2009 Ford Flex recalls & problems

1 recall 181 complaints

1recalls
181owner complaints
7crashes reported
2fires reported
16 / 0injuries / deaths

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for the 2009 Ford Flex and 181 owner complaints. The part owners complain about most is engine (36 reports), followed by electrical system (32). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers – enter your VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your car still has an open recall.

2009 Ford Flex recalls

Air Bags · NHTSA 16V247000 · Apr 26, 2016

Problem: 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 such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)…

Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: 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.

695 units potentially affected · Full recall details →

2009 Ford Flex problems by component

ComponentComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine 36
010
Electrical System 32
010
Power Train 23
100
Steering 18
100
Unknown or Other 17
101
Engine and Engine Cooling 17
012
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 16
000
Fuel/Propulsion System 15
000
Service Brakes 14
302
Structure 12
102
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 10
000
Suspension 9
201
Vehicle Speed Control 8
201
Air Bags 6
402
Wheels 5
000
Seats 5
002
Fuel System, Gasoline 4
000
Tires 4
100
Seat Belts 4
100
Visibility 4
000
Equipment 3
002
Visibility/Wiper 3
000
Traction Control System 2
000
Latches/Locks/Linkages 2
001
Service Brakes, Electric 1
000
Service Brakes, Air 1
100
Parking Brake 1
000

Latest owner complaints

Wheels · Jul 17, 2026 · IN

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 unsafe to carry the vehicle load. We were not informed…

Electrical System · Dec 9, 2025 · KS

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 on the internet and found were someone said to beat on the…

Unknown or Other · Dec 9, 2025 · KS

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 on the internet and found were someone said to beat on the…

Unknown or Other · Mar 9, 2025 · CT

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, vehicle drove with rear passenger side sitting on rear spring,…

Electrical System · May 27, 2023 · SC

The door ajar sensor malfunctions and is crazy expensive to fix. There are numerous posts and videos online of workarounds bcz it’s so common but they don’t seem safe since that’s a safety feature and the workarounds are simply a way to trick or bypass the warning sensors since the doors are actually closed in most cases. Ford needs to take ownership of this and issue a…

Unknown or Other · May 27, 2023 · SC

The door ajar sensor malfunctions and is crazy expensive to fix. There are numerous posts and videos online of workarounds bcz it’s so common but they don’t seem safe since that’s a safety feature and the workarounds are simply a way to trick or bypass the warning sensors since the doors are actually closed in most cases. Ford needs to take ownership of this and issue a…

Steering · Apr 22, 2023 · MD

Was driving and the steering wheel became stiff. I received no warnings indications or lights on the dash. I had to give it a hard turn to get it to a parking lot and have it towed to a dealership.

Engine · Jun 16, 2022 · SC

About 5 miles from home with no warning.The car went from regular temp to hot then stopped.Water mixed with the oil.The tech said the water pump just failed.I did not have any problems with it running hot or anything.

Suspension · Mar 25, 2022 · WI

While driving around February 20th, 2022 we started swerving uncontrollably and almost ran into the curb and flipped while going about 40 MPH. My husband put on breaks but it felt like we were sliding on ice....without any ice on the road. We almost flipped and were very shaken, and lucky. We got vehicle to Firestone and they said our left rear toe link had broke. Supposedly…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Jul 19, 2021 · 160,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Flex. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present coming from the vehicle. After parking inside the garage, there was fuel leaking from the seam of the fuel tank on the passenger’s side. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. Also, while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal would extend…

Engine · May 19, 2021 · AZ

My Flex has repeatedly lost power while driving. I can feel the car lose power, and the yellow wrench light comes on. After reading up on it, I learned that you have to turn the vehicle off, wherever you are, and restart it after a few minutes. The wrench light turns off, and the car runs as normal, with no records of codes. This is talked about over and over in online forums.…

Vehicle Speed Control · May 19, 2021 · AZ

My Flex has repeatedly lost power while driving. I can feel the car lose power, and the yellow wrench light comes on. After reading up on it, I learned that you have to turn the vehicle off, wherever you are, and restart it after a few minutes. The wrench light turns off, and the car runs as normal, with no records of codes. This is talked about over and over in online forums.…

Other Ford Flex years

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2009 Ford Flex have any recalls?

Yes. NHTSA lists 1 safety recall covering the 2009 Ford Flex, the most recent one (16V247000) for air bags. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Ford Flex?

Based on 181 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most reported areas are engine (36), electrical system (32), power train (23).

Have there been crashes or injuries linked to the 2009 Ford Flex?

Owners reported 7 crashes, 2 fires, 16 injuries and 0 deaths in complaints to NHTSA. These are unverified owner reports, not findings of fault.