I always do research on makes and models before I purchase a used vehicle. I definitely wanted to avoid the EcoBoost engines because I heard about how problematic those can be. At the time I bought it, this vehicle was not considered a "Clunker" and one of the better Ford non-pickups. But it turns out ANY Ford (or a Lincoln) with a 3.5 or 3.7 motor SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
One day the Flex began to quickly overheat. Turns out it was a blown head gasket. I ordered a used engine on Ebay from LKQ and that engine had low compression on 2 cylinders. Returned it to LQK and got my money back. Found another used engine in a Minnesota salvage yard, and that one had low compression on all the cylinders. Sent it back and got a full refund again.
My advice to Flex owners is this: Get rid of the Flex before 180,000 miles. Apparently this is approximately when the engines start to fail. Both the internal waterpumps (horrible design btw), and head gaskets are catastrophic to the engine. If the engine fails while you're the owner, purchasing a remanufactured engine (about $4700) is cheaper than a new one. I don't recommend salvage yards as they lack integrity. They lie and make up numbers and tell you "Tested at 110 psi" and "runs good." But actually, they don't test anything. They pull the engines and leave them on the pallets. To conclude, all Ford Flexs with high mileage should be put in the Avoid Like the Plague complaints.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I always do research on makes and models before I purchase a used vehicle. I definitely wanted to avoid the EcoBoost engines because I heard about how problematic those can be. At the time I bought it, this vehicle was not considered a "Clunker" and one of the better Ford non-pickups. But it turns out ANY Ford (or a Lincoln) with a 3.5 or 3.7 motor SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
One day the Flex began to quickly overheat. Turns out it was a blown head gasket. I ordered a used engine on Ebay from LKQ and that engine had low compression on 2 cylinders. Returned it to LQK and got my money back. Found another used engine in a Minnesota salvage yard, and that one had low compression on all the cylinders. Sent it back and got a full refund again.
My advice to Flex owners is this: Get rid of the Flex before 180,000 miles. Apparently this is approximately when the engines start to fail. Both the internal waterpumps (horrible design btw), and head gaskets are catastrophic to the engine. If the engine fails while you're the owner, purchasing a remanufactured engine (about $4700) is cheaper than a new one. I don't recommend salvage yards as they lack integrity. They lie and make up numbers and tell you "Tested at 110 psi" and "runs good." But actually, they don't test anything. They pull the engines and leave them on the pallets. To conclude, all Ford Flexs with high mileage should be put in the Avoid Like the Plague complaints.
- Emmanuel S., Madison, WI, US