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: other or unspecified
107 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Aug 11, 2023
The transmission/clutch causes the car to sputter when accelerating which is so dangerous at red lights. When I went to the mechanic he said this is happening to does focuses all over so this sounds like a universal ford thing.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 2, 2023
My car has become hard to start after I fill up with gas. It also randomly loses all power. While driving everything in the car stops. It displays a message that says transmission is not in park, like I turned the key off but I did not. After this it won't start and displays a message on the dash that says "system start up fault". If I wait a few minutes it starts again . This has happened 3 times. I had a mechanic pull any codes. The only code is for a gasket in the evap system. The mechanic told me that Ford had a recall for this problem so I had the car towed to a Ford service center. The Ford dealer told me that my car is not included in the recall. I looked up Ford recalls and my car exhibits all of the problems described in the recall.
Steering, Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2023
The car worked fine in the first couple months and slowly declined. The rpm will shoot up and down causing the car to jerk and not able to surpass certain speeds. It works sometimes, so when going to work in the freeway it was fine then it started acting up again, causing other cars to almost crash into me. I had to drive with hazards and luckily i was able to safely pull to the side. Instances like this occur a lot more now because the car doesn’t act normal anymore. I took it to a mechanic and it was a gear issue and a module error. I had asked how i was to fix it, and they said only main dealerships can fix a module board. It’s making my transmission overheat and now my steering wheel is stuck and won’t move.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 19, 2023
The speakers are making a LOUD POPPING AND CRACKING. This is now happening with the radio turned off, and no Bluetooth connected to it. It even sometimes does it when the car is completely turned off. This sounds to me like an electrical issue for one. For two, this is an extreme safety issue, especially when I am driving. The last time it happened, it sounded like gunshots going off that that’s how loud it was, when my car was turned off completely, and now I am suffering from extreme tinnitus. Next time this could actually explode my eardrums. I have heard this to be an issue for multiple of these vehicles yet there has not been a recall on whatever may be causing this?! THIS IS AN EXTREME HEALTH/AUDITORY/NEUROLOGICAL SAFETY ISSUE.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 22, 2023
I have been having problems with ford focus for a long time. I have been told that this is normal. Recently, I had my car fixed by ford. Soon after, I was having problems with car slow start, hesitation and studdering. This is the same problems I was having before. I was told by Ford dealership that it was not the transmission. They told me that it was a crack engine head and purge valve problem. I paid for the fix even though I felt like it should have been covered in a recall. The car is not fix. I have completed 2 surveys with Ford. The department of transportation should investigate ford for its ford focuses.
Other or unspecified, Oct 22, 2022
When I start to go it lags, doesn't want to go like it gets stuck in gear. No it has not been seen by dealer but other cars the same as mine has had recalls due to the same issue. No warning lights or signal lights come on.
Other or unspecified, Oct 17, 2022
Shortly after fueling my car, it will start to act like it’s going to stall. Sometimes it stalls completely, other times I am able to accelerate the problem away. My car runs very loud, shaky, and rough. A few days ago, it stalled without any notice, and i wasn’t able to restart it. I had to have it towed to the mechanic. They are saying it could need a new fuel pump, but with the low mileage on my car no one can understand why that component of my car would be failing already.
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was hesitating, vibrating, and driving rough. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on multiple occasions however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that no repairs were performed. The contact stated that the failure became more frequent and included improper acceleration. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Other or unspecified, Aug 20, 2022
My TCM stopped working and now my vehicle won't go into reverse 2nd 4th gear. My dad noticed it when he tried to back it into the garage to do some maintenance on it. I have been told it will be months to fix because of a backorder. I know this is a common issue for Focus but my vehicles Vin doesn't have a recall listed.
Other or unspecified, Jun 20, 2022
The vehicle was purchased used on June 4, 2022 from Next car imports (984) 989 5000. June 10th 2022 approximately 8 pm, while stopped at a light, the car shut off. I turned the key. The car crank back up. This occurred after putting gas into the car. Being the dealership added a warranty, I called the customer service and dealership. I called the dealership and spoke with [XXX] of (next car import, Clayton, nc) agreed to take the car and have their mechanic look at. Calling the dealership was the instruction from [XXX], of First Automotive (warranty) . Next Car Import kept the car from June 13th thru June 15th. Stated they drove the car tested the car and no issue. The evening of June 15th several hours after retrieving the car, I drove 1 mile from my home to get gas and the car stopped in the middle of the road, a very busy road. Someone push the car using another car the rest of the way to the gas station. I filled the car up and it still wouldn't start, it took at least 10 minutes before cranking up. The car has shut off several more times since then. Including the scariest of all being on a busy interstate June 19, 2022 while heading home from work. Barely 2 weeks owning this car, the dealership isn't willing to take it back. I'm experiencing anxiety every time I have to get in my car. I need options INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Other or unspecified, Jun 4, 2022
Ever since I first purchased this car I have had issues with the automatic transmission. It feels like the gears are slipping whenever you speed up and the car also vibrates when speeding up and you can feel and hear the gears slipping. I took my car to Hagerstown Ford a little after I bought this car and told them about this and they just told me that they hooked it up to their "machine" and it told them that the transmission was fine but yet it still to this day, over 5 years later, is still doing the same thing but now it's also making a strange noise when going in faster speeds, anywhere from 50mph to 80mph, and really has me worried that the transmission is now failing. I have heard that many, many people have had issues with ford focus/fiesta's automatic transmissions around the same year as my car, a 2016.
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.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 2, 2022
Car died and would not accelerate after slowing down to turn; no warning or dashboard lights on before incident; no overheating; started back up afterwards but stalled before engine turn over. Happened 3 times within 30 minutes
Latches/locks/linkages, Other or unspecified, Feb 24, 2022
My drivers side door latch went on my 2016 Ford Focus with just 36,000 miles although there are prior recalls for these to be replaced on these vehicles my vin was not one so I am being forced to pay over 600.00 for an original part failing on a car with 36,000 miles
Other or unspecified, Feb 17, 2022
A code of P0086 Fuel Rails System Pressure too low appears when starting a warm engine and the car stalls while accelerating. The check engine light doesn’t come on until after multiple attempts of starting the engine. The rear passenger seatbelt starts to fray and the buckle cuts into it.
Other or unspecified, Nov 23, 2021
The car would shake and jump when starting from a stop or going up hills , also feels like it’s slipping when shifting gears will not shift when going up large hills or when on Highway and passing if it needed to change gears it would slip.I called Ford dealer told them same info they said my car is not under recall , well it needed to be , I took the car to trans shop he pulled a code of Transmission Friction element a stuck on. (Tans needs repair most likely clutches,He said take it to ford , I called ford they were backed up months in advance,and acted like they had never heard of this .I called Ford Motor company told them about issue , same response never heard of it and no recalls . Took the vehicle back to dealer I purchased it from and traded it for a different brand car , just wanted you to know Ford that’s wrong! I panicked and took the car to be traded in.I hope they don’t try to sell that car like that , I was not about to let my child drive that car one more day so I took it to the thieves that sold it to me and gifted it back to them.if you have a 2016 Ford Focus and it gets 80k miles like mine was your just screwed!Ford needs to fix these cars I’ll never trust Ford again.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Nov 19, 2021
I have been having nothing but problems with my Ford Focus transmission. And it’s 2016. I’ve only had it for about 4 years and it’s not working again. Ford said it was the clutch.
Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2021
I believe it was the fuel system that failed. The safety of myself, my child, and other drivers was at risk. The Ford dealer I spoke to said my vehichle is not affected by the recall that causes this issue (18S32). The auto center I took the car to could not reproduce the incident. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. The check engine light was on at the time of the incident. I was at a stop at an intersection. When I was ready to proceed, I pressed the accelerator and the engine died. Pressing the gas did nothing. I was partially through the intersection where cross traffic does not stop when this happened. I turned the car off and back on and was able to get the car moving. This happened twice that night. The auto shop checked for error codes and found the following: P1450 No DTC definition found, P2195 O2 sensor signal biased, and P0507 Idle air control system revolutions per minute higher than expected. The auto center suggested I take the car back to the dealer for inspection as they can not diagnose. I fear for my family's safety while driving. I feel this problem is caused by the excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system (Recall 18S32).
Other or unspecified, Nov 11, 2021
UNKNOWN, The car stalls and the engine misfires. The check engine light comes on after that. While driving, the car suddenly stalls without warning. This has happen on multiple occasions.
Other or unspecified, Oct 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off. The contact stated that after waiting for several minutes the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.
Other or unspecified, Oct 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The failure usually occurred whenever there was less than half a tank of fuel. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was available. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
Other or unspecified, Sep 25, 2021
My 2016 Ford Focus shakes when accelerating from a stop. From the 2nd to 3rd Rpm, it stalls and vibrates and sometimes jerks backwards. I have taken it to the dealership and they won't look at since its out of warranty. This has been happening for a couple of months.
Other or unspecified, Sep 13, 2021
I was driving down the interstate and the car died with no warning. I was able to get to side of road and checked to see what was going on. Nothing looked weird. I started the ignition and the car started right back up. I took it to mechanic but could not find anything. It happened a again a few weeks later. No check engine light or any warning lights ever came on.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 14, 2021
The transmission slips and jerks at 4000 rpm's from acceleration and transmission does not go into reverse sometimes and over heats after 2 minutes of driving. It's available to be looked at. The car would not accelerate in the middle of driving on the highway. Just revs over 5000 rpm's. I took it to a transmission shop and they said it was the clutch which was going to be $3,000 to fix. My husband and my children have to experience the whiplash it gives you from the hard shifting. Also have to push it backward in neutral just to go anywhere because it has no reverse most of the time. There is a warning message on the dash that says transmission overheating wait 5 minutes and the check engine light is always on. They first appeared at 87,000 miles and it is horrible on gas I need to pay 20 dollars every 2 days just to go to work and back which I'm only work 15 minutes away. I have called my dealer no call back. I have called ford no call back. I even called the warranty place cause they sent me a notice and they said to call my dealer but they never called back
Other or unspecified, Aug 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shudder, loss motive power, and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as an adaptive system software issue. The local dealer performed a software update on the vehicle however, the failure continued. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,493.