Home · 2016 Ford Focus Bev · Complaints

What 1,137 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Focus Bev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,137)Crash / fire / injury (31)Transmission & drivetrain (646)Engine (218)Fuel system (215)Electrical system (77)Engine & cooling (46)Steering (45)Speed control (34)Wheels (15)Airbags (14)Body & structure (14)

Newest first · 1,137 complaints · page 12 of 46

Oct 26, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a stationary position, the vehicle experience severe shuddering. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the vehicle had been previously serviced under an unknown Extended Service Campaign however, the failure persisted. The failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 11552078

Oct 25, 2023EngineFuel system

Have been dealing with error codes for cpv, something about fuel, and air intake. The vehicle continuously stalls. Difficult to get it to start after fueling up. Sputters at various different speeds from 5mph to about 50mph. The vehicle will totally shut down on me out of gas even at over a quarter tank to half tank full according to the gauge. I dont have dates for the incidents because they are consistent at this point.

NHTSA ODI 11551884

Oct 18, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle hesitated. The contact stated that the engine revved however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle gradually started to respond and moved forward. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but gradually became more frequent. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11550595

Oct 17, 2023Engine

I was in the left lane of an interstate highway accelerating to pass, going about 75 mph. My car made a bang and all power was lost. I was able to coast to the right lane and fortunately was at an exit. Smoke was coming from under the hood. We pushed the car to a vacant parking lot. From there it was towed to our mechanic who identified a hole in the engine block caused by a piston rupturing through the block. The car had 69,000 miles on the engine and was well maintained.

NHTSA ODI 11550517

Oct 16, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

So ive bee battling the same tcm issues out of my 2016 ford focus. I have othing now. My car will no longer go into gear at all. So i have spent upwards of 8 to 9 grand over last two years trying tomfix this. This vehicle per customee satifaction progrm in the parameters of 2011 to 2017 ford Focus/Fiesta w/dps6 transmission having tcm issues. To my understsndig this should be replced and reprogrammed one time regardless of the milage. But my VIN doesnt register that my vehiicle is elegible for this recall or program. Please i need help. I am out of options. No vehicle, lost my job bedcause of this and my apartment.

NHTSA ODI 11550085

Oct 16, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission/ clutch shifts gears rough. Jerks and rpm all over the place. Clutch slippage.

NHTSA ODI 11550233

Oct 16, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, she returned to the vehicle and restarted the vehicle however, after shifting into reverse the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she shifted into drive and depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact researched online and became aware of NHTSA Action Number: RQ23006 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed of an undisclosed recall and advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11550257

Oct 14, 2023Speed controlEngineFuel system

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

NHTSA ODI 11549908

Oct 13, 2023Fuel system

I was driving about 45 mph when my car started 2 shack and buck like it was about 2 die. So I pulled over and then it died and took forever to start back. So I took it 1 Midas and they said it was something to do with the vacuum in my gas take. So they reset the computer and told me if I had anymore issues being it back. Well today I stopped at the gas station and filled my car up and it would not start back. So I had it towed back to the shop and they pushed my gas tank flapper open 2 relief the pressure.

NHTSA ODI 11549886

Oct 13, 2023Steering

No issues with steering at all and then stopped for gas and when restarting the car got multiple messages regarding steering assist fault resulting in an inability to properly be able to control/steer the vehicle. Left stranded 5 hours away from home.

NHTSA ODI 11549890

Oct 9, 2023Fuel system

Issue with CPV. Car stalls when getting gas due to ventilation issue. Has manufacturer code P1450 which is recalled for similar cars

NHTSA ODI 11549047

Oct 5, 2023Engine

Vehicle suffered sudden loss of power. No warning lights initially but engine sounded odd at idle. Was able to return home with vehicle as happened nearby. Nothing obvious wrong upon visual inspection but vehicle was undrivable except at slow speed. Eventually check engine light came on while vehicle parked. Made appointment at local dealership. Check oil light also came on in route to dealership. If this had happened on highway would have put me in an unsafe situation. After some research turns out this is a known problem for the 1.0 Ecoboost engine. The oil pump belt fails and shreds clogging up the internals of the engine. In my conversations with Ford they admit it is a known problem but have not taken any steps to support vehicle owners as most failures have occurred outside the warranty. In my case at about 61,000 miles. Also learned direct from Ford that the engine replacement is currently on back order for over 500 customers. Obviously there is a problem as this number does not even include orders they have fulfilled. My car has been sitting at dealership now for 5 weeks waiting on an engine with no end in sight. This was not a spare vehicle so I had no choice but to purchase another used vehicle which has added significant cost to me for Ford's failure. Again, I was fortunate this did not happen on the highway but I bet others were not so fortunate.

NHTSA ODI 11548428

Oct 4, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the RPM’s increased at rapid pace however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the TCM had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was then informed by the mechanic that the vehicle was included in Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02. The vehicle was not repaired. An undisclosed dealer was notified of the failure however, an appointment was unavailable until 2024. The manufacture was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall nor the Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 then advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 104,500.

NHTSA ODI 11548186

Sep 28, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

At sixty four thousand miles the clutch began to slip, eventually started smelling and smoking. The clutch pedal gave out and there was no power, which led to pulling over on the highway to get a tow.

NHTSA ODI 11547053

Sep 22, 2023Fuel system

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to immediately start up after refueling. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving at various speeds. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle serviced. The contact was later informed by the dealer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11545971

Sep 22, 2023SteeringTransmission & drivetrainLatches & locks

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the message "Steering Assist Fault. Service Required" was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be charged a repair fee. The contact also stated that the hatchback had opened independently while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V698000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure). Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved to 4,000 but the vehicle failed to accelerate. Additionally, the transmission was slipping. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly, and the vehicle was downshifting unexpectedly while driving, nearly causing a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while shifting into reverse (R), and while shifting into drive (D). There was no warming light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11546071

Sep 21, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 20 MPH and depressing accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle jerked upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifting into reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure could be related to the TCM. The dealer informed the contact that if the failure persisted after replacing the TCM, the transmission would need to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545903

Sep 19, 2023Fuel system

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined there was an excessive vacuum in the fuel system. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545500

Sep 18, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The automatic transmission/TCM in my vehicle failed and the vehicle experiences clutch shudder It is available for inspection upon request. When I was trying to accelerate the car it began to jerk and was struggling to move while on the road putting me and others in danger until I was able to pull over. The problem with the TCM has been confirmed by a Ford dealer and although there has been a customer satisfaction program that was issued by Ford Motor Company they have yet to properly address the issue only providing a warranty extension on both the TCM and clutch shudder issues. The issues I had prior to failure were slow acceleration but high rpm as I pressed on gas.

NHTSA ODI 11545270

Sep 14, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speed, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle was jerking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a code reader determined that the transmission shift solenoid was stuck and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact linked an unknown recall to failure; however, the local dealer and the manufacturer informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,410.

NHTSA ODI 11544580

Sep 13, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the diagnosis was that the transmission had malfunctioned, and the transmission sensor was reprogrammed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the transmission had failed. The transmission module was reprogrammed but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall and advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11544358

Sep 8, 2023Fuel system

Having issues with the purge valve canister causing the vehicle to stall while driving on a highway late at night. Knowing that this is an issue with other vehicle made in the same year and knowing there is a recall for those parts but not on my vehicle is confusing to me.

NHTSA ODI 11543322

Sep 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift was needed. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission control module (TCM) and clutch failure. The contact was informed that the TCM and clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the TCM was under recall however, the clutch was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11543436

Sep 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while pulling out a parking space, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch and the transmission control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the transmission control module was covered; however, the clutch was not covered. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 135,000.

NHTSA ODI 11543445

Sep 1, 2023Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check oil warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was unable to assist. The failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11542106

← NewerOlder →

Working with the data? Download all 1,137 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 23, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Ford Focus Bev verdict →