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 15 of 46

Apr 15, 2023EngineFuel system

7 year old car requires full engine replacement due to lost compression. For the 2 1/2 years I've owned it 1 entire year has been spent either stranded on the insterstate or at the dealership service repair. Fuel gauge does not monitor or distrubute correct fuel available. I have spent $600 in tows to the dealership . Multiple reports/complaints have been filed against this model & year includeing with NHTSA. "Common problems found on the 2016 Ford Focus include the transmission shuddering, engine failures, as well as issues with the power steering system. Overall, these problems are more severe than in other compact cars, leading to expensive repair bills when parts fail" Please investigate quickly as this is safety related as well as consumer gouging

NHTSA ODI 11517204

Apr 14, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle was shifting roughly. The contact pulled over, parked the vehicle, and restarted the vehicle after several attempts and operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the TCM (Transmission Control Module) and clutch might have failed. The contact stated that the TCM was replaced three times however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired after the last failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11517016

Apr 12, 2023Steering

Electric steering rack failed while driving, making steering almost impossible.

NHTSA ODI 11516712

Apr 12, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting into drive, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating. Additionally, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. 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 repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the Extended Warranty had expired. No additional assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11516747

Apr 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Check engine light on with transmission codes. Transmission is slipping and car won't start intermittently. Also loses power intermittently. Car lost power up hill when driving with my daughter. My 18 year old son, who is an inexperienced driver also drives this car. Will be getting the car diagnosed as Ford dealership on Friday.

NHTSA ODI 11516484

Apr 11, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The car stalled on several occasions in mid traffic and while driving. The car issued a warning that it was about to catch on fire. It took my son two hrs to get home, The clutch has to be shift in nurtural to turn on. In which a module has to be replaced; 1000.00 Upon taking it to be repaired I was told that the clutch failed causing transmission issues as well which could result in over 5,000 worth of damages. I did a lot of research and noticed the car has a lot of complaints and was considered of a class action lawsuit.

NHTSA ODI 11516527

Apr 10, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

Fords Powershift Dual clutch started to go out at 93,000 miles with noticeable slippage and hesitation when accelerating, a hazard. A Ford dealership inspected and said nothing looked wrong and we should continue to drive the car (an extended Ford warranty was still in place due to these transmissions, 2012-2016, having a history of issues). Months later a second Ford dealership said it was the worst transmission vibration they've ever seen and couldn't believe we hadn't noticed earlier. Of course, now the warranty was expired and we had to pay the $2139 to have the clutch assemble replaced. Unsafe and bad customer support/ownership on a poor design.

NHTSA ODI 11516349

Apr 8, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

At 85000 miles the dual clutch failed. At 88,219 miles the transmission failed. The car had started to shudder when it shifted when the dealership told me the clutched need to be replaced. The transmission died with no warning on a sub-zero night. I'm lucky that it died in my driveway rather than someplace out of the way. The failure of the transmission was confirmed by an independent service center. The clutch was replaced by a Ford dealership

NHTSA ODI 11516116

Apr 3, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission control module (TCM) to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact towed the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the clutch, and transmission module to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11515150

Apr 3, 2023Fuel system

Hello this complaint is in reference to recall #18S32. I had issues with my vehicle telling me I had gas when it was really empty. The dealership got me in, said it was a recall and repaired it quickly for me, This was in 2019. The past couple months my vehicle is stalling when I get gas. It's usually always associated with me getting gas. I had some mechanics check it out and they all said it was the purge evaporator valve. They informed me to contact the dealership because there should be a recall on this issue. I contacted them and was told there isn't. So I haven't gotten it fixed because well money. I looked it up and there is a recall on that specific thing but the dealership is claiming it was "fixed" in 2019, and they cannot fix it again. I contacted ford and they told me the same thing. I'm just at a lost and concerned because I do not know who to contact or where to go from here since this issue is still tied to a recall issue that was supposedly "fixed"

NHTSA ODI 11515286

Mar 27, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

There are roughly 55k miles on this vehicle and the engine is revving really high but the car is having issues accelerating from a stop and in traffic. It's almost as if the transmission is already going out. The car sputters. It's scary because when I need the accelerate the car hesitates.

NHTSA ODI 11513924

Mar 27, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to respond while accelerating from a complete stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, there was a warning light indicating that the engine was overheating. The contact also stated that the vehicle would start after several attempts. The contact stated that the failures had been reoccurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the clutch shift had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,470.

NHTSA ODI 11513985

Mar 25, 2023SteeringSuspensionFuel system

Car stalled at stop sign after filling up on gas. Completely shut off. Would not start back up for 30 seconds. No check engine lights on. It has done this multiple times and I have taken it to the shop but they can’t find a problem. I know there was a recall on the 2.0 but this is a 1.0

NHTSA ODI 11513771

Mar 24, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was making abnormal clunking sounds while shifting into gear. The contact did not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist, where the transmission clutch was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred a year and a half later. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing on an incline, the vehicle failed to respond. The message “Transmission Overheating. Pull Over Immediately” was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle responded as needed the following day; however, the failure reoccurred on another occasion. The contact also stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound while coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken back to the transmission specialist, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part was on back order. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle in for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11513672

Mar 23, 2023Fuel systemTransmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that he noticed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive fuel consumption. The contact stated that after fueling the vehicle, the vehicle consumed three quarts of fuel within 20-30 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Canister Purge Valve (CPV) was malfunctioning, causing an excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) as the VIN was not included. The canister purge valve was replaced at the contact's expense. Additionally, the contact stated while reversing out of the driveway, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon attempting to reverse out of the driveway on another occasion, the gear shifter was moved into reverse (R), but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted into neutral (N) and pushed the vehicle out of the driveway. The contact was able to drive the vehicle, however, the message "Car Overheating. Stop Safely" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch was defective. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11513398

Mar 22, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in his driveway, he attempted to shift into drive(D), but the vehicle failed to shift out of park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated after several minutes, he was able to shift into drive(D). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the failure reoccurred in July 2022. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and the pinion gear shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred in January 2023. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, who could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,230.

NHTSA ODI 11513174

Mar 22, 2023EngineFuel system

There is a recall with Ford of 2018 Ford Focus Recall Item Affected: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDate Announced: 10/22/2018 The description of this recall is what is happening to my car, but because my vin doesn't show up they won't look at it. There are no codes, but as I turn on the car and go to drive within 45 seconds it's stalls, in traffic or wherever. I need help.

NHTSA ODI 11513276

Mar 20, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission malfunctioned, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the ignition coils, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty coverage for the powertrain. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512745

Mar 17, 2023Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that a large amount of white smoke was coming from the exhaust tip with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked engine block and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512437

Mar 15, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal to accelerate while making a lane change, the vehicle hesitated and then shuddered before responding. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become more constant while driving. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission clutches and seals needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had been advised by the service technician that there had been a TSB: 160109 (Power Train – Clutch Shudder). The contact was advised that her vehicle was not covered by the manufacturer for the repair. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512074

Mar 14, 2023Fuel systemTransmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly. Additionally, the vehicle would sometimes shudder and stall. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed the contact that there was a failure in communication to the powertrain control module (PCM). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 143,613.

NHTSA ODI 11511828

Mar 10, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the transmission failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the TCM was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11511244

Mar 9, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was jerking while accelerating, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to the dealer to be repaired and the clutch was replaced under warranty. Recently, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where the contact was informed that the clutch needed to be replaced again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI 11511001

Mar 9, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer several times; however, the dealer diagnosed that no issues were found and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to shift into the proper gear and had become undrivable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11511049

Mar 8, 2023Equipment

The radio failed and yes it is able to be inspected.Screeches as your driving it comes and goes . Never sure when it will do it scares you . There was no warning on this just started to do it and then radio was no longer working.Radio is no longer working but sound is still coming out unexpectely you never know when it will come on .

NHTSA ODI 11510851

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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 →