2011 Ford Flex Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 25about this part
- Share
- 17%of 144 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 90,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the engine of the 2011 Ford Flex, 17% of the 144 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 90,000 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“It has happened since 2012 sept, when I bought it at 4000km. I was about to start from a traffic light. I let go my brake and 'slightly' onto gas. Nothing at all happened. I push a bit harder and it crank into another gear as I felt like 'galloping'. I brought it to the body shop I knew (8 pm) and was told to go to dealers for transmittion check up. Did so, in 3 days - 'no code' no problem. …”
NHTSA complaint #10872685, filed 2016-06, 3,450 miles“Car has meticulous service record, I had 86k miles on car. The car would not start towed to dealership. The ceramic water pump exploded, causing coolent to mix with oil. Now I need new engine $8,000. I have used same dealership for car maintenance for last 7 years.”
NHTSA complaint #11041520, filed 2017-10, 86,000 miles“On 09/18/19, I was driving home when I heard a knocking sound - like rocks kicking up under my car. I was driving about 20-25 MPH on a neighborhood street. I decided to slow down and then realized that the car was slowing down for me. I tried to pull over to the side and my steering was locked. I received no warning lights and my car temperature remained the same - between cold and hot. After going to the repair shop, it was determined that the water pump overheated which caused the coolant to mix with the oil. The engine was damaged beyond repair. …”
NHTSA complaint #11265228, filed 2019-09, 94,000 miles“I have full documentation from Ford to back up my story: last year the car began stalling intermittently. In buffalo, ny (we live in the chicago area). The stalling got so bad that she was worried about driving back home 10-hours+. She went into the local dealer there and had the car plugged into the computer...which detected no faults. She made sure to describe the problem fully and it is documented on the receipt. The car has continued to have this problem. I read that the Ford dealer can install a black box with a button that one can push when an intermittent problem happens. …”
NHTSA complaint #10918736, filed 2016-10, 40,000 miles“Our 2011 Ford FLEX we bought new in october of 2010. It has all the bells & whistles & had a sticker price of almost $51,000 dollars! This car doesn't like to get wet! It stalls in the snow, rain, car wash & even puddles! It just shuts down in the middle of an intersection.....it will putt putt & almost stall on highways. We came sooo close to getting killed! Ugh....we have taken this car in to (metro Ford in raynham) at least 4 times. The last time was just a couple of months ago & it was there for 4 weeks ! Then this was it.........we had to take our 19 yr old daughter to the er last thurs. …”
NHTSA complaint #10564768, filed 2014-02, 10,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10109070Sep 21, 2016The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to…
- 10056147May 30, 2014Ford/lincoln: some vehicles, with aluminum valve cover, will experience an excessive condition of smoking engine oil and/or consumption of oil, from tail pipe, during normal…
- 10053459Jun 1, 2013Ford/lincoln: long block engines shipped with cam sensors, crank sensor, crank sensor tone wheel, coolant inlet tube, the components must be swapped over engine being replaced to…
- 10044230Mar 1, 2012Ford/mercury/lincoln: some vehicles exhibit a cold weather phenomenon where fluid has expelled out of vent on rear drive units (rdu) and fluid, on occasion, would burp out.
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 | 2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 1% |
| 2017 | 1 | 2% |
| 2016 | 8 | 8% |
| 2015 | 11 | 10% |
| 2014 | 22 | 9% |
| 2013 | 33 | 6% |
| 2012 | 11 | 17% |
| 2011 | 25 | 17% |
| 2010 | 30 | 22% |
| 2009 | 36 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2011 Ford Flex
57 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsElectrical system
9 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsEngine cooling
7 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