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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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,947 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 10 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #336

Jun 282022

Focus

  • 40,000 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 that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the gear shifter was not able to shift into the intended gear and the vehicle was not able to drive forward. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #335

Jun 172022

Focus 4-cyl

  • miles
In the last 6 months my car has been to Rottet Ford in Tamaqua. My car Failed to start after driven had towed to dealer, replaced TCM, paid $200. 2nd time car system shut off everything and engine while driving. Started after hour, dealer replaced TCM paid $200 3rd time car failed to start after driven, even within 24hours from leaving dealership being fixed, waiting to see WHY. But assuming TCM again. Ford customer experience specialist [XXX] ext [XXX] [XXX] Recall on 2016 ford focus, but not her VIN. All 3repairs were the TCM (transmission control module) Ford customer service told me to report this and ask it be added to recall list. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Lansford , PA, USA

problem #334

Jan 012022

Focus

  • 95,000 miles
The contact's sister owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds and also while in reverse(R) while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would fail to accelerate above 40 MPH while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was out of warranty and not under recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Oakton, VA, USA

problem #333

Jun 012022

Focus

  • 92,500 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 making a right turn, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and explained that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 92,500.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #332

Apr 292022

Focus

  • miles
Many cars of this make, model and year have had a recall for the automatic clutch. I-??ve taken it into a Ford dealer when the vehicle had around 55,000 miles and they replaced the clutch under warranty. Ford said that they extended the warranty to 7 years, 100,000 miles. My automatic clutch started doing the same thing again after about 20,000 miles after the first repair. I took it to the Ford dealer last week and they confirmed the automatic clutch was bad again but my VIN didn-??t show up as being covered under the extended warranty. Their comment was -??it depends on what plant the car was manufactured at.-?? My comment was -??Ford already replaced this clutch once so it has nothing to do with where my car was manufactured at.-?? They would not fix it under warranty so I paid my $150 diagnostic fee and left the dealership very upset. Doesn-??t make sense to me and I think Ford is purposely not covering all vehicles with this clutch problem. The vehicle is still drive-able but the faulty clutch makes the whole car shudder often, so much so that if the shudder doesn-??t break the clutch it-??s going to break something else.

- Etna, OH, USA

problem #331

Mar 012022

Focus

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating and almost stalled; however, once the contact accelerated, the vehicle continued driving normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.

- Marion, NC, USA

problem #330

Apr 182022

Focus

  • 55,000 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 that the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission and fuel system failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was no longer drivable and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

- Canton, IL, USA

problem #329

Sep 032019

Focus

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal as the service engine light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Sunnyside, NY, USA

problem #328

May 022022

Focus

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated and started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was diagnosed as a transmission failure associated with Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19N08. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19N08 due to the manufactured date of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

problem #327

May 012021

Focus

  • 63,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and then stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to return to the residence. The contact called an unknown local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #326

Apr 102022

Focus

  • miles

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

The transmission slips going from first to second gear. Was told the clutches have went bad.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #325

Apr 162022

Focus

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate while shifting gear and then lunge forward. The contact stated that the failure was ongoing. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

- Lincoln, RI, USA

problem #324

Apr 062022

Focus

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the transmission failed to shift as needed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.

- Rensselaer, NY, USA

problem #323

Feb 152022

Focus

  • 135,751 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a transmission specialist who provided the same diagnostic information. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was associated to an extended warranty and the repair would be covered; however, he needed to contact the manufacturer for towing assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist with the repair of the vehicle as his VIN was not included in an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 135,751.

- Midland, GA, USA

problem #322

Sep 012020

Focus

  • 47,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, she has had the transmission clutch replaced on two separate occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact had the vehicle repaired by the dealer after each failure under the vehicle warranty. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #321

Mar 012021

Focus

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving and accelerating, the vehicle experienced shuddering and vibration between first and second gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact scheduled an appointment with the local dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Blanding, UT, USA

problem #320

Jul 132021

Focus

  • miles
Yes, I was on my way to school and as I pulled out into the first busy road along my way my car hesitated, jerked and was very erratic and eventually died completely, all power lost. I just barely missed being hit by another vehicle and somehow I made it within the Double suicide lane. I was extremely terrified because I don-??t know anything about vehicles and this is my first car so I called my mother. And from there she had it towed and repaired. And then due to further research I stumbled across where my car might fall within a recall that has something to do with a component on my transmission. This Effect has put my mother out $4000 for a faulty transmission component sold by Ford. I would love for her to be reimbursed for that. Thank you.

- Antelope, CA, USA

problem #319

Mar 242017

Focus

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was shifting hard and the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and the warning message "Stop Vehicle Immediately - Transmission Fluid Hot" warning light illuminated while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving, causing her to veer to the side of the road for a moment. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of the repair as the vehicle was out of warranty and the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would assist with the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Northbridge, MA, USA

problem #318

Mar 102022

Focus

  • miles
The transmission went and I went to a known transmission service company and they told me it is a known fact that dual clutch assembly in the ford focus goes bad. I brought the car less then 4 months ago. They told me I had to replace multiple parts. No warnings came on and when I drive. The car stops accelerating randomly and the transmisson overheats

- Tewksbury , MA, USA

problem #317

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

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