Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 139 safety complaints
about the 2010 Ford Flex with the US government. Of those, 9 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 32 complaints, 23% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 72,000 miles,
the median across the 113
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers February 2010 to September 2025 · How this is counted
What is on file
139 complaints on file
139
Complaints
9
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
4
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
STEERING 32 · 23%
32 23%
ENGINE 30 · 22%
30 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 9%
13 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 12 · 9%
12 9%
POWER TRAIN 12 · 9%
12 9%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 9 · 6%
9 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 · 6%
9 6%
AIR BAGS 8 · 6%
8 6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 8 · 6%
8 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 5%
7 5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 · 5%
7 5%
SUSPENSION 5 · 4%
5 4%
01531
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 139.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2017 at 19.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2010 to 2025.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2010 Ford FLEX, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4-DR. w/SAB
Overall
Not rated
Frontal crash
Not rated
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Not rated
Side barrier
Not rated
Side pole
Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover
15.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
NHTSA made its frontal crash test harder for the 2011 model year, and says ratings from before that change should not be compared with ratings after it.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Recall campaigns
1 on file
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
16V247000 · April 26, 2016
The defect
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."
The risk
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The 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.
Ford Motor Company · up to 695 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1 injured · crash · 64,985 miles
MY WIFE AND I WERE PREPARING TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPACE, OUTSIDE OF AN APPLEBEE'S RESTAURANT. WHEN SHE TAPPED ON THE GAS PADDLE TO PULL INTO THE PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD EXTREMELY FAST, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO JUMP THE CURB. HERE IMMEDIATE REACTION WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO THE RESTAURANT. THANKFULLY THERE WERE NOT ANY CIVILIANS WALKING IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE ONLY PERSON THAT WAS INJURED IS MY WIFE. THE LANDSCAPE AND THE BUILDING WAS DAMAGED; ALONG WITH OUR VEHICLE. OVER $7,500 DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. *TR
NHTSA complaint 10651662. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · 46,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FLEX. WHILE WAITING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, A VEHICLE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A THIRD VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED CONTUSIONS TO THE ABDOMEN AND A LEFT SHOULDER INJURY, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE AIR BAG FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000. UPDATED 12/22/14*LJ UPDATED 01/20/15
NHTSA complaint 10655068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · 98,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD FLEX. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH THE CONTACT CRASHED HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AFTER THE OTHER VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE CRASH. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE POLICE ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT DUE TO THE IMPACT THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO FORCE THE DOOR OPEN IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE CONTACT FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ADVISED THE DEALER THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER STATED THAT WAS A SIGN THAT THE AIR BAG WAS NOT FUNCTIONING; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ALSO ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE CONTACT ADVISED THE …
NHTSA complaint 10660733, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
1 injured · crash · 51,000 miles
ACCELERATED FROM DRIVE MAKING SHARP RIGHT TURN ONTO BUSY STATE ROUTE ROAD. POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY FAILED WHILE ACCELERATING WITH FRONT WHEELS TURNED SHARPLY TO PASSENGER SIDE. STEERING WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE BACK TO CENTER POSITION IN SPITE OF PULLING WITH ALL MY MIGHT (MUSCULAR BUILD). APPLIED BRAKES SHARPLY; VEHICLE EXITED ROAD AND IMPACTED CURB WITH FRONT TIRES..WIFE, AND TWO SMALL CHILDREN PRESENT IN VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC AT SPEED ON ROAD. ONCE STATIC; STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN POSITION; COMPLETELY UNABLE TO BUDGE WHEEL WITH VEHICLE STATIC. CONDUCTED RESEARCH; IDENTIFIED FORD RECALL FOR MODEL YEARS 2011 AND ABOVE WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEM. INFORMED FORD DESIGNED FLAWED AND UNSAFE STEERING …
NHTSA complaint 10806630, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
Leaving home to go to the grocery store and as I exited my street a dash warning came on stating "Power Steering Assist" fault Steering wheel locked up making it impossible for me to steer. Fortunately this happened in a spot where there was no other traffic and I was able to just turn off the car and restart and the message was gone and my steering was restored. I am now terrified to drive my car because if this had happened in traffic there could have been a serious accident because steering capability was non existent. . In reading online this is a very common problem with my make and model and apparently there was a recall by Ford for 2011 and later cars but not 2010 even though it is a …
NHTSA complaint 11688616, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
On the road and power steering went out and was super hard to turn
NHTSA complaint 11668438. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Water ingress into rear side door latch - froze - door opened while car was in motion
NHTSA complaint 11630519. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
towed · 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a metal clicking and scraping sound coming from underneath the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the wheels felt loose. The contact stated that a nearby driver informed her that sparks were coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that a nearby driver identified that the rack and pinion had detached. In addition, the power steering fluid had leaked out onto the ground. The contact was driving on a busy highway during the failure occurred. The contact stated that her grandchildren were in the vehicle when …
NHTSA complaint 11601196, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
crash · towed
While traveling at highway speeds 75+ a loud bang and then control of vehicle was hard to keep on road, swerved left then right, left rear quarter panel hit guard rail and caused car to spin around and went sideways and backwards down a 30 ft embankment. Fortunately did not roll. left side tires came off of rims and damage to driver side door was done. Highway Patrol had car towed to holding lot, where I then got car towed to my mechanic. The left side Lateral stabilizer Rod had broken due to rusted part, causing left rear wheel to go out of alignment. The rubber boot on the rod was attached, rust was internal would never had known about a problem. Had both lateral rods replaced tires …
NHTSA complaint 11582315, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
Vehicle loses power steering intermittently upon vehicle startup as well as in motion. Vehicle is then extremely hard to control without power steering. Message " POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" prints to the instrument cluster above the steering wheel. Turning the vehicle off and back on may resolve problem but it returns within a couple key cycles.
NHTSA complaint 11578913. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed April 26, 2016.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst