2016 Ford Focus: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
83%
974 of 1,191 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
83% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Ford Focus are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 99% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS11/10/2020CRASH2 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE FRONT OF THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE IMPACTED THE RIGHT REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE WITH THE FRONT LEFT AND STATED THAT THE WHOLE FRONT SHEARED OFF, CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO A SPIN. THE VEHICLE IMPACTED A STREET SIGN. AND SI…
[XXX] driving her 2016 ford focus hit me [XXX] she claims her btakes did not work hitting multiple times she hit me so hard her car flew many feet back. I believe her car was defective it was alittle snowy but nothing bad. [XXX] said her brakes did not work at all. Me and multiple cars were able to come to complete s…
POWER TRAIN12/06/2019CRASH1 INJURED
I BOUGHT THIS 2016 FOCUS IN HOPES ON GIVING IT TO MY DAUGHTER BUT I WILL NOT, IT IS NOT A SAFE GAVE TO DRIVE. OUT OF NOWHERE IT WAS STRUGGLING TO GO INTO DRIVE GEAR AND THE REVERSE GEAR AND THEN I WAS JERKING REALLY BAD WHERE MY DAUGHTERS HEADS WE'RE HURTING BECAUSE OF ITSO I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP IN RIVERSIDE C…
Three of 974 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (10)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibl…
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fract…
STRUCTURE:BODY
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Focus and C-Max vehicles. The floor pan may have improperly welded left-hand apron joints.
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2016 Ford Focus
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
10 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
