2017 Ford Flex
Safety ratings, recalls, and consumer complaints from NHTSA
NHTSA Safety Ratings
2017 Ford Flex SUV AWD
- Overall
- Not Rated
- Front Crash
- Not Rated
- Side Crash
- Not Rated
- Rollover
- ★★★★☆
2017 Ford Flex SUV FWD
- Overall
- Not Rated
- Front Crash
- Not Rated
- Side Crash
- Not Rated
- Rollover
- ★★★★☆
Recalls(4)
SUSPENSION:REAR
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.
Campaign: 20V072000
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
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.
Campaign: 16V925000
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
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.
Campaign: 25V695000
STRUCTURE:BODY
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Flex vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
Campaign: 25V732000
Consumer Complaints(42 total, showing 10)
STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Flex. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V829000 (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 contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a blank image while in reverse(R). In addition, the contact stated that the driver’s side B-pillar trim had become loose and could potentially detach from the vehicle. 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 failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
BACK OVER PREVENTION
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 while reversing, the rearview camera displayed a distorted image. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were unavailable. 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 failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
BACK OVER PREVENTION
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.
STRUCTURE
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.
ENGINE
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.
STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER
My 2017 Ford Flex has an open safety recall for the rearview camera system (Ford Recall 25S49 / NHTSA Recall 25V695). The recall states the camera may display a blank image or show the message “Camera Unavailable” when the vehicle is placed in reverse. My vehicle is actively experiencing this exact failure. The screen frequently displays “Camera Unavailable,” preventing the rearview camera safety feature from functioning when the vehicle is put in reverse. I received the recall notice in October 2025. Since then I have contacted my Ford dealership several times and have been told that parts are still not available to repair the recall. Ford initially provided an estimated remedy date of January 2026. This date was later moved to June 20, 2026. I was recently informed that the date has now been removed completely and there is no estimated timeline for when the recall repair will be available. The safety recall remains unresolved while the defect continues to occur on the vehicle. The rearview camera is an important safety feature that assists drivers when reversing. I am submitting this complaint because the recall repair has been delayed for many months while the safety defect is actively occurring.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER
Hello, I recently submitted a safety complaint regarding my 2017 Ford Flex. The complaint number is XXX. I would like to add additional information that I forgot to include in the original report. The vehicle’s power liftgate has intermittently opened on its own while the vehicle was parked. There have been occasions where I came outside and found the liftgate open overnight in my driveway. This issue appears to be intermittent and part of the same electrical problems affecting the backup camera system described in my complaint. Please add this information to my existing complaint. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
BACK OVER PREVENTION
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.
BACK OVER PREVENTION
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.
Decode a 2017 Ford Flex VIN
Enter your 17-character VIN to get complete specs, safety equipment details, and production information.
Open VIN Decoder