2012 Ford Flex Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 6%of 64 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 90,150miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Ford Flex, 6% of the 64 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 90,150 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.
“My vehicle has 188,000 miles on it and is an awd model. It has always, until the last two oil changes every 3000 miles, been serviced by the Ford dealership and the car was bought from (leo caytes Ford). The rpms skyrocket to 3000 - 4000 rpms when the car is controlled by speed control suddenly, but the car doesn't speed up. When the speed control is released, the rpms drop to the normal setting for that speed. This doesn't happen every time the speed control is used, but, much more frequently as of late. …”
NHTSA complaint #11112726, filed 2018-07, 178,000 miles“2012 Ford FLEX li has 70k thousand miles. While driving, vehicle started to hum. Suddenly car starts to shake and grinding noises coming from center of vehicle and vehicle becomes disabled in mid-stream driving. Vehicle smells of burnt transmission oil. After doing research on possible problems, ptu is improperly filled with extremely low amounts of lubricant from factory. After further research, see leaking oil from ptu which is already low. I was lucky to be driving at a slower speed or the shaking and vibrations could have caused accident due to poor design flaws. A recall is a must.”
NHTSA complaint #11311999, filed 2020-02, 70,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10160931May 10, 2019On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with Motorcraft Multi-Purpose Grease Spray XL-5-A even if grease was…
- 10127405Nov 2, 2017Some vehicles may exhibit a no start condition with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and a DTC P161A after PCM replacement. This may be due to the parameter reset…
- 10095858Feb 27, 2017Some 2007-2016 edge/mkx/flex/mkt/mkz/mks/taurus/taurus police/explorer/explorer police equipped with all wheel drive (awd) and built on or before 30-jun-2016 may exhibit a…
- 10078988May 11, 2016Air conditioning (a/c) inoperative - diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0645
- 10058460May 1, 2015Lincoln/ford: an overhaul transmission motorcraft kit, available for some vehicles, contains an incorrect valve bode separator plate and would need to discard 7z490 part and use…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 | 1% |
| 2018 | 2 | 3% |
| 2017 | 2 | 5% |
| 2016 | 8 | 8% |
| 2015 | 11 | 9% |
| 2014 | 10 | 4% |
| 2013 | 11 | 2% |
| 2012 | 4 | 6% |
| 2011 | 19 | 13% |
| 2010 | 12 | 9% |
| 2009 | 23 | 13% |
Other parts of the 2012 Ford Flex
24 complaintsEngine
11 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsBody and structure
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 28, 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