2019 Ford Flex

Family: Flex · filed with NHTSA as FLEX

Summary

Of the 214 complaints that name a component, 69% concern Driver Assistance (147).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
4 recalls filed for this model year.
2 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 258
Recalls: 4
Investigations: 2
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 17–19
Annual fuel cost: $3,300–$3,650
Median mileage at complaint: 50,000 mi (n = 112)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 4 / 0 / 3 / 0

What owners report

Driver Assistance

147 complaints · 69% of complaints that name a component · median 50,000 mi (n = 89)

Owner report The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in Reverse (R), the rearview camera displayed a blank or distorted screen.…

Owner report The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed an upside-down image and occasionally the rear-view camera displayed an image with lines. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable to re…

Body & Structure

59 complaints · 28% of complaints that name a component · median 50,000 mi (n = 35)

Owner report The contact owns a 2019 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the B-pillar trim detached. The contact taped the trim to keep it from flopping around. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V829000 (Stru…

Owner report B pillar (keypad) on drivers side flew off on the highway and cracked in half, the lower part was still attached to the wiring harness. The upper part flew onto the roadway. I had to pull over and strap the lower part to the window/door frame and drive the rest of the way with my window down in hot weather for 60+ mile…

Electrical System

23 complaints · 11% of complaints that name a component · median 87,000 mi (n = 3)

Owner report Rear View camera image is upside down / distorted. Looks to be acknowledged by Ford and NHTSA as a recall yet Ford Dealers are making me pay to have it fixed.

Owner report Back up camera is inverted. Its been 8 months sinse recall. Nothing from Ford. 2 Computer screen will not update,

17% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2009–2019)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2009	181	45	not compared
2010	139	25	not compared
2011	144	20	not compared
2012	64	12	not compared
2013	580	92
2014	249	31	not compared
2015	116	22	not compared
2016	101	9	not compared
2017	42	3	not compared
2018	69	13	not compared
2019	258	7	not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

25V732000 · STRUCTURE:BODY

Filed 2025-10-24 · 92,347 vehicles

Defect: 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.

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.

25V695000 · BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Filed 2025-10-13 · 1,448,655 vehicles

Defect: 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 driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

24V951000 · BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Filed 2024-12-20 · 30,715 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank or distorted image can reduce the drivers view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

18V548000 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

Filed 2018-08-20 · 87 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Risk: An electrical arc can increase the risk of a fire.

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.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
PE25007	STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS	2025-08-07	2026-08-05	25V732
PE24030	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2024-10-11	2026-02-02	24V951

PE25007: B-Pillar Trim Detachment

PE24030: Rear-view Camera Failure

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Flex AWD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S6)	All-Wheel Drive	16	22	18	$3450
Flex AWD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S6)	All-Wheel Drive	15	21	17	$3650
Flex FWD	3.5L 6cyl	Automatic (S6)	Front-Wheel Drive	16	23	19	$3300

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2019 Ford Flex SUV FWD	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★★☆
2019 Ford Flex SUV AWD	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★★☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 50 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about electrical system.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-09-30	POWER TRAIN	25E10-S1 Owner letter
2026-07-02	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-2019 Model Year Explorer, Taurus, and Flex Vehicles With 3.5L Engines Powertrain Control Module (PCM) …
2026-02-24	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access…
2025-11-26	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display operation concerns Na…
2025-11-12	POWER TRAIN	Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in the Powertrain Contro…
2024-10-10	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions. …
2024-05-27	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	This article supersedes TSB 21-2175 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some 2016 MKS, 2016-2017 Navigator, 2016-2018 F-150/Focus/C-MAX/Edge/Fiesta/MKX/Transit Connect/Mustang, 2017-2018 Continental/Fusion/MKZ, 2017-2019 Explorer, 2016-201…
2024-04-24	EQUIPMENT	All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicles owner during ini…
2024-03-01	POWER TRAIN	During service and repair requiring removal and replacement of a crankshaft bolt and/or crankshaft damper, achieving proper torque of the crankshaft pulley bolt is critical. Incorrect torque may allow the bolt to loosen resulting in the tim…
2023-06-08	EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL	The Service Awareness Newsletter is an informal communication that contains information that may not be presently available in a TSB, SSM, GSB, or other electronic communication. This article includes information on warranty, technical serv…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Flex, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Flex model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.