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Ford Flex 2016 — Reported problems

Reported by owners to the source below. It is not a verdict on this car: it is what people wrote. 🇺🇸 Local data

40 owners reported problems with the 2016 Ford Flex to NHTSA, most often about back over prevention.

All reports

40
STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-09-02 · NHTSA 11761520

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera displayed a blank or distorted image. The contact made several attempts to notify the dealer but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-08-28 · NHTSA 11760311

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to perform the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while in Reverse (R), the rearview camera displayed an inverted image. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2026-08-19 · NHTSA 11757878

The car is experiencing turbo failure that lines up with the recall for the same model vehicle produced within the same 2016-2017 date. But for some reason this vin isnt included in the recall

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2026-08-15 · NHTSA 11757098

Radio making crackling noises, screen goes blank, cannot control a/c from touch screen and causes the a/c not to work on front vents. Vehicle inside died while the engine was still running in traffic and was unable to start/stop vehicle from running, a/c ran hot then vehicle stop running.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2026-08-03 · NHTSA 11754494

There is a current recall on the backup camera that has been pending since 2025. Parts are still not available as of today even though Ford stated parts and instructions were going to be available before end of 2nd quarter, June 30, 2026. Camera has not worked since mid 2025, Ford has been aware since end of 2025.

STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-07-20 · NHTSA 11751565

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to display an image of the rear of the vehicle. A black screen was displayed on the screen while in reverse. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact paid out of pocket for the dealer to replace the camera. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-07-20 · NHTSA 11751564

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The rearview camera became intermittently inoperative. The contact stated that the intermittent failure made it difficult to safely reverse the vehicle while the rearview camera was inoperable. While reversing in a parking lot, the rearview camera became inoperative. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-07-17 · NHTSA 11751064

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank or distorted screen. In addition, the contact stated that the rear-view camera flickered on and off and the rear-view camera unavailable message was displayed. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-07-13 · NHTSA 11750080

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while shifted into reverse(R), the rear-view camera failed to display a clear image on the center display. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

STEERING 2026-07-03 · NHTSA 11748120

As I was driving turning at a light to go right all of a sudden my steering wheel got super hard and It almost caused me to get into an accident. I didn't have the strength to grip the steering wheel. Shortly after the advanced traction control service light came on. Luckily there was an auto parts store near the incident. I stopped left my vehicle running and got it scanned. There was a code that came up U0420-81 it was odd because my wheels where straight but the steering wheel was completely off. Then I turned my car off waiting at least 5 minutes. The traction control light came off and the steering wheel was normal. But as I went to back up and turn the steering wheel it did the same thing it got really stiff and I couldn't go anywhere. Then right away a steering assist fault message came on the dash. So just for safety reasons I left the vehicle there to come back later when I had help to tow it. 3 hours later we started the vehicle and nothing happened the steering was fine on the drive home no lights, no stiffness of the steering, no message displayed. Not sure what happened or why it did that all of a sudden when I was driving it. I've had this vehicle for 5 years and it has never done this to me especially while driving. I'm lucky I didn't hit the other vehicle while turning.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-06-28 · NHTSA 11746978

Rear camera has been bad for six months - hazard to drive. Camera not available, is the prompt that comes up. My brother in law took his 2015 Ford F350 in for inspection and his camera was replace this was months ago.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-06-26 · NHTSA 11746656

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 reversing, and the failure was more significant at nighttime. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 approximately 50,000.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-06-04 · NHTSA 11742156

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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image failed to display. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2026-06-03 · NHTSA 11741907

No incidents yet. My review camera doesn’t work at all.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-05-22 · NHTSA 11739455

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received a recall notification, 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) however the parts were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced any failure regarding the unrepaired recall repair.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE 2026-05-21 · NHTSA 11739267

The failed/malfunctioning components involve the rear backup camera system and related electronic driver assistance/safety systems in this 2016 Ford Flex, including the blind spot warning system and parking collision warning features. The condition is intermittent but ongoing and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The backup camera intermittently goes blank, freezes, displays improperly, or becomes unavailable while the vehicle is in reverse. At times, the blind spot warning system and parking collision warning features also intermittently fail or become unavailable. These failures create a significant safety risk by impairing rear visibility and reducing driver awareness of nearby vehicles, objects, or pedestrians during backing and parking maneuvers. The problem has been occurring for more than one year. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership, which has stated that the vehicle is subject to an open safety recall. However, the dealership reports that parts and/or the final repair remedy are still unavailable, and no repair has been completed despite repeated attempts to obtain recall service. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership/manufacturer representative in connection with the recall condition. No police or insurance inspection was involved because no crash has yet occurred. Prior to and during the failures, warning messages and symptoms intermittently appear, including loss of the camera display and temporary unavailability of driver assistance features. The failures may occur without warning and have been recurring for over one year. The unresolved condition affects the safe operation, usability, and value of the vehicle. Backup cameras and related driver assistance systems are important federally regulated safety features, and the manufacturer has not remedied this safety recall within a reasonable period of time.

SUSPENSION 2026-05-13 · NHTSA 11737652

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received notice of an unknown recall associated with the right rear toe link, that was previously repaired. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 5 MPH, she observed a loud snapping noise emanating from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that as his wife attempted to steer the vehicle into the drive way the vehicle the vehicle began steering to the right. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it has yet to be diagnosed as of yet. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-05-13 · NHTSA 11737589

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 failed to function properly, and the display would appear blue at times. The contact also stated that a “Camera Not Available” warning message would appear intermittently, and on other occasions the image would appear upside down The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part required for the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the remedy parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 183,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2026-04-28 · NHTSA 11734278

Odometer Fraud. The contact recently purchased a 2016 Ford Flex. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact was made aware of a mileage discrepancy while attempting to trade the vehicle from a Carfax Report. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 104,000. However, the Carfax report indicated that the mileage was approximately 300,000.

STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2026-04-16 · NHTSA 11731517

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

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-04-06 · NHTSA 11729498

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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-03-27 · NHTSA 11727516

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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-03-25 · NHTSA 11727037

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-03-19 · NHTSA 11725485

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2026-03-10 · NHTSA 11723348

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.

TIRES 2026-02-13 · NHTSA 11717780

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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-02-05 · NHTSA 11715802

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.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2026-01-07 · NHTSA 11709523

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.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 2025-11-14 · NHTSA 11699431

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2025-10-22 · NHTSA 11695062

Hands free phone and sync will not connect. Not able to enter the correct date. 05/2023.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 2025-10-16 · NHTSA 11693894

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2025-10-14 · NHTSA 11693425

Rear Backup Camera malfunction. Screen goes black or upside down.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2025-09-17 · NHTSA 11687826

Backup camera is malfunctioning and showing not available. Can't see behind the vehicle.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION Crash 2025-09-15 · NHTSA 11687323

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!

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2025-09-14 · NHTSA 11687203

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.

LANE DEPARTURE 2025-09-12 · NHTSA 11686837

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2025-09-11 · NHTSA 11686589

Rear backup camera constantly blacks out or inverts itself.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2025-09-11 · NHTSA 11686756

My rear camera has stopped working and ford has issue with many models with this same problem.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 2025-09-10 · NHTSA 11686227

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.

ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2025-08-24 · NHTSA 11682676

The car kept misfiring and it completely stoped on me 2 times in the street it also overheated due to the cooling system

Specifications, safety and listings for this car

Questions

What do owners report most on the 2016 Ford Flex?
Problems with back over prevention: 20 reports of 40 on record at NHTSA.
How many owner reports mention a crash or a fire?
Out of 40 reports: a crash is mentioned in 1 and a fire in 0. These are what owners wrote, not confirmed findings.