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 13 of 46

Aug 30, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. There was an abnormal rumbling noise detected while the vehicle was in first gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the clutch and transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11541627

Aug 24, 2023SteeringElectrical system

Car turned off while driving three times. Once when put in park it locked on a busy road. Replaced fuse to battery, still turned off while driving. Lights stay on and its a pretty new battery so thats nit the issue, when turning the key there is no noise, no clicking or grinding. Main issue is the fact it turns off while driving and the fact it locks up when put in park. That's helpful to no one. Windows can't be rolled up either which meant being trapped guarding a vehicle in 92 degree weather. Anti theft is literally so dumb and in annoying. Great thought, terrible in practice. Am currently waiting on tow truck. Open invention on what caused this now.

NHTSA ODI 11540454

Aug 23, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 10 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to continue driving to her destination. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the dual clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the dual clutch to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle back to the local dealer, and the dual clutch was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11540273

Aug 23, 2023Engine

The engine blew due to a faulty oil pump that Ford knows about. The oil pump leaks and causes metal shards to enter the engine which causes it to cease while driving. Ford refuses to fix the engine due to out of warranty. This is a known issue for 1.0 Liter engine vehicles such as the Ford Focus and Ecosport. Our Foed dealer has 2 in the shop for same issue. There is also a class action lawsuit against them.

NHTSA ODI 11540362

Aug 22, 2023Wheels

While attempting to change front brake pads, I couldn't get any of my sockets, of which I have multiple sets of both SAE and Metric, none would fit the lug nuts. After talking with a Ford dealership parts department, I was informed that the lug nuts swell and beating a socket onto the lug nuts was the only way to get them off the vehicle. This is unacceptable, and it was lucky that I wasn't trying to change a tire in the middle of the night. I immediately bought after-market lug nuts to replace them on the vehicle at a cost well over $100. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA ODI 11540010

Aug 22, 2023Fuel system

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly began to surge and shake erratically. The contact was able to exit the main roadway, after which the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the canister purge valve. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000.

NHTSA ODI 11540155

Aug 17, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

While driving at various speeds vehicle would shudder and hesitate to shift. Last vehicle operation while slowing from 50 mph vehicle started jerking and shuddering that followed with a transmission fault code being displayed. Vehicle no longer had reverse or can go past 1 gear. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000 miles, vehcile was towed to dealership and diagnosed with a bad clutch and needed to be replaced. Contacted manufacturer of the issue and was directed to the NHTSA.

NHTSA ODI 11539224

Aug 15, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her residence. After parking the vehicle, the contact did not notice an issue with the vehicle. The contact stated two days later the vehicle failed to reverse out of the parking spot. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11538583

Aug 11, 2023

The transmission/clutch causes the car to sputter when accelerating which is so dangerous at red lights. When I went to the mechanic he said this is happening to does focuses all over so this sounds like a universal ford thing.

NHTSA ODI 11537815

Aug 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifting gear there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle shook abnormally. The vehicle became unable to shift out of park and felt as though the vehicle was in neutral. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer stated that the failure was related to TSB Number: 14M02 (Power Train) however, the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537852

Aug 9, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before shifting to the next gear. The contact stated that the hesitation occurred after stopping and then depressing the accelerator pedal to drive. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact had spoken to an independent mechanic and was provided information on how to reset the transmission control module (TCM). The contact stated that resetting the TCM failed to fix the vehicle. The failure recurred with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact used a handheld code scanner and retrieved DTC code: P2872 (Clutch Stuck in Engaged Position). The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 14M02 TCM - Loss of Transmission Engagement (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537541

Aug 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the RPM increased dramatically, and the transmission hesitated while the vehicle lost motive power. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was a failure with the automatic clutch in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) 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 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537197

Aug 3, 2023Engine

The engine shuddered and failed to shift at start from stop sign. It has had 2clutch or transmission changes and now just before 40,000 it shuddered at start from stop sign and almost stopped. Almost hit from behind. How many times much this be fixed before it is done right ?I intended this to be my forever car as I’m 73 years old. Of course the warranty was changed from 10,years to 7. I usually always had good success with Fords . If this doesn’t get covered my new Ford will be a Subaru.

NHTSA ODI 11536300

Aug 2, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

My car has hesitation, and stalling or inability to accelerate, this isn't safe!!! and I cant sink money into something that is a manufacturer issue and i know that they deny that there was a manufacturer issue in the focus hatchbacks for the longest time...

NHTSA ODI 11536173

Aug 2, 2023Electrical systemFuel system

My car has become hard to start after I fill up with gas. It also randomly loses all power. While driving everything in the car stops. It displays a message that says transmission is not in park, like I turned the key off but I did not. After this it won't start and displays a message on the dash that says "system start up fault". If I wait a few minutes it starts again . This has happened 3 times. I had a mechanic pull any codes. The only code is for a gasket in the evap system. The mechanic told me that Ford had a recall for this problem so I had the car towed to a Ford service center. The Ford dealer told me that my car is not included in the recall. I looked up Ford recalls and my car exhibits all of the problems described in the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11536177

Jul 31, 2023Engine

Random misfire and wondering if Head Gastker recall repair was done on this vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11535501

Jul 27, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle hesitated and shuddered abnormally. Additionally, on several occasions the vehicle would not immediately start. The vehicle also failed to reverse as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission clutch assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534730

Jul 26, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission with the "Transmission Fault" message displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced an oil leak and was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the chain gasket was faulty and needed to be replaced. The chain gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 159,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534543

Jul 22, 2023Steering

The car worked fine in the first couple months and slowly declined. The rpm will shoot up and down causing the car to jerk and not able to surpass certain speeds. It works sometimes, so when going to work in the freeway it was fine then it started acting up again, causing other cars to almost crash into me. I had to drive with hazards and luckily i was able to safely pull to the side. Instances like this occur a lot more now because the car doesn’t act normal anymore. I took it to a mechanic and it was a gear issue and a module error. I had asked how i was to fix it, and they said only main dealerships can fix a module board. It’s making my transmission overheat and now my steering wheel is stuck and won’t move.

NHTSA ODI 11533784

Jul 21, 2023Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The oil warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle coasted to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine and turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11533626

Jul 20, 2023Tires1 injury

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Control Contact Tour A/S Plus, Tire Size: 215/50/R15, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, an abnormal rattling sound was coming from the rear driver’s side tire. The low tire pressure message appeared on the instrument panel. The rear driver’s side tread had separated, causing the vehicle to swerve to the right. The contact struck her head on the driver’s side window and sustained an injury to her head, left thumb, and neck. The contact had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the tire was replaced. The contact stated that the tire was a replacement tire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was approximately 1,300. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ODI 11533522

Jul 19, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the RPM quickly became elevated; however, the vehicle temporarily lost motive power before returning to normal operation. The contact stated that he was able to drive to residence however, the vehicle had since failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module and determined that the clutch was stuck. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11533332

Jul 17, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the transmission started to shift abnormally. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02- Supplement #6 (Power Train) however, 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 81,000.

NHTSA ODI 11532709

Jul 14, 2023Steering

On my way to the gas station to fuel up. Turned off car and when turned back on power steering malfunction light came on making steering a lot harder. Ran codes to find out it was a water damage fault based off manufacture design after doing research

NHTSA ODI 11532245

Jul 13, 2023Electrical systemEngine

2016 FORD FOCUS VIN: 1FADP3F20GL341128 Mileage: 64,750 Hello I am having problems with my 2016 Ford Focus. The vehicle is shuddering, moving forward, problems in shifting, vibrating and Ford cannot do anything about this as they have told me that you have not added this model on the recall. I got the vehicle checked over by Ford and they said it is the same issues as the other Ford Focus and Fiesta have and they said they need to replace the clutch and TCM. However this would be charable to me because you have not added this model in the recall. At the Sound Dealership in Renton WA there was 3 cars with the same issue and one being the same fuel flex model as mine. Is this something you could check as Ford will not help me at all. Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11532023

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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 →