Ford Flex: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ford Flex: 9 model years scored from 1,582 NHTSA owner complaints and 32 recall campaigns. Worst year 2013, best year 2017.
Ford Flex: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Ford Flex ranges from 34/100 in 2013 to 91/100 in 2017 — a 57-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Flex at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Electrical System (200 of them).
Avoid: 2013, 2019 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2013 Flex, which scores 34 on 578 owner complaints, and the 2019, the final year, which scores 42 on 240 complaints with 134 of them for the rearview camera. Buy a 2015 to 2018, which score 79, 83, 91 and 87 on 105 or fewer complaints each, or a 2011 or 2012 at 81 and 89. The 2013 facelift brought the same trouble as the Taurus built alongside it: Electrical System leads at 200 and Steering follows at 149, with 15V340000 covering the electric power assist steering and 13V227000 and 15V812000 a fuel delivery module that may crack. The 2014 is CAUTION at 51 on 249, still led by Steering at 66. The middle years are quiet, with no safety-critical campaign on the 2016, 2017 or 2018. The 2019's camera count has two campaigns behind it, 24V951000 and 25V695000, and 18V548000 covers unsecured starter and alternator cables on the same year.
Read the guide
Used Ford Taurus and Flex: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Flex changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 3 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2012
Mean score 85/100, about 7 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Steering more than anything else (81 complaints). 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2013–2014
Mean score 43/100, about 33 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (257 complaints). The record falls 42 points against the years before it. 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2018
Mean score 85/100, about 8 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Back Over Prevention more than anything else (69 complaints). The record improves by 42 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2017 (score 91). Worst: 2013 (score 34, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 42 | AVOID | $5,421 | 240 | 4 |
| 2018 | 87 | BUY | $5,059 | 63 | 3 |
| 2017 | 91 | BUY | $5,138 | 42 | 4 |
| 2016 | 83 | BUY | $5,374 | 97 | 3 |
| 2015 | 79 | BUY | $5,361 | 105 | 4 |
| 2014 | 52 | CAUTION | $5,864 | 249 | 4 |
| 2013 | 34 | AVOID | $6,304 | 578 | 6 |
| 2012 | 89 | BUY | $5,836 | 64 | 2 |
| 2011 | 81 | BUY | $6,072 | 144 | 2 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Flex, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Ford Flex
Across every Flex model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System348 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Steering315 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Unknown Or Other220 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Back Over Prevention203 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Reversing camera or park-sensor replacement$420–$940
- Structure152 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
- Fuel/Propulsion System128 complaints across all Flex years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Ford Flex years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2013, 2019 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2013 is the weakest at 34/100, with its complaints concentrated in Electrical System.
What are the best Ford Flex years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2017 at 91/100, on 42 complaints and 4 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Ford Flex problem?
348 of the complaints filed against the Flex across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04