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2018 Ford Flex

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Flex do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 139.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

30 reports with mileage · 35 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.

  • Structure. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Back Over Prevention. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

65 reports
75,000 miles · May 7, 2026
Back Over PreventionStructure

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11736378

145,000 miles · May 7, 2026
Back Over PreventionStructure

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 com…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11736309

40,500 miles · Apr 24, 2026
Structure

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 p…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11733641

Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2026
Electrical SystemStructure

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…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11733039

127,000 miles · Apr 14, 2026
Back Over Prevention

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 repai…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11731097

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2026
StructureUnknown Or Other

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 in…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11730135

Mileage unknown · Apr 1, 2026
Back Over PreventionStructure

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 comp…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11728475

47,401 miles · Mar 9, 2026
Structure

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 notifi…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11723108

100,000 miles · Mar 5, 2026
Structure

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 contacte…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11722257

68,000 miles · Mar 2, 2026
Back Over PreventionStructure

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 c…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11721376

Official recalls

3

25V732000 · Structure:body

Oct 24, 2025

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

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

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

1

PE25007 · B-Pillar Trim Detachment

Opened Aug 7, 2025 · Closed Aug 5, 2026

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Structure:body:roof And Pillars

On August 7, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25007 to investigate instances of B-pillar trim detachment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Flex vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. During the investigation, MY 2011-2018 Ford Flex vehicles were analyzed as peer vehicles, and subsequently incorporated into the subject population because they use B-pillar trim pieces that are substantially similar to those used on the MY 2019 Ford Flex vehicles. In July 2025, prior to the opening of PE25007, ODI and Ford met to discuss B-pillar trim detachment in Ford Flex vehicles. Ford reported that its warranty analysis indicated that Flex B-pillar trim had a low detachment rate and that Ford did not believe this condition posed an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. In July 2025, Ford closed its internal investigation. Because ODI’s analysis of complaint data indicated a high failure rate and an increasing failure trend, PE25007 was subsequently opened. In responding to the information request for PE25007, Ford reassessed the warranty search criteria used in its July 2025 internal investigation. The reassessment found the detachment rate to be substantially higher than what Ford had originally determined. Consequently, in October 2025, Ford issued recall 25V732based on the reassessed and accurate high failure rate. This recall instructed dealers to inspect the driver and front passenger B-pillar trim pieces and repair/replace if necessary. The vehicles included in this recall were MY 2017-2019 Ford Flex with production dates between February 17, 2017 and December 2, 2019. In January 2026, Ford issued 25V732 Amendment 1, which updated the remedy to remove the inspection criteria and instead proactively secure the driver and front passenger B-pillar trim with adhesive. The scope of vehicles included in the recall was unchanged by Amendment 1. ODI’s analysis of 25V732 found that both the scope and remedy were insufficient and that an unreasonable safety risk remained despite the recall. MY 2016 Ford Flex was excluded from the recall scope and the rear B-pillar trims on both the driver and passenger side were excluded from the recall. The failure rates of both MY 2016 Ford Flex and rear B-pillar trim pieces were found to be higher than the failure rates in similar trim detachment recalls issued by both Ford and other vehicle manufacturers. Starting in January 2026, ODI and Ford had multiple meetings to discuss Ford’s PE25007 response data and ODI’s concern about the 25V732 scope and remedy. In June 2026, Ford issued 25V732 Amendment 2. This amendment expanded the scope of the recall to add MY 2016-2017 Ford Flex vehicles produced before February 17, 2017. Additionally, this amendment updated the remedy to include removal of and reapplication or replacement of both rear driver and rear passenger B-pillar trim pieces in addition to front driver and front passenger B-pillar trim pieces. This updated remedy applies to all MY 2016-2019 vehicles. Ford expects to complete the mailing of remedy owner notification letters by March 26, 2027. Also, Ford informed ODI that prior model year (MY 2011-2015) vehicles were referred to Ford’s Customer Satisfaction forum for consideration of an extended warranty program. In view of recall 25V732 and its associated amendments, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.