2010 Ford Flex

Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.

70/100

Worth a look

AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.

What owners actually report

Owners have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Ford Flex, and it carries 1 recall. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.

Complaints by area, from NHTSA records for this model-year
Area	Complaints	Share
Steering	28	20%
Engine	21	15%
Service brakes	9	6%
Power train	8	6%
Air bags	6	4%
Fuel/propulsion system	6	4%
Engine and engine cooling	4	3%
Seats	4	3%
Suspension	3	2%
Unknown or other	3	2%

In owners' own words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.

Leaving home to go to the grocery store and as I exited my street a dash warning came on stating "Power Steering Assist" fault Steering wheel locked up making it impossible for me to steer. Fortunately this happened
NHTSA complaint: Steering

On the road and power steering went out and was super hard to turn
NHTSA complaint: Steering

Water ingress into rear side door latch - froze - door opened while car was in motion
NHTSA complaint: Structure

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a metal clicking and scraping sound coming from underneath the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the whee
NHTSA complaint: Steering

While traveling at highway speeds 75+ a loud bang and then control of vehicle was hard to keep on road, swerved left then right, left rear quarter panel hit guard rail and caused car to spin around and went sideways and
NHTSA complaint: Suspension

Vehicle loses power steering intermittently upon vehicle startup as well as in motion. Vehicle is then extremely hard to control without power steering. Message " POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" prints to the instrument clu
NHTSA complaint: Steering

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The con
NHTSA complaint: Service brakes

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became firm, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the v
NHTSA complaint: Engine and engine cooling

Recalls on record

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2010 Ford Flex. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.

Air bags:frontal 16V247000

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 spe

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

The seven scores

Reliability raw	67	good
Longevity est.	72	good
Maintenance	69	good
Depreciation	100	excellent
Performance	67	good
Efficiency	35	below average

How it compares in its class

Percentile ranks against other SUVs in the catalog.

Reliability: better than 28% of SUVs
Longevity: better than 35% of SUVs
Running costs: better than 38% of SUVs
Value retention: better than 100% of SUVs

Which of these numbers are measured

What stands behind each score for this car:

Reliability 67: from NHTSA recalls and complaints. This one is a raw count: we do not have a sales figure for this model, so a high-volume car looks worse here than it should.
Longevity 72: an estimate from powertrain and brand record. No 200,000-mile population exists for a 2010 car yet, so this is a prior, not evidence.
Maintenance 69: repair-cost data where we have it for this model, otherwise a mechanical-complexity estimate from engine size, cylinder count and drivetrain.
Safety: no score. NHTSA crash testing thins out for older vehicles and we would rather show nothing than guess.

Common questions

What goes wrong with the 2010 Ford Flex?

Owners have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and steering is the most reported area with 28 of them (20%). There is 1 recall on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.

Is the 2010 Ford Flex reliable?

AVOIR scores its reliability 67/100 (good) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.

How long will a 2010 Ford Flex last?

AVOIR scores its longevity 72/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2010 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.

Should I buy a 2010 Ford Flex?

AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 70/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.

Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.