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2017 Ford Flex: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
8%
3 of 42 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2017 Ford Flex. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 8% of relevant complaints.

Better than 98% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
3
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
42
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
2 crashes · 2 injuries

Complaints by component

UNKNOWN OR OTHER13 · 31%
SUSPENSION13 · 31%
BACK OVER PREVENTION7 · 17%
VISIBILITY/WIPER4 · 10%
STRUCTURE3 · 7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3 · 7%

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

ENGINE04/17/2026
I am submitting this complaint to report a serious and potentially dangerous safety defect involving the internal water pump design in the 3.5L Duratec V6 engine used in my 2017 Ford Flex. The water pump in this engine is mounted internally behind the timing chain cover. When the pump fails, coolant is not externally …
POWER TRAIN09/24/2023
Engine stopped turning while car was in motion, which shut the car down. An oil pump failure is suspected.
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN05/31/2022
AWD indicator states off while driving at times without warning. Also leaking sludge. Now need to replace PTU and FORD AWD vehicles are known for this issue... Needs to be recalled as system can fail and explode.. This is supposed last the lifetime of the vehicle and is not set up for maintenance causing the system to …

Three of 3 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 (4)

SUSPENSION:REAR
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear susp…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Util…
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2…

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

Before you buy a 2017 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.