2016 Ford FOCUS - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2016 Ford Focus achieved a remarkable overall safety rating of 5 out of 5, making it a top performer in crash tests. It excelled in front crash, side crash, and rollover ratings, with only a minor lower score in the front crash passenger side rating, still maintaining a strong overall safety profile. This model comes equipped with electronic stability control as a standard feature, enhancing its ability to maintain control on slippery roads or during emergency maneuvers. Additionally, it offers an optional lane departure warning system for added safety on the road.

Despite its high safety ratings, it is worth noting that the 2016 Ford Focus has received a relatively high number of complaints, totaling 914. Additionally, there have been 7 recalls issued for this model, indicating potential issues that needed to be addressed. It is important for owners to stay informed about any recalls and address them promptly to ensure the continued safety and performance of their vehicle.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

914

Recall Count

7

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2016 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2016 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Optional

2016 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2016 Ford Focus 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2016 Score 2018 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2016 Score 2018 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2016 Score 2018 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2016 Ford FOCUS

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"was driving my car and all of a sudden it wouldn’t pull itself wouldn’t takeoff from a stop sign jumps from 3rd to 4th when gearing down it go from 4th to 1st gear bucks and jumps in it never dies however, you press on the gas and the engine just revs up"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2026-03-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated while attempting to drive uphill, the vehicle failed to properly shift gear as intended. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired twice under warranty however, the vehicle no longer fell under the criteria for repair under warranty. 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 55,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-03-05
Complaint:
"the dual power clutch has gone out in my vehicle, this causes the transmission to overheat and the vehicle cannot move. i’ve experienced this a couple times with my children in the car, on a mountain, and had to be pushed off the road where we were stranded for hours. i had to pay $700 for a tow and getting the transmission fluid changed, which did not solve the problem. i couldn’t afford to pay the car payment as i couldn’t use the car for transportation to and from work and had to pay mechanical bills. i’ve contacted the dealership and initially they said they’d take a complaint but when i made it there, they turned me away and told me to call ford. i called ford and they told me to go to the dealer. neither of them would take a complaint. it’s $150 just for them to look at the car and confirm the problem, however the part doesn’t exist to fix it and i was told it could be til 2025 before it could be fixed as they aren’t making that part. the part would be covered under warranty but it’s not guaranteed that they’ll be able to get it. the transmission light came on right after purchasing the vehicle and i called the dealer to have it looked at but because the light went back off before i made it there, it wouldn’t be covered under warranty. ford had a lawsuit for something similar to this and i was never notified. my car is at risk of repossession, i’m still paying on it and i can’t even use it. it won’t make it 3 miles at this point. i’m not the only one who’s experiencing this and there’s no solution but there’s no recall either. the car will just stop in the middle of the road and it won’t move, leaving you stuck in the line of oncoming traffic on the interstate and you can’t even pull it over. it won’t move once it’s in that state. ford will not doing anything about it. i’ve contacted the attorney general at this point and i don’t know what else to do. we luckily were not hit but we were stranded for hours."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2025-10-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated that the vehicle was jolting and hesitating while driving at various speeds. the contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while shifting gear. the contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. the vehicle had not been diagnosed and was not repaired. the manufacturer was informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 47,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-03
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift out of park(p). the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but no failure was found. additionally, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated while reversing and the transmission erroneously shifted into neutral(n). the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed message "pull over, transmission overheated" was displayed. the vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. the contact was informed that the vehicle did not qualify for the s power train extended warranty coverage. the failure mileage was 15,090."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-01-07
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated while driving at 50 mph, the contact approached a stop sign and depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. the light turned green, and the contact proceeded to move forward and the transmission fault service now warning light illuminated. the contact drove to a location and allowed the vehicle to set for several hours because he had an additional two hundred miles to travel to get home from a road trip. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked and idled roughly the remaining drive back to the residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 150,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-08-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated that the husband was driving approximately 50 mph before coming to a stop for traffic ahead. while attempting to accelerate the vehicle erroneously began to drive in reverse. during the incident, the check engine light was illuminated. the vehicle was later taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not yet repaired. the manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. the failure mileage was 120,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-08
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered while shifting gears. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to autozone, where it was diagnosed and determined that the tcm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. the failure mileage was approximately 92,500."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-01-12
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 ford focus. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle shifted abnormally. the transmission warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 18v845000 (power train), but the vin was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was 148,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-07-12
Complaint:
"my 2016 ford focus se is exhibiting the same powershift issues that are well known with this model of vehicle. i had the transmission replaced in april 2020 at 59,000 miles, as well as the tcm reprogrammed as part of the customer service program. now, in 2023 and at 79,000 miles, my vehicle exhibits the exact same issues. i have contacted ford to try and rectify, however they are saying my vehicle is not within any customer program/recall as it was built in april 2016 (the original scope only covered focus' up to november 2015). i can 100% attest that, after 3 years/20,000 miles since the repair to transmission and tcm was made, this car is exhibiting the same transmission slip issues that now make it extremely dangerous to drive."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2025-03-11

Recalls for the 2016 Ford FOCUS

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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.

Component(s) Involved: POWER TRAIN > MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Date of incident: 2018-11-28
Recall:
"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.

Component(s) Involved: POWER TRAIN > MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Date of incident: 2018-03-12

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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