What 1,686 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford F-150 (regular Cab) Gas

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the power steering assist became inoperable. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 225,000.

NHTSA ODI 11675168

Driving out of town for a trip and out of nowhere at“Steering Assist Fail” alert hill decent alert

NHTSA ODI 11654200

I’m a single mother driving a 2016 Ford F-150, my only vehicle, while transporting small children daily. I’ve been experiencing sudden, violent shaking and unexpected downshifting while driving, especially at highway speeds. On more than one occasion, it has felt like the rear wheels try to lock, causing the entire truck to jolt and decelerate rapidly, putting my safety and the safety of my children at serious risk. I’ve taken the truck to the dealership and multiple independent mechanics, but no one can diagnose the issue because no error codes appear related to the transmission or shifting. The only code that comes up is for a faulty catalytic converter, but both catalytic converters have already been replaced. The dealership confirmed that the check engine light keeps coming on anyway, even though there’s no actual issue with the new parts. They said it’s as if the system is being triggered by something else, but they don’t know what. I was relieved to learn that NHTSA is investigating this exact issue in 2015–2017 F-150 models, because what I’m experiencing matches it exactly. I depend on this truck for everything, school drop-offs, groceries, and survival, and I have no backup vehicle. I am asking NHTSA to prioritize this investigation and take action. This is not just a transmission defect, it’s a public safety threat, and families like mine are being forced to drive dangerous vehicles simply because there’s no help yet. Please step in and hold Ford accountable before someone gets seriously hurt.

NHTSA ODI 11653978

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds on several occasions, while making left or right turns, the steering wheel was shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the “Steering assist fault - Service Required" and "Traction - Steering Assist Failure” message was displayed on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it diagnosed and determined that the steering rack and module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

NHTSA ODI 11635327

During highway driving at speeds of 70 mph the steering stiffens and while driving through curves I have to over correct because the steering wheel jerks to the left/right. On 9/12/24 while driving home from work at speeds of 35 mph the steering duplicated the issue and the Advance Trac service light came on along with Hill Assist disabled. This is a major safety concern. Furthermore this is the second F150 that I have experienced this issue. The first F150 was 2011 FX4 and had to spend $2800 to replace the steering rack. I would assume that Ford would be recalling this for potentially dangerous situation. My current truck is going to a Ford dealer tonight for diagnoses.

NHTSA ODI 11614392

While driving after making a right turn steering wheel started whining then a loud popping noise then steering wheel starts jerking back and forth then locks on me without any warning lights coming on. I was going over 15 miles with cars behind me. Put on breaks to come to a complete stop and put the truck in park because the steering wheel had locked. Terrified!!! After turning the truck off and back on that’s when the light comes on about faulty steering. Thank God no one ran into the back of me.

NHTSA ODI 11596870

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel almost seized, and was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stated that her husband was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that her husband pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the electrical steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11591591

I was driving and when I was making a right turn I hear one loud pop noise then a whining sound then the steering wheel jerked back and forth a couple of times out of my control and lock on me. Terrifying! Glad no one hit me from behind or me hitting someone or something. After I rolled into a parking lot, then all these lights started popping up on the dash saying steering default and etc. I turned the truck off and back on I can only move the truck forward and backwards because the steering wheel had locked and I could not turn left or right. I had the truck towed home. I’ve made an appointment with the Ford dealership but it’s not until [XXX], 2024 at [XXX] in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My number is [XXX] or [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11587821

I was driving home on the 4 lane from baseball practice and my power steering went out all of the sudden and now I have to fight to get it to turn. I took it to the Ford dealership I bought the truck at and they said the steering rack had went out and I needed a new one. That's a $3000 repair and I feel that a truck in that year model under 150,000 miles should lose power steering

NHTSA ODI 11573322

Check engine light just came on. Before that engine would shutter then stall. No steering and brakes could end up poorly. Think this is a safety hazard

NHTSA ODI 11571399

The frame on this truck broke. The frame tore in a manner that the lower control arm became disconnected from the vehicle. I recognize that l live in an area where rust issues are real, however l am also very experienced with metal working and fabrication and can reliably assure that corrosion is not the cause of this failure in the frame of this vehicle. I have attached 4 photos, those are of the front & back of passenger side (good) and driver's side (bad). Note the broken bolt head (toward the front) and the broken frame. This is the actual frame that broke and not a bolted on subframe and to me this is a serious issue. There are so many of these trucks on the roads l feel that l am obligated to make you aware of the problem. I thank you for your time.

NHTSA ODI 11559472

I was driving at 75 mph on the freeway when suddenly I lost acceleration and the ability to accelerate. There was a message "Hill Descent Control". I did not have time to see if it said error or failure. Then "Check Manual". I was very lucky to get 3 lanes over to get off to the side of the road without being rear ended. I turned the vehicle off in order to regain my composure, then back on with no warning messages. I drove home slower.

NHTSA ODI 11548891

On 2/14/23 my 2016 Ford F-150 experienced an intermittent loss of steering while driving. There was a total loss of steering. I would turn the steering wheel, and the wheels would not respond. The steering wheel would turn freely, with no connection to the wheels. Upon parking my vehicle and turning it off, and removing the key, the steering wheel continued to "tick" and turn on its own. There were no warning lamps or messages. Once I restarted the vehicle the steering was not responding like normal. My safety was at risk had this happened at a greater speed, or in a different area I would have crashed. I had the truck towed to the local Ford dealership. It has now been there for 7 weeks . They have been unable to replicate the problem, or identify any solutions. I was told I could just pick up the truck or trade it in on a new truck since they could not identify the problem. I told them I was not comfortable driving it or selling it for someone else to drive with an issue that could prove catastrophic or deadly.

NHTSA ODI 11515540

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he noticed that the steering wheel had semi-detached and became loosened. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering bolt failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that upon having the tires rotated, the contact was informed that all the lug nuts were swollen. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 22,845.

NHTSA ODI 11510434

Was told the Steering Wheel Control Module needed replaced. Was driving and the blinkers stopped working, window washerfluid button doesn’t work, and anything pertaining to the hazard switch is not working. This is very dangerous to not have working blinkers and windshield wipers not working as they should. Was told that the part is on back order until December or January. Hopefully we will see it before that since it’s a primary vehicle and I don’t feel safe driving it with my children in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11493448

Engines for the f150 stall out at idle and while on the road. This could leads to a variety of safety problems and for has shown a unwillingness to address the issue and an inability to fix it. i have found 10s of thousands of people online who have similar issues and have ( like me ) taken it to for at their own expanse and gotten no solution. Without action from NHTSA ford will not fix it as they have millions of income from customers paying to fix to no avail. I myself have spend over 5k at the dealership and hour of my time to resolve and yet no repair works for longer then a few weeks at best.

NHTSA ODI 11484980

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle drifted to the left. The contact stated it felt like it was windy. The contact turned the wheel to the right but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle swerved across two lanes of traffic however, the contact was able to stop the vehicle. The contact turned the Lane Departure Assist feature off and continued to drive; however, the failure persisted. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and after five minutes the vehicle worked as designed. The ABS and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.

NHTSA ODI 11481741

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel aggressively started jerking to the right. The contact had to exert an excessive amount of force to steer the vehicle. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and the steering wheel functioned temporarily before the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11474425

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after stopping and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering assist and locked up, while driving 5 MPH. The contact stopped, turned off, and then restarted the vehicle however, the power steering assist did not return. The vehicle was driven to the residence in manual steering mode. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part not being available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,500.

NHTSA ODI 11452845

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while exiting the driveway of his residence, he heard an abnormal noise while turning in either direction. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving the vehicle to a fast-food restaurant when the steering wheel became difficult to turn and the vehicle drove over a street divider bumper. The contact was able to get the vehicle out of the road. The contact stated that an unknown steering warning light was illuminated. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rack and pinion to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444435

This is my second issue of the same problem. The airbag cover cracks along the FORD logo and becomes a SHARP edge when applying the horn. In addition, I am concerned if this may accidentally activate the airbag? There are numerous complaints/concerns in the internet about this same issue and the same location of issue. As you can view in the attached photo, it is a defect in the workmanship that causes the seperation of the airbag cover.

NHTSA ODI 11420408

STEERING LOCKED UP. IT FREED THEN DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE EVERYTHING CAME ON STEERING ASSIST

NHTSA ODI 11396895

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE STEERING BECAME FIRM BEFORE CEASING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE RESIDENCE. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION FORD BRADENTON (5325 14TH ST W, BRADENTON, FL 34207) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OR FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,650.

NHTSA ODI 11384472

THE STEERING ON MY 2016 FORD F-150 WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ALMOST MAKING ME CRASH I LOST CONTROL OF MY TRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL WAS REALLY HARD FOR ME TO TURN LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME SAFE I HAVE A HOLE BUNCH OF LIGHT ON MY DASH COMING ON SAY STEERING ASSIST FAULT SERVICE STEERING

NHTSA ODI 11366285

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE NEARBY DEALER DEWEY FORD (3055 SE. DELAWARE AVE, ANKENY, IA 50021, 515-259-8640) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE REMAINED AT THE DEALER, PENDING REPAIRS BY A THIRD-PARTY WARRANTY COMPANY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,850.

NHTSA ODI 11360222