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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

98 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2024
Suspension

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI #11628554

Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2024
Unknown Or Other

Rear camera is malfunctioning. When the vehicle is in reverse, the display shows either a flashing green screen followed by an error message or an upside down image with no parking aid lines.

NHTSA ODI #11625685

Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2024
SuspensionCrashInjury

I was driving down the road, heard a pop, fishtailed then rolled over 1.5 times into a ditch. A rear suspension part broke, indicated by groves made at the scene and camber of tire after accident. The rollover could have seriously injured myself or my passenger. The police report refers to a mechanical failure. No warning si…

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I was driving down the road, heard a pop, fishtailed then rolled over 1.5 times into a ditch. A rear suspension part broke, indicated by groves made at the scene and camber of tire after accident. The rollover could have seriously injured myself or my passenger. The police report refers to a mechanical failure. No warning signs from the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11622568

25,000 miles · Oct 3, 2024
Back Over Prevention

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was inoperable. The message that the camera was unavailable was displayed on the screen. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was inoperable. The message that the camera was unavailable was displayed on the screen. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI #11617857

80,000 miles · Aug 12, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that ther…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11607902

190,000 miles · Jul 25, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The steering warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to add power steering fluid. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who provided the contact with an estimate for the repair. The…

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The steering warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to add power steering fluid. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who provided the contact with an estimate for the repair. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed, it was determined that the power steering control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.

NHTSA ODI #11604445

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2024
Structure

The issue is that the pawl spring tab in the side door latch broke. The door does not close. if closed manually by manipulating the latch to close it, the door may open while driving. There was a recall for this exact issue a few years ago but I feel it needs to be opened back up and more models added to it, like the 2016 F…

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The issue is that the pawl spring tab in the side door latch broke. The door does not close. if closed manually by manipulating the latch to close it, the door may open while driving. There was a recall for this exact issue a few years ago but I feel it needs to be opened back up and more models added to it, like the 2016 Flex. Here is the article from a few years ago: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11597513

130,000 miles · Jun 13, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated there were two warning chimes alert heard. Additionally, “Stop Vehicle for Safe Steering” and “Power Steering Assist Service Required” messages were displayed. The vehicle was steered to the side of …

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated there were two warning chimes alert heard. Additionally, “Stop Vehicle for Safe Steering” and “Power Steering Assist Service Required” messages were displayed. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering monitor sensor fault and rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11594163

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

154,500 miles · Jan 3, 2024
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

There is far to much to list

NHTSA ODI #11563389

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.