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2009 Ford Flex problems

The most common problem on the 2009 Ford Flex is engine and cooling, typically around 70,000 miles. It has 1.3 times the complaints of a typical Flex model year.

Typical year1.3x the typical complaints
Year score
64/100
Owner complaints
181
Recalls
1
Service bulletins
23
Worst area
Engine
Fuel economy
18-19mpg

The worst 2009 Ford Flex problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Ford Flex

Stalling 18Grinding brakes 13Check engine light 12Fuel gauge 11Loss of power 11Engine failure 10Overheating 10Power steering loss 9Ball joint 6Jerking 6Warning lights 6Won't start 6ABS 5Brake failure 5Fire or smoke 5

Recalls 1

Air bags: frontalReported April 26, 2016 · 695 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk
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.

Recall number 16V247000 · Recall details

See all 1 recalls for the 2009 Ford Flex

Technical service bulletins for the 2009 Ford Flex 23

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 23 bulletins for the 2009 Ford Flex

2009 Ford Flex fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.5L 6‑cylFWD172419
3.5L 6‑cyl4WD162218

What 2009 Ford Flex owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Wheels · 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 of this issue at sale. To make the vehicle safe to drive, I replaced all 4 tires at my cost. Improper load-rated tires can result in tire failure, loss of vehicle control, and crash. Dealer sold vehicle "as-is" without disclosure of this safety defect.

Filed Dec 9, 2025 · Electrical · 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 passenger side floorboard, I called my wife and told her to try that, and when she did the car would start. It doesn't do it all the time, you never know when it's going to happen. We have to just stomp on the passenger floor to get everything to start working again. If I had not found this information from somebody else on the internet my wife would have been stuck about a hundred miles from home. I've taken it to the Ford house and they say they've never heard of anything like this but I know it's happened before two other people that's how I knew to stomp on the floorboard on the passenger side.

Filed 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, potentially causing spring to rust prematurely.

Filed May 27, 2023 · Electrical · 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 recall. There’s a tire pressure sensor failure as well.

Filed Apr 22, 2023 · Steering · 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.

Filed Jun 16, 2022 · Engine · 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.

Filed Mar 25, 2022 · Suspension · 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 our vehicle year is not part of the recall, I think it should be. Thank you

Filed Jul 19, 2021 · Brakes · 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 to the floor and the vehicle would not immediately stop. The contact determined that the brake booster was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Filed May 19, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · 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. The safety issue is that it has happened on the freeway several times while traveling at a high rate of speed. The car loses power, and you cannot accelerate. You have to find a way to stop immediately, put the car in park (and listen to the transmission clunk) and turn it off. This last instance put me in harms way on the freeway. The car lost power while traveling 70mph. I immediately lost speed and had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to pull over to turn the car off. All of the forums talk about the throttle body, but everyone says that’s not the issue. The OSS and TSS sensors are also discussed. The dealerships cannot find out what’s wrong because once the car is turned off and restarted, any codes are erased. The issue persists, and the car keeps losing power wherever and whenever. I am referencing the most recent incident on this form, however, this has happened at least 12 times since September, 2020. Please, please force a recall on this issue!

Filed Mar 24, 2021 · Engine · 138,000 miles · GA

Last night, I went to back the car out of the garage and while in reverse, the engine started revving up uncontrollably and even though I had my foot on the brakes, it kept moving in reverse. I quickly put it in neutral and the revving came down. Shut down the car, restarted it and this time, I put it in drive and the same thing happen again only to start lunging forward even while braking. If I were in traffic or at a stop light or sign, I would have surely hit the person(s) in front or behind me. Later my wife explained to me this happened while driving on the interstate and she had a hard time controlling the speed, due to revving, even while using the brake. She managed to take an exit ramp into a large parking lot using extreme braking (forceful) and shut the car off. She was able to make it home shortly thereafter. I waited until after 8pm to drive when there was little or no traffic to drive to the closest car repair shop to drop it off and there happened to be a mechanic leaving as I was pulling up. I described the problem and he mentioned that it was a definitely a safety issue and advised not to drive it until it got diagnosed & repaired. I've owned a lot of cars in my life and experiencing uncontrollable revving whilst the transmission is engaged is a frightening experience. Luckily we kept our wits and were able to recover. I also see where this has already been reported on this site. This is a real safety issue and I'm thankful no one was injured last night, including my wife and children. Please, please check into this as this is not normal behavior and a serious safety concern.

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Questions about the 2009 Ford Flex

Is the 2009 Ford Flex reliable?

Owners have filed 181 complaints about the 2009 Ford Flex, 1.3 times a typical Flex model year.

What is the 2009 Ford Flex year score?

The 2009 Ford Flex scores 64 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford Flex: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Ford Flex?

Engine and cooling, with 53 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles. Next is brakes (33).

How many recalls does the 2009 Ford Flex have?

1 recall, covering air bags.

What gas mileage does the 2009 Ford Flex get?

Official estimates for the 2009 Ford Flex range from 18 to 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.5L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17 city and 24 highway.

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