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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,169 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Ford F-150 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 4 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #132

Aug 302021

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Unknown which system is failing as Ford is unable to repair it. The truck codes include underpowered, turbo, catalytic converter, misfire. Truck cannot accelerate. Happens sporadically. The spark plugs, manifold, catalytic converter, brakes, rotors and turbo have all been replaced. Truck continues to have issues accelerating and running. At several points the cab of the truck filled with exhaust. Another point radiator fluid spewed all over under the hood. This truck is a threat to the health and safety of those driving it. The F150 forum states it is a common occurrence and the dealerships are replacing the same parts every few months and the problem never full resolves. Please recall this truck. The date below is when the problem started occurring but has been ongoing since.

- Altha, FL, USA

problem #131

Jun 172023

F-150

  • miles
Very harsh down shifting, one incident happened at about 40mph but was already slowing down for a light so nothing catastrophic happened but if I was traveling at a higher speed a crash would-??ve more than likely happened, and eventually threw codes: P0706, P0707, P1702, P1921 which is for the molded lead frame inside the transmission. Codes were pulled myself with my own devices and according to research all code descriptions are things that are faulty on the molded lead frame assembly

- Red House , WV, USA

problem #130

Jun 172023

F-150

  • miles
Transfer case is corroding where the bolts are and leaking fluid

- Parma , OH, USA

problem #129

May 262023

F-150

  • 52,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, upon attempting to decelerate, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted from 3rd to 1st. The contact stopped the vehicle and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to shift out of neutral(N). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact investigated and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V248000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Gulf Shores, AL, USA

problem #128

May 242023

F-150

  • miles
Truck completely lost power while driving on the highway 4 times and 4 other times during morning commute through busy streets. Dangerous circumstance to be put in while driving. Codes given at Auto Zone: P2112 U3013-16 U0401-02 U0401-00 U0131-00 U0151-00 U0100-00

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #127

May 012023

F-150

  • miles
Vehicle downshifted into 2nd gear at 65 mph. It only stayed in the lower gear for 1-2 seconds before shifting back up into 6th gear. Second incident involved downshifting to a lower gear at 55 mph. Also for 1-2 seconds before shifting up. I was unable to determine what gear it shifted down to since the display disappeared. Shifter display sometimes flickers and disappears. It has also shifted into neutral when in motion. Transmission shop was unable to determine the cause. I did get an error message which the technician determined meant the transmission range sensor had low voltage. When he checked the voltage to the sensor in the shop, it was the correct voltage. That may or may not be the cause of the erratic shifting. Going to a lower gear at high speed could lock up the rear wheels and cause an accident.

- Jackson, WY, USA

problem #126

May 012023

F-150

  • 118,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly. The powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the lead frame needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that parts were on backorder. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided information regarding the reimbursement process. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

- Van Buren, AR, USA

problem #125

May 042023

F-150

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and entering a ramp, the vehicle independently accelerated at high speed without warning. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not decelerate. The contact shifted into neutral, and the vehicle started to decelerate. The contact pulled over on the side of the road safely and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.

- Camdenton, MO, USA

problem #124

Mar 282023

F-150

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after he attempted to auto start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to manually start the vehicle. The contact then stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the service wrench powertrain malfunction warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that the vehicle downshifted from sixth gear to second gear and inadvertently decelerated to 30 MPH. As a result, the contact swerved around other vehicles while merging lanes to avoid an accident. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission lead frame failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000

- International Falls, MN, USA

problem #123

Apr 202023

F-150

  • miles
2016 Ford F150 XLT 5.0 violently downshifted traveling at highway speeds. wrench and check engine light appeared. got off exit, turned off vehicle and unable to restart. waited several minutes and was able to restart vehicle. appears that there is an issue with the transmission range sensor and leadframe.

- Vandalia, OH, USA

problem #122

Apr 102023

F-150

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Jerking when accelerating

- Newalla, OK, USA

problem #121

Apr 092023

F-150

  • miles
While driving on a highway at a constant 45 to 50 miles per hour, the transmission suddenly downshifted into second gear which made the engine rev to approximately ~5000 rpm and suddenly jerked to car to slow down. This was followed by a orange wrench light and a message to see owners manual. The problem has not been reproduced because I have parked the vehicle until I can diagnose or take it to a mechanic. Our safety was at risk due to the violent and sudden nature of the shift which could have caused a loss of control if we had not been on a dry flat road.

- Leander, TX, USA

problem #120

Mar 022023

F-150

  • miles
The exhaust manifold is leaking, google searches and asking to local Ford dealers it is a very common issue with this that FORD will not take responsibility for or do anything about.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #119

Mar 112023

F-150

  • miles
I was driving down the road approximately 50-55 mph and after taking my foot off the gas to slow for an upcoming traffic light, the transmission instantly downshifted from 6th or 5th gear to first gear, locked up the back wheels and caused my truck to screech to a jolted stop before the traffic light. Approximately one week later, the truck did the exact same thing. The wrench light came on both times and at the subsequent start up was off, but the system did trigger OBD codes. I am very concerned with the fact that this exact same issue was deemed worthy of a recall on 2011-2013, Ford recall #19S07/NHTSA Recall 19V-075, but it is still happening on many many F150s with the 6R80 transmission after the model years covered by the recall.

- Huntingtown, MD, USA

problem #118

Mar 232023

F-150

  • 100,800 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle downshifted to a lower gear and the rear wheels locked-up. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed that the transmission lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in an open recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,800.

- Caldwell, OH, USA

problem #117

Mar 212023

F-150

  • miles
Vehicle loss of power due to bad lead frame module for transmission.A picture of a wrench appeared on my dash a couple of days before loss of power. The Ford garage said it was okay to drive as long as the wrench light didn't blink.After the loss of power I didn't feel comfortable driving it so I took it in for repair. From what I have read this is the same problem as the 2011-2013 models, to which they have been recalled.My vehicle is currently at the ford garage for repair.

- Blanchard, PA, USA

problem #116

Mar 262023

F-150

  • 56,736 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on various occasions, the transmission was downshifting into first gear and causing the vehicle to come to sudden stops. The check engine and power train malfunction warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) and lead frame needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 56,736.

- Fargo, ND, USA

problem #115

Mar 112023

F-150

  • miles
Lead Frame failure. Electrical component attached to valve body on transmision. On multiple occassions my truck would downshift from 6th gear to 2nd gear. The first time I was traveling at 55mph with an engine rpm of 1500/1600s, on flat ground with no load and not attempting to speed up or slow down. This caused the engine to rev up to 4500 rpm causing me too very sudden and violent jerk forward. After a few seconds normal driving resumed. I contacted my local dealership for service and over the next couple of days had a wrech symbol pop up twice and that said SEE MANUAL. Nothing in my owners manual helped me solve that. And the truck would only accelerate very slowly until you got up to around 35mph then normal driving resumed.. On the next occassion a few days later, while driving to the dealership for service regarding this issue the problem occurred again under nearly identical conditions. This time the at faster/express way speed of 70mph. This cause not only a sudden jerk forward but also caused me to jerk my steering wheel sending me into another lane. No other drivers were next to me and no one was hurt, injured, or damaged. Normal driving resumed after a few seconds. While researching this issue online I was able to discover hundreds of accounts for drivers wanting to know why their transmissions suddenly downshifted on them too. These issues are problematic at best and deadly at their worst. In 2013 you determined these issues were so bad as to result in a national recall. The same problem is still occurring. I reached out to Ford and this is my problem they say.

- Richmond, ME, USA

problem #114

Sep 012022

F-150

  • 119,067 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally accelerated and decelerated independently while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the power train warning light had flashed on the screen; however, the light quickly disappeared. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the lead frame on the transmission was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 119,067.

- Ukiah, CA, USA

problem #113

Mar 072023

F-150

  • miles
While driving on the highway at highway speeds 70 mph the truck automatically shifted from 6th Gear to first gear nearly throwing me through the windshield. It went back in the regular gear and started driving fine within a couple of weeks it got to where it would shift erratically all the time and not start half the time at this point it will not start at all.the gear indicator light does not illuminate. The computer cant recognize what gear it is in. I spoke with a Ford representative there was a recall for 153,000 vehicles with the same problem but mine was not one of them. Upon looking into it further I found nearly 300 other drivers with the same exact issue. Later calling the Ford dealership to get parts to repair the transmission I was laughed at and told he has seven of those trucks waiting for the parts to fix them on his lot now. I spoke with a different Ford dealership that gentleman told me he cannot get them parts to repair them either even though the computer is showing that there's over 70,000 of those parts in a warehouse and that Ford was holding on to them like gold and no one could get them not even at dealership. There are many People on forums complaining about the issues and dealerships telling me they have trucks there with the same issues and no one can get parts... seems to me that there is a major issue with these Transmissions. One forum a gentleman stated that he changed the lead frame in the transmission and that was the entire problem. Any help from your offices great appreciate it by all the owners, myself included. I have been in the loyal Ford owner of my entire life and cannot believe how treating their customers! Thank you

- Burghill, OH, USA

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