VehicleVerdict

2016 Ford Focus problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2016 Ford Focus carries two red flags at once: 1,570 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Timing Belt Failure). It is one of the Focus years to avoid. Complainants reported 31 injuries in total across these filings.

The trouble concentrates in one system: transmission issues account for 43% of all reports (676 of 1,570), far ahead of engine at 284. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

1,570

NHTSA complaints

10

Recalls

4

Investigations · 1 open

42

Crash-involved

5

Fires reported

31

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2016 compare to other Focus years?

Focus NHTSA complaints by model year, 2016 highlighted5,152 complaints1999: 15 complaints2000: 5,152 complaints2001: 2,361 complaints2002: 1,198 complaints2003: 1,224 complaints2004: 499 complaints2005: 600 complaints2006: 270 complaints2007: 524 complaints2008: 336 complaints2009: 323 complaints2010: 409 complaints2011: 157 complaints2012: 4,982 complaints2013: 2,919 complaints2014: 3,629 complaints2015: 1,327 complaints2016: 1,570 complaints2017: 1,185 complaints2018: 1,115 complaints
Focus NHTSA complaints by model year, 2016 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Focus years to avoid →

What are the most common 2016 Ford Focus problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Transmission67643%
Engine28418%
Fuel System22915%
Other1077%
Electrical System956%
Steering453%
Speed Control362%
Tires & Wheels181%
Airbags151%
Body & Structure151%
Brakes131%
Visibility & Wipers111%
Lighting81%
Suspension60%
Seats40%
Seat Belts40%
Latches & Locks20%
Driver Assistance20%

Does the 2016 Ford Focus have recalls?

10 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V376000TransmissionJune 9, 2026 · 5,252 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence

A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

26V369000Fuel SystemJune 9, 2026 · 257,868 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.

Consequence

An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.

26V011000Electrical SystemJanuary 15, 2026 · 116,672 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Consequence

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.

26V012000Electrical SystemJanuary 15, 2026 · 2,403 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

Consequence

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in October 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.

23V905000EngineDecember 22, 2023 · 139,730 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Consequence

A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.

18V845000TransmissionNovember 28, 2018 · 2,828 units

Defect

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 fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence

A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-169.

18V735000Fuel SystemOctober 22, 2018 · 1,282,596 units

Defect

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, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.

Consequence

The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.

18V169000TransmissionMarch 12, 2018 · 5,361 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Fusion vehicles equipped with a 1.6L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission and 2015-2016 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Also included are four 2017 Ford Focus vehicles that had clutch replacements with potentially affected parts. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.

Consequence

A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Focus vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. Owners of Fusion vehicles will have their clutch assembly replaced free of charge. The recall began August 3, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07.

17V052000Body & StructureJanuary 24, 2017 · 17 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Focus and C-Max vehicles. The floor pan may have improperly welded left-hand apron joints.

Consequence

Improperly welded apron joints may reduce the front-end structural integrity of the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the apron joints, repairing the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S03.

16V698000Latches & LocksSeptember 28, 2016 · 64,038 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Ford Focus hatchback vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."

Consequence

With only a single press needed, the driver may accidently unlatch the hatchback, increasing the risk of injury to any unsecured passengers in the back.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began February 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C13.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA26004

Timing Belt Failure

On December 18, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford), equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles). Additionally, MY 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport and MY 2016-2018 Focus vehicles with a 1.0L engine and automatic transmission were analyzed as peer vehicles because they utilize a wet timing belt comprised of similar material as the timing belt in the subject vehicles. Through the PE, ODI investigated a potential failure/degradation of the timing belt that may affect oil pump function resulting in a lack of engine lubrication and potential loss of motive power. The complaints commonly allege a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction of motive power while the vehicle is in motion. Some complaints allege that a sudden loss of motive power or engine seizure occurred without warning or prior detectable symptoms. ODI’s analysis supports that this failure can occur without sufficient and advanced warning to the driver that a loss of motive power/engine seizure is imminent. ODI found that the timing belt material may degrade and create debris that clogs the mesh oil pump pick-up screen, resulting in reduced oil pressure in the engine. As additional debris accumulates on the screen, this can progress to a loss of motive power while driving due to a lack of engine lubrication. The failure data provided in response to this investigation revealed an average failure mileage of approximately 70,000 miles, and that 98% of the failures occurred prior to the 150,000 mile timing belt replacement interval per the vehicles’ maintenance schedule. Based on evidence collected via consumer surveys and an engine teardown, failures have occurred despite evidence of proper and routine oil maintenance. The oil pump pick-up screen is not serviceable, so debris accumulation cannot be inspected or manually removed without removing the engine from the vehicle. On June 2, 2026, Ford informed ODI of a non-safety customer satisfaction program for global vehicles with the 1.0L Fox Classic Timing Belt. This program will notify customers globally of a revised maintenance interval for the timing belt, reducing the original 150,000 mile interval down to 100,000 miles/6 years. This customer satisfaction program will also offer reimbursement to eligible customers who previously paid to have their engine repaired or replaced due to a timing belt related issue. Based on NHTSA’s analysis of the data, failure rates, information provided by Ford, preliminary engine teardown analysis, and precedent recalls regarding loss of engine oil pressure with the presence of driver facing warnings, ODI believes there is an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. ODI is opening this Engineering Analysis to perform component-level and vehicle testing. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“TRANSMISSION ELEMENT STUCK ON NEUTRAL, FORD FOCUS 2016 , FORD SOLD THE CARS AND KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. GEAR SIFTS IN NEUTRAL, MY CAR HESITATED IN A CROSSING AND MY CAR WAS HIT IN THE BACK DOOR. .THE CLUTCH SLIPS IN NEUTRAL, FORD USES DRY CLUTCHES IN THIS CAR FOR EFFICIENCY, BUT WET CLUTCHES…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · November 1, 2019 · crash

“ON NOVEMBER 4, 2018- WHILE MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN, THE 2016 FORD FOCUS I WAS DRIVING STALLED OUT ON THE MAIN ROAD. ON JANUARY 4, 2019 I FILLED OUT A COMPLAINT ONLINE WITH THE NHTSA-( HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LOT OF PROBLEMS) AT FIRST I WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPLAINT WAS LOST BECAUSE OF A COMPUTER ERROR,…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · November 4, 2018 · crash

“wheels such as automatic and manual transmissions, transfer cases, fluid cooling/management systems and related hoses and pipes, electronic control units and software, shift lever/gear control and indicator devices, clutches and torque convertors, drive axles, hubs, i have my service system report…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · January 21, 2022 · crash

“I WAS INVOLVED IN A SPIN OUT DUE TO RAINY WEATHER ON MONDAY APRIL 6TH, 2020. THE CAR ENDED UP HITTING THE CONCRETE DIVIDER IN THE CENTER OF THE FREEWAY IN ACCESS OF 55 MPH AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAD FRONTAL/ SIDE IMPACTS. I WAS UNHARMED IN THE EVENT, BUT IT IS…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · April 6, 2020 · crash

“" TAKATA RECALL" I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN MY CAR STARTED SMELLING HOT. I LITERALLY JUST LEFT MY HOUSE I WAS ABOUT 5 MILES FROM HOME. IT SMELLED LIKE HOW YOU USE THE HEATER FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING COLD WEATHER. I CHECKED THE GAUGES TO MAKE SURE I WAS NOT OVER HEATING. I HAD NO WARNING LIGHTS POP…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · May 10, 2019 · fire

2016 Ford Focus — common questions

Is the 2016 Ford Focus reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 1,570 complaints put the 2016 model at #6 of 20 Focus years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Focus years to avoid.

What are the most common 2016 Focus problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are transmission (676 complaints), engine (284 complaints), fuel system (229 complaints).

Does the 2016 Ford Focus have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns affecting the 2016 Ford Focus. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2016 Ford Focus under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Timing Belt Failure). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Ford Focus years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Focus years to avoid are 2000, 2012, 2014, 2013, 2001, 2016, 2015, 2017, 2018. The cleanest record among Focus years belongs to 1999.

How safe is the 2016 Ford Focus?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2016 Ford Focus earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through August 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated August 28, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.