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2016 Ford Flex

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Ford Flex do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 139.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

49 reports with mileage · 49 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Back Over Prevention. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

4 reports
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40,000 miles · May 21, 2025
Service Brakes, HydraulicVehicle Speed Control

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle independently accelerated instead of stopping. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failur…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. While the contact's husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle independently accelerated instead of stopping. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11662303

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2024
Electrical SystemSteeringVehicle Speed Control

The car started jerking and slowing down on the highway and would not accelerate. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and had the car towed to a service center. A repair shop did a print out of the error codes from the computer which indicated an error relating to the power steering control module. A search online sh…

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The car started jerking and slowing down on the highway and would not accelerate. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and had the car towed to a service center. A repair shop did a print out of the error codes from the computer which indicated an error relating to the power steering control module. A search online show that many other Ford flex owners have experienced similar issues.

NHTSA ODI #11590354

10,960 miles · Mar 5, 2018
Vehicle Speed Control

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR SEDDENLY ACCELERATES. I COULD FEEL THE PETAL DROP OUT FROM UNDER MY FOOT. I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE CAR SPEAD UP WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BREAK. I TRIED HITTING CANCEL ON THE CRUISE CONTROL (EVEN THOUGH I NEVER SET IT OR MESS WITH IT EVER) AND IT WOULD STILL ACCELERATE WHEN I TOOK MY …

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WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR SEDDENLY ACCELERATES. I COULD FEEL THE PETAL DROP OUT FROM UNDER MY FOOT. I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE CAR SPEAD UP WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BREAK. I TRIED HITTING CANCEL ON THE CRUISE CONTROL (EVEN THOUGH I NEVER SET IT OR MESS WITH IT EVER) AND IT WOULD STILL ACCELERATE WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BREAK. IT FINALLY WENT BACK TO NORMAL AFTER PUMPING THE BREAKS.

NHTSA ODI #11076234

8,000 miles · Jul 18, 2016
Vehicle Speed Control

THROTTLE BODY ISSUES 1) VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET - ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER. MANAGED TO COAST TO A SIDE STREET. TURNED OFF ENGINE, RESTARTED FEW TIMES AND CONTINUED TO WORK WITHOUT ISSUE. (BELOW IS SAME DAY) 2) VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, ACCELERATING TO MERGE ONTO STATE HIGHWAY. EXPERIENC…

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THROTTLE BODY ISSUES 1) VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON CITY STREET - ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER. MANAGED TO COAST TO A SIDE STREET. TURNED OFF ENGINE, RESTARTED FEW TIMES AND CONTINUED TO WORK WITHOUT ISSUE. (BELOW IS SAME DAY) 2) VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, ACCELERATING TO MERGE ONTO STATE HIGHWAY. EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND MANAGED TO GET TO SHOULDER OF HIGHWAY. TURNED VEHICLE OFF, RESTARTED SEVERAL TIMES AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT TO DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI #10885448

Official recalls

3

25V695000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Oct 13, 2025

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

20V072000 · Suspension:rear

Feb 10, 2020

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

16V925000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Dec 22, 2016

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. Improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes may leak oil on engine components.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the turbocharger oil supply tubes, free of charge. The recall began on January 31, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S46.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.