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2016 Ford Fiesta: sudden loss of power

9 of the 179 complaints about the 2016 Ford Fiesta describe sudden loss of power.

owner complaints
9
of this car's complaints
5%
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 13 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Sudden loss of power by model year

What owners say

Filed Oct 21, 2026 · Engine · TN

I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding a sudden loss of motive power caused by the internal oil pump drive 'wet belt' system on my 2016 Ford Fiesta SE 1.0L EcoBoost (Manual Transmission). While driving, the vehicle's engine oil pressure warning light illuminated. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle suffered a sudden and severe loss of engine power, dropping speed drastically on a public roadway. This sudden loss of throttle response and speed placed me and surrounding traffic at a severe risk of a rear-end collision. This exact mechanical failure mode—where the oil pump drive belt degrades, strips its teeth, and clogs the oil pickup screen—is identical to the defect described in Ford Safety Recall 23S64 (the federal safety agency Campaign 23V905000). However, because my vehicle is a manual transmission model, Ford has excluded my VIN from the active safety recall. This manual configuration shares the identical defective 'wet belt' component design and poses the exact same 'unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety' currently under active the federal safety agency evaluation. I am requesting that the federal safety agency force Ford to expand Safety Recall 23S64 to include manual transmission 1.0L models to ensure consumer safety and vehicle remediation.

Filed Jun 17, 2025 · Transmission · MD

Symptoms: No-start condition (wouldn't crank w/o jump); delayed or harsh shifting; lost power (stalled going up tiny hill). Warning lights: transmission malfunction - service now; check engine light. Our symptoms and warning lights are consistent with Ford's Fiesta Transmission Control Module recall, however the VIN for our car is not part of the original recall. We meet all of Ford's recall eligibility criteria: reported before June 30, 2025; vehicle is less than 10 years old; vehicle has fewer than 150,000 miles. By virtue of the symptoms, warning lights and meeting Ford's other criteria strongly suggest our VIN should be included in the recall.

Filed Sep 18, 2024 · Engine · RI

Vehicle was traveling on an interstate highway when the oil indicator lamp lit, and the car immediately lost power, putting it in danger of being rear-ended. I researched any recalls and found "Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V‑905", which only covers two different models, the Focus and the Eco Sport, with precisely the same EcoBoost 1.0 Liter engine. I recently sent it to an independent service station to perform that which the recall describes, as a recall notice did not happen, but the service foreman stated it cannot be successfully repaired, as the oiling system was completely compromised, causing catastrophic damage to the valves, cylinders, turbo system, and vacuum pump.

Filed Dec 7, 2023 · Transmission · WI

The vehicle is experiencing a common know issue with the TCM. After power loss, after having the battery replaced, the vehicle was having transmission issues. The Codes pulled from the car were P06B8 and P0606. These codes are well know with the Ford Fiesta for failure of the TCM. There is an extended warranty coverage for 2011-2015 Fiestas that should clearly extend to this year as well. It has the same transmission. Ford claims they corrected the issue with new parts. The part number on the cars PCM matches those of the extended warranty. The warranty is to extend to 100,000 miles or 10 years. The vehicle meets both those requirements. The vehicle was manufactured in the same facility in Mexico that the other faulty modules were installed. It was manufactured only a few months after the supposed change in part.

Filed Oct 20, 2023 · Engine · CA

At 90,000 miles the Engine Timing Crankshaft Sprocket (i.e Crankshaft Gear,Part #: BE8Z6306AD) holding the timing belt on the vehicle has failed. This resulted in the timing belt backing off the cam gears and coming in contact with and melting through the plastic timing belt cover. Luckily, there was an audible grinding noise coming from the engine that alerted us the problem before the timing belt became dislodged. On further review there are numerous cases on the internet of this situation occurring. Please see examples at: [XXX] , [XXX] , and [XXX] . The service interval for this component established by Ford is 150,000 miles. Therefore, these situations represent an early failure of this engine component and poses a safety risk to drivers if the belt comes off track or breaks during operation because the vehicle could immediately lose power. The attached image shows the timing belt melting through the plastic timing cover. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 3, 2021 · Fuel system · 70,000 miles · WI

When fuel is added to the vehicle, it will not start for 5-20 minutes after fuel is added and requires 3-5 attempts to start. Additionally, there have been times where once it starts and begins operating, it will lose power and shut off. This power loss has occurred multiple times after leaving the gas station parking loss, leading to being stalled while in motion on a roadway. This is a incredibly scary experience.

Filed Jan 28, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 64,336 miles · CA

When accelerating after stopping my 2016 fiesta se shudders quite hard moving from 1st to 2nd gear and then also from 2nd to 3rd. I've noticed that the length of time the car shudders is increasing. The shudder is accompanied by a loud rattling sound like if you shook a bunch of screws in a metal container. Sometimes loss of power and high RPM's occur. I will take it back in and this will be the 4th time. The ford dealership tells me that the shudder doesn't harm the transmission. I don 't believe that. Can't even sell the car (I tried) because this car's resale value is zero. Next I'm thinking of pursuing a lemon law resolution.

Filed Jul 27, 2019 · Acceleration, Transmission · 25,000 miles · NH · crash

Ford dealership "fixed" the transmission on 7-24-19 except it's not fixed. At a stop when pressing the gas the car won't move then suddenly launch forward randomly. It also still loses all engine power while driving down the road. These were the same symptoms as before the "fix". This issue has caused a minor accident as well. We got lightly rear ended when a light turned green, we started moving forward and at about 7-10mph we lost all power and the person behind us couldn't stop quick enough. Damage was minor, just some chipped paint but it could have been much worse.

Filed Jul 24, 2019 · Acceleration, Transmission · 25,000 miles · NH · crash

Since week 1 the car (when at a stop and in gear) if you pressed the accelerator at any level the car would do nothing then after roughly 3-6 seconds it would randomly launch forward. It would also seemingly go into neutral on the highway which LED to a complete loss of engine power. This also happens when on a normal road at any speed and is completely random and one time at a red light we began to accelerate then power suddenly cut out and we got rear ended lightly. I told peter's ford in nashua nh during our 1st 3 oil changes about the issue and was told implicitly that it was completely normal and I shouldn't worry about it as it will just go away on its own. Essentially I was brushed off despite 3 complaints that never LED to the dealer checking the car. These issues have been constant since we bought the car brand new in 2016.

Questions about the 2016 Ford Fiesta loss of power

Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2016 Ford Fiesta?

9 of 179 owner complaints about the 2016 Ford Fiesta (5%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2013.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Ford Fiesta?

There are 0 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2016 Ford Fiesta

Stalling 25Check engine light 15Hesitation 13Jerking 13Slipping 11Shudder 10Won't start 8Harsh shifting 5Transmission failure 5

All model years of the Ford Fiesta

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