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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2016 Ford Focus & its "Powershift" transmission has a defect trend where the car shudders when accelerating, especially when starting uphill.

Most owners have reported their Ford Focus remains driveable while the vehicle is still at low mileage, but the shuddering is annoying & unpleasant & may reduce the resale value of the vehicle.

However, owners of higher-mileage vehicles from earlier 3rd generation Focus model years report transmission failure & a host of other major & expensive transmission-related problems. Potential buyers beware.

2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,497 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 Focus clutch problems

clutch problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #10

Aug 222023

Focus

  • 87,820 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated abnormally while accelerating from a stop and the vehicle was moving from left to right. Additionally, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the clutch assembly was repaired four times in the past; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the contact seek assistance from the dealer. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,820.

- Shipman, VA, USA

problem #9

Feb 082024

Focus

  • miles
My 2016 Ford Focus has encountered repeated transmission and clutch problems associated with the DPS6 recall. My car has experienced sudden losses of power, inability to randomly start the car, and even though my car can be put into reverse, it will not back up. Going down the highway, my car will have reluctance to shift and when it does, it shudders severely. These issues have caused myself to feel uncomfortable being on any public roads due to fears the car or clutch will completely fail. Especially when I have my child with me. My car has now officially given out and had to be towed to Ford for evaluation. During evaluation they reported the clutch has gone bad. Even though I had the entire clutch system replaced in 2019. Meaning the transmission has caused two full clutch replacements in 7 years. During inspections and replacements under previous warranties, Ford refuses to address the transmission portion of the problem and will and would only correct the by-product which was the clutch itself. My car has the DPS6 transmission from the Michigan plant, but my manufacture date was a few weeks after the deadline. The car had the check engine light come on when experiencing power issues. It has been through two complete evaluations through Ford, who only will charge me for clutch replacements. The TCM also had to be recalibrated in 2019 when the clutch was replaced, but they did not replace the TCM itself.

- Jber, AK, USA

problem #8

Sep 152023

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to function as intended. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed clutch pack and that the clutch pack needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was not eligible to be covered under warranty because the failure was not severe. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that if the repair was paid for out of pocket, to keep the receipt to be eligible for reimbursement later. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Southfield, MI, USA

problem #7

Nov 032023

Focus

  • 51,000 miles

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

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered after coming from a complete stop. Additionally, the vehicle jerked while accelerating. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the clutch assembly had previously been replaced five times; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced for the sixth time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that a half of the cost of the repair would be covered. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

- Silver Lake, OH, USA

problem #6

Apr 082023

Focus

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while pulling out a parking space, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch and the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the transmission control module was covered; however, the clutch was not covered. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 135,000.

- Saint James, MN, USA

problem #5

Apr 122023

Focus

  • miles
Car jerks and shakes/ will suddenly stop in the middle of traffic. This is especially dangerous if you are making a left or right and the car suddenly stops, which has happened

- Oswego, NY, USA

problem #4

Mar 012022

Focus

  • 88,000 miles

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

The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the RPM gauge remained high and the engine revved. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the automatic clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Wolcott, CT, USA

problem #3

Feb 212022

Focus 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his employee was driving, the transmission was shifting hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch, transmission clutch, and actuator forts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

problem #2

Aug 132021

Focus

  • 29,146 miles
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would jerk upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle made hard downshifts upon the depression of the brake pedal. As the failure worsened, the contact was notified by his daughter of the failure. Upon restart of the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated the instrument panel. The contact informed his daughter to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The scanner retrieved a transmission failure. The following day, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the double-clutch transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to NHTSA. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 29,146.

- West Bend, WI, USA

problem #1

Jun 012021

Focus

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the clutch assembly had malfunctioned while driving in first and 2nd gear causing a grinding noise to be present and the vehicle would not properly accelerate from a standing start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the clutch assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.

- Derby, KS, USA

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