The Flex was marketed in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East — with production reaching just over 300,000.

The rear passenger doors of the Fairlane were rear-hinged; this configuration was chosen to provide better interior views when on display.

In 2010, a second engine was available, as a 355 hp twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 became available on SEL and Limited models with all-wheel drive standard.

Introduced at the 2011 LA Auto Show, the MY 2013 Flex received a mid-cycle facelift, where roofline and doors were retained and the front and rear were revised.

[8] Across its production, the Flex was offered in three trim levels: The base SE, only available with front-wheel-drive (FWD), offers the following features as standard equipment: a 3.5 L "DuraTec" V6 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, seventeen-inch aluminum wheels, an AM/FM stereo with a single-disc CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack (later, Ford SYNC also became standard equipment on this trim level), a six-speaker audio system, cloth seating surfaces, aluminum interior trim panels, keyless entry, power windows, power door locks, black side mirrors and door handles, and manually controlled two-row air conditioning.

The mid-level SEL, available with either FWD OR all-wheel-drive (AWD), all-wheel drive equipped SELs had the EcoBoost V6 as an option (only for the 2010 model year), added eighteen-inch wheels, Ford SYNC, an AM/FM stereo with satellite radio, a six-disc, in-dash CD/MP3 changer and an auxiliary audio input jack (later, MyFord Touch or SYNC 3 became standard equipment on this trim level), a seven-speaker premium audio system with external amplifier and rear-mounted subwoofer, a power front driver's seat, a security system, color-keyed door handles, and automatically controlled two-row air conditioning.

The top-of-the-line Limited, available with either FWD OR AWD, added nineteen-inch chrome-plated wheels, a GPS navigational system (later with MyFord Touch or SYNC 3), leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual power front seats, heated and ventilated dual front seats, a driver's memory system, push-button ignition and remote start with keyless access (on later models ONLY), a dual-panel panoramic moonroof, a Sony audio system, rear-mounted subwoofer, and external surround-sound amplifier, and chrome-plated side mirrors (in 2013 it was changed to body color mirror caps) and door handles.

[10] In 2010 the Flex was listed as the third-best affordable mid- or full-sized SUV in US News, behind the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse.

[26] Ford Flex AWD was ranked highest of large SUVs by the percentage of owners who would definitely purchase that same vehicle again.