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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.

2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,812 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 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments

problem #8

May 062024

Focus

  • 152,000 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 attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the dual clutch and the transmission control module. The contact was informed that TCM and the dual clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #7

Jan 022024

Focus

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of transmission fluid. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed clutch kit. The contact was informed that the clutch kit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #6

Jan 142021

Focus

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while making a right turn, the vehicle started vibrating and shaking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 43,000.

- Van Buren, OH, USA

problem #5

Oct 192022

Focus

  • 36,500 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 dealer previously replaced the clutch twice; however, the failure recurred while driving at an undisclosed speed. The vehicle was shaking and hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08 (Transmission Clutch Shudder/Transmission Clutch Warranty Extension) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 36,500.

- Sugarloaf, PA, USA

problem #4

Aug 222021

Focus

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle surged and was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure. The contact reference Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 20B23. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

- Union City, CA, USA

problem #3

Apr 162022

Focus

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 10 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. Once she was able to shift to the next gear the vehicle accelerated. The service engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a transmission clutch slip. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train), however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #2

Oct 182021

Focus

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle shifted abnormally hard, and the transmission made a loud banging sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that several transmission clutches had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the transmission was experiencing the recurring failure with loud banging while shifting gears. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

- Eastview, KY, USA

problem #1

Dec 202021

Focus

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle vibrated while shifting into 2nd gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a clutch slippage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

- Quinton, VA, USA

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