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Ford Flex New Owner Reports

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Comments

  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    I have taken my car/flex in over 5 times for the rough ride/rattling and shaking. i do not think the dealer is taking me serious. I called ford and they told me the service director at sheehy ford springfield va said it is supposed to ride rough. I am scared that there is something wrong they are not addressing and the saftey of my child
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    hey
    did some research, i would take it to the dealer and have them look at it and repair it. If the problem still persists keep taking it back and document everything. I live in VA and the Lemon Law states you have to have it in at least 3 times for the same issue and then you have to give teh dealer a letter of notice (go to lemon laws.com for sample letter) you have 18 months from the time you purchase, 3 times, letter and they have one more chance to fix it.
  • jonerobjonerob Member Posts: 8
    If you have a bad taste :sick: in your mouth from this vehicle, try the lemon law :lemon: . I like my car and would not have bought it if I did not. I'll fix what's wrong and have them fix it at their expense if it's related to something they did. I bought a LINCOLN MKt, it's the brother to the FLEX with rounded edges and a few more options and less third row head room but I'm not complaining because I don't sit back there :shades: . I would only go with the lemon law if the defect was terminal to the motor/transmission or a safety related electrical gremlin. Make them replace your rims and tires if you really like the FLEX.
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Hey there,
    Love the Flex, but really its been in there 5 times and they still cannot get it fixed. Does not seem like they are really intersted in finding the issue especailly when they are stuffing cushion on the roof interior as a solution. As a single mom i am always running around (only one car) so it gets kind of hectic if the car is always in the shop.
  • ttwebttweb Member Posts: 17
    Got it to the Ford Dealer on Monday. The front two tires were a little out of balance. No issue when they road force tested them however. But after the balance, all seems to be working as it should. I haven't had the opportunity to take it on an extended freeway drive but the short segments have been fine.

    Other than that the vehicle has been flawless. Now have 2300 miles on in just over two weeks.

    Again thank you all for the ideas.

    Tom
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Great to hear!!
    Mine still shakes, rattles down the road and a little swaying from left to right. Still waiting to hear from Ford. I sent a formal letter for the issue to be repaired. I do not think it is normal and the dealer wrote me off saying it is supposed to ride rough!!
  • ttwebttweb Member Posts: 17
    I actually think the ride of the Flex is just fine. Mine has the 20inch rims so you notice bumps but I have a far firmer ride in my PT Cruiser.
    And yes if you put the back two windows down only you will get some wild turbulence that sounds like a rumble because the air as no escape out the rear of the car. If you open all four, it is not likely to happen.
    The vibration I had was only at freeway speeds and proved to be from the tires being slightly out of balance.
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Yes I uderstand, and happy yours rides right. I have RATTLING,SHAKING and CLA CLUNK in the back of the car. I understand the NORMAL ride. But the car should NOT RATTLE OR SHAKE. SORRY
    MINE does NOT ride RIGHT. I have NUMEROUS people ride in the car so NO I am not a CRAZY WOMAN!!
  • ttwebttweb Member Posts: 17
    Agreed. Did not mean to indicate that your car issues are not real. My apologies.
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Thank you.. it has been a stressful time.
  • wiz23wiz23 Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    I am thinking about getting a new Flex limited and wondered if I should be concerned about getting the non EcoBoost version. Is the regular engine strong enough for a decent driving experience? I'm going to be changing from driving an Acura MDX 2005 to this car.

    Thanks
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    very sluggish
  • wiz23wiz23 Member Posts: 4
    Do you mean "weak". I test drove both, but it's been short drives on flat surface roads.
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Yes (very weak) the car seems to drive very slow and works very hard to try to get up hills
    I suggest you test drive down resdential with bumps, (I am having lots of issues with the way mine rides) I also I suggest you have them take up up a BIG hill or windy street.
  • wiz23wiz23 Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2010
    Thanks for your feedback. Other then that (which hopefully is solved with the EcoBoost engine), are you happy with the car? Did you get a limited version?
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    I do not want to influence your choice, but I am not having a great experience. I bought the SEL the only one on the lot at the time
    There is alot of rattling, rides rough over bumps.
    The dealership serivce department has not been able to fix.. so
    I love the room inside the car
    the interior and bells and whistles
    Love the sleek style
    hate the ride....
    It is slow, no pick up speed, slugglish
    rides horrible
    terrible on gas
    a little bulky when trying to park
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    People are surprised to learn how heavy a Flex is. The base SE front-wheel-drive checks in at 4471 pounds empty. An AWD EcoBoost Flex tips the scale at 4839. For some perspective, the last Ford Country Squire full size wagon (1991) checked in at a comparatively svelte 4047 pounds.

    Even though the Flex base V6 appears to have the numbers to move it (262 hp, 248 lb-ft), the problem is you have to really get into the rpms to get to that power. The EcoBoost has more power and torque low in the tach where you need it.

    kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
  • wiz23wiz23 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for that explanation.
  • lanbabalanbaba Member Posts: 45
    Anyone switched from a Freestyle/Taurus X to the FLEX? Could you please give some comments?
  • tcurry3tcurry3 Member Posts: 4
    I previously owned 3 Chrysler mini-vans (in succession) then went to an Expedition. I now own a Flex, and it's the best auto I've ever owned. It meets all my needs as represented by the combo of a mini-van and an SUV. I can haul all the kids and drive in comfort. I can fold down the seats and go shellfishing, load up on building materials for small construction projects, and haul my gardening and yard maintenance supplies. When not doing any of those things, it has the feel of a luxury sedan and, on a trip to Florida from Massachustts, averaged 24.8 mpg over the entiew trip.
  • camummacamumma Member Posts: 1
    edited May 2010
    :lemon: My 2010 Flex is currently in the shop for it's third time. The transmission has been slipping since the first few weeks I bought it. I've had it 5 months and it has 4,600 miles on it. So far, two different service repair dealerships have not been able to duplicate it. I have two small children and this is a HUGE issue for me especially at the sticker price.

    As previously stated in this thread, the headrest is extremely uncomfortable forcing my head forward and putting strain on my neck. I have tried reversing it and I didn't like it that way either. I keep the headrest up so the top of my head hits the bottom of it.

    I have an iPhone and just the presence of my phone in the car creates "morse code" noise to come out of my speakers. My stereo can be completely off and my phone not in use and the noise still happens.

    The dashboard squeaks. Squeaking and rattling in a car can get very annoying. Between the squeaking and morse code, my nerves are grated on.

    I currently have a rental as it's in the shop. I have a 320 mi round trip to take this weekend by myself with my two little children. I am not happy.

    Also, the turning radius is the worst in all of the previous 6 vehicles I've owned. I have to do a lot of 3 points to back out of parking spaces. No wonder rear assist is standard on the base model.

    I've never gotten better than 17mpg even when driving mostly freeway. Very disappointed with the gas mileage

    As I know my transmission problem will not be duplicated once again, I have already contacted a lawyer to lemon law my vehicle.
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Look up your lemon laws/ Go to your warranty book there is the ford contact Number. I contacted BBB autoline arbritration
  • csherrencsherren Member Posts: 14
    Some state lemon laws only require you to take the car in 3 times for the same issue. Then go to your warranty book and find the number for ford customer relations department. Talk to them tell them you are unhappy took the car in 3 times and they cannot get it fixed. According to the lemon law you have 18 months from the time you bought the car. You have to mail a letter of intent to ford customer relations
    You state your name
    VIN number
    number of miles
    list all the issues
    then you demand they fix it or replace the car.
    BBB Auto line or lemon lawyers have a sample letter
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter wants to talk with recent buyers of a 6+ seat vehicle in the Detroit area. Please respond to pr@edmunds.com by Friday, June 4, 2010 and be sure to include your phone number and the vehicle model you own.
  • bandaidgoozbandaidgooz Member Posts: 10
    We have a 2009 Ford Flex SEL AWD with about 41000 miles on it. It has developed a low-pitched growl over the past 2000-3000 miles. The growl becomes louder the faster we go. The growl is now very prominent at highway speeds. I've also noticed at 45-65 mph it diminishes when turning right. Any ideas what is causing this and any fixes would be appreciated.
  • jonerobjonerob Member Posts: 8
    have you asked this on the forums

    http://www.fordflex.net/

    and

    http://fordflexforum.com/

    these are a good source of information
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    edited May 2011
    I don't know if you have had this resolved yet, but I know what that is, bad wheel bearing. Happened to mine too. I don't blame Ford, they didn't make the bearing. If it happens again though, I will be on their case to get an updated wheel bearing.

    A lot of posts you see are complaints, it rides bad, it squeaks, the iphone makes noise(not the cars fault, I had an iphone do that to my desk phone and speakers, stupid iphone), this sucks, that sucks, this is bad, that is bad.

    Well, here is a positive post. I have a 2010 SEL EB, and I love it. I bought it in Feb of last year and have 18K miles on it. It has it's quirks, it isn't the "perfect" vehicle, but for someone who has a family of 6, it's the best vehicle for my needs. Plenty of power with the EB, the NA version is anemic, especially since we also have a 2010 Fusion Sport with the same V6 in the Flex NA. Same engine, totally different beasts, you really can tell the Flex is heavy. It doesn't have an exceptional ride, but for having 20" tires with no more than 3 inches of sidewall, it rides reasonably well, strips in the road and cracks are heard and felt, dips can be jarring at times, depending on how deep and how fast you go over them, but I can attribute all that due to the low profile tires. Winter driving has been EXCELLENT! I have the same brand/model tires, goodyear RS-A on the Fusion, and they suck, royally, horrible traction in rain and snow, and thought, here we go, same tires, poor traction, but after driving through snow with them, and having great traction, I compared the tires. Sometime between when my Fusion was built, and the Flex was built, Goodyear changed the design of the tires, and they have very good traction now.

    The headrest hasn't been much bother to me, I don't drive with my head pressed against the back seat, and it is designed to prevent whiplash injuries, so you have to take it or leave it with that design, more and more cars will have headrests like this, annoying, yes, but safer. Have to give up something to get something I guess. Overall it is a very comfortable car to ride in, especially for long trips, the Flex is a wonderful highway cruiser. The one thing I found though for highway cruising, the tires are loud on certain pavement, most notably, concrete with the grooves, and for a long stretch of that pavement, my ears were a little numb. At 70 MPH, we can hold a normal conversation, don't have to speak loud to be heard, except to be heard in the third row( DONT MAKE ME STOP THIS CAR), and getting 27 MPG on the open highway, it really is a great cruiser.

    I think the best part about owning a Flex though, the style, no other car is like it, sure the scion is boxy, but it doesn't have the class the Flex does. It turns heads, and people have asked me several times if they could look in my car. I have never had a car where people would ask to see it.

    Would I buy another one? Only if this one gets wrecked, or if they still make them when I finally wear this one out. Considering the EB V6 will most likely last 200K miles, I will be holding onto this one for quite a few years.
  • flexuser123flexuser123 Member Posts: 4
    edited September 2011
    I bought 3 days ago a brand new 2011 Titanium Flex Ecoboost fully loaded top of the line, I was driving in an unknown territory the navigation system stopped working, the voice command is not picking up and the system shot down!

    I was so scared! I don't know the place, thanks to i phone I was able to find my way out.

    My husband called sync support, they instructed him to re-set everything, it did not work...he worked with them on the phone for 2 hours....it was not fixed and apparently our neighbor saw my husband struggling he told him to bring it back to dealership because he have a flex too and end up trading it because it has a lot of problem.

    The car is 3 days old and it is giving me problem already...I don't know what will be next!!!

    DONT BUY FLEX! DONT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY!!!!
  • huskerohuskero Member Posts: 7
    Our 2009 AWD Flex had a low growl that kept on getting worse until one day it wouldn't move. It turned out the transmission fluid was so low it didn't show on the dip stick. I think the Ford dealer ended up replacing some seals under warranty, after we put a lot of fluid in to get it going again.
  • huskerohuskero Member Posts: 7
    Ford needs to get its act together with vent doors. After having to do the online blend door fix on my 97 Explorer (still holding), now my 2009 Flex makes a clicking noise whenever the air system is not on recirculation. I dropped the glove box door and the noise is definitely coming from the motor or actuator behind the glove box on the recirc vent. Has anyone else had this problem and can recommend a fix?
  • clickrs2clickrs2 Member Posts: 3
    To tell you the truth we brought the Flex for all the options inside that we wanted but couldn't afford in another car. We weren't impressed with the style. But after owning it just a week we are in love with it. We even like the looks of it now. The roof rails, add to it and we are having the FLEX lettering added to the front like in the Titanium model. We just cannot believe the luxury and all the options in this car for the cost. Great value, hopefully we feel this way after a year or two. We needed the room for our extended family road trips and vacations, and now have it plus some.
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Congrats. We love the flex too. I wish I could have kept it and get a new truck too, but one took priority over the other, so someone will be getting a nice Flex EB. Kids are mad at me though, I got rid of both their favorite cars.
  • gkaminskygkaminsky Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 Flex SEL with the same problem. I called the dealer and they told me it is the actuator for the recirculating door. I am in the process of taking apart the dash/radio bezel to access the part but am struggling with the bezel removal. I have already removed the bezel over the shift lever and removed the 2 bolts from the radio bezel but can't get it to move. I am afraid to pull on it too hard for fear of breaking the bezel. Any thoughts?
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    No longer under warranty? I would let the dealer fix it, before you break something that can cost more than the actual repairs. Been there done that.
  • vankerkvankerk Member Posts: 1
    I agree 100% about the golf clubs!! How dumb is right!! We almost did not buy our Flex based just on that. Other than that (and it's a biggie) we really do love the vehicle. Rides like a dream.
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