CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2016 Ford Focus & its "Powershift" transmission has a defect trend where the car shudders when accelerating, especially when starting uphill.
Most owners have reported their Ford Focus remains driveable while the vehicle is still at low mileage, but the shuddering is annoying & unpleasant & may reduce the resale value of the vehicle.
However, owners of higher-mileage vehicles from earlier 3rd generation Focus model years report transmission failure & a host of other major & expensive transmission-related problems. Potential buyers beware.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,933 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check transmission warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally, and the transmission was shifting hard. The contact stated that the failure was recurring. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was difficult to shift into reverse(R). The contact stated that the transmission was also slipping out of gear. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the shift actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 111,700.
2016-?"2022 Ford EcoSport? and Focus? 1.0L Engine--- My car is experiencing the same issue as the Automatic transmission. The car is not listed on the Oil Pump Failure Recall on the Ford Website as it shows that it applies to automatic transmission, and doesn't mentioned manual transmission. Both transmission carry the same issue as it's an engine design flaw and not a transmission related issue. The car experienced a bad idle that results to lost of power and Oil light went on as I drove it to the Mechanic shop. Currently there's no parts available and ford website the part is back ordered. The reference number is 23S64 for the current recall of the 1.0L engines. Please see reference below. I've contacted Ford support about the issue and was informed to report the issue here. Website for reference: [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an unknown failure with the battery. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed to be replaced, but the clutch was unrepairable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,500.
Ford recall 14M02 for transmission control module (TCM) does not cover parts and labor required to fix additional equipment problems created by a faulty TCM such as the clutch. My 2016 Ford Focus only has 58,000 miles on it. The TCM is being repaired a 2nd time but Ford will not repair the subsequent damage to the clutch. This is a function and safety issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under an unidentified NHTSA recall; however, the repair failed to prevent a failure from occurring. The recall repair was completed in 2018 for a driveshaft failure. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating while depressing the accelerator pedal. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed for a possible drive-shaft failure. The local dealer performed other unknown repairs under warranty; however, the recall repair was not performed a second time. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to continue to drive. The vehicle failed to accelerate above 11 MPH. The vehicle failed to move. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. The contact's neighbor pushed the vehicle into a parking spot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V523000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The mechanic used a scanner and retrieved DTC: P2837 and P287B. The vehicle failed to reverse. The mechanic informed the contact that the transmission control module had failed. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed there was no recall coverage on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,255.
TCM FAILURE, AND B CLUTCH GOING BAD, AND FORD SERVICE TEAM TELLING ME THAT THE A CLUTCH COULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TOO. YEARS 2012-2016 ARE COVERED UNDER RECALL BUT ONLY CERTAIN MODELS WITH THE DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION AND ONES BUILT PREVIOUS TO NOV 2015. I can get documentation of the service done. This is an ongoing issues with many ford owners, look online and see for yourself. Ford is taking advantage of their consumers claiming they fixed this issue but this is not the case. 93,000 miles on my car and they are telling me a need a rebuild. How many people need to go through this before Ford is held accountable? Do the research, I am not the only one. Give me a day and I will have the report back from Tony Benton Ford in Grand Rapids MI.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to reverse the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to reverse. No warning light was illuminated however, the "Transmission Fault Service Now" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module needed to be repaired. The vehicle was serviced under an unknown recall repair; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and the transmission control module needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,500.
My dual clutch PowerShift transmission (DPS6) has experienced the common failure. High rpm-??s and failure to shift properly, with no reverse gear at all anymore or overdrive. I was traveling at 65 mph and nearly crashed because of this.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after shifting the gear shifter out of park(P) to drive(D) and attempting to accelerate, the engine revved up, but the vehicle failed to exceed 1 MPH. The contact shifted into reverse(R), but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then was later towed to AAMCO, where the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired at AAMCO and was towed to the dealer for assistance. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and shifting from first gear to second gear, the vehicle skipped and then accelerated. There was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the gear shifter shifted into park(P) independently. The contact pulled over and shifted back to drive(D). In addition, while driving up or down hill, the overheating warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over and waited for the engine to cool down; however, the failure recurred after driving a short distance. The failure occurred on four separate occasions. The failure became progressively worse, and the vehicle was no longer being driven. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Transmission control unit (module) has caused the vehicle to randomly rev the RPM. Causes vehicle to hard shift and delayed shifting. Check engine light came on and produced code P07A3. There is a recall for Ford Focus years 2012 -2018 but my vehicles VIN was not attached to this recall. My vehicle has all the same symptoms as the recalled vehicles. The vehicle is not drivable in this condition. It may cause the car to not stop or accelerate into another vehicle. It may also cause more damage to other components. I have 20+ years of mechanical background and have looked the vehicle over myself.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to shift the gear shifter into reverse; however, the transmission failed to engage, and the vehicle shuddered. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 96,421.
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.
I was waiting at a redlight for it to turn green. The light turned green and I pressed on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started rolling backwards while the vehicle was in drive. I had to turn the vehicle off in the roadway, I cranked the vehicle back and was able to move it before it told me -??transmission overheat-??. The dealer said that it was the clutch that went out.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting rough. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. While restarting the vehicle, the check engine and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The "Transmission Overheating, Stop Safely" message was displayed while driving. The contact pulled over again and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart immediately and was started on the third attempt. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 (Transmission Control Module Extended Warranty Coverage); however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as the RPMs would rev to a high level. The contact also stated that the vehicle would fail to start due to the gear shifter not recognizing the vehicle in park(P). The contact would move the gear shifter back and forth until the vehicle was recognized in park(P). The contact stated that both the check engine and transmission hot warning messages had appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it remained in their possession. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the check engine warning illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch actuator had failed and needed to be repaired to verify if the transmission might have failed. The contact stated that the dealer provided the contact with the following error DTC codes: P0704, P2701, and P0805 after the vehicle had been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 114,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Roseville, CA, USA