2009 Ford Flex problems & reliability
181 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Ford Flex, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Ford Flex vehicles were involved in 27 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 36 | 20% |
| Electrical System | 32 | 18% |
| Power Train | 23 | 13% |
| Steering | 18 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 17 | 9% |
| Unknown OR Other | 17 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 15 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 8% |
| Structure | 12 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 65,000 miles (middle 50% between 25,000 and 100,100 miles), based on 143 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On February 26, 2026, I purchased a used 2009 Ford Flex VIN from Header’s Auto Sales. At time of delivery, the vehicle was equipped with tires that did not meet the manufacturer’s required load rating for this vehicle. A licensed mechanic provided a safety assessment confirming the tires were improperly load-rated and…”
Wheels · filed Jul 17, 2026
“You can be driving down the road, and all your gauges will stop working, and all the warning lights on the dash will light up. The first time this happened my wife got stuck at a gas station all the warning lights were on and the car would not start, people tried to jump it and it would not affected at all. I looked…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Dec 9, 2025
“Rear subframe rusted at bolt mount. Vehicle could have experienced catastrophic failure wihle driving. Independent service center diagnosed and documented rusted area and potential for failure. Noise would happen during acceleration/deceleration but not in wet weather conditions. Until diagnosed as unsafe to drive…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 9, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
24 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Ford Flex. The 10 most recent:
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle…
SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2023
This SKU is a Control Arm. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the bushing orientation. If the bushing orientation is incorrect, it will prevent installation of the product. If the…
RFI20210317_810- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2021
Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or…
SSM 48070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 2, 2019
Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or…
SSM 47797 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Some 2009-2017 Expedition/Navigator, 2009-2014 F-150/Mustang, 2008-2009 Sable, 2008-2019 Taurus/Flex/MKT, 2013-2019 Police Interceptor Sedan/Utility, and 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles may exhibit inoperative or…
SSM 47797 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2019
Some 2007-2016 Edge/MKX/Flex/MKT/MKZ/MKS/Taurus/Police Interceptor Sedan/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with AWD and built on or before 30-Jun-2016 may exhibit a propane or natural gas odor during…
SSM 47230 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 11, 2018
Replacing the original equipment SYNC/Navigation system with either an aftermarket SYNC/Navigation kit or modifying original SYNC/Navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any…
SSM 47201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2018
The Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with Remote Keyless Entry (RKE). The master code for the Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can be retrieved…
SSM 47009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2009 Ford Flex has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2009 Ford Flex?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 65,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.