2016 Ford Focus
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,192 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 19 Focus model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 27 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 24 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, manual transmissionJun 9, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Campaign 26V376000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, evaporative emissions, canisterJun 9, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Campaign 26V369000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in October 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.
Campaign 26V012000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, oil/lubrication, pumpDec 22, 2023
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.
A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.
Campaign 23V905000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, manual transmissionNov 28, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-169.
Campaign 18V845000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, storageOct 22, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.
Campaign 18V735000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, manual transmissionMar 12, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Fusion vehicles equipped with a 1.6L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission and 2015-2016 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Also included are four 2017 Ford Focus vehicles that had clutch replacements with potentially affected parts. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Focus vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. Owners of Fusion vehicles will have their clutch assembly replaced free of charge. The recall began August 3, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07.
Campaign 18V169000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, bodyJan 24, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Focus and C-Max vehicles. The floor pan may have improperly welded left-hand apron joints.
Improperly welded apron joints may reduce the front-end structural integrity of the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the apron joints, repairing the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S03.
Campaign 17V052000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hatchback/liftgate, lockSep 28, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Ford Focus hatchback vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
With only a single press needed, the driver may accidently unlatch the hatchback, increasing the risk of injury to any unsecured passengers in the back.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began February 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C13.
Campaign 16V698000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
677 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Jan 13, 2023
Both servos on the dps6 dual clutch transmission have failed at 2 different times causing the transmission to give an in dash transmission overheating message and stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. This happened the 6 year mark and 7 year mark after the standard 5 year warranty. The vehicle has 26k miles and is not used stressfully. This issue occurred on January 24 2021 and Dec 22 2022. Different servo affected each time. Cost for consumer repair $600 each. Same issue was found in same year model focus vehicles but my VIN was apparently not included.
Power train, Jan 11, 2023
Transmission slipping
Power train, Dec 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound while shifting into gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The transmission was replaced a second time; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 10,000.
Power train, Dec 19, 2022
The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the transmission was slipping while driving. The check engine warning light and the battery warning light were illuminated. Additionally, the message “Transmission Overheating” was displayed. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) and the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The manufacturer also referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Power train, Dec 17, 2022
I feel vibrations when I accelerate. Very severe when the car is warm. I feel unsafe if I drive it (not accelerating correctly). I brought the car to a repair shop. They told me that this problem is well known by Ford for my car. Ford did receive several claims and lawsuits regarding this issue. The repair shop told me the cluck could cause a fire too. Another repair shop asked me $2,623.78 to repair the car on 11/11/2022.
Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 16, 2022
I believe the power train and some component with the fuel system. Yes it is available for inspection. The car shut off in the middle of traffic. This has happened multiple times. It has not been confirmed by a dealership or service center. The vehicle has been inspected. No warning lamps or messages.
Power train, Dec 14, 2022
The vehicle began to slip gears after only accruing a little more than 70,000 miles. I will slightly accelerate using the foot pedal, and the gear will jump from 1 to 4/5 quickly, causing a severe jerking motion in the vehicle. The vehicle also jerks when decelerating. This has put me in several dangerous situations, such as when I enter a new roadway and need to accelerate to meet the rate of oncoming traffic. This is also an issue when slowing to stops, as sometimes the gear will jump to a HIGHER number as i take my foot off the pedal. I have an automatic transmission I am using. The check engine light has come on, but only after the issue began. I have been told by an auto service center that this is a transmission-related issue.
Power train, Dec 14, 2022
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.
Power train, Dec 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that upon turning the key in the ignition switch, she then needed to hold the key into position for a longer period in order to start the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that upon attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed. The contact then parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the failure was associated with Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 20B23 (Replacement of Clutch Actuator Motors). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Power train, Dec 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the clutch shuddered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and transmission seals needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000. The contact stated that the transmission is known to be faulty and Ford has extended warranties on them but for other model years of the same model. The shuddering problem happens in first gear and is particularly dangerous when trying to operate the vehicle among traffic. The TCM module was replaced to try to remedy to the issue but it has not worked.
Power train, Dec 8, 2022
Vehicle shudders and shakes due to transmission slipping at many speeds. Slow is the worst and even at a speed of 70 MPH the vehicle will shake and shudder from transmission.
Power train, Dec 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle would not properly accelerate, with the check engine warning light illuminated. After several attempts to restart the vehicle, the contact was able to start the vehicle and drove home. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 143,245.
Power train, Dec 5, 2022
I purchased a 2016 Ford Focus in September of this year from a used car dealer. I drove the car back and forth to work approximately 10 miles each way, per day. I took a day off before Thanksgiving and drove my vehicle longer than usual. Holiday traffic was bad and there was a lot of stop and go traffic, my car sputtered and shook and stalled on a busy street. Luckily, I was close to my house and was able to pull over. Again, a few days ago I drove for about an hour and the car again sputtered when moving from a complete stop. I went online and googled "Ford Focus transmission issues" and saw that there has been a lawsuit and settlement. I called Ford and was told that it was not under recall and that I would have to take the car I just purchased, to be fixed and I would have to pay for it. Please recall these transmissions before someone gets killed.
Power train, Nov 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a clutch replacement was needed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who replaced the clutch but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed her a clutch replacement was needed and the repairs were not covered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was due to the clutch. The contact called the manufacturer who informed her that the repairs were not covered and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
Power train, Nov 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle made chugging sounds and was jerking. Additionally, while accelerating, the vehicle took an excessive amount of time before reaching the desired speed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The failure had increased in frequency. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the clutch pad needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V845000 (Power Train) nor 18V169000 (Power Train). The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 18,600.
Power train, Nov 12, 2022
Driving up a hill car started rolling backwards. Warning light came on saying transmission fault service now. Still sitting in my driveway because I can not find a transmission to replace it.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Power train, Nov 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to shake. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her place of employment. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V845000 (Power Train) and 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000
Power train, Nov 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted to another gear or would go into neutral. The vehicle also revved abnormally without the vehicle responded or accelerating as intended. The contact stated that the check engine and a transmission overheating warnings were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutches needed to be replaced and that the failure was caused by wear and tear. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Power train, Nov 7, 2022
Reverse gear doesn’t engage sometimes and drive gears sometimes goes out while at traffic lights and causes the car to go at low speeds only. It feels like I’m unable to accelerate sometimes. I don’t recall when exactly but the check engine warning sign appears and disappears on my car
Power train, Nov 3, 2022
Out of no where my car has a transmission issue. I got my car last year and there were no problems. I’ve been told my car doesn’t go into the recall because it was 2 months made after the recall date was made which is not fair. Several people have told me these type of cars are known to have horrible transmissions. I can’t afford a $3,000 + repair on this when the mileage isn’t even bad enough to have a transmission issue. This is my significant others only way to make income. It is not safe to drive the car in this condition.
Power train, Nov 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would shake without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the seal and clutch assembly were replaced as well as the TCM (Transmission Control Module). Recently, the same failure recurred, and the contact was given the same diagnosis from the dealer. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls or warranty on the vehicle. The manufacturer agreed to cover half the cost of the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 24,991. The contact stated that from a complete stop and upon acceleration, the vehicle would begin to shake. The force of the shaking varied but would increase over time. The shaking negatively affected the drivability of the vehicle. The contact was informed by the dealer that the issue would only get worse if no repairs were made. Half of the costs of repair was covered by the manufacturer due to the exact same problem happening within a year.
Power train, Nov 2, 2022
Transmission slipping and shuttering pulling into traffic and car seems to lose power between shifts, problem is worse when the car warms up and really bad in stop and go traffic. Car only has 30k miles and dealer said out of warranty but not old enough for the extended warranty for this known problem
Power train, Oct 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to move off from a red light, the vehicle was shuddering. Additionally, while shifting from first or second gear the vehicle would shudder. Occasionally, while idling at a stop light the RPM fluctuated as if the vehicle would stall. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the clutch plates failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V169000 (Power Train) or 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 75,124.
Power train, Oct 19, 2022
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.
Power train, Oct 18, 2022
I recently became the owner of this car as my dad had it for the past 5 years. My dad previously inquired about the car shuddering/vibrating when accelerating at times (in 2021) and the dealership was either unaware or dishonest in replying that it just had to do with way the plastic protecting the bottom of the car rattles. We did not know about the Ford nationwide settlement for 2012-2016 Ford Focuses at the time or that others were having similar preliminary issues with the transmission/clutch so we continued to use the car thinking it was just a normal issue with no safety problems. I went for my regularly scheduled oil & filter change at the Koons Silver Spring Ford dealership (Maryland) on Tuesday 10/11. They also completed a complimentary 27 point inspection and told me my car was fine except for a small coolant leak I should get fixed within the year. The next day, my car struggled to accelerate after stopping at a red light. This was an intersection where the speed limit was 35 mph and the most I could go was 15 mph with a lot of effort from my car. My rpm meter kept fluctuating from 1 to 4 even if I wasn't stepping on the accelerator. I turned on my safety blinkers to inform other cars that I was having issues and my car eventually came to a complete stop. I had to call for help and put the car in neutral in order to get it to my parking garage. This could have been a very dangerous situation if I was on the highway. The dealership is about 20 minutes from my place so the next morning I went to local mechanics that helped me to read the CEL codes. I have provided a picture of the codes. They are all TCM-clutch related errors. My car very unexpectedly stopped functioning and the dealership/corporate says I'm not covered by the Ford customer satisfaction action that was supposed to fix the TCM issues for free. Please help me as I cannot afford to fix my car at this time with such an unexpected issue at only 38,000 miles.