2016 Ford Flex: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
93
Complaints
3
Recalls
4
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
3
Injuries
43.0
Severity index
Severity index 43.0 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Ford Flex ranks 95 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 32% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| BACK OVER PREVENTION | 24 | 25.8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 22 | 23.7% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 13 | 14.0% |
| SUSPENSION | 10 | 10.8% |
| STRUCTURE | 8 | 8.6% |
| STEERING | 8 | 8.6% |
| POWER TRAIN | 8 | 8.6% |
| ENGINE | 7 | 7.5% |
The single most-reported system is BACK OVER PREVENTION, cited in 24 of 93 complaints (25.8%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 21 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 23 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 2.2x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V925000 | 22/12/2016 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER | 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 |
| 20V072000 | 10/02/2020 | SUSPENSION:REAR | 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. |
| 25V695000 | 13/10/2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 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, intermitten |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.