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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 4 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #456

Oct 142023

Focus

  • 104,000 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 after parking the vehicle, she returned to the vehicle and restarted the vehicle however, after shifting into reverse the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she shifted into drive and depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact researched online and became aware of NHTSA Action Number: RQ23006 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed of an undisclosed recall and advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

- Hinesville, GA, USA

problem #455

Oct 022023

Focus

  • miles
Transmission/ clutch shifts gears rough. Jerks and rpm all over the place. Clutch slippage.

- Pikesville, MD, USA

problem #454

Oct 162023

Focus

  • miles
So ive bee battling the same tcm issues out of my 2016 ford focus. I have othing now. My car will no longer go into gear at all. So i have spent upwards of 8 to 9 grand over last two years trying tomfix this. This vehicle per customee satifaction progrm in the parameters of 2011 to 2017 ford Focus/Fiesta w/dps6 transmission having tcm issues. To my understsndig this should be replced and reprogrammed one time regardless of the milage. But my VIN doesnt register that my vehiicle is elegible for this recall or program. Please i need help. I am out of options. No vehicle, lost my job bedcause of this and my apartment.

- Charles Town, WV, USA

problem #453

Sep 272023

Focus

  • miles

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

At sixty four thousand miles the clutch began to slip, eventually started smelling and smoking. The clutch pedal gave out and there was no power, which led to pulling over on the highway to get a tow.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #452

Jul 222023

Focus

  • 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the message "Steering Assist Fault. Service Required" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be charged a repair fee. The contact also stated that the hatchback had opened independently while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V698000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure). Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved to 4,000 but the vehicle failed to accelerate. Additionally, the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly, and the vehicle was downshifting unexpectedly while driving, nearly causing a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while shifting into reverse (R), and while shifting into drive (D). There was no warming light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

- Baraboo, WI, USA

problem #451

Sep 162023

Focus

  • 142,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 20 MPH and depressing accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle jerked upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifting into reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure could be related to the TCM. The dealer informed the contact that if the failure persisted after replacing the TCM, the transmission would need to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #450

Sep 082023

Focus

  • miles

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

The automatic transmission/TCM in my vehicle failed and the vehicle experiences clutch shudder It is available for inspection upon request. When I was trying to accelerate the car it began to jerk and was struggling to move while on the road putting me and others in danger until I was able to pull over. The problem with the TCM has been confirmed by a Ford dealer and although there has been a customer satisfaction program that was issued by Ford Motor Company they have yet to properly address the issue only providing a warranty extension on both the TCM and clutch shudder issues. The issues I had prior to failure were slow acceleration but high rpm as I pressed on gas.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #449

Sep 112023

Focus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,410 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speed, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle was jerking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a code reader determined that the transmission shift solenoid was stuck and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked an unknown recall to failure; however, the local dealer and the manufacturer informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,410.

- Trenton, MI, USA

problem #448

Oct 132022

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that the transmission had malfunctioned, and the transmission sensor was reprogrammed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the transmission had failed. The transmission module was reprogrammed but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- North Richland Hills, TX, USA

problem #447

Nov 142022

Focus

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift was needed. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission control module (TCM) and clutch failure. The contact was informed that the TCM and clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the TCM was under recall however, the clutch was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

- Trotwood, OH, USA

problem #446

Jul 012023

Focus

  • 100,000 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 driving at various speeds, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. There was an abnormal rumbling noise detected while the vehicle was in first gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the clutch and transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

problem #445

Jun 012021

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 10 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving to her destination. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the dual clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the dual clutch to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle back to the local dealer, and the dual clutch was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Ruther Glen, VA, USA

problem #444

Aug 162023

Focus

  • miles
While driving at various speeds vehicle would shudder and hesitate to shift. Last vehicle operation while slowing from 50 mph vehicle started jerking and shuddering that followed with a transmission fault code being displayed. Vehicle no longer had reverse or can go past 1 gear. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000 miles, vehcile was towed to dealership and diagnosed with a bad clutch and needed to be replaced. Contacted manufacturer of the issue and was directed to the NHTSA.

- Wellington , CO, USA

problem #443

Jul 012023

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her residence. After parking the vehicle, the contact did not notice an issue with the vehicle. The contact stated two days later the vehicle failed to reverse out of the parking spot. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- San Pablo, CA, USA

problem #442

Sep 112020

Focus

  • 53,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifting gear there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle shook abnormally. The vehicle became unable to shift out of park and felt as though the vehicle was in neutral. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer stated that the failure was related to TSB Number: 14M02 (Power Train) however, the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

- Venice, FL, USA

problem #441

Jul 222023

Focus

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before shifting to the next gear. The contact stated that the hesitation occurred after stopping and then depressing the accelerator pedal to drive. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact had spoken to an independent mechanic and was provided information on how to reset the transmission control module (TCM). The contact stated that resetting the TCM failed to fix the vehicle. The failure recurred with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact used a handheld code scanner and retrieved DTC code: P2872 (Clutch Stuck in Engaged Position). The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 14M02 TCM - Loss of Transmission Engagement (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Rexburg, ID, USA

problem #440

Nov 152022

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the RPM increased dramatically, and the transmission hesitated while the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was a failure with the automatic clutch in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Rainbow, TX, USA

problem #439

Aug 022023

Focus

  • miles
My car has hesitation, and stalling or inability to accelerate, this isn't safe!!! and I cant sink money into something that is a manufacturer issue and i know that they deny that there was a manufacturer issue in the focus hatchbacks for the longest time...

- Rural Hall, NC, USA

problem #438

Aug 152019

Focus

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated and shuddered abnormally. Additionally, on several occasions the vehicle would not immediately start. The vehicle also failed to reverse as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission clutch assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- New Milford, NJ, USA

problem #437

Feb 012022

Focus

  • 159,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced an oil leak and was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the chain gasket was faulty and needed to be replaced. The chain gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 159,000.

- Kokomo, IN, USA

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