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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:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,108 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 5 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #63

Jan 122020

Focus

  • 40,000 miles

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

While driving my car acts like it's not getting any gas it stalled on me couldn't start it, had to push to a safe place now engine light is on. I took and got it checked was told it's a vapor lock. I see there's a recall for fuel system, gasoline: Storage but not on mine I am unable to have mine repaired do to finances. Why recalls on some Focus and not all.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #62

Dec 232019

Focus

  • 55,000 miles
Engine light came on with "engine fault service now" message. The vehicle went into limp mode and finally car shut down. I took into a Ford dealership and they said the turbo and engine were not getting fuel on the highway pumped into them and would both need replaced.

- Defiance, OH, USA

problem #61

May 012019

Focus

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was pulled off the roadway and turned off for approximately 10 minutes before it was restarted. The contact was concerned that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was taken to healey Ford Lincoln located at 2528 NY-17M, goshen, NY 10924, (845) 291-1998, to be diagnosed. The contact was unable to recall the part that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the fuel system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Naugatuck, CT, USA

problem #60

Jan 062020

Focus

  • 70,000 miles

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

When I put gas in my car I have trou left restarting the car, when it does start it runs rough for a minute then is fine until I put gas in the car again.

- Winner, SD, USA

problem #59

Oct 222018

Focus 4-cyl

  • 96,476 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the parts for the recall repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle would suddenly stall at various times; however, the failure occurred most often when coming to a complete stop and accelerating uphill. The vehicle would also shudder when attempting to accelerate. The contact called autonation Ford corpus christi (located at 6250 South padre island drive, corpus christi, tx 78412, 361-444-0125) and was informed that the repair for the recall was unavailable. The dealer also calibrated the cpu on the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 96,476.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #58

Jul 162019

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
Recall not done I did experience the car stalling while taking off

- Winchester, NH, USA

problem #57

Nov 212019

Focus

  • 62,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 18V735000 (fuel system, gasoline). After receiving the notice, the contact stated that the vehicle would stall and turn off without warning when approaching a stop. The contact took the vehicle to frontier Ford (3701 stevens creek blvd, santa clara, ca 95051, (408) 533-1488) where the contact was informed that the recall was for the deformation of the fuel tank, not the canister purge valve. When the contact notified the dealer of the recall, he was informed that it was a "public safety notice". the contact was informed that he would have to pay for a diagnostic test to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was in the possession of the dealer to repair the fuel tank. The canister purge valve remained unrepaired. The failure mileage was 62,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- San Leandro, CA, USA

problem #56

Oct 012019

Focus

  • 36,600 miles
Check engine light is on and when checked at autozone it comes back as the pvc which is a know issue with focuses. Also, on one occassion, the transmission fault light came on and that is also a know issue with focuses. My vehicle often stalls at intersection when I have to slow down or stop and is difficult to restart in most cases.

- Rio Rancho, NM, USA

problem #55

Sep 012019

Focus

  • 44,000 miles
Vehicle stalls at stops, vehicle wont start after fueling at gas station, dtc P1450 always present, hard transmission shifting on city streets.

- Surprise, AZ, USA

problem #54

Oct 102019

Focus

  • 59,000 miles
While driving within city limits on a daily basis, my vehicle shutters from the start and at acceleration, sometimes stalls as I start to eccelerate from red lights and stop signs, creating potential hazardous conditions. Engine light has come on and want go off, and smells of fuel while vehicle is being driven.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #53

Nov 062019

Focus

  • 1,011 miles

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

I took my car in for the recall, and the dealership replaced the evap purge valve. After getting it fixed I had to return the car to the dealership 2 weeks later because it dies every time I get gas, not the problem I was having before. The dealership determined this was because Ford sent out a faulty part, and the flap isn't closing on the valve. Ford will not fix the problem the the recall say it is a one time fix, the dealership will also not fix the problem as they state it is is Ford responsibility.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #52

Oct 122019

Focus

  • 56,223 miles
My car runs well but after driving my car in motion it begins shaking and then it turns off. I cranked my car again and it runs good in a street but it keeps doing the same thin all over again.

- Thomasville, NC, USA

problem #51

Aug 152019

Focus

  • miles
P1450 code purge valve

- Cahokia, IL, USA

problem #50

Sep 252019

Focus

  • 56,000 miles
2016 Ford Focus SE. Vehicle hesitation, stalling. Check engine light on for P2196 and P1450. VIN number does not show in safety recall. Checked by Ford dealer.L 18S32-S1/ Ford reference # 19S22. Pertaining to large recall for software update and canister purge valve.

- Wapakoneta, OH, USA

problem #49

Sep 202019

Focus

  • 71,000 miles
Day 1: gas meter is showing I have 1/4 gas left in car then all of sudden car shuts off, I go and put gas in and then when I start it up it started up rough then shut off. I go to turn it on again cranks for a few seconds and then it started. Felt like gas tank was actually empty and struggled to put fuel through gas lines. Day 2: 3 days later I have a little more than a 1/4 tank of gas as I am driving the gas meter started to go up to 3/4 of gas. That is strange. And car is sputtering like if it had no gas.

- Rockwall, TX, USA

problem #48

Sep 032019

Focus

  • 72,708 miles
My 2016 Ford Focus was serviced for fuel system recall 18S32 on July 12,2019. A code was reprogrammed. This did not fix the problem of the engine sporadically stalling and it still poses a safety risk. Returned to Ford dealership on 09/03/2019. Car was still stalling and "check engine light" was on. The check engine light coming on after the powertrain control module had been reprogrammed is a direct indication fuel tank is damaged -Ford recall 19S22, with a fuel tank deformity which needs to be replaced to correct the safety issue. Ford dealership power Ford in albuquerque, nm refused to do the cpv replacement, carbon canister replacement, fuel delivery module and fuel tank replacement as recall 19S22 clearly states is the responsibility of Ford Motor Company to due because of serious safety concerns.multiple online consumer reports state this that if it is serviced for the recall and then check engine light comes on it is a direct indication it needs to be fixed by Ford Motor Company because of faulty manufacturing- which damages the gas tank(fuel tank deformity. It is their obligation to fix the vehicle before an accident does happen. Passengers in the car daily are a 10 month old and 2 year old, who could be gravely injured because of the car stalling-especially on the busy freeway the car travels everyday..

- Farmington, NM, USA

problem #47

Jun 102019

Focus

  • miles
Sever shuddering when shifting, especially from 1st to 2nd gear; pre-shifting at low RPM's and slipping gears; stalling and near-stalling when attempting to accelerate or when on an incline; back seats come unlocked and fly forward when you brake hard- contrarily the front seats fly back when accelerating. Ford demands payment for estimate/diagnostic even though they are well aware of the problems with this line of vehicle. Extended warranty was offered, at a significant charge- should be free!!!. these problems have been ongoing since I initially purchased the vehicle.

- Shaker Hts, OH, USA

problem #46

Sep 142019

Focus

  • 77,000 miles
Car stalled while driving. There is a current recall for valve issues but does not cover my vehicle. Tank was less than half full, no engine malfunction light, but it appears not to be working.

- Hummelstown, PA, USA

problem #45

Sep 142019

Focus

  • 77,000 miles
Car has stalled twice. Once while at a stop. Once while driving. The latter while my tank was less than half full. There is a vacuum/valve issue that Ford has recalled Focus vehicles on, but not my vehicle specifically.

- Hummelstown, PA, USA

problem #44

Aug 032019

Focus

  • miles
The vehicle stalled during a left turn into the right lane of oncoming traffic and was hit as a result. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The vehicle had been taken to Ford previously due to concerns of stalling/sluggish acceleration at which time the dealer disclosed an issue was known that was most likely the cause. The dealership kept the car and performed repairs. The acceleration seemed a little better but still not right based on decades of driving experience. I think the cpv issue (18S32/18V-735) may have caused the car to stall and be hit when it would not have been hit otherwise.

- Cary, NC, USA

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