The 2012 Ford Flex has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 394,318 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS16V2470002016-04-26695 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As…
Consequence
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
STEERING15V3400002015-06-02393,623 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford…
Consequence
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated,…
Complaints by component
STEERING
23
2crashes
ENGINE
11
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10
1fires
SERVICE BRAKES
8
1crashes1injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
1injuries
POWER TRAIN
4
AIR BAGS
3
1crashes1injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
3
1injuries
SUSPENSION
3
Total complaints89
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2012 ford flex. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the abs and the esc warnings illuminated. The contact stated that she had recently heard an abnormal grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an…”
“There is serious safety trouble occurring with the power steering components, and the brake system. I went to the ford dealership and they said the recalls weren’t fixed back in 2015. And those recalls are the same issues that are occurring with my 2012 ford flex se now. I just bought this…”
“There is serious safety trouble occurring with the power steering components, and the brake system. I went to the ford dealership and they said the recalls weren’t fixed back in 2015. And those recalls are the same issues that are occurring with my 2012 ford flex se now. I just bought this…”
“Ford said the recall was fixed 10 years ago, however it went out on me last night. It's been towed to the folsom ford dealership in california, they quoted me $3,000 to fix my power steering assistant failure that had a safety recall and it was a 'safety recall'. I couldn't steer my car. Very…”
“Vehicle power steering stops working. Manual steering is extremely difficult to operate.”
“Front passenger seat air bag light is on all the time. Should I stop driving the car? Is this dangerous what does it mean? It is a 2012 ford flex which I love and have not had any trouble with.”
“The contact owns a 2012 ford flex. The contact stated while his granddaughter was driving 10 mph and attempting to leave a parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. After the failure occurred, the "power steering assist fault" message was displayed. The vehicle was parked, and…”
“I was driving around 55 and suddenly lost control and fish tailed to the right, then to the left over the center line, then back to the right. Luckily no other vehicles on the road. The rear driver side toe link broke. I discovered there's a recall for this exact problem with the exact possible…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2012 Ford Flex as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.