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2016 Ford Flex problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2016 Ford Flex has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated November 2, 2026.
- 3safety recalls
- 101owner complaints
- 4crash reports
- 0fire reports
- 3injuries reported
101 complaints, against an average of 196 for the other 7 Ford Flex model years.
Every Ford Flex model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2016 Ford Flex?
The components named most often in the 101 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2016 Ford Flex owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 101 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Fault codes 2016 Ford Flex owners mention
Diagnostic trouble codes owners wrote in their complaints. Open a code to see what it meant on other cars and whether a recall names it.
Has the 2016 Ford Flex been recalled?
3 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
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, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
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.
Risk: A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
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 engine components.
Risk: An oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
What do 2016 Ford Flex owners report?
12 of the 101 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
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 occasionally, while in reverse, the rear-view camera failed to display an image. The local dealer was contacted on several occasions. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Flex. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to complete the recall repair were unavailable. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera intermittently failed to display a clear image. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall remedy. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
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.
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
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.
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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.
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.
2016 Ford Flex: questions owners ask
Is the 2016 Ford Flex reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 101 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Flex; the most common categories were back over prevention (29, 28.7%), electrical system (23, 22.8%), suspension (10, 9.9%). There are 3 safety recalls. 4 complaints mention a crash, 3 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Ford Flex?
Across 101 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are back over prevention (28.7% of complaints), electrical system (22.8% of complaints), suspension (9.9% of complaints), structure (8.9% of complaints), engine (7.9% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2016 Ford Flex have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2016 Ford Flex; the most recent (campaign 25V695000, 2025-10-13) concerns Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does the backup camera not work on my 2016 Ford Flex?
21 of the 101 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Flex (20.8%) describe the rearview or backup camera failing or showing a blank screen. A related recall exists: campaign 25V695000 (back over prevention: sensing system: camera). The fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. One owner wrote: "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." (NHTSA complaint 11754494, August 2026). Recall repairs are free at a dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2016 Ford Flex stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
6 of the 101 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2016 Ford Flex (5.9%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "Car lost power without warning while driving on highway. warning light with wrench and "check manual" appeared. dealer indicated recall 16b32 and replaced throttle body. i was never notified of recall. *tr" (NHTSA complaint 10937522, December 2016). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Flex
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved November 2, 2026. Model year 2016 only. How these reports are made.