Ford Motor Company has enjoyed some impressive results in J.D. Power’s recently-released 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), earning above-average rankings for both the Ford and Lincoln brands, while the 2019 Ford Ranger ranked second in the mid-size pickup segment, the 2019 Ford Mustang was the highest-ranked mid-size sports car, the 2019 Lincoln MKZ was the highest-ranked premium mid-size car, and the 2019 Lincoln MKC ranked as the second-best compact premium SUV. Now, the 2019 Ford Flex continues that trend after being ranked as the third-best mid-size SUV in terms of dependability.
The 2019 Ford Flex finished behind the Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota 4Runner in its segment, which is just the latest accolade for the discontinued model after it also won Vincentric’s 2022 Best CPO Value in America Award in the large SUV segment, a distinction that it has now received a total of five times over the years thanks to the fact that it has the lowest insurance and total ownership costs in its class.
The U.S. Dependability Study specifically looks at three-year-old vehicles in regards to dependability. The vehicles in this study were first examined in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), though the Vehicle Dependability Study measures owner satisfaction with a vehicle’s condition after three years, whether those owners find their vehicle as appealing now as when they first bought it, and what software updates have been added to the vehicle in that time span.
J.D. Power has tweaked its Vehicle Dependability Study in recent years to account for the technology features present in modern vehicles. Now, the study covers 184 different problem areas across nine major categories – climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats. The biggest nuisance for owners remains infotainment-related issues, however.
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Comments
I’m frankly surprised that those never became FORD’s official taxicab instead of the TRANSIT CONNECT. Yes an electric or hybrid would have been ideal for that.
We had a 2009 SEL AWD Flex, red with a white roof and the full sky roof. My wife wanted a Taurus X, but for the money, the Flex was a way better option. She eventually fell in love with it. We ended up trading it in for a 2013 Explorer which was a big mistake. If they were still being made today, we would have bought it over the 2022 Durango we just leased. It’s a shame that Ford let it go…it was a great truck.
The Flex is a Fantastic Vehicle. It does everything well. Just remember to keep high quality fluids in that PTU.
Had a chance to talk briefly to Jim Farley at the Detroit Auto Show many years ago. I asked why Ford didn’t promote the Flex. He said “We sell 3000/month. If we put $4000.00 on the hood of every Flex, we’d still sell 3000/month.” So there in a nutshell is why the vehicle was discontinued. Ford built the car long enough to make a nice profit on the tooling and when that was recouped, they pulled the plug. My ’12 Flex has 145k miles on it. BIggest problem with it has been service by the selling dealer. Torn seat, scratched wheels. Other than maintenance all that has been replaced is the alternator. The Flex has been a love it or hate it vehicle. Just not enough people loved it.
Bought a 2017 Flex Limited last year, I’ve never loved a vehicle as much as this one. Ford should really give it another shot. Criminally underrated!
If the Ford Flex were still in production, it would likely be selling over 20,000 each year, and 2019 saw more sales than previous years. I definitely think the Ford Flex should have stayed in production. Perhaps with a major makeover for 2020 it would have sold over 30,000 to modernize the appeal. Standard with the latest Sync system from Ford and lots of security. Ford’s Copilot 360 would also have been optional. This was an old dinosaur that was popular and came out over 10 years ago and sold 20,000 or more. Maybe Ford probably didn’t think it was worth keeping this popular crossover wagon in production. Then Ford would bring an ST variant of the Flex with the Explorer’s twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 to the ST. The 2.7l V6 would be restricted. It would have revived Ford’s latest engines like the 3.3-liter TI-VCT V6 and the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6. In all honesty, the Flex would probably still sell over 20,000, and that’s a very difficult explanation as to why Ford discontinued it. Compared to the Taurus, the Flex still outsold the Taurus and its twin, the MKT, which never sold over 10,000 in 10 years. Perhaps Ford is phasing out US sales aimed at a more global worldwide audience. Ford still sells vehicles we used to get, and they’re way better than what we got. It’s unfortunate that Ford keeps discontinuing vehicles. Perhaps it explains why Ford is failing financially.