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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:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,572 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 10 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #15

Mar 122018

Focus

  • 12,425 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. While driving 12 mph, the vehicle shuttered and the engine shut off completely. In addition, the transmission warning indicator illuminated and the transmission responded abnormally when the gears were shifted. The contact placed the gear in neutral and pushed the vehicle to the left emergency lane close to the barrier wall. The vehicle was not towed. The vehicle was eventually able to be driven to chapman Ford scottsdale (3950 N 89th St, scottsdale, AZ 85251, (480) 420-1460) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,425.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #14

Oct 122017

Focus

  • 17,000 miles
Sometime while accelerating the car will randomly go from 2K RPM to over 6K RPM but you cant here the engine and it loses power and starts to jerk violently. Once you release gas and the RPM's go back down to 2K then you can try to accelerate again. I thought this issue was just because it was cold the 1st time it happened but now it is happening more frequently. I've only had this car for little under a year and it has less then 20K miles on it.

- Madison, VA, USA

problem #13

Feb 232018

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
Transmission failure loss of complete power jerking shaking complete shutdown of power while driving on freeway. Dangerous

- San Jacinto, CA, USA

problem #12

Jan 082018

Focus

  • 49,556 miles

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

The transmission doesn't allow for speed that is needed on an interstate. It's sluggish, slow, doesn't respond when given gas.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #11

Jan 122018

Focus

  • 32,000 miles
The vehicle turned off as we were driving down the road at 2pm on Friday 1/12. We called two different Ford dealahips to get the car serviced. Both made an appt for the following week but neither told us not to drive the car. Later that day if happened again and the brakes would not work to stop the car so another vehicle was hit and sup sequentaly totaled my vehicle.

- Covington, GA, USA

problem #10

Jul 122016

Focus

  • 12 miles
From a stop, when pressing the gas pedal the transmission starts shuddering and excessive vibration that shakes the whole car, also will not pickup speed so pulling out into traffic is dangerous, this car is dangerous to drive. My wife refuses to drive this car. 2016 Ford Focus SE with only15000 miles on it.....please help

- Strasburg, VA, USA

problem #9

Oct 072017

Focus

  • 29,890 miles

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

Just filled my gas tank up then as I left the gas station got about 1 mile up the road then while sitting at a stoplight I turned the ac on and idle dipped, car felt like it was going to die(which it did) then as I tried to re-start, cel came on and car would not start. About 2 more times and it fired up along with a service engine soon message... luckily for me I was a block away from future Ford Lincoln where I originally purchased the vehicle. 3 days later I got a call saying my vehicle was ready for pick up. I get there and they tell me that the reason was due to I had a aftermarket power wire routed over engine assembly causing electrical interference. So they disconnected what I payed a local professional audio shop $140 to install 2 days after I got the car. So, long story short, I get in the vehicle only to see that my fill up @ the gas station was gone... they used [xxx] near 3/4 of my tank of gas put over 100 miles on my car and I get 2 blocks away from the dealer and at the same light..... **** happens again!!!! took it right back to the dealer. Just got my car back after 13 days in the shop and I couldn't be more pissed! 4th time I have gone to pick it up after hearing that they fixed the problem only to get in the car, drive it, and have it happen yet another time! they even tried to tell me it was my right front axle causing the problem this time around. ( I just had the left front axle replaced 2 months back at another dealer) throwing grease on a crank sensor causing my cel with dtc "P0106, P0236, P0340, P0344, P0365, P051B, P0532, P06A7, P08A9, P08B9"...bla bla bla... they don't know what the problem is but they keep wanting to tell me they found the problem! what a waist of both our time. Now the car is in my driveway, wont start, throwing about 8 to 12 codes and im waiting to hear from Ford customer care. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Livermore, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 012016

Focus

  • 1,500 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. While idling, the vehicle shook, a knocking noise was present coming from the engine, and oil from the engine was present under the hood. In addition, while driving various speeds, the transmission would slip into the next gear and a grinding type noise was heard coming from the differential. After starting the vehicle, the transmission would erroneously switch into the neutral position, causing the vehicle to roll away. The cause of the failures was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer (galpin Ford in van ayes, ca) were both notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 1,500.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 152017

Focus

  • 11,000 miles
Our Ford Focus stalled and could not restart. The car was able to start up with no problem, run for a few minutes but stalled when driving. The battery light came on and the engine would not turn over when attempting to restart the car. Car had been driven the day before for well over an hour without issue. No error code is returned to the technician when runs a diagnostic on the vehicle.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #6

Apr 192017

Focus

  • 4,800 miles
After purchasing this car on 3/7/2017 with 1,909 miles on it. I noticed extensive body damage the next morning which was unbeknownst to me since I purchased it in the evening time. I notified my dealer only to find out that were aware of the pre existing damages! I was then instructed to bring it in for repairs and was even charged for the cost of the rental coverage! my vehicle began giving me transmission problems on 4/19/2017, it hesitates to accelerate while in motion and when it finally gets to the speed I desire it jerks at take off. Also, when I start the engine it makes a loud popping sound from the exhaust pipes, I took it in for service on 4/24/17 and once it was released to me it was making the same noises the very next morning. A service advisor from the dealership explained to me that my vehicle had transmission issues.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #5

Feb 242017

Focus 3-cyl

  • 14,000 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 experienced a complete loss of power and would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. Also, the overheating warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle entered into "limp home" mode, which allowed the use of the vehicle but not over 5 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle experienced multiple engine failures and the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the transmission warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle still experienced hesitation. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 14,000. Updated 08/29/17

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #4

Apr 072017

Focus

  • 23,410 miles
Bought new on 12/25/2015. Started hesitating starting off, skipping like spinning tires.got worse and like going over strips in the road. Akin replaced the computer and the clutch 9/2016. Did fine then started again. Had it checked and could not make it duplicate the problem (01/2017). Just this week (04/06/2017 it started doing it again, and quickly increased happening. 04/07/2017 was so bad it would not change from 1st to 2nd gear and now has a scratching/rattling noise. Called dealer and service dept. Says to call in the morning and set appt. To bring in. Had husband riding this time and it is the transmission. Also has a slight drop or hesitation while driving as it seems to be dropping back in power and then picks back up. Very dangerous and scary. This happens starting off from a stop, turning from stop, going down the highway. I did not have the air turned on!

- Good Hope, GA, USA

problem #3

Nov 292016

Focus 4-cyl

  • 3,700 miles
Vehicle was taken in twice to the dealer to repair issue with the coolant sensor and associated wiring harness. Faulty coolant sensor/wiring harness/other causes cel to illuminate. During normal driving, vehicle will go in to 'failsafe mode' which drastically lowers power output. This happens intermittently and randomly. Vehicle must be restarted for it to function normally again. Only to go back in to 'failsafe mode' shortly after. This presents a safety issue during merging, passing, steep uphill driving, and any other instance which requires power to avoid a collision with a moving vehicle and/or stationary object. This has happened to me twice in 2 days. I was merging on to the highway. I try to match the speed of traffic but is unable to due to the 'failsafe mode' my vehicle was in. I was nearly rear ended by another vehicle. Luckily, the other vehicle was able to slow down enough not to hit me. And fortunately, there was no other vehicle behind them. My inability to merge safely in to traffic on the highway presents a huge safety risk for myself and other motorists.

- Southern Pines, NC, USA

problem #2

Apr 212016

Focus

  • 10 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle shuttered and experienced a complete loss of power. The checking engine and service car soon warning indicators illuminated. In addition, while driving 65 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of power for a second time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact informed the dealer of the recurring failure and the technician stated that the vehicle performed as intended. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 10.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #1

Jul 142016

Focus

  • 5,500 miles
My 2016 Ford Focus has 5500 miles on it and it overheated last week, Ford towed to dealer and after a few days got a call stating there was a engine problem and the engine needs to be replaced. I asked if they could just give me a new vehicle because of the low millage and I was to no by district service manager. Last Ford I buy

- Marlton, NJ, USA

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