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.
The transmission slips and when the car starts to move it lunges forward then vibrates/shakes. I received a notice from Ford that there may be a TCM issue with the car via Ford Campaign 14M02. When I called the dealership service center in August 2023 then again in November 2023. They said the part was on back order and to check in again in the winter. When I brought the car in the mechanic said that it was not the TCM but the clutch and that it would be $2500. He did not do a diagnostic test just told me as I was checking in at the front desk. Highly unprofessional and unsafe. I unfortunately do not have any paperwork as did not go through with the repair. I called Ford and they said they had a Ford Campaign 19N08 to address the shudder clutch but it expired at the end of 2023 for my car. I feel unsafe driving in this car.
When on freeway car suddenly displays an alert saying Stop safely now And will shut off, while driving makes it impossible to properly control the car. It has done this on multiple occasions, On the freeway, on residential streets and also when starting from park and proceeding to drive car has suddenly stopped and unable to restart right away
on 6/27/2024 when accelerating into traffic my vehicle stalled and almost caused an accident. Dash board display had two messages was code P0106 MAP sensor and hill start assist wasn't going to work. Possible safety recall 14S17 Saying not for my vehicle.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and shook abnormally while attempting to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was previously under a recall for a failure with the transmission clutch shudder, but the contact had not received the notification. The contact was also advised to contact the NHSTA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,850.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil light and Service engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine seized. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact's husband used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact's husband pushed the vehicle into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
- Locust Grove, VA, USA
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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and then shut off. The vehicle was able to be restarted after several attempts. The contact stated once the vehicle was restarted the message "Unable to lead up fuel pump vacuum" was displayed and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed and determined that the clutch and levers and catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated soon after the check engine warning light illuminated again. The contact called an independent mechanic to diagnose the vehicle. The contact stated that the message "Unable to read fuel pump vacuum" recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating and losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle back to the residence; however, the transmission failed, and the contact was unable to place the vehicle in reverse (R) or drive (D). The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the body shop where it was diagnosed with canister purge valve failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed the diagnosis. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop sign, the vehicle sputtered while attempting to accelerate before the vehicle later stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was taken to two different independent mechanics to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was advised to contact the NHSTA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal before jolting forward without warning. The vehicle had been taken to a dealer where a software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. Recently, the contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal followed by a loud cracking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, Laird Noller Ford of Lawrence (935 W 23rd St, Lawrence, KS 66046) and it was discovered that the engine mount had cracked due to the excessive slippage of the clutch. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that the day after having an oil change performed, while driving 35 MPH, the check engine and check oil warning lights illuminated. The contact was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,259.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that his daughter was driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle began to stall. The driver pulled over and restarted the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed him there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
I have a 2016 ford focus titanium, the transmission shudders and sometimes hesitant to excellerate on the highway. at times the transmission shifts into neutral when backing up into my driveway a home. Car has this common transmission issues and started to get worse this week.
On March 29 2024, vehicle had rough idle on start, problem remedied with restart. All fluids appeared to be within normal levels with coolant reservoir indicating just below half-full. On March 30 2024, vehicle idled rough on starting. Attempted restarts led to multiple stalls with failure to start after third attempt. Inspection of engine bay found coolant reservoir to be empty. Upon towing to dealership, service department denied NHTSA #23V905 as cause of failure, stating that the engine was showing coolant intrusion into cylinders and needed a full replacement at 57,771 miles. This is similar to NHTSA Complaint # 11570577. The engine showed no driver-visible warning indicators of imminent failure. This is a cause for concern as engine failure while driving will lead to loss of power steering and brake assist systems. These are safety critical systems and can cause an accident if rendered inoperable while in motion.
Purchased car end of 2022. After 3 weeks of driving the vehicle, the engine began to fail and the vehicle would stop driving/rpm would crash to 0 while driving. After seen by 3 auto shops, it resulted in the engine being destroyed due to the placement of a belt in oil within the engine and had to pay over 7000 out of pocket for a used engine and a new belt just for the car to run. Despite issues between the end of 2022 to now (March 2024) with starting the car or driving for a long amount of time, we were told the belt needed to be replaced after 50,000. The fix for the belt is over 2000 out of pocket which is absolutely ridiculous. It is March 28th today, on March 22nd my engine failed and the vehicle is liable to stop while driving, therefore unsafe to use. I have not driven the car 50,000 miles since the new belt was put in. It won-??t start right away, but when it starts the entire car shakes vigorously anywhere from 3-6 minutes and the rpm bounces from 0 to 1.5 the entirety of it shaking. The engine makes a terrible sound throughout this process. After it -??warming up-?? the rpm bobbles the whole drive time. My vehicle was driving -??okay-??, never -??good-?? prior to this, it when I was out running errands- arrived to my destination, hopped back in the vehicle and it happened and my engine light has been on ever since. There is no fix to this recall yet. I have 1 vehicle, a full time job, and am in no financial position to pay a mechanic that we have already given thousands of dollars to in repair for an issue beyond our control. We should not have had to spend that amount of money on an issue this recall presented NOR should I have to spend another dime to repair a poor manufactured issue. Not including the fact that there should be full or partial reimbursement on the reality of how expensive the outcome of this issue truly is. Very disappointed with a recall & need an unavailable fix.. ** 137000mi is subject to the previous engine- newer had 52000 when put in car.
The coolant/antifreeze tank melts upon the returning coolant/antifreeze where the return line meets the tank due to the high temperature of the coolant/antifreeze and causes the coolant/antifreeze to spill onto the engine. This led to a high engine temperature increase warning and immediately made the vehicle to stall to prevent overheating of the engine. I already replaced the old tank with a new one. Also, the rear passenger seat belt began to fray and it makes it almost impossible to buckle up.
UNKNOWN. I believe this vehicle's engine is also impacted by the recall campaign number 18V735000, even though the engine is a 2.0L L4. The same issues that are mentioned in the recall campaign occurred with this vehicle around the 60k milage and 120k milage mark. These issues seems to happen every 60k miles. I did report this same issue with this system with this vehicle when this happened when the milage hit around 60k. The engine check light did show up each time this happened and the vehicle would stall immediately, even while driving at interstate speeds of around 70mph.
My car is having transmission issues that have been recalled many times before. The car does not move forward when I apply the gas, it violently shakes on acceleration, the engine doesn't always turn over, and will rev but not move forward at a green light. This is incredibly dangerous, especially when trying to enter the flow of traffic. It's been a known issue for years, I don't know why they canceled the recall.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Verona, NJ, USA