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, Jun 2, 2022
Many cars of this make, model and year have had a recall for the automatic clutch. I’ve taken it into a Ford dealer when the vehicle had around 55,000 miles and they replaced the clutch under warranty. Ford said that they extended the warranty to 7 years, 100,000 miles. My automatic clutch started doing the same thing again after about 20,000 miles after the first repair. I took it to the Ford dealer last week and they confirmed the automatic clutch was bad again but my VIN didn’t show up as being covered under the extended warranty. Their comment was “it depends on what plant the car was manufactured at.” My comment was “Ford already replaced this clutch once so it has nothing to do with where my car was manufactured at.” They would not fix it under warranty so I paid my $150 diagnostic fee and left the dealership very upset. Doesn’t make sense to me and I think Ford is purposely not covering all vehicles with this clutch problem. The vehicle is still drive-able but the faulty clutch makes the whole car shudder often, so much so that if the shudder doesn’t break the clutch it’s going to break something else.
Power train, Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating and almost stalled; however, once the contact accelerated, the vehicle continued driving normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.
Power train, May 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a traffic light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started shuddering while shifting gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the DPS6 clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Power train, May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission and fuel system failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was no longer drivable and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
Power train, May 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal as the service engine light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Power train, May 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated and started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was diagnosed as a transmission failure associated with Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19N08. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19N08 due to the manufactured date of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
Power train, Other or unspecified, May 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle began to experience loss of speed, the contact would depress the accelerator and the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contact heard a grinding metal sound coming the floorboards. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an auto parts store where the failure was diagnosed as the "transmission friction element A frozen in the on position." The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The contact purchased a non-OEM TCM and the vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred and the contact purchased another non-OEM TCM which was re-installed. The failure reoccurred and the vehicle was returned to the same dealer and had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Power train, May 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and then stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to return to the residence. The contact called an unknown local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
Power train, Apr 26, 2022
The transmission slips going from first to second gear. Was told the clutches have went bad.
Power train, Apr 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate while shifting gear and then lunge forward. The contact stated that the failure was ongoing. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
Power train, Apr 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the transmission failed to shift as needed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
Power train, Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a transmission specialist who provided the same diagnostic information. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was associated to an extended warranty and the repair would be covered; however, he needed to contact the manufacturer for towing assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist with the repair of the vehicle as his VIN was not included in an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 135,751.
Power train, Mar 31, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the RPM gauge remained high and the engine revved. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the automatic clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Power train, Mar 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, she has had the transmission clutch replaced on two separate occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact had the vehicle repaired by the dealer after each failure under the vehicle warranty. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Power train, Mar 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving and accelerating, the vehicle experienced shuddering and vibration between first and second gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact scheduled an appointment with the local dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Mar 27, 2022
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.
Power train, Mar 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was shifting hard and the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and the warning message "Stop Vehicle Immediately - Transmission Fluid Hot" warning light illuminated while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving, causing her to veer to the side of the road for a moment. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of the repair as the vehicle was out of warranty and the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would assist with the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Power train, Mar 24, 2022
The transmission went and I went to a known transmission service company and they told me it is a known fact that dual clutch assembly in the ford focus goes bad. I brought the car less then 4 months ago. They told me I had to replace multiple parts. No warnings came on and when I drive. The car stops accelerating randomly and the transmisson overheats
Power train, Mar 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was either stopped at a traffic light or traffic sign and attempting to move off, the vehicle would inadvertently lunge forward. Additionally, the vehicle would shift with a loud thumping noise. The contact stated her daughter did not notice any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to a dealer but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Power train, Mar 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his employee was driving, the transmission was shifting hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch, transmission clutch, and actuator forts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
Power train, Mar 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle began to stall as the service transmission warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the vehicle would not accelerate above 35 MPH while the RPM would rev up while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective transmission control module. The contact was also informed that the PCM unit would be reset in order to resume normal driving while they awaited for the transmission control module parts to arrive. Once the parts arrived and the vehicle was repaired, the same failure occurred the moment the contact left the dealer parking lot; the vehicle then remained parked in the contact's driveway. A second diagnostic was performed by the dealer and the contact was given an estimate to replace the clutch. The contact filed a case with the manufacturer to have the cost of the repair covered; however, his case was denied. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the dealer's possession. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Power train, Mar 21, 2022, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving approximately 65 mph, the transmission erroneously down shifted causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into the center median causing damage to the undercarriage of the vehicle. During the crash no injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The contact indicated that prior to the incident the vehicle had experienced rough shifting. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the powertrain control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered.. The failure mileage was 63,000.
Power train, Mar 16, 2022
I was driving the car about 25 mph and it shudders, and the acceleration is very bad. Sometimes the engine rpms go up to about 5000 before it shifts into the next gear. Also while driving, a "transmission is hot, pull over" message appears randomly. I was able to restart the vehicle after sitting for about 10 minutes on the highway, but the message reappears randomly while driving, and I have to pull over again. The car was taken to Ford, where they said the transmission was in perfect health, but I was charged for replacing the Transmission control unit. Take note that all of the transmission overheating issues are after the Transmission control unit were installed. Every time the car is driven, the hot transmission message pops up and I have to pull over and wait. This is ridiculous. I noticed on this website there are more than 300 powertrain transmission complaints. When will something be done? How many people need to complain before Ford is forced to fix this? The car is very jerky as well, and it does not feel safe to drive.
Power train, Mar 15, 2022
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.
Power train, Mar 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered and delayed in responding. The contact stated as the vehicle shifted from low gear to a higher gear, the vehicle stopped shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that it was not a failure and the vehicle was operating as designed. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring significantly and had increased in intensity. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.