2019 Ford Flex reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2019 Ford Flex holds 248 complaints after 8 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Flex years here — under the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Structure, body, Camera, and Alternator.

2011 Ford Flex Limited — Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

248

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Back-over prevention (139 of 248), then Structure (56) and Electrical system (22). The most filings arrived in 2025 (100 of 248). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 50,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 35,500 and 74,561 miles. Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2018

The 2018 Flex has 66 complaints, 4 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2019 Ford Flex. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall structure, body 2025-10-24 · NHTSA campaign 25V732000

Summary 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.

Vehicles affected 92,347

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-10-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V695000

Summary 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.

Vehicles affected 1,448,655

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2024-12-20 · NHTSA campaign 24V951000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Flex, Fiesta, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. The rearview camera may intermittently display a blank or distorted image.

Remedy Dealers will replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed January 22, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated March 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S75.

Vehicles affected 30,715

Recall electrical system, alternator 2018-08-20 · NHTSA campaign 18V548000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, 2019 Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. The power supply cables at the starter and the alternator may not have been properly secured, possibly resulting in an electrical arc.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and starter motor power supply cables to verify that they are properly secured, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 26, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S25.

Vehicles affected 87

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (248 total)

Back-over prevention

139

Structure

Electrical system

Visibility and wipers

Suspension

Engine

Lane departure

Powertrain

Steering

Air bags

Engine and engine cooling

Seat belts

Equipment

Forward collision avoidance

Tires

Visibility

Wheels

Show 9 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 105 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 50,000 miles. The middle half fall between 35,500 and 74,561 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V829000 (Structure); however, the parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The…"
Structure, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-18
"Recieved recall notice 24S25 / NHTSA 24V951XXX about defected rear view camera malfunction. I have had an ongoing issue with camera not operating correctly. I have made several calls to Ford dealership and continued to…"
Unknown or other, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-17
"The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rear-view camera image was intermittently blurry or inverted.…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-16
"My backup camera is not working intermittently or will display a grainy image or black and blue lines. Sometimes it will just be a black screen. Other models of my vehicle had the backup camera recalled but my dealer is…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-15
"Exterior b-pillar applique trim on front driver and passenger doors have ripped from the vehicle while driving. Driver side trim includes key code pad and wires. Dealer has no parts available and taking no appointments.…"
Structure, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Ford Flex SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars
2019 Ford Flex SUV FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Flex all-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	22	18 MPG	$3600
Flex all-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	21	17 MPG	$3800
Flex front-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	16	23	19 MPG	$3400

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2009–2019

Body styles SUV

Oil 5W-20 (3.5L V6); 5W-30 (3.5L V6 EcoBoost) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 235/60R17 (SE) to 255/45R20 (Limited EcoBoost)

Towing capacity 4,500 lbs

Known issues for this generation

2011-2013 Flex crossovers built between September 2010 and February 2012 are covered by Ford's 2015 recall of the electric power-assist steering (EPAS) system (NHTSA campaign 15V-340, Ford reference 15S18); for the 2011 and 2012 model years only vehicles with the 3.5L GTDI engine are affected. An intermittent electrical connection inside the steering gear motor, caused by conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment, can cause loss of the motor position sensor signal and loss of power steering assist. The mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the road is maintained at all times and the system defaults to manual steering, but steering effort rises, especially at lower speeds; drivers are alerted by an audible chime and a power steering assist fault message in the instrument cluster. Ford's no-charge remedy checked the Power Steering Control Module for diagnostic trouble codes, updating the module software if none were present and replacing the steering gear if they were.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Ford Flex See every Ford Flex model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Ford Flex reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Ford Flex?

Is the 2019 Ford Flex more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Flex has 66 complaints, 4 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2019 Ford Flex been recalled?

The 2019 Ford Flex has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Ford Flex?

Owners have filed 248 complaints about the 2019 Ford Flex with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Ford Flex get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Ford Flex is 18 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2016 Ford Flex?

1st generation (2009-2019); the Flex was never redesigned into a 2nd generation.

How much can a Ford Flex tow?

Up to 4,500 lbs with the factory Class III Trailer Tow Package per Ford's official towing guide, on both the base 3.5L V6 and the 3.5L EcoBoost engine.