Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Ford Flex owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
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.
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.
July 22, 2016. Wife started car in school parking lot and headed to the exit. While making a left hand turn onto the main road, and accelerating, loud noises again heard under the car and it lost power even while giving it gas. Had to pull over to the side of the road. Shut off car and re-started. No issues. Wife refuses to drive the car until fixed. Taken to dealer on July 29, 2016. Unable to duplicate. Returning to dealer aug 5 for computer re-flash. This is a significant safety issue that is being reported all over the Ford Flex forums and it appears Ford motor company will not address the issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Ford Flex. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, smoke appeared from the hood and the vehicle spontaneously caught on fire. The contact extinguished the fire and disconnected the battery cables. The air bag warning indicator was illuminated, but the air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
My daughter was driving on interstate at 70 MPH when the Flex totaling shut down. She had no power steering, brakes or lights. It started back up after a couple of hours and was giving bogus messages on the display. Ford dealer says there are no codes showing up, so they won't be able to determine what caused this. We cannot drive anymore without knowing what happened, since it might happen again and would be very dangerous if going over a mountain pass at the time it happens. We live in montana.
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, [phone]) 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, smoke was seen coming from the air vents. The vehicle was then pulled over and then driven slowly back to the contact's residence. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a service done due to the check engine light illuminating. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 88,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Ford Flex. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electronic throttle failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000....updated 07/19/16
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.
Engine complaints in other Flex years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2009 Ford Flex?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Ford Flex, 29% of the model year's 181 complaints. The component named most often is engine (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Ford Flex engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2009 Ford Flex, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Ford Flex engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.