2011 Ford FLEX - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2011 Ford Flex SUV FWD has not been rated for overall safety, front crash protection, or side crash protection by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, it has received a 4-star rating for rollover protection. The vehicle comes standard with electronic stability control which helps improve vehicle stability on the road. Unfortunately, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems which could have enhanced safety features.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the Ford Flex has accumulated 135 complaints and has been subjected to 2 recalls. While the rollover protection rating is decent, the lack of overall safety ratings and advanced safety features might cause some concern for potential buyers looking for a safer vehicle option. The number of complaints and recalls should also be considered before making a decision on this particular model.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

135

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2011 Ford Flex SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2011 Ford Flex SUV FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2011 Ford Flex SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2011 Ford Flex SUV FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 Not Rated Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2011 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2011 Ford FLEX

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"loss of power steering driving down interstate. service power steering and service advance trac lights came on. had to call for tow"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2026-02-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated when he first entered the vehicle and started the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed. the contact turned the steering wheel to the left and right and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. the contact stated he contacted an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist had failed. the mechanic informed the contact that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering) but the vin was not included. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was 133,827."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-07-11
Complaint:
"while on a trip in the local area to a state park, a warning came on whilst driving to "service power steering now". driving was normal and we got to our destination 5-10 miles or so later. on returning to the car after parking and starting up the car the steering wheel was "bricked" and didn't want to turn. at first we thought it might be a flat tire. it took lots of effort to turn the wheel. as we were far from any service in the area i managed to drive the vehicle home albeit with much effort. if my wife had been driving and the steering had gone out there is a high likelihood of an accident. after doing some research when we got home this has all the signs of the electronic power assist steering (epas) going out. i have looked on ford's website for recall and there is not one according to my vin. the vehicle in question is a 2011 ford flex 3.5 ecoboost awd."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-08-10
Complaint:
"power steering went out while backing out of a parking spot and warning popped up on dash with power steering fault and making the wheel super stiff and hard to turn"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-11-09
Complaint:
"power steering has failed. my mechanic says the rack and pinion needs to be replaced."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-04
Complaint:
"i was leaving out one morning and it was hard for me to steer my wheel. i reversed just fine but when i tried turning to leave out it wouldnt steer. there werent any messages on the dash or any other signs of any defects. this is only the second year of me having this vehicle. ford flex 2011. there is a recall 15s18."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-12-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality intermittently. the traction control warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear box had failed and needed to be replaced. the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering); however, the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 148,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-06-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. the power steering sensor fault message was displayed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed him that the failure was due to the electrical pump. the vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. the local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). the manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 156,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-12-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the steering wheel seized. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the driver shifted to park(p), turned off, and restarted the vehicle to reset the steering wheel. the contact was able to continue to drive to his destination. the contact stated that her husband had experienced the failure several times on different occasions. the contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 151,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-01-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2011 ford flex. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the service power steering assist warning light illuminated and the steering seized. the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the failure was related to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering) however, the vin was not included. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 139,037."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-01-07

Recalls for the 2011 Ford FLEX

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 flex, lincoln mks, and lincoln mkt vehicles equipped with any available engine. the affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault."
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, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.

Component(s) Involved: STEERING > ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2015-06-02

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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