2012 Ford Flex Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 24about this part
- Share
- 38%of 64 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 59,620miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 24 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Ford Flex, 38% of the 64 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 59,620 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Wife returned to her car after a day of driving to find the power steering had suddenly stopped working. She decided to drive it home and it had moments where the power steering functioned and luckily she got it home. I contacted Ford but they advised me that there is no active bulletin for this particular model so we would just need to fix it.”
NHTSA complaint #11360858, filed 2020-09, 84,500 miles“I've had problems with power steering faulting. I've called dealer and they said they didn't know anything about it. I would turn off car and it would work again but now it won't. There is no power steering. This happened at home when I first turn on car”
NHTSA complaint #11322875, filed 2020-04, 85,868 miles“While driving I experienced a total loss of power steering and the dashboard flashed power assist failure . This happened four times over the course of two weeks. I've taken the car in to sound Ford in renton, wa and was told that this is a known recall issue (#15s18). My complaint is with regard to the part needed to repair the problem. Both the dealer and the Ford customer relationship center have told me that the part ( a steering gear) is on endless backorder due to manufacturing delays. …”
NHTSA complaint #10823784, filed 2016-02, 45,000 miles“Traveling straight down a main, 2 lane road, the vehicle chimed and I received two errors on the diagnostic screen. First was for power steering assist fault and the second was advance trac fault. The power steering assist was disabled and the steering wheel had gone stiff. I was able to do a rolling restart (neutral, key off, restart, back into drive) without incident, the warnings on the dash cleared, and the power steering was restored. Given any winding road or turning into or out of traffic scenario, this could have been much more treacherous. …”
NHTSA complaint #10620756, filed 2014-08, 41,600 miles“First incident happened while driving about 40 miles an hour. Idiot lights came on the dash and the cars engine turned off. Thankfully I was able to get car off to the side of road. Car cranked right back up. 5 days later while sitting in a fast food line, same thing happened and was able to crank car. Called dealership in town, brought car in and they said, nothing is wrong with your car, come and get it picked up car. 2 days later while driving it down our street, I stopped to get mail about 9pm and the car totally died. No power at all. Was stuck in park had to be towed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10482817, filed 2012-10, 5,020 milesRelated recalls
- 15V340000Jun 2, 2015Ford 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…Covers: Ford Flex 2011–2013, Taurus 2011–2013, Lincoln MKS 2011–2013 +4 more
Related service bulletins
- 10095995Nov 17, 2016Some 2010-2016 epas equipped vehicles may exhibit steering related noises. The workshop manual (wsm) diagnostic procedures have been updated in section 211-02. When diagnosing…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 | 1% |
| 2018 | 2 | 3% |
| 2017 | 3 | 7% |
| 2016 | 8 | 8% |
| 2015 | 19 | 17% |
| 2014 | 66 | 27% |
| 2013 | 149 | 26% |
| 2012 | 24 | 38% |
| 2011 | 57 | 40% |
| 2010 | 32 | 23% |
| 2009 | 18 | 10% |
Other parts of the 2012 Ford Flex
11 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsElectronic stability control
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 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