2013 Ford Flex

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a recall repair. The contact stated the dealer declined to perform the recall repair because the vehicle was unable to be started. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V072000 (SUSPENSION). The vehicle was currently at the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 127,000.

On Sunday, February 22, 2026, I was driving my 2013 Ford Flex with the driver’s seat heater activated. After a period of use, I began to notice an unusual electrical burning smell inside the vehicle. There were no dashboard warning lights or system alerts. I turned the seat heater off immediately once I detected the smell. I did not initially notice an injury at that time. The following day, I experienced significant pain and discovered burns on my buttocks in the area consistent with seat contact. I sought medical evaluation three days later and was diagnosed with second- to third-degree burns. Prescription treatment was provided. The vehicle has not yet been inspected for the cause of the overheating or odor. Based on the location and pattern of injury, and the timing of the electrical smell while the heated seat was activated, the burn appears to have resulted from a malfunction of the seat heating element.

While driving, the power steering warning light illuminated and steering assist was lost. The steering became extremely hard, especially at low speeds. The vehicle makes grinding/whining noises when turning, and the car vibrates while in Drive. This creates a serious safety concern, especially during turns and parking maneuvers. Issue appears to be electric power steering (EPAS) failure.

Power steering. While I was driving in my neighborhood the power steering went out and I could not make a turn. It locked up while driving. I could have got into a head on collision/accident becasue the road turns. Yes, I reported it to Ford and they told me my flex did not have a recall despite the ford website stating that some 2013 ford flex are affected. The description of 15s18 sterring recall matches my same issue and it poses a serious safety hazard. Yes, i took it to a mechanic at an auto shop and her is telling me that he can't fix recalls. At the time of the accident, i got No pre warning just the message that states: "Steering Lock Malfunction Service Now: The steering lock system has detected a condition that requires service." This happened on or around 11/23/25. I am requesting that Ford pay for my power steering to be fixed.

THE REAR- VIEW BACK UP CAMERA DOES NOT OPERATE PROPERLY WHEN VEHICLE IS PUT IN REVERSE. IT WORKS INTEMITTEDLY. SOMETIMES IMAGE IS BLACK, SOMETIMES UPSIDE DOWN, SOMETIME, WORKS PROPERLY, SOMETIME IMAGE FREEZES, AND SOMETIMES SHOWS ERROR CAMERA NOT WORKING CONTACT DEALERSHIP. REDUCES THE THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT IS BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHEN BACKIN UP AND INCREASES THE RISK OF CRASH.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact recently purchased the vehicle. When the vehicle was purchased, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had a failure with the steering wheel. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The message "Service Advancetrac" was displayed on the instrument panel, and an unknown message about the steering was displayed. In addition, while in reverse(R), the contact used force to turn the steering wheel. Most recently, the contact stated that when the turn signal lever was activated, the turn signal lever failed to stay down as intended. The contact had to hold the turn signal lever down to signal a right or left turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the dealer related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING). However, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 131,785.

Rear camera stopped working years ago. Will only work briefly after collision warning alert goes off which goes off randomly even when there are no other vehicles in the area

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred two to three times per week. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.

My electric power steering went out while driving. Everywhere online says the 2013 flex has a recall for this but when I enter my vin it says no recall. There has been several claims of this on my model year and accidents and dangers reported. I want to know my my vehicle isn’t showing up for the recall when it’s never been replaced by ford so it should be replaced by Ford.

Power Steering Assist Default. Power steering has intermittently gone out several times and when the vehicle is powered off and back on it would worked properly. July 15, 2025 121,471 miles it went out and will not reset. Fortunately, this happened at the car wash and not while driving. It could have been a very dangerous situation while driving. Had it towed home. I have reported to Ford Case# CXH-04975179 July 16, 2025 and was told to take it to the dealer for evaluation and the dealer may assist $ with the repair. The (Power Steering Assist Fault) appeared on the dash. This has happened intermittently over the past several months and gone away but not it will not go away and the vehicle in inoperable.

MY 2013 FORD FLEX ONLY HAS 109,600 MILES ON IT. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE MECHANIC SHOP. THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS WITH THE POWER STEERING ASSIST. SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS, WHEN I AM REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT SUDDENLY THE POWER ASSIST WARNING COMES ON AND THE CAR IS UNCONTROLLABLE. I HAVE HAD TO TOW IT TWICE. I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO MANEUVER THE CAR WHEN IT LOCKS UP LIKE THAT. THERE WAS NO OTHER WARNING UNTIL I MADE THE ATTEMPT TO BACK UP THEN A WARNING MESSAGE CAME ON. THE MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM . HE MADE SOME OTHER REPAIRS TO THE WHEEL HUB BEARINGS, SO WHEN I PICKED UP MY CAR AND IT DROVE FINE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, I THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED. BUT IT FROZE UP AGAIN UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS--TRYING TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPOT. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND ONCE AGAIN THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT HE SAID THERE WAS A RECORD OF THE WARNINGS IN THE SYSTEM. MY SAFETY AS WELL AS THE SAFETY OF OTHER DRIVERS IS AT RISK, BECAUSE IF THIS GOES OUT WHILE IN TRANSIT, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. I ENJOY MY FLEX, BUT THE REPAIRS HAVE BEEN SO MUCH LATELY. ONE OF THE RECENT REPAIRS WAS THE EMERGENCY BRAKE COSTING 1,200. THE WHEEL HUB BEARINGS WERE 1,400 AND NOW THIS POWER STEERING ASSIST REPAIR IS ESTIMATED TO BE QUITE PRICEY. I AM PARTIALLY HANDICAPPED, RETIRED AND LIVING ON A VERY LIMITED INCOME. THESE EXPENSES ARE OUTRAGEOUS FOR SUCH A NICE CAR WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE. DOES THIS MODEL HAVE ISSUES? I KEEP UP THE MAINTENANCE AND THE OIL CHANGES AND WHATEVER ELSE NEEDS TO BE DONE, BUT THESE EXPENSES ARE HITTING ALL AT ONCE AND PUTTING ME IN DEBT. IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THERE IS A GLITCH IN THE MECHANICAL SYSTEM? I LOOKED UP RECALLS AND IT DOES SAY THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING ASSIST. I AM CONTACTING TO VERIFY THAT INFORMATION. PLEASE CONFIRM FOR ME SO I KNOW HOW TO PROCEED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" and "Service Advancetrac" messages were displayed. The contact stated that the power steering assist had failed to operate as needed and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact also stated that the turn signals failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic was not equipped with the tools to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 213,300.

I Repaired 1 door ajar DSF under warranty Had to pay for 2 doors PSF & PSR due to out of warranty Now there’s a recall but I’m over 250,000 miles ,so Ford refuses to to cover the door handle sensor recall

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the message “Power Steering Failure” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact also stated that a handheld diagnostic reader retrieved DTC: U3000, 49-48, U300096C8, and BID2368-48. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

There is a recall on models in this year but not the one I currently have. While driving on the highway my advancetrac warning lit up, the roads where dry and the was nothing to indicate why this was happening. So, I began to continue to drive on the highway and my steering wheel began to feel "jiggly". I kept two hands on the wheel the remaining drive and stayed within the min driving limit as any bump I experienced allowed for the car to be redireced even with two hands on the wheel. Once I made it off the highway to my destination I received three warning messages one system fault, one power steering service and one advancetrac. At this point when turning the car off and back on again the steering wheel became hard to turn. The red power steering message popped up again along with the advancetrac message. Because this issue happened while the car was in motion I find it hard to believe that this model is not apart of the recall. Now I have to foot the bill along with feeling like at any moment I could have crashed and lost my life during my time driving on the highway. My only hope for writing this is to ensure another look at the 2013 models that were not included in this recall so that other lives can be saved. I would not have a problem allowing this issue to be inspected. My safety and those along the highway were in danger because I could have lost control of the vehicle. The problem still remains, I have set an appointment for this issue. This happened 6/5/25. The warnings first appeared while driving the vehicle.

My back up camera show upside down or sometimes it shows a black screen. People have a habit of walking behind me when I’m backing up and I can’t see them. The warning beep sounds but I can’t tell if it a car or person behind me. When it first happen months ago I tried resetting camera, it didn’t work. Not sure if my extended warranty covers this.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,050.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was a beeping sound coming from the vehicle with the messages "Electronic Power Steering Assist failure", "Service Advance-trac", and "Power steering assist fault" displayed. Additionally, the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that simultaneously the steering wheel became extremely firm. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the electronic rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was drifting in different directions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

I went to drop my children off at school, backed out of the driveway fine everything was good. I went to turn the corner and my steering went really, really stiff. Thankfully I only live 2 blocks from the school and wasn't going over 15 mph. If I had been I'm scared of what could have happened.