTED A COMPUTER WHILE WE DROVE AROUND BLOCK AND THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT WE WERE PUSHING THE BRAKE AND GAS AT SAME TIME...NOT POSSIBLE! THE READING WAS THAT THE BRAKE HAD BEEN TOUCHED MORE THAN 2000 TIMES WHILE DRIVING 20 MILES. WE HAVE HAD THIS CAR IN REPAIR SHOP 8 TIMES AND NO RESOLUTION YET. DEALER SAID THEY WOULD STAND BEHIND VEHICLE WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AT NO COST WHILE WE TRIED TO FIND PROBLEMS BUT NOW WARRANTY IS UP AND THEY WANT US TO PAY FOR EXTENDED WARRANTY. WE WERE TOLD BY DEALERSHIP THAT IF WE APPLY FOR LEMON LAW THAT WE WOULD MOST LIKELY LOSE THE CASE AND IT WOULD ONLY COST US MONEY. ACCORDING TO TEXAS LAW...THIS CAR DEFINITELY QUALIFIES~ WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM OUR ATTORNEY. I HOPE NO ONE ELSE BUYS THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE~ *TR
MY 2012 NEW FORD FLEX HAD COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE 3 TIMES 1-27 DRIVING..COMPLETE SHUT DOWN. I CRUISED TO CURB. RESTARTED QUICKLY 2-01 SAME INCIDENT 2-02 REPEAT ON MAJOR STREET DEALERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. THEY HAVE HD MY VEHICLE SINCE 2-02. *TR
FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR. IDIOT LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH AND THE CARS ENGINE TURNED OFF. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO GET CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF ROAD. CAR CRANKED RIGHT BACK UP. 5 DAYS LATER WHILE SITTING IN A FAST FOOD LINE, SAME THING HAPPENED AND WAS ABLE TO CRANK CAR. CALLED DEALERSHIP IN TOWN, BROUGHT CAR IN AND THEY SAID, "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR CAR, COME AND GET IT" PICKED UP CAR. 2 DAYS LATER WHILE DRIVING IT DOWN OUR STREET, I STOPPED TO GET MAIL ABOUT 9PM AND THE CAR TOTALLY DIED. NO POWER AT ALL. WAS STUCK IN PARK HAD TO BE TOWED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE I AM DRIVING!!! THANK GOD THAT IT HAS NOT HAPPENED WHILE GOING 65 MILES AN HOUR WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR. CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP. HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR SEVERAL MONTHS. NOT A GOOD TRACK RECORD SO FAR! *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 .