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2009 Ford Flex engine problems

53 complaints (29% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 70,000.

owner complaints
53
of this car's complaints
29%
typical mileage
70,000
crashes
0
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Engine
    2
  • Exhaust system
    1
  • Cooling system: fan
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Ford Flex engine problems in other years

20092010201120122013201420152016201720182019

Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Ford Flex engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Stalling 18Check engine light 12Loss of power 11Engine failure 10Overheating 10Won't start 6

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2009 Ford Flex owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

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 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.

Filed Nov 12, 2020 · Engine · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford flex. The contact stated while his wife was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shifted independently into neutral. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over on the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted and driven to her destination. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer safford ford lincoln of salisbury located at 1902 n salisbury blvd, salisbury, md 21801, (443) 210-4835, and was diagnosed. The contact was informed that an unknown part needed to be replaced along with a software update. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 5, 2020 · Engine · IN

My cradle is rusted through all the way to the lower control arm and has a visible crack. I'm told this is a safety issue and concern as well as a safety hazard when one can be injured due to the engine falling out to name one. I'm told by a mechanic this is a factory default.I am very concerned and would greatly appreciate some assistance with this matter. Sincerely, [xxx] 09/05/2020 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Mar 12, 2020 · Engine · 133,615 miles · VA

I was driving about 45 mile per hr. Then my ford flex started to stall so I had it towed to a near by repair shop , they looked over my vehicle and they came to the conclusion, that the water pimp had failed and coolant entered the block, so there for the engine needed to be replace. We are now in the process of the repair invoice 369486 02/28/2020

Filed Feb 13, 2020 · Engine · MD

When driving and the car begins to accelerate past 40mph the car shudders and jerks. This has been going on for over a year. The ford dealer test drove it and couldn't duplicate what I experience often.

Filed Nov 25, 2019 · Engine · 120,000 miles · WA

The vehicle over heats, and just gets too hot. If the A/C is running it over heats just sitting at the light. Now that it is cooler, the heater is on and it over heats just sitting at the light. I stop the car and let it cool down but it should not be operating like this. There are many problems describing this same problem and it is a factory defect and needs to be corrected. No reason just sitting at a stop light for the car to over heat.

Filed May 22, 2019 · Engine · 135,000 miles · MS

2009 ford flex PCM. While accelerating off ramp onto interstate, MPH 70, the ford begin to shank violently then suddenly stops.............. In the middle of traffic/interstate in the middle lane at 70 MPH. Flex goes to shop and 3 coils are melted, converter needs to be replaced, and PCM needs to replaced. This is a serious hazard and needs to be looked into as there are many many post and complaints about the PCM. The safety of the flex and it's passengers are in grave danger when this happens as it is out of no where. 70 MPH on an interstate at a sudden stop will kill someone. No check engine light appears until after the fact. This is a ford malfunction that needs to be recalled by ford and addressed instead of tsb's before an individual is seriously hurt.

Filed Dec 17, 2018 · Engine, Steering · 106,080 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford flex. The contact owned the vehicle for less than two months and stated that the steering u joint, wheel bearings, and engine failed. The dealer (car nation, 317 south philadelphia blvd, aberdeen, md 21001, (410) 995-8888) stated that the vehicle could not be repaired since the contact put 1,000 miles on the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 106,080. The VIN was unknown.

Questions about the 2009 Ford Flex engine

Does the 2009 Ford Flex have engine problems?

Owners have filed 53 complaints about the engine of the 2009 Ford Flex, 29% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 2009 Ford Flex engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 70,000 miles.

Is there a recall for the 2009 Ford Flex engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

Other 2009 Ford Flex problems

Brakes 33Electrical 32Transmission 23Fuel system 19Steering 18Body 12Driver assistance 11Suspension 9Acceleration 8Visibility 7Airbags 6Seats 5Wheels 5Seat belts 4Tires 4Locks 2

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