⌘K
Find a vehicleRecallsCompareNewsPricing
Look one up
VIN decoderTrouble codesProblems by systemService bulletinsInvestigations
Browse the record
GuidesRankingsAll makesDriver-assist crashesWhat is in the dataWarranty extensions
Tools & data
Recall WatchFleet VIN checkRecall disclosure formCar crosswordCost calculatorsTitle brandsAPI & data
Account
Sign inGarage
Home›Ford›2016 Ford Focus› transmission and drivetrain problems
Owner complaints · Power Train

2016 Ford Focus transmission and drivetrain problems

681 of the 1,192 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Focus name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 43 manufacturer bulletins, 4 recalls. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

681 complaints 57% of this model year’s 8 reports a crash typically at 65k miles

What owners filed about the transmission and drivetrain

Source: NHTSA complaint database
681complaints name the transmission and drivetrain

8 of the 681 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2016: 7 · 2017: 35 · 2018: 35 · 2019: 105 · 2020: 78 · 2021: 53 · 2022: 113 · 2023: 97 · 2024: 83 · 2025: 56 · 2026: 19

65kmiles, typically

Half of the 469 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 30,000 and 95,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

57%of this model year’s complaints

1,192 complaints in all about the 2016 Ford Focus, 19 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Ford Focus transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →

Advertisement

In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

Clutch pedal stuck to the floor at intersection while vehicle was stopped and ready to engage first gear to go. Another driver helped me push my car to the side of the road. Kept pushing clutch but it would not come back to regular position.
Power Train at 9,300 miles May 19, 2018 NHTSA owner report
Clutch sticks to floor and will not come back up. I experienced the issue after the car had been sitting all night on a very cold winter night in upstate ny. I went to put the car in gear and pull out of my apartment, but then the car stalled. I pushed the clutch pedal to the ground and tried to take it out of gear.
Power Train at 13,700 miles Dec 21, 2017 NHTSA owner report
Was in stop and go traffic due to an accident for 40 mins. At one point my clutch pedal got stuck down to the floor and would not come back up yet the clutch was still engaged and burning. The burning smell so so bad. I managed to reach down and pull the clutch pedal up with my hand. Once I did that I was able to put it in first and drive
Power Train at 7,000 miles Nov 16, 2017 NHTSA owner report
I purchased the vehicle new on 3/17/17. A saftey recall (16v479) had previously been issued for the vehicle back in june 2016. The dealer sold me the vehicle even though it was under a stop-sale recall in violation of the motor vehicle safety act.
Power Train at 300 miles Apr 4, 2017 NHTSA owner report
At 400 miles the car had a transmission overheat a warning light came on that said transmission over heating pull over wait 5 minutes going slowly up a slight incline in traffic.
Power Train at 400 miles Jan 15, 2017 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recalls filed under this heading

43 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading

The 1 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Trouble codes named on this system

U1013 P0011 P0012 P0014 P0015 P0016 P0017 P0018

Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Ford Focus names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.

Other systems with a record on the 2016 Ford Focus

Source: the same files
From here
Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2016 Ford Focus?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 681 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (57% of everything owners filed about it), and 43 manufacturer bulletins, 4 recalls are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the transmission and drivetrain on the 2016 Ford Focus?

Yes — 4 campaigns are filed under this heading: 26V376000, 18V845000, 18V169000, 16V479000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2016 Ford Focus?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 65,000 miles; half of them between 30,000 and 95,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?

The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.