IllustrationSame 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!
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Flex years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
70–25K
1425–50K
950–75K
575–100K
8100–150K
6150K+
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
Electrical System complaints
23 reportsMy 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 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.
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.
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.
There is far to much to list
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 …
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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.
Door sensor states door is ajar when it is closed, causing battery drainage and safety concern about doors
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 driv…
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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.
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.
Official recalls
325V695000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.