2014 Ford Flex Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2014 Ford Flex most often describe loss of power steering assist that comes and goes, and rear suspension toe link fractures tied to an open recall. Electrical complaints cluster around door ajar warnings and window/radio faults, while fuel pump module failures and coolant leaks at the water pump round out the more common reports. Many issues appear in the 50,000-130,000 mile range, some within a few years of purchase.

1. 1
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out (hard to steer)

   • 64 complaints (26%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (43 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,600 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe the steering suddenly becoming very heavy, sometimes with a warning message or chime, other times with no warning at all. It often happens at low speed, during a turn, or right after a cold start, and in several cases restarting the vehicle restores assist. Dealers and mechanics commonly diagnosed a faulty steering rack, steering module or steering column, and some owners noted a recall covering earlier model years but not this one. Reported from roughly 25,000 to 180,000 miles, with many cases in the 50,000-100,000 mile range and several shortly after cold starts.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the steering rack or steering module has been replaced, and test the steering at low speed and right after a cold start. A service bulletin describes updated diagnostic procedures for power steering noise, so a dealer inspection can help.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2014 Ford FLEX sel with 57000 miles on it. For the last couple of weeks I haven't been driving much due to the stay at home order(covid-19), from being used daily to commute to work to only one or twice a week for esenciales. One morning I was heading to my parents house and as I was doing a right turn into an intersection one block away from my house. All of a sudden the power steering goes out in the apex of the turn making it hard to straighten out the car almost hitting a parked car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11324629, filed 2020-05, 57,000 miles

   “Sudden electric assist steering loss while driving on highway. Vehicle extremely difficult to control, occupants in danger of loss of life from catastrophic crash. This is a known issue to Ford motor company. They have recalled other years of electric assist on Ford FLEX, however not 2014. We were not aware of this extremely dangerous part being installed on our FLEX. Ford motor company did not contact us with any warning or recall. They simply stated that some parts from earlier recalled models could have been assembled on our vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11375877, filed 2020-11, 100,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rear toe link fracture / rear sway

   • 20 complaints (8%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 7.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2024

   Complaints describe the rear of the vehicle swaying, fishtailing or veering, uneven or rapid rear tire wear, and in some cases a rear toe link breaking outright. Several owners had the vehicle inspected and were told the toe link was fractured, and many said the recall remedy was not yet available at the dealer. A few reported the problem returning after the recall part was replaced. Mostly reported between about 54,000 and 154,000 miles, often while driving at moderate to highway speeds.

   Recall 20V072000Recall 14V393000

   What to check: Ask whether recall 20V072000 was completed and keep the paperwork; have the rear toe links and rear tire wear inspected before buying, especially for uneven or cupped rear tires.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In march 2020, Ford issued a safety recall of my vehicle for toe link failures, and offered to fix the car in the third quarter. This did not come soon enough for me! On may 28, I was driving north on wisconsin ave in bethesda, md near the intersection with woodmont. Abruptly, my left rear toe link failed and I lost control of the car and swerved into another lane. Fortunately I was only going about 35 MPH and there were no vehicles in the other lane. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11348809, filed 2020-08, 148,000 miles

   “I took my Ford FLEX in for a recall for the rear toe links on 1/6/21 at 55,000 miles since the recall was open for my car. Even though I was not experiencing any issues. While driving my car on may 1, the rear would sway on me and I didn't feel safe. I had the car towed to the same dealership that did the recall and they found that the toe links were faulty. That had just been replaced due to the recall. Not sure if the replacement parts for the recall are failing for everyone.”

   NHTSA complaint #11416403, filed 2021-05, 56,306 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Door ajar warning and locks/alarm issues

   • 28 complaints (11%)
   • median 54,180 mi at 4.4 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2024

   Owners report the vehicle showing a door or liftgate ajar message when the door is closed, interior lights staying on, doors not locking while driving, and the alarm sounding at random. Some describe a door latch or door sensor needing replacement, and a few mention repeated attempts to slam the door before the warning clears. Others report key fob and no-start problems alongside these warnings. Reported from roughly 59,000 to 100,000 miles, often noticed at startup or shortly after entering the vehicle.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check each door and the liftgate for false ajar warnings with the ignition on, confirm the doors lock while driving, and ask whether any door latch or sensor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driver side door sensor appears to not be functioning. Warning panel light comes on indicating door is not closed, when it in fact is. Interior lights simultaneously come on but not all the time. Additionally warning says, transmission is not in park. Usually occurs when car is being started, but not always. Has occurred 6 times.”

   NHTSA complaint #11329205, filed 2020-06, 59,000 miles

   “Driver door sensor detects door as open when it is clearly closed. No matter how much you slam door the sensor doesn't acknowledge the door as closed. This keeps the inside lights on and car doors will not lock even when in motion. This happens when you enter car. Warning stays on while you are driving. You have to slam door several times really hard and hope it acknowledge door as closed so you can lick car and turn on alarm.”

   NHTSA complaint #11353519, filed 2020-09, 86,600 miles
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Stall or no-start from fuel pump module

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine stalling without warning while driving or failing to restart after being parked, with mechanics identifying the fuel pump module or fuel delivery system as the cause. Some owners replaced the module themselves and reported the problem resolved. One owner noted the same module was recalled on the EcoBoost engine but not on their non-turbo model. Mostly reported between about 56,000 and 125,000 miles, sometimes after long highway drives.

   Recall 16V6210001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel pump module has been replaced, and check whether recall 16V621000 applies to this vehicle's engine; note a fuel gauge bulletin exists for this model.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving and the car stopped all of a sudden in the middle of residential street at 6 am and when I tried to re-start it, it would crank but would not turn over and start back up so I could move it. I had to push it out of the middle of the street. I had to have it towed to the shop and they said it was the fuel pump control module.”

   NHTSA complaint #11315874, filed 2020-03, 56,450 miles

   “My fuel pump module on my non eco boost 3.5 suddenly stopped functioning. The same module was recalled on the eco boost 3.5 engine. I had just driven 800 plus miles in two days and the engine worked perfectly. Two days later, it would not start, while parked in the driveway. A day later it started. A day after that it would not start, again while parked. I googled the problem and replaced the part, and it has worked perfectly ever since. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11397336, filed 2021-02, 125,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Coolant leak at water pump / timing chain

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report fluid leaking under the front of the vehicle and being told the water pump assembly and timing chain needed replacement. Some also describe oil pressure warnings, oil smells and squeaking pulleys, with valve cover gaskets and the oil sending unit replaced. Turbo-related failures were also described, including knocking, loss of power and a turbo that came apart. Mostly reported between about 57,000 and 130,000 miles.

   What to check: Look for coolant or oil drips under the engine and ask whether the water pump, timing chain or turbo has been serviced; check the oil level and look for a coolant smell after a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine turbo failure while driving on highway during a longer road trip (~600 miles, majority at highway speeds). This is the v6 ecoboost engine. I was informed by dealership repair shop that it 'fell apart' and parts of it were sucked back into the engine. Significant knocking and pop sound from engine while driving; significant loss of power when accelerating.”

   NHTSA complaint #11327692, filed 2020-06, 72,600 miles

   “Low engine oil pressure light flashes with oil smell and squeaking pulley that holds serpentine belt. Burning oil smell, dealer replaced oil sending unit, water pump and replaced valve cover gaskets.”

   NHTSA complaint #11372296, filed 2020-10, 130,000 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the steering assist, rear toe links and rear tire wear, and confirm which recalls were completed with paperwork. Also check for door ajar warnings, coolant or oil leaks, and whether the fuel pump module has been replaced.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.