This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving at 65mph, vehicle started to accelerate funny and cel came on. was getting on the freeway and the vehicle overheated and CEL light came on. I was able to safely pull over before the vehicle died. Got vehicle towed to my home and when engine oil was checked, it was discovered that there was coolant in the oil. Took to a local shop where it was determined that the water pump had failed and dumped all of the coolant into the oil pan. Estimated cost of repair with labor is $5,000. Failure mileage was ~192,000. The oil was in good standing and gold in color 12 hours prior and was only driven ~45 miles at highway speeds before the failure happened. From what I can tell, this was a catastrophic failure of the water pump bearing seal that happened almost instantaneously. This needs to be looked into, as the repair bill does not match the issue. A water pump repair should not cost more than the vehicle.
My 2010 Ford Flex began inadvertently surging forward in acceleration without me making it do this exactly 3 months after I purchased the vehicle. The Ford Dealer was unable to re-produce the problem on several occasions and said my vehicle was fine. No error messages reported in the computer. This has continued to happen sporadically since ownership. I have had another Ford Dealership (as well as an independent mechanic) try and reproduce and diagnose the problem with no luck. Several weeks ago I was driving my vehicle in my residential neighborhood when all of a sudden my car surged forward with great acceleration with no warning. I had to swerve into a driveway and cut the vehicle off to get the vehicle under control. I am 82 and have a heart condition. This safety issue is critical as someone could get hurt or killed. Ford has several complaints of this happening with several models. I believe it is a Ford design flaw in the vehicles electronic throttle system. Ford Corporate was put on notice of these events after the latest safety event. Please, I urge the NHTSA to issue a recall before lives are lost. I can no longer drive this vehicle as I am concerned someone is going to get hurt. It is being towed to the Ravenel Ford Dealership for inspection and diagnosis again.....
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated while stopped at a stop sign the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated the water pump failed which flooded the engine. The vehicle was taken to planet Ford located at (20403 I-45, spring, tx 77388 281-719-3700) and the contact was informed that a diagnostic test could not be scheduled for 6-8 weeks. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 192,000.
2010 Ford Flex with duratec 3.5L engine - sudden water pump failure causes coolant to flood the engine, which can cause the engine to overheat and cut off while driving, without warning. This happened to me while driving to work. Luckily I was able to pull off the road safely. There are many others with this engine who have had this problem, because the water pump is inside the engine-- see e.g. and https://www.ktmc.com/Ford-Lincoln-water-pump-engine-failure.
We have replaced the turbos in or Ford Flex ecoboost 5 times within 2.5 years!! the front and rear turbos both just went again within one month of each other!! we were finally told by a Lincoln mechanic the issue is a bad/faulty oil seperator made by Ford. It is pushing too much oil into the turbos causing them to literally blow up!! smoke everywhere and car is undrivable. I have small children and this is completely unsafe and dangerous!!
- Woodland Park, CO, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Water pump leaking into engine oil, what should be a $500 at most repair is good to require replacement of the engine because of poor water pump design.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. While driving 30 mph, the contact heard a popping noise coming from the vehicle and the air conditioning began to blow out hot air. The contact also noticed that the vehicle began to lose power, overheat, and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact drove to ken garff West valley Ford (4091 w 3500 S, West valley city, ut 84120, 801- 559-0314) where it was diagnosed that the water pump failed and caused the vehicle to overheat. The contact stated that the entire engine was ruined due to the failure and was informed that an engine replacement would cost approximately $8,000. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 178,000. The VIN was unknown.
Accelerating on interstate ramp, vehicle stalled and shut off. It would not stay running. It sputters and dies after cranking. We had aaa tow it off the roadside after 90 minutes waiting.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. While driving at an unknown speed, the turbos failed and caused oil to burn through the motor. The failure created an excessive amount of smoke to come through the exhaust pipes. Hubler Ford in shelbyville, Indiana was made aware of the recall and stated that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The engine shut down during a long-distance drive returning from a vacation. The car was towed to a Ford dealership. The techs at the dealership determined that the engine failed due to a faulty (leaking) water pump. This water pump is inside the engine block. Thus, the leak caused corruption of other parts of the engine and complete engine failure. This problem with the internal water pump has been the subject of a recall for other Ford models, but not the Ford Flex. The national database of automotive technicians, identifix, reports leaking internal water pumps to be the number 1 problem with the Flex. Here are the specifics of what happened: We had been driving for approximately 6 hours. I was at cruising speed of 75 mph. As I approached lubbock tx, the temperature warning light came on and the temperature gauge had pegged all the way to 'hot'. I reduced speed and drove to the next exit (approximately 1-2 min away). As I exited the freeway, the engine light came on, and moments later the battery light came on. At that point, I lost power steering and the engine shut down. We were able to push the car into a parking lot on the frontage road. This incident is consistent with the claims that have led to the safety recall for other Ford models:escape SUVS from the 2014 model year, plus the 2014 and 2015 compact fiesta St, the 2013 and 2014 Fusion midsize car and the 2013 through 2015 transit connect small van (obtained from usa today, 1/3/2018). My insurance will not cover the damage which has resulted in the car being "totalled". this is a known problem for Ford, and I believe my car should be covered under the recently announced safety recall. This problem in the Ford Flex has been discussed for years dating back to at least 2008 (https://www.fordflex.net/forums/viewtopic.php?T=17392)
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. While driving various speeds, the turbos failed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the turbos were replaced on the vehicle five times within one year, along with the catalytic converter and some sensors. The contact stated that black smoke exited from the exhaust pipes in the rear of the vehicle when the turbos failed. Pacifica Ford in philadelphia, Pennsylvania was made aware of the failure and repaired the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were unknown.
When I drive my vehicle & apply the brake, the brake pedal vibrates & the rpms increase and the vehicle stalls out. When my heat is on high whether vents or the floor, and apply the brake while driving, the brake pedal vibrates and the rpms increase and the vehicle stalls out.
Engine stalls out, while driving the car around town. Has occurred twice, separated by a few weeks. No warning, or engine trouble or indicator lights prior or after the event. Occurs while driving a low to moderate speed both times, about 30 mph. Car can be restarted immediately after and drives fine. Have had mechanics check fuel and air sensors and lines and find no obvious defects. Other Ford Flex owners report similar problem since 2009. Rumor is that replacing the throttle body corrects the issue.
Was trying to accelerate around a car and loss all power and check engine light immediately started flashing and the engine started misfiring and loss all power and now the Ford dealer says that I need a new engine.
While merging onto a highway the engine suddenly lost power and began shuttering/vibrating badly. This loss of power nearly caused a severe accident as the sudden slow down caused cars behind us to take evasive action. The check engine light illuminated immediately. We drove the car to the dealership per instructions from the service rep. The vehicle has the 3.5L ecoboost engine. The service tech first said an ignition coil went bad and replaced it, only to discover that it did not fix the problem. They did a cylinder compression test and were loosing compression in one cylinder. The engine had to be disassembled to diagnose the problem. The service tech found the cylinder rings had failed in one cylinder and now has to replace the whole engine at a cost of $7,800. The engine only has 55,000 miles on it! there were no warning indicators that anything was wrong with the engine, and it has been routinely serviced. Ford is unwilling to help in any way with the repairs as the vehicle is out of warranty.
Vehicle was turning off of a state highway into a school entrance. Without warning (no warning lights on dash) engine stopped running. Due to engine shut down all auxiliary systems lost power. Vehicle was making a left turn into a school entrance when engine turned off. In the middle of the turn the loss of power steering and power brakes made negotiating the turn unsafe. The operator was unable to keep the vehicle on the paved entrance and ended up off the should and into the grass. Fortunately there were no pedestrians or obstacles. Failure could cause a safety issue at highway speed due to potential for rear ending due to loss of power. This engine failure is due to Ford 3.5 duratec internal water pump design. When the water pump seals fail, all coolant is contained in the motor and collected in the oil pan. By collecting the coolant in the oil pan it caused a P0016 code and the engine to shut off. Their was no warning of this. The car was driven 3.5hrs the previous day with no issues or warning lights. Ford is unwilling to recognize the problem. I filed claims with Ford customer service #11792792 and cas-11876774 on this issue. Repair bill was $4100 to replace the motor with a similar used motor. The vehicle repair was just completed yesterday and I still feel unsafe and uncomfortable knowing the same potential for engine failure exists. It is both a safety concern and an financial concern. Their are many documented cases of this happening on fordflex.net (15 cases) also on fordtaurus.net. Please google duratec 3.5 water pump failure. These forums document other NHTSA claims filed for exact reasons.
Total motor failure when driving! transmission frequently slips. Motor had to be replaced. When pressure exhaust for ecoboost is redirected to cylinder 3 and 5 the head gasket fails allowing water to enter the head of motor which them steam fries the cylinders. This is very common in the 2010 Flex with ecboost and need to be recalled asap! motors up to 100,000. Mine had 74000 when failure occurred.
Eco boost engine stall due to condensation of air from the cold air compressor in the turbo charger for the engine. Have had car serviced several times and dealer or mechanic can not resolve problem. Happen in freeway at high speed but has also happened in the street at 20 - 30 mph
Major engine failure while driving 45mph. Engine has 108,000 miles. Now engine needs to be replaced. Engine just shut off while driving in traffic on us hwy 41 in land O lake fl, repair estimated at $6500.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gooding, ID, USA