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2013 Ford Flex: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
18%
94 of 578 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2013 Ford Flex. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 18% of relevant complaints.

Better than 90% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
94
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
578
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
6
11 crashes · 13 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM200 · 35%
STEERING149 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER78 · 13%
STRUCTURE69 · 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM59 · 10%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING36 · 6%

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

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/04/20134 INJURED
A 2013 FORD FLEX RENTAL VEHICLE USED FOR A 4-HOUR DRIVE FROM THE SAN DIEGO AREA TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA WAS LEAKING GASOLINE FUMES, WHICH KEPT ENTERING THE CABIN AND MADE ALL PASSENGERS NAUSEOUS, INCLUDING AN ELDERLY FEMALE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE A GARAGE OVERNIGHT AND THE FOLLOWING MORNING…
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN06/13/2024CRASH2 INJURED
Steering locked up lower control arm snapped at the ball joint where it's connected to cv axel. Sent my car into the rails and nearly.killed me and my passenger.
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE05/08/2026
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? INTERNAL WATER PUMP/ TIMING CHAINS/ VVT SOLENOIDS/ CAM PHASERS/ CAM SENSORS/ RELATED SEALS How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? ENGINE FAILURE - SUDDEN STOP OF VEHICLE Has the problem been reproduce…

Three of 94 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 (6)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines …
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Explorer Police Utility, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT ve…
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 2013 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.