2014 Ford Flex reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2014 Ford Flex has 249 complaints with NHTSA after 13 years, or 10 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Flex years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Rear, Fuel pump, and Seats.

2011 Ford Flex Limited — Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

249

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (66 of 249), then Electrical system (57) and Fuel and propulsion system (46). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 65,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 44,000 and 90,500 miles. Those filings include 11 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 8 that report an injury.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Flex has 578 complaints, 31 per year, and the 2015 has 108 complaints, 7 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2014 Ford Flex. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall suspension, rear 2020-02-10 · NHTSA campaign 20V072000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.

Vehicles affected 211,207

Recall Fuel pump 2016-08-25 · NHTSA campaign 16V621000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines and 2013-2015 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor vehicles. A component within the fuel pump electric module (PEM) may overheat causing a loss of electrical power to the fuel pump.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel PEM part number and replace the fuel PEM, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S31.

Vehicles affected 77,502

Recall Seats 2014-11-07 · NHTSA campaign 14V710000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 Ford F-150 and Flex vehicles manufactured March 1, 2014, to May 31, 2014. The affected vehicles were manufactured with a reduced clearance between the seat frame and the seat track assembly. This can cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) to inaccurately register passenger weight and improperly suppress the passenger front airbag when the passenger seat is occupied by an adult passenger. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will widen the gap between the seat frame and seat track assembly and recalibrate the seat OCS, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14C10.

Vehicles affected 113,418

Recall powertrain, axle assembly, axle shaft 2014-07-02 · NHTSA campaign 14V393000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.

Vehicles affected 83,250

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (249 total)

Steering

Electrical system

Fuel and propulsion system

Suspension

Engine

Structure

Powertrain

Seat belts

Back-over prevention

Engine and engine cooling

Service brakes

Visibility and wipers

Air bags

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Fuel system, gasoline

Latches, locks, and linkages

Exterior lighting

Forward collision avoidance

Seats

Visibility

Wheels

Carry handle, shell, and base

Chest clip, buckle, and harness

Equipment

Lane departure

Parking brake

Tether and lower anchor

Show 19 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 163 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 65,000 miles. The middle half fall between 44,000 and 90,500 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Hello, I was driving my Ford Flex at 60mph yesterday with my 15 year old friend helping me move. The engine completely died for several seconds and continued running. That night the engine was idling rough which was a…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-22
"I noticed about 6 months ago, the Backup camera has been cutting out randomly, and has been getting worse. I noticed that there is a recall for 2015 - current models of Ford Flex for this issue. Not sure why the 2014…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-07-15
"BACK UP CAMERA IS DISABLED WHEN BACKING UP. IT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH BACKING UP MAKING IT A SAFETY CONCERN. THE BEEPING SEEMS TO WORK BUT THE CAMERA WILL BE BLACK."
Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-11
"I was driving down a main road going 45 MPH when my steering wheel locked up and I got a message on my dash to service advanced steering. I was unable to turn my steering wheel in any direction and had to pull over in…"
Steering · filed 2026-02-26
"The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back over prevention camera displayed a black screen, and the message “Camera not Available” was displayed. The contact stated that…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-02-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2014 Ford Flex SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars
2014 Ford Flex SUV FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Flex all-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	23	18 MPG	$3600
Flex all-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	23	19 MPG	$3400
Flex front-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	25	20 MPG	$3250

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2009–2019

Body styles SUV

Oil 5W-20 (3.5L V6); 5W-30 (3.5L V6 EcoBoost) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 235/60R17 (SE) to 255/45R20 (Limited EcoBoost)

Towing capacity 4,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

2011-2013 Flex crossovers built between September 2010 and February 2012 are covered by Ford's 2015 recall of the electric power-assist steering (EPAS) system (NHTSA campaign 15V-340, Ford reference 15S18); for the 2011 and 2012 model years only vehicles with the 3.5L GTDI engine are affected. An intermittent electrical connection inside the steering gear motor, caused by conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment, can cause loss of the motor position sensor signal and loss of power steering assist. The mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the road is maintained at all times and the system defaults to manual steering, but steering effort rises, especially at lower speeds; drivers are alerted by an audible chime and a power steering assist fault message in the instrument cluster. Ford's no-charge remedy checked the Power Steering Control Module for diagnostic trouble codes, updating the module software if none were present and replacing the steering gear if they were.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Ford Flex Next year 2015 Ford Flex See every Ford Flex model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Ford Flex reliable?

What are common problems with a 2014 Ford Flex?

Is the 2014 Ford Flex more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Flex has 578 complaints, 31 per year, and the 2015 has 108 complaints, 7 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Ford Flex been recalled?

The 2014 Ford Flex has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2014 Ford Flex?

Owners have filed 249 complaints about the 2014 Ford Flex with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Ford Flex get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Ford Flex is 19 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2016 Ford Flex?

1st generation (2009-2019); the Flex was never redesigned into a 2nd generation.

How much can a Ford Flex tow?

Up to 4,500 lbs with the factory Class III Trailer Tow Package per Ford's official towing guide, on both the base 3.5L V6 and the 3.5L EcoBoost engine.