NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Flex. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The rear-view camera image was blurry, and on occasions, the camera image was blank. 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 dealer was not contacted. 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 for the recall repair. The failure mileage was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image intermittently faded out and occasionally was blank. 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 dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 140,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. 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 dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked, it became inoperable, and the Push-to-Start button failed to function. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was advised to remove the battery. While attempting to remove the battery, there were sparks coming from the negative terminal. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.
My vehicle is affected by recall 25V695. Ford dealership confirmed no remedy parts are available and cannot provide a timeline. This vehicle is part of my commercial fleet and I am unable to operate it, resulting in significant financial loss. The manufacturer issued a recall with no available fix, leaving owners stranded indefinitely.
No accident has occurred. Though potential for accident for battery faulty/ electrical failure. The panel (B?) On the driver door with the keypad gets water when it rains and is constantly on. This is affecting the battery causing high density corrosion the connection points. The keypad is constantly on and no longer functions. Potentially affecting locking mechanism
I am reporting repeated structural failures involving Cooper Zeon RS3‑G1 tires (size 255/45R20) installed on my 2016 Ford Flex AWD. These failures include steel belt exposure, rubber separation, and premature carcass breakdown, all occurring at under 30,000 km (~18,600 miles). This represents catastrophic structural failure well before even half of the expected service life for comparable performance all‑season tires. The failures occurred across two separate sets of RS3‑G1 tires under normal driving conditions. The tires were properly inflated, aligned, rotated, and used seasonally. This is not treadwear, misalignment, or maintenance‑related — it is structural degradation of the tire body. Structural separation with exposed belts presents a serious safety hazard, including the potential for sudden air loss or blowout at highway speeds. Risk is further elevated on AWD vehicles due to driveline sensitivity to uneven rolling diameters or abrupt tire failure. I contacted Cooper/Goodyear beginning 03 NOV 2025, providing detailed written documentation of the failures. The only responses received were generic treadwear/warranty templates that did not address the structural issues reported. I explicitly requested written‑only communication and provided a clear response window plus a 2‑week grace period. No substantive written response was ever provided. All defective tires remain mounted on wheels and stored indoors. I have a complete photographic evidence package and a preserved written correspondence record, available upon request.
I am getting a "Transmission Not In Park" error that will also sometimes flash "Door Ajar" while driving. Door appears to be closed - not sure if it's latched, transmission is obviously NOT in park because the car is moving. I'm concerned that this shouldn't be driven and is a safety issue.
My rear camera has stopped working and ford has issue with many models with this same problem.
The car kept misfiring and it completely stoped on me 2 times in the street it also overheated due to the cooling system
Backup camera is malfunctioning and showing not available. Can't see behind the vehicle.
My 2016 Ford Flex’s reverse camera has been shorting out, blinking off and on. If the camera does come on the picture is upside down. This has been happening for over a month and I have not had it looked at. This is similar to the most recent back up camera recall for other Ford vehicles for this year range.
Rear backup camera constantly blacks out or inverts itself.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera displayed an inverted image. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rear-view camera. The contact was informed that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the driver’s side seat belt unbuckled independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,400.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 163,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The stability control warning light was illuminated, and the "Steering Failure" message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and suggested that the contact file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had frightened him because a pedestrian was nearly struck by the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the RPM was elevated and then lowered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Rear back up camera first started flickering in and out when I would go in reverse and now it doesn’t work at all. No warning before it went out just the flickering and now nothing. Then I seen where other vehicles my year had problems with their camera systems and thought it’s probably the same thing.
Backup camera constantly shows a blank screen or distorted upside down image. There was a recall issued today for my model year, but not my specific model. I was quite surprised because I have the identical issue with my vehicle as well. The camera has not worked in close to a year. At first it started to glitch occasionally, but now it never works. The screen is either blank or shows that distorted flipped image.
Back up camera image is distorted or flipped. This is a safety risk.
My back up camera turned blue and said that that camera was unavailable, then it turned black, now the image is upside down. This could def be a hazard and it is a common occurrence in the 2016 Flex.
See attached document for complaint.
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.
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.
Similar to the issues per Ford Recall 25S72, the backup camera screen turns blue, then black with an indication, “Camera Unavailable.” This drastically increases the risk of accidents, particularly in crowded parking lots, driveways, or areas with pedestrians and children may be present. There have been numerous accounts of older Flex cameras failing in a similar manner.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
There is far to much to list
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.
The power transfer unit otherwise referred to as a transfer case exploded from the inside with under 50k miles on the Flex resulting in the transmission cracking and breaking as well. AAA inspected and replaced both transmission and transfer case. They say they see a lot of them for these models and is a common issue. We kept old transfer case as proof. Car is not used for towing as it has no hitch and as stated before had under 50000 miles when it destroyed itself with myself and kids in the car driving 45 mph.
The passenger door latch cracked and door would not close. This is exactly as described in a recall of other Ford vehicles from the same model year, however, the Flex was not included.
Same issue as ever expanding recall for safety camera backing up. Blue screen, camera not available warning that does not go away while driving, black screen, upside down screen, distorted screen, and intermittantly operational and then not!
2nd row passenger side bucket seat seatbelt no longer latches. Car has less than 35,000 miles. Seat is no longer able to be occupied legally. My child in booster seat uses that seat belt and could have become unsecured while driving which would have put him at risk if there was an accident or would have had to brake quickly. Seatbelt has not been inspected by anyone at this time. No warning or symptoms of a problem. Problem started 4/10/2023.
camera recall number is 25S72 (NHTSA 25V442000). I own a 2016 Ford Flex and its having the same issue. I had the camera replaced at the dealership out of pocket once before and its still not working. I feel my issue is the same as this recall just affecting a different model.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. 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 contact stated that while in reverse, the rear-view camera image was blurry. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. 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 contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R), and the screen glitched. The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. 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 unknown.
Ford hid the fact that some of its vehicles may suffer a sudden internal water pump failure that poses significant safety risks to drivers including sudden catastrophic engine failure. From 2007 through at least 2020, Ford has incorporated the Cyclone Engine—containing a faulty internal water pump—into thousands of vehicles. Internal Water Pumps should last for the useful life of the engines without the need for any service, maintenance, or repair. Despite knowing for more than a decade that its' vehicles incorporating the "Duratec Engine", contain a defect in design that can cause the internal water pump to prematurely fail well before the end of the useful life of the engine. The issue has lead to a repair estimate of $2700 USD or could lead to catastrophic engine failure due to the water pumps' placement inside the engine block (Poor Design). In the past, Ford has also represented that the water pump will not need to be serviced or maintenance, but the internal location of the water pump in the engine conceals it from view and inspection when other routine services are being performed. The water pump is in line with the crankshaft and located over the main body of the engine, it reportedly allows coolant to leak from the water pump into the oil pan. Making matters worse, mixed coolant and oil can lead to engine failure, too.
Door sensor states door is ajar when it is closed, causing battery drainage and safety concern about doors
Rear Backup Camera malfunction. Screen goes black or upside down.
The backup camera safety system operates intermittently. We are unable to see behind us when backing up putting us and others at risk. Sometimes it works when in Reverse, but most of the time the touchscreen panel does not even change over to show the camera view at all. The Flex is a large vehicle so a non-working camera or electrical component for the camera is unsafe. There are other existing recalls related to other Ford makes and models due to faulty cameras and image modules. This could be the same or a related issue. No errors or codes appear. I have not taken to a dealer yet because they charge $300 just to do a diagnosis.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door latch had fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the spring in the door fractured and damaged the striker within the door mechanism. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the vehicle be taken to the dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.
The rear camera on this 2016 Ford Flex has gone bad 3 times since buying it in 2017. It is upside down or will be green, black or blue leaving no view at all. A Ford dealer has seen it on multiple occasions.
The APIM stopped working, this unit controls all of the SYNC functions as well as front cabin vent selection. We can no longer use the windshield defrost because the air will only blow from the vents facing the driver and passenger seat. All hands free phone features, aux input, and USB port have also stopped working.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the passenger’s side front and rear door latches malfunctioned making it difficult to securely close the doors. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, the door ajar warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel despite all doors being checked and fully closed. The contact also stated that a warning chime would continuously ring and the front interior lights would remain on while driving. The contact stated that the interior lights would shut off after driving above a certain speed; however, the warning chime and the warning light would persist. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026