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Engine coolingPart report

2011 Ford Flex Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
5%of 144 total for the year
Median mileage
17,032miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2011 Ford Flex, 5% of the 144 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 17,032 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“On august 8, 2011 and february 8, 2012, my new FLEX shut down while I was driving. The dashboard lights flashed on, and the vehicle turned off - total electrical failure - couldn't accelerate or brake - had to painfully pull car off the road. Car was towed to dealer. Ford dealer performed diagnostics to no avail, as when the engine shut down, I turned the key off, then back on again - this destroyed the data. Seems like a fundamental data system flaw. Nonetheless, I drove away from the dealership in fear, only to have the incident recur six months later. …”

NHTSA complaint #10448247, filed 2012-02, 9,063 miles

“There were two occurrences. On 7/5/12, the FLEX was parked but still running, we raised the rear door/tailgate to remove items from the FLEX. One of my 4 year old daughters stood near the back bumper area and received a burn to her leg from one of the exhaust pipes creating a c shape imprint of the tailpipe opening. This was witnessed by a hotel employee. The adult leaned in to the vehicle many times, but did not burn. On 7/6/12, the FLEX was parked and not running. Again, the back door/tailgate was raised and we were getting items out of the vehicle and getting ready for our event. …”

NHTSA complaint #10464705, filed 2012-07, 25,000 miles

“The exhaust muffler holding hook is severly rusted. Part was replaced by the dealer in 05/03/11. Replaced part is severly rusted again. Vehicle has 7500 miles only. The vehicle is driven to a minimum during the winter months. This is a potential hazard since the mufler could fall off the car while driving due to execive rust of the supports.”

NHTSA complaint #10457461, filed 2012-05, 3,500 miles

“Car shut off completely while driving. It has happened twice once on the highway and once on a residential street while making a left hand turn both times power steering was gone. Took car to dealer and they cannot find anything because it did not leave a signature. The car has been in the dealership shop for two weeks now.”

NHTSA complaint #10362759, filed 2010-10, 40 miles

“The contact owns a 2011 Ford Flex. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. The contact's wife was able to pull over safely. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that water was detected inside the engine and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was 146,000.”

NHTSA complaint #11477217, filed 2022-08, 146,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201921%
201611%
201462%
201341%
201175%
201086%
2009179%

Other parts of the 2011 Ford Flex

Steering
57 complaintsEngine
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsElectrical system
9 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsSeats
7 complaintsFuel system
6 complaintsWheels
5 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsTires
3 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2011 Ford Flex

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology