2018 Ford Flex

Routine

Owners filed 65 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the unknown or other. It has been recalled 3 times.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k

30 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 010,000 miles; the median is 60,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Unknown or Other11
001
Suspension9
100
Back Over Prevention9
000
Electrical System7
300
Structure › Body6
000
Structure6
000
Wheels2
000
Steering2
000
Fuel/Propulsion System2
000
Air Bags2
200

3 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Structure › Body25V732000
Filed Oct 24, 202592,347 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Flex vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.

Risk. Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will repair or replace the B-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 17, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated March 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 28, 2025.

Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera25V695000
Filed Oct 13, 20251,448,655 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.

Risk. A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.

Suspension › Rear20V072000
Filed Feb 10, 2020211,207 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

Risk. A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Back Over Prevention
Filed Sep 4, 2026103,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a black image. The vehicle was taken to two dealers, but the vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 4, 2026AZ

There's been a recall for the rear backup camera since October of last year. Although there hasn't been any particular incidents, there's been some close calls because the fix is still not available. Any help would be appreciated

Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 1, 2026MI

Rear passenger door fails to latch properly. The door falls open on left turn.Warnings are unclear or non-existant

Structure
Filed Aug 27, 2026150,000 milesAZ

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image would appear blank and other times the camera not available warning message would display. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V829000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000

Electrical System
Filed May 31, 2026CA

Recall has not been remedied, and it has been over six months.I was told it would be remedied by june or ford would be held accountable for compensating for repairs on the.Recall. #25SA9/25v695 The recall addresses the camera for backing up witch is still not functioning in a safety risk.

Suspension
Filed May 28, 2026KY

Wile driving 40 mph, the right rear tire locked up and I had to counter steer aggressively to avoid spinning out and hitting oncoming traffic. The car was flat bed delivered to Ford and they recommended the following repairs. "Control Arm- Rear: rear suspension lateral links. The rear upper and lower control arms not only provide suspension travel but also secure the rear end to the vehicle." "*Tires - 4: passenger rear inner sidewall damaged."

Engine
Filed May 27, 2026NV

An antifreeze leak is very hard to locate because Ford’s design placed the water pump INside the engine rather than on the OUTside, which would be more the norm. If antifreeze leaks enough, it gets into the oil and the entire engine stands to be destroyed. Our heater quit blowing warm air recently and after intently searching we discovered that we had an antifreeze leak inside of our engine, and antifreeze was slowly leaking out through a weephole in the engine. The water pump had gone bad and needed replacing. The hours required to replace this water pump are intense and they are long. Almost the entire engine needs to be dismantled in order to perform the work. Not only does the pump need changed, but so does the timing chain, hoses, seals, gaskets, tensioners and other engine parts, all at the same time, making this a VERY costly out-of-pocket expense for us elderly people who have long relied on Ford’s standard of doing what’s right by its people. In our research we found that the water pumps in Flex engines are failing, regularly, once the vehicle is close to having 80,000 miles on it. This repair most DEFINITELY should be covered by recall since it is happening so regularly. We have just been forced to pay for this repair on our own and I would like to please ask for your help in recovering what we’ve had to spend. Will you please provide contact information as to where we can reach out for assistance in this matter? Your help is VERY much appreciated! Thank you!

Structure
Filed May 18, 202660,000 milesNC

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign: 25V732000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver-side B-pillar trim with the Security Key pad had detached and almost struck nearby vehicles. The contact stated that she managed to pull over on the shoulder of the road; however, the vehicle independently locked, leaving the occupants on the shoulder of the road temporarily. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on another occasion, the front Passenger-side B-Pillar trims had detached. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was repaired out of pocket; however, the front Driver-side B-Pillar trim had detached, and upon further inspection, water would intrude through the missing, failed parts. The local dealer was contacted. It was unknown whether the vehicle was diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection
Filed May 12, 2026LA

The warning shows that the blind spot sensor is not working.

Back Over Prevention
Filed May 8, 202660,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2018 FORD Flex. The contact stated while using the back up camera on the vehicle it ends to shutoff randomly causing a back over prevention issue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was/was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Back Over Prevention
Filed May 7, 2026145,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the rearview camera became inoperable and the camera image appeared blurry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V732000 (Structure); however, the parts required to complete the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the remedy parts were currently unavailable for the vehicle, although the contact was informed that remedy parts were available for the Mustang models. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to provide a remedy for the recall repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

Back Over Prevention
Filed May 7, 202675,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated while reversing, the rear view camera displayed a solid green screen. The contact stated that because of the failure, the contact almost crashed into another vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. In addition, the B- Pillar on the driver's side rear door was detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the vehicle was not inspected. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received recall notifications: NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V732000 (Structurer) however the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Structure
Filed Apr 24, 202640,500 milesIN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the driver's side exterior B-Pillar trim had previously detached and was replaced by the dealer. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V732000 (Structure). The dealer was contacted for reimbursement and informed that reimbursement would be provided when the recall remedy became available. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the passenger’s side windshield exterior A-Pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The contact was able to retrieve the trim from the road with the assistance of bystanders. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that there would be a charge for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,500.

Electrical System
Filed Apr 22, 2026TX

Have been waiting for several months for Ford to remedy BOTH recalls. There obviously is no important reason for them to be productive and do the right thing so this issue will likely never be resolved unless I take action and file a complaint. The two issues are not even that critical so I further don't see why action has not been taken. 1. Interior A pillars separating. 2. Back up camera screen on infotainment center.

Back Over Prevention
Filed Apr 14, 2026127,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact had recently undergone head and neck surgery, and the contact was unable to operate the vehicle with ease due to a disoriented image on the display. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Structure › Body
Filed Apr 9, 2026MI

Recently, while driving on the freeway The drivers B pillar, came off and was only held on by the wires for the keyless entry. While driving on the freeway, I had to hold the B pillar until I could get off the freeway. When I called Ford, they told me to bring it in to get it looked at to proceed with the repair, but was then informed there is no parts at this time and had no time line when they would receive them. which is completely unacceptable since my B pillar is no longer attached. Also, my backup camera does not work. Sometimes it will work, but everything’s upside down and other times it just cuts out with lines across the screen.

Structure
Filed Apr 1, 2026CA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V732000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall repairs were not completed because the parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. Additionally, the contact owned two other Ford Flex vehicles and a Ford Explorer with the same recalls associated with the VIN. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Structure
Filed Mar 9, 202647,401 milesIN

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds on city roads, a trim piece fell off the vehicle, and the contact was unable to recover the trim piece. After losing the trim piece, the contact heard road noise and air entering the vehicle through the gap. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V732000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 47,401.

Structure
Filed Mar 5, 2026100,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V732000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side B-pillar trim detached. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact retrieved a temporary part at a local junk yard and attached the B-pillar trim with adhesive. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Back Over Prevention
Filed Mar 2, 202668,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V732000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while shifted to reverse(R), the back over prevention camera intermittently shut off. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

20 of 65 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2013
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2019247400Above average
2018 — this page65300Routine
201742400Routine
201698300Routine
2015107420Routine
2014249420Above average
2013578610Above average
201264210Routine
2011144211Fatalities reported
2010139120Routine
2009181120Routine

Compare every Flex year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Oct 24, 2025. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.