⌘K
Home›Ford›Flex›2018
Ford · Midsize / large SUV

2018 Ford Flex

Gas
Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
C
Safety Signal
76 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA65
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA19 mpg
2019201820172016

The 2018 Ford Flex is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize or large SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Flex FWD, is EPA-rated at 19 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 65 complaints, most often about the structure.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Flex FWDGasFWD3.5L 6-cyl162319$3,300
Flex AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl162218$3,450
Flex AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl turbo152117$3,650

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38858, 38860, 38861.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Ford Flex is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Structure

25SB8
92,347 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Flex vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.RiskDoor trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 25V732000reported Oct 24, 2025Ford Motor Company
▲high

Back Over Prevention

25SA9
1,448,655 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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'
NHTSA campaign 25V695000reported Oct 13, 2025Ford Motor Company
▲high

Suspension

20S04
211,207 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.FixFord 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 i
NHTSA campaign 20V072000reported Feb 10, 2020Ford Motor Company

NHTSA defect investigations

Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars — B-Pillar Trim Detachment closed

On August 7, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25007 to investigate instances of B-pillar trim detachment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Flex vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. During the investigation, MY 2011-2018 Ford Flex vehicles were analyzed as peer vehicles, and subsequently incorporated into the subject population because they use B-pillar trim pieces that are substantially similar to those used on the MY 2019 Ford Flex vehicles. In July 2025, prior to the opening of PE25007, ODI and Ford met to discuss B-pillar trim detachment in Ford Flex vehicles. Ford reported that its warranty analysis indicated that Flex B-pillar trim had a low detachment rate an

Opened Aug 7, 2025 · closed Aug 5, 2026 · action PE25007

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
65complaints filed

7 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2018: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 18 · 2026: 23

Most-cited components

Structure18
Unspecified17
Back Over Prevention15
Electrical System11
Suspension9
Power Train2

What owners describe

“Media player unavailable alert comes on display. Touch panel tone doesn’t have sound, audio in car has no sound. Sync 3 has been updated. Problem continues as well as the rear camera issue”Nov 2, 2025 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“Rear camera malfunctioned screen showed “camera not availableâ€� didn’t alert any noise or warnings and a tree hovered slightly into parking spot and smashed in my rear window. Audio inside car malfunctioned as well (no musics, etc) and the touch pad tones stopped making sound when touched.”Nov 1, 2025 · Back Over Prevention · NHTSA owner report
“The Left driver side rear suspension toe link broke on expressway, resulting in loss of control had to aggressively steer out of a spin. Car was undrivable and had to have towed and repaired, had passenger side rear suspension toe link go bad in December of 2024. Repair documentation available upon request.”Oct 3, 2025 · Suspension · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆15%
SUV FWDnot ratednot ratednot rated★★★★☆16%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Flex model years

D

2019 Ford Flex

4 recalls · 243 complaints

D

2017 Ford Flex

4 recalls · 42 complaints

D

2016 Ford Flex

3 recalls · 98 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API