The 2011 Ford Flex has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 394,318 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 178 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS16V2470002016-04-26695 affected
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…
Consequence
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
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.
STEERING15V3400002015-06-02393,623 affected
Defect
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 Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford…
Consequence
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated,…
Complaints by component
STEERING
56
1crashes
ENGINE
25
2injuries
POWER TRAIN
16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
2crashes1fires3injuries1deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
1crashes1fires1injuries1deaths
SERVICE BRAKES
8
1crashes
SEATS
7
2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
2injuries
WHEELS
5
Total complaints178
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I have had this vehicle since about august 2025, the brakes and wheel bearings have failed twice, the strut failed, the power steering system has messed up repeatedly, the coolant came flying out of the car (while parked) for absolutely no reason! There have been multiple warning lights on since I…”
“I have had this vehicle since about august 2025, the brakes and wheel bearings have failed twice, the strut failed, the power steering system has messed up repeatedly, the coolant came flying out of the car (while parked) for absolutely no reason! There have been multiple warning lights on since I…”
“I have had this vehicle since about august 2025, the brakes and wheel bearings have failed twice, the strut failed, the power steering system has messed up repeatedly, the coolant came flying out of the car (while parked) for absolutely no reason! There have been multiple warning lights on since I…”
“Went to put car in reverse and it kept driving forward- no weird sound or anything. Proceeded to put the car in park and it was still moving forward. Transmission was stuck on drive.the shifter is disconnected from the transmission with no warning .just looked and the transmission shifter bushing…”
“I had changed all my bulbs and fuses to my car for my brake lights several times and they still don’t work. My car almost got hit with me and my kids in it due to my break lights not working. Also my car keeps saying service advance trac and keeps saying it every time I drive. My car also keeps…”
“I had changed all my bulbs and fuses to my car for my brake lights several times and they still don’t work. My car almost got hit with me and my kids in it due to my break lights not working. Also my car keeps saying service advance trac and keeps saying it every time I drive. My car also keeps…”
“I had changed all my bulbs and fuses to my car for my brake lights several times and they still don’t work. My car almost got hit with me and my kids in it due to my break lights not working. Also my car keeps saying service advance trac and keeps saying it every time I drive. My car also keeps…”
“My brakes locked up suddenly on the rear end causing me to get stuck in the middle of the road and unable to move it, even to tow it. I had to take 2 days almost to fix it in the middle of the road, since yesterday morning. They also began locking up suddenly on the front end, the wheel bearing,…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Ford Flex as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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