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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:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,356 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 fuel system problems

fuel system problem

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2016 Ford Focus Owner Comments (Page 3 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #90

Dec 102020

Focus

  • 130,000 miles

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

I took my car into the Ford dealership for a safety recall involving a stuck canuster purge valve in the fuel tank. At the time, (March 2020) they used one of their devices to detect pressure and no codes came up with a detection so they did not fix the valve and closed my recall. It is now only 9 months later and the same valve that was recalled is faulty and has crushed my fuel tank and deformed my pump. They however, are refusing to reopen the recall and fix the issue even though it is a very severe safety hazard. My fuel tank could combust at any time because it isnt able to release pressure properly and this all due to their faulty valve involved in recall #: 18V735000 is there anything you guys can do on your wnd to help me fight this?

- Marseilles, IL, USA

problem #89

Nov 192020

Focus

  • 37,500 miles
My 2016 Ford Focus St has severe stalling problems. I have not had this car for two months and this is the third time it stalled on me while driving on freeway at about 60mph.and would not start back up. I believe this is a very dangerous car to be driving in. Me or my loved ones could get killed. Hope someone will read this and help some kind of way. I have look up VIN on Ford data base and no recalls but I see every where that alot of people that have the same car has same issues...please lets try to get Ford to recall our cars so we dont die...

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #88

May 152019

Focus

  • 64,000 miles
Vehicle will stall and shut off while driving, similar 2016 models have an open recall for this issue but my vehicle VIN is not listed on the open recall. This issue has been happening for quite some time and when I take it to a shop they can not diagnose the issue the vehicle is having. The issue will arise and go away causing a check engine light to come on and go away

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #87

Oct 172020

Focus

  • 49,000 miles

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

I was driving my vehicle on a city street and the car stalled on the road and I had to coast onto a safe spot.the car would not turn back on for over an hour then it stalled once more and would not turn on. The dealership said they fixed the problem but it continues to stall while driving. We can not find the problem.

- Reading, PA, USA

problem #86

Jul 012019

Focus

  • 45,000 miles
For over a year or so I have been having trouble with my car shutting off when I'm low on gas. It has stopped on me in the middle of traffic, stranded me on the side of the road and refused to start at service stations when I've stopped to get gas. I took my car to joe myers Ford in August or September, 2019 but I couldn't leave it when I pulled away from the dealership it stopped on the feeder street of the frwy. And would not start. I was stranded there for over 2 hours before the car started again and I was able to drive home. A few days later I had it towed to joe myers Ford. They couldn't get to it for a month or longer so I had to get it towed back to my home. Later it was towed from my home to sterling mccall Ford. I got the car back and it still would shut off when I stopped or slowed down in traffic on a city street. It would just shut off. While I'm driving it starts to sputter then cut off but it won't start for awhile after that. This is frustrating because it is still happening off and on now for over a year. I have a 2 year child and I am really afraid for our lives. I have no idea when it's going to just shut off or not start and it is really dangerous for me and my child. When we bought this car it was new with 17 miles on it in February, 2017 but I am so afraid of driving it. Sterling mccall checked the car out for me and told me that they found nothing wrong but it still cuts off. Please help me.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #85

Oct 302020

Focus

  • miles
The vehicle was under half a tank pf fuel and begam to sputter and jolt amd dies. It started but cranked long and hard. This happens whenever the fuel is at half or below. I searched my VIN it says the fuel rscall isn't a issue bit its doing exactly that.

- Clarksville, IN, USA

problem #84

Oct 172020

Focus

  • 50,000 miles

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

Manufacturer recall #18S32 NHTSA recall #18V735 I was driving home from work. I was probably about a mile and half away from my work. I was approaching a red light and began to slow down and prepare to stop. All of a sudden, the display shows "not in drive" when it obviously was or I wouldn't be moving... next thing, lights/electronics were flickering and car just turned off in drive. What was really scary and almost costed me my life was my hazards were not displaying to surrounding drivers there were a few times when I got yelled or honked at but 1 or 2 times I almost got ran over.... after my friend came to help me push it out of road, he got it in park, restarted and got car starting again.... we took the car to our family mechanic and he took a look at it. He was going to charge me a lot for the part needed to get fixed. Which brought me to go see if I can find a part for cheaper or a mechanic for cheaper. That's when I discovered about this VIN and car recall.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #83

Oct 272020

Focus

  • 90,000 miles
My car continually shuts off while driving, Ford acknowledges the recall but refuses to provide any assistance claiming the part isn't ready. The car will turn off in the middle of a highway, or at a light with no warning. Ford is telling us that they can't help us but it isn't safe to drive our car and nobody has helped us. This started in August and continues to nearly daily

- Voorheesville, NY, USA

problem #82

Oct 092020

Focus

  • 35,000 miles
The car is jumping a lot.

- Hollywood, FM, USA

problem #81

Apr 042019

Focus

  • 62,000 miles
Car will not start after fueling. Car shakes and shutters and takes multiple cranking attempts to start car. This only happens after fueling. It also does not matter whether the tank is almost empty, half-way full, or 3/4 full. The same thing occurs everytime. This started happening after the dealership updated my software per the recall. Contacted the dealership and they wanted to charge me $100 just to diagnose a problem that started after they updated my software.

- Sulphur Springs, TX, USA

problem #80

Oct 072020

Focus

  • 81,000 miles

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

I took my vehicle to Ford for a recall on the canister purge valve in the fuel system. They previously fixed it on April 16, 2019. My fuel tank imploded and my car was stalling out and eventually would not start. Now it's out again and my car is stalling out while driving, having issues with starting and my check engine light is on. This has all happened on both city street at lights and highways. Mainly when I am stopped at a stop light it will rev up by itself and then stall out when I start accelerating. I've almost been rear-ended due to this issue. I was told there was no such recall on my vehicle for this matter and when I tried to show them the document I have for the recall they still deemed it incorrect. They refused to fix my car because of it previously being fixed and sent me on my way. I have had many issues with the car resulting in it breaking down multiple times due to recalls. The transmission itself has been replaced twice and the cpv once and now it needs replaced again. I called Ford corporate and they would not do anything for me, only kept repeating that it's a one time fix. Ford simply put a band-aid on the issue rather than solving the issue.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #79

Sep 282020

Focus

  • 97,700 miles
It is hard to start after refueling. Starter keeps trying but unless you press the gas pedal, it will not starts. Then it sputters when it starts. It has also sputter a couple of times when running (but it never stalled)

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #78

Sep 042020

Focus

  • 49,925 miles
Was driving on city street and the check engine light came on and immediately the car started to shake and vibrate, was making a clicking sound, RPM's we're going up and down and the car didn't want to move. Was able to get it off the road and even in park the RPM's kept going up and down and car was shaking and vibrating still

- Marmet, WV, USA

problem #77

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 #76

Aug 162020

Focus

  • 80,500 miles
Car engine completely stalled while stationary on a street at a red light, the engine would crank and the car shook aggressively but would not start. I was stranded a busy road until someone could push my vehicle out of the way of traffic while in neutral. Eventually after several tries and called tow, the car did start up after about 20 minutes of stalled time. When car started, oil and engine lights were lit up on dash. The fuel level was at 88 miles to empty. When car was brought to dealership, dealer evaluated the vehicle and diagnosed that the freeze frame data showed no fuel pressure at start. They suspected fuel pump failure, there was tank deformation and the strap retainer popped off showing tank flex. Fuel tank was replaced, and fuel pump and all related hardware, evap canister, evap purge valve. Invoice expenses totaled to $1070.67. Called Ford directly to file complaint regarding safety recall 18S32 and was told because the vehicle was inspected in 2019 for these symptoms that it was not covered under recall 18S32. Recall states: "the engine may stall due to a stuck canister purge valve (cpv) within the fuel vapor system. A stuck cpv can lead to excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor system, causing the plastic fuel tank to deform, resulting in an inaccurate or erratic fuel gauge indication, inaccurate distance to empty (dte), and/or other drivability concerns. The vehicle may also exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #75

Aug 012020

Focus

  • 103,000 miles
My gas tank is starting to implode

- Georgetown, TX, USA

problem #74

May 182020

Focus

  • 57,000 miles
During early lockdown for pandemic I allowed a local Ford dealership to valet service my car for oil change, inspection, etc as well as a fuel tank recall 18S32. Car was showing no recall symptoms before the service but was returned to me in very poor condition. Engine seems to vapor lock at the most inopportune times with no power to accelerate into traffic and wants to stall out, then it catches its breathe and wants to take off out from under me. I'm a 62 yr old woman who trusted a local dealership and now I have a car that is extremely unsafe to drive. The service writer could care less and wants to claim that I now need a new transmission. Just did a shoddy job and want more money from me. I'm so disappointed.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #73

Jun 242020

Focus 4-cyl

  • 74,500 miles
My check engine light came on and I took it to a local mechanic. The codes were P1450 and PO456 which are associated with the safety recall of the canister purge valve. The fuel tank is also deformed. My cars VIN is not associated with the recall so they will not cover it and I am expected to cover it. My car also has vibration at idle and has clutch shudder over 250 RPM. Ford fixed my transmission module in 2018 with a previous recall after it stalled several times. Now I am having issues again. The service advisor said they updated the transmission module in 2018 but the customer care agent tried to tell me they replaced the parts entirely in 2018 and not just updated. I notified her of the service advisors statement and then she went back to saying my VIN wasn't part of an open recall. My vehicle is at 74,563 miles and has already had several major issues regarding transmission and canister purge valve.

- Fountain Hills, AZ, USA

problem #72

Jun 232020

Focus 3-cyl

  • 40,257 miles
This is the second time this car gets a P0299 failure. I was on the freeway, trying to speed up, when the engine revved up quickly, but did not change gear. Instead, the car started slowing down. After a few seconds, the car started speeding up at a sluggish rate. The car now has a wheezing noise when in operation as it accelerates.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #71

May 132020

Focus 4-cyl

  • miles
I just recently bought a car and it has been stalling while driving and having difficulty starting/revving itself up after I fill the gas tank. I have taken it to a shop to get a diagnosis and they said that it might have been the recall for the gas tank. Well, I looked up to see if my car had already gotten fix for the recall and it said that it did. So it might have happened again, and I'm not quite sure what to do. It happens every so often. As the engine light also comes on and off. When the light is off, the car is perfectly fine, but when it's on, it tries to stall.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

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