There are 4 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2016 Ford Flexin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The car kept misfiring and it completely stoped on me 2 times in the street it also overheated due to the cooling system
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000.
Ford hid the fact that some of its vehicles may suffer a sudden internal water pump failure that poses significant safety risks to drivers including sudden catastrophic engine failure. From 2007 through at least 2020, Ford has incorporated the Cyclone Engine—containing a faulty internal water pump—into thousands of vehicles. Internal Water Pumps should last for the useful life of the engines without the need for any service, maintenance, or repair. Despite knowing for more than a decade that its' vehicles incorporating the "Duratec Engine", contain a defect in design that can cause the internal water pump to prematurely fail well before the end of the useful life of the engine. The issue has lead to a repair estimate of $2700 USD or could lead to catastrophic engine failure due to the water pumps' placement inside the engine block (Poor Design). In the past, Ford has also represented that the water pump will not need to be serviced or maintenance, but the internal location of the water pump in the engine conceals it from view and inspection when other routine services are being performed. The water pump is in line with the crankshaft and located over the main body of the engine, it reportedly allows coolant to leak from the water pump into the oil pan. Making matters worse, mixed coolant and oil can lead to engine failure, too.
THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND WAS TURNING LEFT FROM A STOP AT A STOPLIGHT. WE WERE PREPARING TO ENTER A HIGHWAY ON-RAMP. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT (NO WARNING) AND WOULD NOT RESTART. HAD THIS HAPPENED A FEW MOMENTS LATER (MERGING INTO HEAVY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC), AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKELY. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. IT ONLY HAS 31,000 MILES. IT GAVE NO SIGNS OF IMPENDING PROBLEMS, THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. (THERE WAS PLENTY OF FUEL IN THE TANK ALSO).
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026