2018 Ford Flex recalls and problems

The 2018 Ford Flex has 3 safety recalls and 69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Ford dealer.

Recalls

Complaints

Crashes / fires

7 / 0

Injuries / deaths

1 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2018 Ford Flex vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2018 Ford Flex recalls

Recall 25V-732: Structure

Reported Oct 24, 2025 · 92,347 vehicles affected · Ford Motor Company

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

Risk: Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Recall 25V-695: Back Over Prevention

Reported Oct 13, 2025 · 1,448,655 vehicles affected · Ford Motor Company

Problem: 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 driverâs 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.

Recall 20V-072: Suspension

Reported Feb 10, 2020 · 211,207 vehicles affected · Ford Motor Company

Problem: 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.

2018 Ford Flex problems reported by owners

Problem area	Reports
Unknown or Other	20
Structure	19
Back Over Prevention	15
Electrical System	12
Suspension	9
Power Train	2
Fuel/Propulsion System	2
Wheels	2
Air Bags	2
Steering	2
Service Brakes	2
Lane Departure	2

Most reported parts

Structure › Body — 7
Back Over Prevention › Warnings — 2
Lane Departure › Blind Spot Detection — 2
Structure › Body › Door — 1
Back Over Prevention › Sensing System › Camera — 1
Back Over Prevention › Rearview System Braking — 1
Electrical System › Body Control Module/Bcm — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 60,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2018 Ford Flex complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Structure · at 70,000 miles · reported Oct 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V829000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and had replaced the part on three separate occasions. 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 70,000.

Unknown or Other · reported Oct 11, 2026

The radio/navigation system is having issues. Randomly the radio/nagvation system has a loud static crackling noise during use. It will make those sounds and then stops producing any kind of sounds of the speakers. No sound will come from the radio(fm, am, Bluetooth, aux, hands free calling or navigation). At the times even the sounds from pushing button will not work either. This is issue will carry on for days sometimes weeks. And randomly will start working again. When the issue do the radio not producing sound, navigation sounds or hands free talking sounds it wonât let you switch from…

Electrical System · reported Sep 18, 2026

I own a 2018 Ford Flex, VIN [VIN], with two open safety recalls Ford cannot repair: 25SA9 (rear view camera, NHTSA 25V695) and 25SB8 (B-pillar trim, NHTSA 25V829). My rear view camera has been completely inoperative for two years â it has not worked at all since mid-2024. On 7/12/2024 a Ford dealer verified the failure (repair order 568991), over a year before Ford issued recall 25SA9 in 10/2025. On 9/10/2026 Ford left me a voicemail stating there are no updates for 25SA9 and the 25SB8 remedy is not expected until Q1 2027 â over 15 months away. I have driven 2+ years with no functioning…

Back Over Prevention · at 103,000 miles · reported Sep 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a black image. The vehicle was taken to two dealers, but the vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Unknown or Other · reported Sep 4, 2026

There's been a recall for the rear backup camera since October of last year. Although there hasn't been any particular incidents, there's been some close calls because the fix is still not available. Any help would be appreciated

Other Ford Flex years

201920182017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Compare all Ford Flex years · All Ford models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2018 Ford Flex have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2018 Ford Flex: 25V-732 (structure), 25V-695 (back over prevention), 20V-072 (suspension). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2018 Ford Flex?

Owners report unknown or other problems most often (20 reports), followed by structure (19). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 60,000 miles.

Are Ford recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Ford dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.