2016 Ford Focus Driver assistance Problems

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. While operating the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking abnormally while idling, while low on fuel, while driving long distances, or while driving uphill. The vehicle shut off unexpectedly intermittently. On several occasions, the RPM increased; however, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle eventually stalled. The accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to respond. The brake pedal became firm. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped and restarted several times or shut down unintendedly. After refueling, the contact had to wait for approximately 2 to 10 minutes before the vehicle responded as needed. Occasionally, the contact had to wait for over an hour before the vehicle was restarted. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently and later turned off. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved excessively without the vehicle responding as needed. An abnormal sound was coming from the vehicle. The Oxygen sensor error code was displayed. The failure persisted over time. The vehicle was previously repaired at an unknown dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). Additionally, the high-pressure fuel pump was replaced. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the current failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11717299

Incident

Feb 11, 2024

Mileage

150,000 mi

When driving my car all of a sudden it loses power almost like it’s struggling to go but the RPM revs up and makes a loud noise and my car kind of got stuck for a minute and there were cars behind me then it started going but every couple minutes it would do that again rev up really loud even when I barely push the gas and lose power and then go I have no idea why it was doing that I took it to get it looked at, but there was no light on then a light finally came on and it came up with P07A3. Transmission friction element A stuck on. It starts end doing that with no notice. Light came on later after I tried to get it scanned. There seems to be extended warranty satisfaction things offered on vehicles at the same time mine was made. Same vehicle. But my number is not on the vin recall. But it exhibits same symptoms. The ford customer satisfaction program 14m02 covers same issues but my vin is not listed. This is a driving hazard unsafe that I feel is issues from their manufacturing.

NHTSA ID

11713023

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

2016 Ford Focus, VIN: [XXX] Power Train: Automatic Transmission: Control Module (TCM) This complaint details a recurring and severe safety defect in our 2016 Ford Focus. The vehicle's Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed twice, resulting in sudden, complete loss of power and dangerous stalling incidents at highway speeds. In January 2023, at approximately 8,000 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost all propulsion while traveling on a highway. We were forced to execute a dangerous emergency maneuver across lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. A Ford dealership diagnosed a failed TCM which had, in turn, caused the clutch to burn out. In July 2025, after only 7,000 additional miles (total vehicle mileage ~15,000), the identical, catastrophic failure occurred again. The vehicle once more stalled without warning on a major highway, creating another life-threatening situation. The diagnostic codes confirmed the same TCM and clutch failure, proving the issue is a persistent, underlying defect and not a random occurrence. This failure is entirely consistent with the widely-documented defect in Ford's Powershift (DPS6) transmission. This problem has been the subject of multiple national class-action lawsuits and is detailed in thousands of other consumer complaints filed. The repeated failure in our low-mileage vehicle underscores that this is a predictable and systemic design flaw that makes the vehicle inherently unsafe. We attempted to address this critical safety failure directly with Ford Motor Company. Our concerns were met with dismissal, and despite being issued a case number, Ford has failed to respond to our calls registered letter. This vehicle is unsafe to operate. We are filing this complaint to implore the NHTSA to launch a formal investigation into this defect. The repeated, sudden loss of power presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to occupants and other motorists. We believe a mandatory recall is urgently required. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

NHTSA ID

11678722

Incident

Jul 10, 2025

My vehicle started having issues with the transmission, like shifting issues while starting to accelerate , not going into gear while I am accelerating as well as going in and out of gear in current speed levels with the flow of traffic. It would go from a drive engagement to neutral and would cause me to be in dangerous situations while having passengers in my car as well as my children. I do Lyft an Uber as a current profession, and the last 10 rides that I have given people have been put in positions of compromise or danger due to the shifting issues. After googling issues online, I discovered my Transmission has had various online complaints of Same danger issues. I had 2 Mechanics also verify the issues as well. I contacted ford customer service and they have denied any issues or any recalls attached to my vin. After speaking with ford they said my vehicle was made after the cut off. My transmission DPS6 is the same model that was given extended warranty or repair or Replacement. The documents I found state that the DPS6 automatic transmission was covered under these manufacture dates: August 1, 2010 through November 5, 2015. After speaking with the Ford customer service agent she had mentioned that my car was built December 23, 2015. Which includes the same transmission as stated previously. The program where I found this information is on your website specifically. Program 14M02. Please add all transmissions affected by this situation to the timeline of the warranty extension. My vehicle would fall within the warranty extension of what is listed on the form below of up to 10 years and 150,000 miles considering it is only nine years old with 125,000 miles. Due to it being the same exact transmission, I feel that it is very unfair that it was not included in the extension of this warranty coverage. Please reconsider in adding that coverage to my VIN number. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11647692

Incident

Feb 16, 2025

The car is shuddering on acceleration. RPM currently rises and falls in an unnatural manner. Loss of power and gas mileage. This appears to be the same issue that other 2016 ford focuses are covered by.

NHTSA ID

11629514

Incident

Dec 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. The contact stated that the gears were lagging while shifting. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle shut down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact noticed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant. There was no indication of a coolant leak. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11606151

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Mileage

51,000 mi

When accelerating or breaking, my cars transmission would slip causing me to slow down whiled driving. Also, my check engine light has came on. It goes on and off unexpectedly. Car shutters and shakes when accelerating.

NHTSA ID

11602283

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

I tried taking out the car and It completely stalled and went into neutral when driving . Ford has a recall for ford focus 2014-2016 but apparently mines not one.

NHTSA ID

11573797

Incident

Feb 24, 2024

This is my second time reporting this the first time I reported this the person I talked to on the phone inaccurately put what I said and didn’t put what I said. I was on my way back home from a little road trip and I had approached a stop sign and had come to a full stop. When It was safe I took off and my car stuttered and had loss of power and became jerky, started to buck and would have delay and sudden burst of acceleration and it felt like the transmission was slipping. And the message transmission fault service now and my check engine light came on. I proceeded to pull over and let my car sit for a bit and turned off and on my car and the warming message went away. When I started driving again my car continued to have the same issues as well as reving high and not speeding up then randomly shifting and suddenly accelerating

NHTSA ID

11565552

Incident

Dec 7, 2023

the car shut off doing 60mph it was very scary took it to mechanic it had 2 codes the check engine light was on they cleaned the throttle body it ran but was struggling and rough idling drove to work and it wanted to stall multiple times put it in neutral to get idle up at a light then it stalled at a light drove home very afraid that it would shut off again took to the same mechanic to explain what happened have appt for estimate to fix . i need this car for work and am very scared to drive it as is never know when it will shut off called the dealer that sold me the car and all they said was theres no recalls and bring it in. i had an extended warranty but they said i was over by 1000 miles so no warranty i wont drive it there its a long drive. driving for many years i have never felt unsafe in a vehicle before this is very dangerous and needs to be resolved asap . also still have a loan for this car that i cant drive along with the repair costs my wife called ford directly and they said theres no recall and werent helpful at all

NHTSA ID

11549908

Incident

Sep 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle would then lurch forward unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. No additional information was available. The failure mileage was 40,353.

NHTSA ID

11482353

Incident

Apr 8, 2022

Mileage

40,353 mi

The backup camera works intermittently. When it does not work, it’s either a very fuzzy black screen with almost no visibility, or a completely black screen. You cannot see anything behind you using it. There were over 700,000 newer Ford vehicles recalled with the same issues. There are no warning lights.

NHTSA ID

11475168

Incident

Jul 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

NHTSA ID

11459585

Incident

Oct 15, 2021

Mileage

76,000 mi

Yes, I was on my way to school and as I pulled out into the first busy road along my way my car hesitated, jerked and was very erratic and eventually died completely, all power lost. I just barely missed being hit by another vehicle and somehow I made it within the Double suicide lane. I was extremely terrified because I don’t know anything about vehicles and this is my first car so I called my mother. And from there she had it towed and repaired. And then due to further research I stumbled across where my car might fall within a recall that has something to do with a component on my transmission. This Effect has put my mother out $4000 for a faulty transmission component sold by Ford. I would love for her to be reimbursed for that. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11458484

Incident

Jul 13, 2021

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, on multiple occasions, while slowing down, the vehicle would stall or attempt to stall before self-correcting and driving normally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failures but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11452274

Incident

Nov 30, 2021

Mileage

60,000 mi

The backup camera is often blank, distorted, or shows "camera not available".

NHTSA ID

11447126

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

My car idles up high often and the car will speed up on it's own. When at a complete stop it struggles to stay on. Sometimes it will cut off. It has shut off while driving as well. It jerks when taking off from a complete stop. After putting gas in the car it will not start immediately. I have to pump the gas pedal for a few seconds. It eventually starts. At Autozone I had a code test ran on it and it suggested EVAP system needed replacing. So, I took it to have it fixed. Precision Tune ran an additional test on my car, but there were no errors. They even checked for any recalls or repair issues posted online, but my car was not listed. They suggested I call the manufacturer. It still does it. I can also hear a scrubbing sound while backing up, but my brake pads are good. The brake light continues to pop on saying I need brake fluid. I had that checked and I do not need brake fluid. The engine light stays on. I get my car tuned on a regular basis. I've only had it for a soon to be year in June 2021. Also, there are times when the gas fumes are strong inside of the car while driving. I want to go on trips but i'm afraid it will shut off in the middle of the interstate.

NHTSA ID

11417862

Incident

May 19, 2021

CAR RUNS HOT WHILE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY OR CITY STREETS, DUE TO GEARS STICKING CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO MALFUNCTION AND I MUST TURN OFF CAR TO DISENGAGE FOR 25 MINUTES.

NHTSA ID

11413661

Incident

Mar 19, 2021

Mileage

83,000 mi

CAR WILL NOT SHIFT AND STALLS SPEED OMITER GOES TO 0. CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING LIGHTS SAY HILL START NOT AVAILABLE

NHTSA ID

11404255

Incident

Mar 1, 2018

Mileage

13,000 mi

CAR STARTED TRYING TO SHUT OFF RANDOMLY AND ACCELERATED AND DECELERATED, THEN CAR WOULDN'T START WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH WAS STUCK SOUNDS LIKE A RECALL I SAW ONLINE.

NHTSA ID

11386565

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

63,313 mi

I BOUGHT A USED 2016 FORD FOCUS 4DR SE AT AUTOCITY EL CAJON ON MAY 21, 2018 WITH ODO: 45,141 AND WAS UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY UPON PURCHASE FOR THE PRICE OF $15,164.23. OCTOBER 29, 2018- I RECEIVED A MASS EMAIL REMINDER FROM AUTO CITY TO CHECK IF THERE ARE ANY KNOWN RECALLS UNDER MY CAR. DECEMBER 2018- I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM FORD VIA SNAIL MAIL AND CALLED A FORD DEALER TO SUBMIT A TICKET. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO FIX THE RECALL AND WILL BE NOTIFIED ONCE AVAILABLE. NO RESPONSE BACK REGARDING THE ISSUE TILL THIS DAY. SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 18S32/ NHTSA RECALL 18V-735 *I WAS ADVISED AND COMPLIED WITH ALWAYS LEAVING MY FUEL LEVEL TO 1/2 TANK OF GAS UNTIL THE RECALL GETS RESOLVED. AUGUST 2019- RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE VIA SNAIL MAIL. SAME ISSUE. SAME PROCEDURES: CALLED FORD DEALER, LEFT A TICKET/REQUEST, NO RESOLUTION. AUGUST 10, 2019-WENT TO GET OIL CHANGE AND ALIGNMENT. STARTED TO NOTICE JERKING WHILE DRIVING, ACCELERATION ISSUE, CAR START TROUBLES AND ENGINE LIGHT TURNING ON/OFF. DECEMBER 2019-GOT AN INITIAL CHECK FROM NORTH PARK AUTO REPAIR DUE TO ENGINE LIGHT ON. DTC DESCRIPTION: P219A- AIR/FUEL RATIO IMBALANCE -I WAS REFERRED TO AUTOCITY TO GET IT FIX UNDER WARRANTY DECEMBER 9, 2019- I REACHED OUT TO AUTOCITY VIA EMAIL AND TELLING THEM MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN USING MY CAR FOR 2 WEEKS. DECEMBER 19, 2019- I GOT AN APPOINTMENT WITH AUTOCITY AND GOT A RESOLUTION UNDER THEIR WARRANTY: PORTFOLIO SERVICE WARRANTY WHICH LEFT ME TO PAY $100 COPAY. RECEIPT SHOWS THE FAULT CODE: P1294 THE ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE WAS FIXED , HOWEVER, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING JERKING, ACCELERATION LAG AND TROUBLE STARTING WHILE USING THE CAR TILL THIS DAY.

NHTSA ID

11352342

Incident

Oct 29, 2018

LOST POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. CODE SAID TURBO CHARGE BOOST; GAVE # TO DEALER. THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $150 TO DIAGNOSE & GET THE AME CODE AS MY MECHANIC! I HAVE BEEN CALLING TO CHECK ON A RECALL COLOR A KIT THAT BEEN RECALLED AT LEAST ON THE LAST 2 YEAR'S MODELS! THEY LOOKED AT MY CAR 1 MONTH AFTER PURCHASE IN JAN. 2019 BUT COULD FIND NO PROBLEM (CAR WAS STILL UNDER FULL WARRANTY THEN). WHEN I TOOK CAR TO DEALER TODAY, 1ST QUESTION WAS WHETHER I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY! COULD NOT FIND INFO BY GOOGLING IT! THIS SITE RECOMMENDED BY MY MECHANIC. HE HAS 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE @ A DEALER! #128124;#128149;#128099; AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATED, I WAS ALMOST HIT FROM BEHIND BY A SEMI ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 70 MPH! RISK PULLING OUT ONTO HIGHWAY & INTERSTATE WITH NO POWER TO ACCELERATE FAST ENOUGH!!! DANGEROUS!!! #128124;#128149;*DT CONSUMER STATED SHE DID NOT FILL OUT THIS REPORT AND DOES NOT KNOW WHO DID. VALVE CANNISTER KIT FOR 2016 MODEL NOT RECALLED AS OF YET. TURBO CHARGER HAS BEEN REPLACED.*JB

NHTSA ID

11326104

Incident

May 15, 2020

Mileage

40,000 mi

FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, MY TRANSMISSION IN MY 2016 FORD FOCUS HAS STALLED UPON NEARLY ALL ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. ON JANUARY, 17 2020 I RETURNED TO MY CAR FROM THE LIBRARY IN IRVINE, CA TO DISCOVER THAT UPON TURNING THE IGNITION, THE CAR DID NOT START. I TRIED A COUPLE MORE TIMES AND MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WENT ON ONE TIME AND STOPPED, THE LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD LIT UP, THE MEDIA SCREEN LIT UP AND THE INTERIOR CAR LIGHTS CAME ON. I CALLED AAA, MY INSURANCE CARRIER, DESPITE IT NOT APPEARING TO BE A BATTERY ISSUE. THE REPRESENTATIVE STAYED ON THE PHONE WITH ME AFTER I EXPLAINED THE ISSUE AND TRIED TO SCHEDULE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. I TRIED THE IGNITION ONE MORE TIME AND THE CAR STARTED. A NOTIFICATION ON THE DASH SCREEN APPEARED READING "TRANSMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED" AND REMAINED ON THE SCREEN FOR A SECOND BEFORE DISAPPEARING. USUALLY IF A DASH NOTIFICATION APPEARS, THE SMALL ICON LIGHT WILL REMAIN LIT WHILE I OPERATE THE VEHICLE, THIS ICON LIGHT DID NOT REMAIN ON. MY INSURANCE REPRESENTATIVE EXPLAINED THAT AN ISSUE WITH A TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED A TOW AND IT MAY BE UNSAFE TO OPERATE MY VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. I SAT IN MY CAR FOR A MINUTE AND NOTICED MY AVERAGE MPG HAD CHANGED FROM 33.3 TO 0.0. I DROVE THE CAR HOME AS I NEEDED TO LEAVE THE LOCATION TO TEND TO OTHER PARTS OF MY DAY. I ARRIVED SAFELY TO MY DESTINATION. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE EXACT SAME SITUATION OCCURRED WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR AND LEAVE FOR THE DAY. TURNING THE IGNITION SEVERAL TIMES DID NOT WORK, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON ONCE, THE TRANSMISSION NOTICE APPEARED AND DISAPPEARED AND THE AVERAGE MPG WAS AT 0.0 AGAIN. THIS TIME, THE CAR NOTIFIED MY THAT I HAD 0 MILES UNTIL EMPTY, DESPITE THE GAS TANK CONTAINING WELL OVER A QUARTER FILL. THE GAS NOTIFICATION DISAPPEARED AND THE MILES TO EMPTY SECTION CHANGED BACK TO 175 MILES UNTIL EMPTY. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN MY VEHICLE SINCE THIS OCCURRED

NHTSA ID

11306332

Incident

Jan 17, 2020

Mileage

76,600 mi

CAR WAS ON CRUISE CTL, THEN JUST WHEN INCREASING SPEED, WAS GOING 30 THEN WHEN TTO 80 BEFORE I CANCEL IT, WAS DRIVING 60 CAR AUTO WHEN TO 30, TRANSMISSION SERVICE COMES UP NOW AND TEN

NHTSA ID

11290571

Incident

Dec 21, 2019

Mileage

105,040 mi

ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE 2 WEEKS AFTER SERVICE DEPT AT VIC BAILEY FORD REPLACED. INCIDENT REPORT. TOTAL LOSS AND LAWSUIT COMING IF NOT COMPENSATED FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. ENGINE IGNITED WITH ME IN VEHICLE! SERVICE BAY RELEASED CAR TO ME 2 WEEKS AGO. TOLD THEM WAS NOT FIXED FOR 2 WEEKS WAITED ON APPT. OIL LIGHT CAME ON AFTER DROPPING OF DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL. MULTIPLE WITNESSES AND VIDEOS OF FIRE UNDER CAR AND THEN BLEW DUE TO HEAT SOURCE WHICH WAS ALL SUPPOSEDLY FIXED. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND PULLED OVER AS SOON AS OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND I SMELLED SMOKE. TURNED INTO NEAREST PARKING LOT OFF HIGHWAY 221, SPARTANBURG SC. ROEBUCK FIRE DEPT RESPONDED. WILL NOT DRIVER A VEHICLE FROM FORD EVER AGAIN!

NHTSA ID

11279251

Incident

Nov 8, 2019

Mileage

32,200 mi