2016 Ford Focus: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed May 26, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · PA

We bought this vehicle from Carvana in February 2023. Since very early on owning this vehicle, the engine hesitated and stuttered when trying to shift from first to second gear, and would lunge forward slightly. In December 2024, I received a letter from Ford Motor Company about a customer satisfaction program, Campaign 24N07. The letter addressed the symptoms my vehicle exhibited, including engine hesitation, engine running rough, and engine stalling at low speeds, though the check engine light was not on. The letter states that Ford Motor Company provides a one-time replacement of the canister purge valve, given these symptoms and the check engine light being on. When I called all the local Ford dealerships, they refused to do it because the check engine light was not on, and that Ford Motor Company issued this as a customer satisfaction program, rather than a safety recall.Everything that was listed in Campaign 24N07 is MOST DEFINITELY a safety issue, and should not be taken lightly. It is highly concerning that Ford Motor Company didn’t think to consider ENGINE ISSUES a safety recall. The class action lawsuit Vargas et al v. Ford Motor Company had a deadline of November 4, 2020, which was 2 years and 3 months prior to us buying the vehicle, so any vehicles of the affected years and models should have been either repaired, or not allowed to be sold unless the repairs were done by an authorized Ford dealership. This information was not told to us when we bought the vehicle.On May 25, 2026, while driving, the engine fault and steering assist fault warnings came on, as well as the check engine light. When we were able to safely park the car, we discovered the entire power train is non operational. The engine no longer turns over, and we are now having to buy a new car.

Filed Mar 5, 2024 · Engine · 73,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a stoplight, the light turned green, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the RPM revved up, the vehicle lunged forward but did not properly move forward. The general fault light was illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle fell under the guidelines of the recall and was not repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V9050000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test and stated that the vehicle failed the oil pressure test and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Jan 15, 2024 · Acceleration, Transmission · MI

This is my second time reporting this the first time I reported this the person I talked to on the phone inaccurately put what I said and didn’t put what I said. I was on my way back home from a little road trip and I had approached a stop sign and had come to a full stop. When It was safe I took off and my car stuttered and had loss of power and became jerky, started to buck and would have delay and sudden burst of acceleration and it felt like the transmission was slipping. And the message transmission fault service now and my check engine light came on. I proceeded to pull over and let my car sit for a bit and turned off and on my car and the warming message went away. When I started driving again my car continued to have the same issues as well as reving high and not speeding up then randomly shifting and suddenly accelerating

Filed Oct 26, 2023 · Transmission · PA · crash

The car shifted out gear and lunged forward causing the driver to lose control and the vehicle was damaged.

Filed May 24, 2023 · Transmission · 82,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that several minutes later the vehicle lunged forward. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic test and the contact was informed that Trouble Code: P07A5 (Friction element B stick on and Transmission fault) was retrieved. The contact was referred to the local dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed in house. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

Filed Jan 30, 2023 · Transmission · 103,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lunged forward. Additionally, while driving the vehicle lost motive power and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by Auto Zone with transmission control module failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

Filed Oct 6, 2022 · Engine · 50,000 miles · MA

The contact leased a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while driving, the vehicle intermittently lunged forward and hesitated. The contact then stated that while the brake pedal was depressed, the engine revved, the RPM’s increased and the wheels started to spin without the accelerator pedal being depressed. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that prior to the failure, a software update was performed on the vehicle. The contact inquired from the dealer if there were any recalls on the vehicle and was informed that they would be in contact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Apr 25, 2022 · Transmission · 33,000 miles · RI

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate while shifting gear and then lunge forward. The contact stated that the failure was ongoing. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

Filed Apr 4, 2022 · Acceleration · 76,000 miles · RI

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Filed Mar 23, 2022 · Transmission · 65,000 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while her daughter was either stopped at a traffic light or traffic sign and attempting to move off, the vehicle would inadvertently lunge forward. Additionally, the vehicle would shift with a loud thumping noise. The contact stated her daughter did not notice any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to a dealer but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Filed Aug 10, 2021 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the contact noticed that the transmission was not operating smoothly causing the vehicle to lunge forward while shifting gears. The service transmission now warning light was illuminated. The clutch eventually failed. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that the clutch and shift release forks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Jan 18, 2021 · Electrical, Transmission · 51,600 miles · NJ

My vehicle's make/model/year (2016 ford focus) has a reported recall for a serious safety hazard involving the powershift dual clutch transmission. Online, it states that model years 2012-2016 ford focus vehicles have this issue. This type of transmission is considered a manual transmission that is controlled electronically by a computer while using a dry clutch rather than a wet one, meaning oil is not supplied to the shifting mechanism and can result in increased wear and tear the longer the issue persists. When the computer module that operates the transmission can't handle rapid acceleration or speed shifting, the vehicle will sputter and make an audible noise. Other issues that can be caused are problems with downshifting, leaving the vehicle in a higher gear despite deceleration and cause it to "lurch". The main safety hazard this issue causes is when accelerating quickly into an intersection, the delay prevents the vehicle from reaching the same speed a vehicle should achieve with an automatic transmission. In terms of deceleration, the car's inability to correctly downshift caused the vehicle to lunge forward, despite the brakes being applied.