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2012 Ford Flex: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
27%
16 of 64 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2012 Ford Flex. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 27% of relevant complaints.

Better than 76% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
16
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
64
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
4 crashes · 4 injuries

Complaints by component

STEERING24 · 38%
ENGINE11 · 17%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10 · 16%
SERVICE BRAKES8 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5 · 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5 · 8%

The years either side

2010
44%
56 of 139
2011
37%
51 of 144
2012
27%
16 of 64
2013
18%
94 of 578
2014
33%
77 of 249
2015
30%
31 of 105
2016
17%
16 of 98
2017
8%
3 of 42
2018
6%
4 of 65
2019
4%
10 of 243
2020
no data
2021
no data
2022
no data
2023
no data

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

What owners reported

ENGINE07/20/2021
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 assis…
ENGINE09/26/2020
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.
POWER TRAIN02/28/2020
2012 FORD FLEX LI HAS 70K THOUSAND MILES. WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE STARTED TO HUM. SUDDENLY CAR STARTS TO SHAKE AND GRINDING NOISES COMING FROM CENTER OF VEHICLE AND VEHICLE BECOMES DISABLED IN MID-STREAM DRIVING. VEHICLE SMELLS OF BURNT TRANSMISSION OIL. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON POSSIBLE PROBLEMS, PTU IS IMPROPERLY FI…

Three of 16 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (2)

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 …
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
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 Mila…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2012 Ford Flex

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.