What 1,143 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Focus RS

The contact called on behalf of her husband who owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the transmission was slipping while driving. The check engine warning light and the battery warning light were illuminated. Additionally, the message “Transmission Overheating” was displayed. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) and the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The manufacturer also referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11498138

I feel vibrations when I accelerate. Very severe when the car is warm. I feel unsafe if I drive it (not accelerating correctly). I brought the car to a repair shop. They told me that this problem is well known by Ford for my car. Ford did receive several claims and lawsuits regarding this issue. The repair shop told me the cluck could cause a fire too. Another repair shop asked me $2,623.78 to repair the car on 11/11/2022.

NHTSA ODI 11497883

I believe the power train and some component with the fuel system. Yes it is available for inspection. The car shut off in the middle of traffic. This has happened multiple times. It has not been confirmed by a dealership or service center. The vehicle has been inspected. No warning lamps or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11497729

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while making a right turn, the vehicle started vibrating and shaking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 43,000.

NHTSA ODI 11497395

The vehicle began to slip gears after only accruing a little more than 70,000 miles. I will slightly accelerate using the foot pedal, and the gear will jump from 1 to 4/5 quickly, causing a severe jerking motion in the vehicle. The vehicle also jerks when decelerating. This has put me in several dangerous situations, such as when I enter a new roadway and need to accelerate to meet the rate of oncoming traffic. This is also an issue when slowing to stops, as sometimes the gear will jump to a HIGHER number as i take my foot off the pedal. I have an automatic transmission I am using. The check engine light has come on, but only after the issue began. I have been told by an auto service center that this is a transmission-related issue.

NHTSA ODI 11497444

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that upon turning the key in the ignition switch, she then needed to hold the key into position for a longer period in order to start the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that upon attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed. The contact then parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the failure was associated with Ford Technical Service Bulletin Number: 20B23 (Replacement of Clutch Actuator Motors). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11497273

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the clutch shuddered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the clutch and transmission seals needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000. The contact stated that the transmission is known to be faulty and Ford has extended warranties on them but for other model years of the same model. The shuddering problem happens in first gear and is particularly dangerous when trying to operate the vehicle among traffic. The TCM module was replaced to try to remedy to the issue but it has not worked.

NHTSA ODI 11497019

Vehicle shudders and shakes due to transmission slipping at many speeds. Slow is the worst and even at a speed of 70 MPH the vehicle will shake and shudder from transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11496646

I purchased a 2016 Ford Focus in September of this year from a used car dealer. I drove the car back and forth to work approximately 10 miles each way, per day. I took a day off before Thanksgiving and drove my vehicle longer than usual. Holiday traffic was bad and there was a lot of stop and go traffic, my car sputtered and shook and stalled on a busy street. Luckily, I was close to my house and was able to pull over. Again, a few days ago I drove for about an hour and the car again sputtered when moving from a complete stop. I went online and googled "Ford Focus transmission issues" and saw that there has been a lawsuit and settlement. I called Ford and was told that it was not under recall and that I would have to take the car I just purchased, to be fixed and I would have to pay for it. Please recall these transmissions before someone gets killed.

NHTSA ODI 11496039

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle would not properly accelerate, with the check engine warning light illuminated. After several attempts to restart the vehicle, the contact was able to start the vehicle and drove home. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 143,245.

NHTSA ODI 11496091

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a clutch replacement was needed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who replaced the clutch but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed her a clutch replacement was needed and the repairs were not covered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who informed her that the failure was due to the clutch. The contact called the manufacturer who informed her that the repairs were not covered and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 11494879

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle made chugging sounds and was jerking. Additionally, while accelerating, the vehicle took an excessive amount of time before reaching the desired speed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The failure had increased in frequency. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the clutch pad needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V845000 (Power Train) nor 18V169000 (Power Train). The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 18,600.

NHTSA ODI 11493668

Driving up a hill car started rolling backwards. Warning light came on saying transmission fault service now. Still sitting in my driveway because I can not find a transmission to replace it.

NHTSA ODI 11493274

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to shake. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her place of employment. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the clutch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V845000 (Power Train) and 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000

NHTSA ODI 11492767

Reverse gear doesn’t engage sometimes and drive gears sometimes goes out while at traffic lights and causes the car to go at low speeds only. It feels like I’m unable to accelerate sometimes. I don’t recall when exactly but the check engine warning sign appears and disappears on my car

NHTSA ODI 11492599

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted to another gear or would go into neutral. The vehicle also revved abnormally without the vehicle responded or accelerating as intended. The contact stated that the check engine and a transmission overheating warnings were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutches needed to be replaced and that the failure was caused by wear and tear. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11492635

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would shake without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the seal and clutch assembly were replaced as well as the TCM (Transmission Control Module). Recently, the same failure recurred, and the contact was given the same diagnosis from the dealer. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls or warranty on the vehicle. The manufacturer agreed to cover half the cost of the repair. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 24,991. The contact stated that from a complete stop and upon acceleration, the vehicle would begin to shake. The force of the shaking varied but would increase over time. The shaking negatively affected the drivability of the vehicle. The contact was informed by the dealer that the issue would only get worse if no repairs were made. Half of the costs of repair was covered by the manufacturer due to the exact same problem happening within a year.

NHTSA ODI 11492091

Out of no where my car has a transmission issue. I got my car last year and there were no problems. I’ve been told my car doesn’t go into the recall because it was 2 months made after the recall date was made which is not fair. Several people have told me these type of cars are known to have horrible transmissions. I can’t afford a $3,000 + repair on this when the mileage isn’t even bad enough to have a transmission issue. This is my significant others only way to make income. It is not safe to drive the car in this condition.

NHTSA ODI 11492144

Transmission slipping and shuttering pulling into traffic and car seems to lose power between shifts, problem is worse when the car warms up and really bad in stop and go traffic. Car only has 30k miles and dealer said out of warranty but not old enough for the extended warranty for this known problem

NHTSA ODI 11491866

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to move off from a red light, the vehicle was shuddering. Additionally, while shifting from first or second gear the vehicle would shudder. Occasionally, while idling at a stop light the RPM fluctuated as if the vehicle would stall. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the clutch plates failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V169000 (Power Train) or 18V845000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 75,124.

NHTSA ODI 11490935

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the dealer previously replaced the clutch twice; however, the failure recurred while driving at an undisclosed speed. The vehicle was shaking and hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19N08 (Transmission Clutch Shudder/Transmission Clutch Warranty Extension) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 36,500.

NHTSA ODI 11489930

I recently became the owner of this car as my dad had it for the past 5 years. My dad previously inquired about the car shuddering/vibrating when accelerating at times (in 2021) and the dealership was either unaware or dishonest in replying that it just had to do with way the plastic protecting the bottom of the car rattles. We did not know about the Ford nationwide settlement for 2012-2016 Ford Focuses at the time or that others were having similar preliminary issues with the transmission/clutch so we continued to use the car thinking it was just a normal issue with no safety problems. I went for my regularly scheduled oil & filter change at the Koons Silver Spring Ford dealership (Maryland) on Tuesday 10/11. They also completed a complimentary 27 point inspection and told me my car was fine except for a small coolant leak I should get fixed within the year. The next day, my car struggled to accelerate after stopping at a red light. This was an intersection where the speed limit was 35 mph and the most I could go was 15 mph with a lot of effort from my car. My rpm meter kept fluctuating from 1 to 4 even if I wasn't stepping on the accelerator. I turned on my safety blinkers to inform other cars that I was having issues and my car eventually came to a complete stop. I had to call for help and put the car in neutral in order to get it to my parking garage. This could have been a very dangerous situation if I was on the highway. The dealership is about 20 minutes from my place so the next morning I went to local mechanics that helped me to read the CEL codes. I have provided a picture of the codes. They are all TCM-clutch related errors. My car very unexpectedly stopped functioning and the dealership/corporate says I'm not covered by the Ford customer satisfaction action that was supposed to fix the TCM issues for free. Please help me as I cannot afford to fix my car at this time with such an unexpected issue at only 38,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11489853

The contact's son owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her son was driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Transmission Fault. Stop. Pull Over" was displayed. The contact's son exited the freeway and veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that she met her son on the side of the road. An independent mechanic was contacted and advised the contact to restart and drive the vehicle to their location in the event the warning message was no longer displayed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the independent mechanic who then referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as transmission friction element failure. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489608

I was exiting Parking lot into busy intersection when vehicle suddenly hesitated and stalled completely. Was hard to restart and kept stalling after that. Very dangerous when traveling on busy streets when it stalls and steering wheel locks up. As I accelerate the car violently jerks and has hard time shifting and getting up to speed maybe a “slipping” feeling and engine is constantly misfiring and stalling. Idles very rough when stopped RPM jumps all over the place. No warning lights on dash whatsoever. Had this problem and took to ford about 2 years ago they said they fixed it but the problem still persists. I can see there are various recalls for this vehicle for the exact things that are happening to me. Huge safety concern. Seems to me it’s something to do with fuel tank and transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11489414

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on multiple occasions after moving off from a stop signal, there was hesitancy and jerking when the gear shifter was shifted from 1st to 2nd gear, and from 2nd to 3rd gear. The failure persisted; however, no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and was advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489308