2018 Ford Flex Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Flex years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 9th of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Flex. That ranks 9th out of 11 Flex model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (20 complaints, 29%), typically at around 1,063 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 1 injury. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 68owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2018 Ford Flex problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 20 | 29% | 1,063 | — | — |
| Structure | 18 | 26% | 64,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 14 | 21% | 101,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 12 | 18% | 55,599 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 13% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 3% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 3% | 52,525 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 3% | 25,198 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 3% | 70,020 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 3% | 16,800 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 35,197 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2018 Ford Flex recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Structure:body
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.
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
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.
Suspension:rear
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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- B-Pillar Trim Detachment (PE25007) — opened Aug 7, 2025, closed Aug 5, 2026, led to recall 25V732.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
The driver side C pillar trim broke off while driving on the highway causing the debris to interrupt traffic.
I own a 2018 Ford Flex, VIN [redacted], 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…
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…
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
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Flex | 254 | 4 |
| 2018 | 68 | 3 |
| 2017 Flex | 42 | 4 |
| 2016 Flex | 98 | 3 |
| 2015 Flex | 113 | 4 |
| 2014 Flex | 249 | 4 |
| 2013 Flex | 580 | 6 |
| 2012 Flex | 64 | 2 |
| 2011 Flex | 144 | 2 |
| 2010 Flex | 139 | 1 |
| 2009 Flex | 181 | 1 |
See all Ford Flex problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Ford Flex?
Owners most often report unknown or other, structure, back over prevention problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 20 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Ford Flex?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2018 Ford Flex a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Flex model years, the 2018 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.