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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:
30,997 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 1 of 8)

problem #152

Dec 262024

Focus

  • 137,823 miles

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

Stearing went out and car would not start after filling tank with gas

- Rockwall, TX, USA

problem #151

Dec 232024

Focus

  • miles
Kept getting my check engine light is says something about bleed up pressure in the fuel tank which when driving my throttle is not as responsive and when I fill up from Empty I have to give it some gas in. Order to start and would sit at the red light or a stop sign with the clutch pressed in and it would sputter and stall which I would have to give it gas to restart the car

- Bellaire , OH, USA

problem #150

Oct 232024

Focus

  • miles
The evap purge valve assembly failed. An engine warning lamp did appear. While driving down the interstate the incorrect fuel mixture caused the vehicle to stall while in motion with my wife, and at the time, 3 month-old son were in vehicle. Although there was no accident, all power was lost and the vehicle had to maneuvered into the shoulder to prevent rear ending other vehicles. This was the 2nd time in 2 weeks. The vehicle was called into the Ford recall line, as there has been an open recall on the vehicle model and year. The ford recall line said the vehicle was not affected by the recall, and no recall repairs had been made the vehicle. The ford recall rep recommended to take the vehicle to a ford dealership. The vehicle has been inspected by a Ford dealership. The dealership confirmed the issue was the issue seen in previous recalls, but the dealership stated they could see a previous dealership had made the recall repaired (in contrast to the ford recall representative-??s statement). So, the vehicle was either not repaired under either of the (2) active recalls (as stated by the ford dealership), or the recall fix to update the software and replace the evap purge valve is not effective, leaving the vehicle in an unsafe condition to operate. The rich mix of fuel caused by the failure has led to a clogged catalytic converter.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #149

Nov 052024

Focus

  • miles

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

Check engine light P1450 fuel system vacuum. So many complaints of the same issue of the vehicle stalling and shuddering. The dealership refuses to even look at my vehicle. This is a serious safety concern. Someone needs to intervene because there are too many of us now driving dangerous vehicles because their parts don-??t work properly and the dealerships are telling us there-??s nothing they can do. UNACCEPTABLE Additionally, my clutch assembly WAS recalled but the dealership must have reported my vehicle fixed because the recall is no longer showing up. THIS IS FALSE! They NEVER FIXED IT! It has never actually been fixed even though I have taken it in easily 10 times.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #148

Oct 302024

Focus

  • miles
I am experiencing two significant issues with my 2016 Ford Focus, both of which closely match known recall problems documented for this model and year. However, my vehicle-??s VIN does not currently show an active recall, and Ford has not covered the repairs. Canister Purge Valve (Error Code P1450): The canister purge valve in my vehicle is malfunctioning, leading to rough idling, poor fuel economy, and difficulties starting the engine. This issue also triggered the check engine light. My research shows that similar problems were included in a Ford recall for the 2016 Ford Focus, where a defective purge valve could cause stalling and inaccurate fuel readings. Despite these similarities, my VIN is not covered under this recall. Transmission Control Module (TCM) Issues: My vehicle also has transmission performance problems linked to the Transmission Control Module (TCM), causing hard shifting, irregular transmission behavior, and occasional failure to engage properly. The TCM issues are well-documented among 2016 Ford Focus vehicles, some of which were included in recalls and extended warranty programs, but my vehicle is excluded from this coverage. Given that these issues directly impact the vehicle's drivability and safety, I am requesting an investigation into why vehicles with similar symptoms are not covered by these recalls. These issues pose potential safety risks, including sudden stalling and compromised transmission performance. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #147

Sep 012024

Focus

  • miles
The malfunction light came on in my car I had a mechanic check the code that came up and he said it was the canister purge valve! Then I noticed whenever I put fuel in my car it was hard to start it would sputter and almost die !

- Rohnert Park, CA, USA

problem #146

Sep 272024

Focus

  • 125,215 miles

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

i know there is already a recall for other ford focuses with this same issue. my cpv is not working. the car breaks down every time i fuel and its a huge safety hazard as this happens far from my home usually and its very scary for me. i heard it can ruin my engine.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #145

Aug 062024

Focus

  • miles
My 2016 Ford Focus SE is stalling at higher temperatures while driving at high speeds, which is very dangerous. This issue occurs primarily during hotter daily temperatures. I have previously taken the vehicle in for the recall (NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000) related to the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) malfunction, which was supposed to address excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system. However, this did not resolve the stalling issue. This has stalled my car out at interstate highway speeds (75 MPH) which makes me lose power steering and acceleration and has nearly ended in accidents numerous of times due to this.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #144

Feb 142024

Focus

  • miles
My car stalled several times and then one day it stalled on a busy street near my school and would not start. I had to pay to have it towed to a mechanic. He replaced the CPV and told me that my gas tank was now dented and needed to be replaced. My fuel gauge does not correctly gauge fuel because of the dented tank. My VIN is not included in the recall for this problem, but it is clearly affected by the same issue. I cannot trust how far I can drive as a result. I am constantly worried that my car will just run out of gas even though I put gas in it every day.

- Adelanto, CA, USA

problem #143

Apr 122024

Focus

  • miles
Cannister Purge Valve is stuck, causing stalls at any speed. There are thousands of Ford Focus vehicles with a recall for this issue, but not this one as per VIN

- Griswold, CT, USA

problem #142

Apr 082024

Focus

  • miles

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

Collapsed fuel tank. Car stalls out.

- Lithia, FL, USA

problem #141

Apr 082024

Focus

  • miles
Vehicle engine consistently stalls while driving resulting in dangerous or deadly situations. 4/8/24 was the 5th engine stalling incident.

- Harrison, OH, USA

problem #140

Sep 012018

Focus

  • miles
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.

- Rome, GA, USA

problem #139

Feb 072024

Focus

  • miles
Purge canister valve system failure. Car sputters and wont start when gas is put into the car. Car jerks. Check engine light stays on.

- Lyburn, WV, USA

problem #138

Jan 312024

Focus

  • miles
My ford focus had experienced a clutch slipping and is stuck in 2 gear. The car also had antifreeze leak during this event. This occurred on January 31,2023. My Ford dealership is quoted a $3,240 repair cost for clutch system on an automatic transmission. Ford case number CXH01481389.

- Ruther Glen , VA, USA

problem #137

Dec 092023

Focus

  • miles
After receiving a routine oil change in December 2023, my vehicle began malfunctioning. The oil, engine, and battery lights came on abruptly. I returned to the Valvoline location (approx. 1 mile from my home) and they redid the oil change and noted that there were no signs of a leak and advised that I send the car to get a diagnostic done. My car stalled twice as I was driving it home. I then had the car towed to the dealership I purchased it from (Hyundai owned). They advised that an oil tensioner belt near the engine had shredded and pieces had lodged in the engine. Shortly after, the recall was released. Since then Ford has been zero help. I understand that the parts for the new belt are needed, however I need a new engine now due to their negligence. I've contacted Ford directly on numerous occasions as well as my local dealership and they won't release any information because it is in advance notice. I'm expected to wait until April or May for repairs. That will put me at almost six months or more without a vehicle and no viable options. That is not a timely fix for such a dangerous issue.

- Monticello, IN, USA

problem #136

Oct 172023

Focus

  • 112,162 miles
My gas tank system my engine light came on so I took my vehicle to the nearest auto zone to put on the machine and it popped up a code for a canister purge valve piece. My safety was put at risk because it was messing with my gas can-??t fill my take up so I can get stranded really quick especially if I-??m far from a gas station that offers my gas which is E85. No it haven-??t I tried but ford claim they didn-??t see no recalls in my vehicle but I have pics from other ppl of the recalls.my engine light came on I don-??t remember the date but it was a while ago still didn-??t get it checked out yet

- Calumet City, IL, USA

problem #135

May 032022

Focus

  • miles
Two weeks after an oil change (not by Ford) my 2016 Ford Focus 5dr EcoSport engine lost power climbing a hill outside my home. On inspection two mechanics told me it needed a new engine. $8000 for me to pay. The local Ford dealer replaced the engine and gave me a 3yr unlimited mileage warranty. No symptoms prior to the failure, now that is a recall (Campaign/NHTSA#23S64/23V905) I would like Ford to reimburse all of us who are out of pocket.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

problem #134

Nov 022023

Focus

  • miles
Vehicle will stale after driving for some time engine light shows fuel system issue similar similar to other Ford focus models.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #133

Dec 302023

Focus

  • miles
Check engine light keeps coming on and it give error EVAP control system fault/unable to bleed up fuel tank vacuum

- Bolivia, NC, USA

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