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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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,676 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.

2016 Ford Focus engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Sep 282023

Focus

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Summitville, NY, USA

problem #24

Jul 132021

Focus

  • miles
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.

- Antelope, CA, USA

problem #23

Nov 302021

Focus

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

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #22

May 192021

Focus

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Aiken, SC, USA

problem #21

Mar 192021

Focus

  • 83,000 miles
Car runs hot while in motion on highway or city streets, due to gears sticking causing transmission to malfunction and I must turn off car to disengage for 25 minutes.

- Clinton, MD, USA

problem #20

Mar 012018

Focus

  • 13,000 miles
Car will not shift and stalls speed omiter goes to 0. car cut off while driving lights say hill start not available

- Lake City, FL, USA

problem #19

Jan 012021

Focus

  • 63,313 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car started trying to shut off randomly and accelerated and decelerated, then car wouldn't start was told the clutch was stuck sounds like a recall I saw online.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #18

Oct 292018

Focus

  • miles
I bought a used 2016 Ford Focus 4dr SE at autocity el cajon on May 21, 2018 with odo: 45,141 and was under the manufacturer's warranty upon purchase for the price of $15,164.23. October 29, 2018- I received a mass email reminder from auto city to check if there are any known recalls under my car. December 2018- I received a recall notice from Ford via snail mail and called a Ford dealer to submit a ticket. I was told that the parts were not available to fix the recall and will be notified once available. No response back regarding the issue till this day. Safety recall notice 18S32/ NHTSA recall 18V-735 was advised and complied with always leaving my fuel level to 1/2 tank of gas until the recall gets resolved. August 2019- received recall notice via snail mail. Same issue. Same procedures: Called Ford dealer, left a ticket/request, no resolution. August 10, 2019-went to get oil change and alignment. Started to notice jerking while driving, acceleration issue, car start troubles and engine light turning on/off. December 2019-got an initial check from North park auto repair due to engine light on. Dtc description: P219A- air/fuel ratio imbalance -I was referred to autocity to get it fix under warranty December 9, 2019- I reached out to autocity via email and telling them my concerns about the engine light and that I have not been using my car for 2 weeks. December 19, 2019- I got an appointment with autocity and got a resolution under their warranty: Portfolio service warranty which left me to pay $100 copay. Receipt shows the fault code: P1294 the engine light issue was fixed, however, I am still experiencing jerking, acceleration lag and trouble starting while using the car till this day.

- North Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #17

Aug 012019

Focus

  • 27,000 miles
When car warms up about 25 minutes when accelerating from a stop the car jolts and shutters and shakes your body as you're holding the steering wheel. So it is very dangerous when entering an intersection and your go to accelerate and the car shakes your body because it's jolting because the transmission is acting up. This is definitely a safety issue and needs to be addressed.

- Trenton, NJ, USA

problem #16

Jul 142019

Focus

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced and reprogrammed. Robert horne Ford (3400 S tomahawk rd, apache junction, AZ 85119, (480) 508-8831) diagnosed the failure and was currently repairing the vehicle. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls and suggested the contact call NHTSA. The cause of the failure was not disclosed. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #15

Jul 172019

Focus

  • 23,529 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle stutters and has trouble accelerating/staying in gear after coming to a stop or slowing down and starting movement again multiple times a day. Sounds like transmission is grinding daily when accelerating after being at a stop, or slowing down. Vehicle drops gears randomly while maintaining speed highway speeds. Made right hand turn out and even with the accelerator floored vehicle did not accelerate until almost rear ended when care just took off almost uncontrollably, was like it was in neutral gear and was just rolling for just under a quarter mile on city streets. Even felt like the vehicle might of been slowing down.

- Macomb, MI, USA

problem #14

Jan 122019

Focus

  • 37,113 miles
Canister purge valve, engine stall recall. I have been having this issue since I recieved the car febuary 2017. The issues was when I would step on the gas to drive, it would stall slowly the speed from its original speed and can feel a pull and push from the car trying to speed up even when I step on the gas pedal; the car moves slow, its like its trying to go up a hill with effort but tireless when its not even going up a hill. Its makes a loud clank noise when it tries to speed up. It doesnt feel smooth when driving. I had call the manufacturer Ford since January 2019. They ask for my date of birth to supposely look for me in the system and make me wait for 12 minutes, then they hang up the call. I made an appointment at Ford January 2019, they canceled it the day before. I recalled Ford July 2019, they hang up on me again.

- Fort Benning, GA, USA

problem #13

Sep 022018

Focus

  • 30,300 miles
When it's driving up a hill it's makes a sound where as the speed stays the same and do want increase. I believe it's the clutch is scraping when it runs. When driving same level does the same but sometimes unexpected.

- Fort Benning, GA, USA

problem #12

Apr 032017

Focus

  • 100 miles
When going from 1st gear to 2nd gear the engine/transmission struggles to change gear. Leaving you with a delay to accelerate which can cause injury & somewhat of a stall out while attempting to turn into traffic. It sounds as if the engine/transmission is going to drop out of the front of the vehicle. It feels as if someone is playing tug of war & can't hold onto the rope when it is shifting gears; so it feels like it will fall out of or not change gears. I was told that is what they are supposed to do by the seller at david irwin Ford in tyler, tx.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #11

Aug 232018

Focus

  • 45,000 miles
When I am in park my driver side floor is shaking and when I'm at a stop light and begin to go my car jerks going from 1 to 2 and it also jerks when I try to pick up speed on the highway.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #10

Feb 232018

Focus

  • 40,000 miles
Transmission failure loss of complete power jerking shaking complete shutdown of power while driving on freeway. Dangerous

- San Jacinto, CA, USA

problem #9

Jan 082018

Focus

  • 49,556 miles
The transmission doesn't allow for speed that is needed on an interstate. It's sluggish, slow, doesn't respond when given gas.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #8

Nov 172017

Focus

  • 15,000 miles
First problem were the transmission shifting very hard and on a couple of occasions the car would not go into reverse when trying to back out of my driveway. Dealer recoded the transmission. Car is now still shifting very hard, sometimes the rpms will hit 4,000+ before it will hard downshift. Other time I have had to press on the brake to get the rpms down. Also while on cruise control the rpms will also rev to 4,000 when trying to slow down. On a recent trip when I cancelled the cruise control the car actually sped up on two separate occasions. Car continues to shift hard and what other people in the car have described as the transmission slipping. This has been ongoing for almost a year now. Dealer always says they have not heard anyone else complain about the transmission which is funny since I get class action lawsuit mail about every other week about it.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #7

Oct 172017

Focus 4-cyl

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. When initially starting the vehicle, it failed to accelerate and made a noise as if it were forcing the engine to go into gear. When the vehicle reached 40 mph, it drove smoothly. The failure occurred for approximately twelve days. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000....updated 12/11/17 the consumer stated the vehicle was taken to the dealer twice. The clutch was replaced the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. Updated 12/15/2017

- Panama City, FL, USA

problem #6

Jul 292017

Focus

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. After depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The failure occurred without warning. The contact shifted the vehicle into park and was able to operate the vehicle. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

- Burlington, KY, USA

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