2017 Ford Flex: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 42 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is suspension (35% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall Oct 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2017 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 local dealer was contacted; however, 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 contact stated that the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a distorted or blank image. The failure mileage was unavailable.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · May 2026
“I am submitting this complaint to report a serious and potentially dangerous safety defect involving the internal water pump design in the 3.5L Duratec V6 engine used in my 2017 Ford Flex. The water pump in this engine is mounted internally behind the timing chain cover. When the pump fails, coolant is not externally visible but instead leaks directly into the engine oil. This design prevents early detection and warning, leading to rapid and catastrophic engine failure without adequate notice to the driver. In my case, the water pump failed suddenly, allowing coolant to contaminate the engine oil. This resulted in total engine failure and immediate loss of vehicle operability.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2026
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side B-Pillar Applique Trim detached and flew off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V732000 (Structure) however the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.”Owner report · Structure · Feb 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V732000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Structure · Oct 2025
“The contact owns a 2017 Ford Flex. The contact stated that months after a routine service appointment with a local dealer, the rear-view camera failed to operate as designed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Sep 2025
“The contact owns a 2017 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 rear-view camera image was blank or inverted while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The dealer was 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 unreachable. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Sep 2025
“This be chile was purchased by me when living in the United States and imported when I moved back to Canada. The Rear Camera frequently shows as not working, goes blank or picture breaks up. It's an on going problem, which makes parking and backing up problematic”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2025
“When I go in reverse my camera suddenly turns off or goes upside down risking property damage and personal injury. It doesn't happen every time just out of know where.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2025
“The rear seat belts come unbuckled. I was driving and about to get on a highway, and my children told me their seat belts unbuckled, another time it happened while I was driving in town. There's been a few others times too. I have not taken my vehicle to a dealer to check it out. This vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. No lights came on when the seat belt unbuckled. It has been happening on and off for a few years.”Owner report · Seat Belts · May 2025
“The backup camera failed in my 2017 Ford Flex. It has gotten worse over time and now doesn't come on at all or just for a second or two. I get a blue screen of death most of the time. It makes it much unsafer to parallel park and backup into a parking spot. Every time I try to use it I get an error message saying the camera is not working. This message stay on the car screen until I press the ok button. Most times the error message doesn't come on until I'm driving so I have to take my eyes off the road to acknowledge it. I took it to my local repair shop. They told me Ford dealership had to fix. Please add the Ford Flex to the recall announced yesterday.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Flex vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2017 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Flex by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2017 Ford Flex reliable?
NHTSA has 42 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2017 Ford Flex. The most complained-about area is suspension (35% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2017 Ford Flex problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 78,500 miles or less.
Does the 2017 Ford Flex have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning structure:body. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.