2016 Ford Focus: misfire or rough idle

Filed May 5, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · PA

Ford Motor issued two safety recalls regarding this, but has since closed them without providing a safe resolution for consumers. July 8 2019 Ford issued Ford Safety Recall program 19S22 (following 18S32) for stuck open canister purge valve (CPV). This can result in a failure to bleed the vacuum from the gas tank, and deforms the gas tank upon failure. This has been confirmed, reproduced, and recalled by Ford before, but continues to happen nationwide to Ford Focus ST owners as a small subset of their vehicles. A stuck open CPV can result in a number of codes. In my case, I got a P1450, Ford-Specific check engine light on the MIL. This can cause inability to start, along with rough idle and stalling while driving. Ford reports closing these safety recalls and provides no further support for the issue.

Filed Jan 25, 2025 · Engine · CA

My car is has engine hesitation and runs rough. I have a recall call letter and the Ford dealership Ken Grody Carlsbad, Ca refused to fix the recall because it is not giving the code but I’m having issues with it.

Filed Dec 4, 2024 · Engine · FL

Engine is misfiring, lack of power, stallign out, barely made it home could of been a really bad accident.now engine is still running terrible, throwing multiple codes and blowing white smoke which we all know is a head gasket issue.

Filed Nov 4, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · OH

I am experiencing two significant issues with my 2016 Ford Focus, both of which closely match known recall problems documented for this model and year. However, my vehicle’s VIN does not currently show an active recall, and Ford has not covered the repairs. Canister Purge Valve (Error Code P1450): The canister purge valve in my vehicle is malfunctioning, leading to rough idling, poor fuel economy, and difficulties starting the engine. This issue also triggered the check engine light. My research shows that similar problems were included in a Ford recall for the 2016 Ford Focus, where a defective purge valve could cause stalling and inaccurate fuel readings. Despite these similarities, my VIN is not covered under this recall. Transmission Control Module (TCM) Issues: My vehicle also has transmission performance problems linked to the Transmission Control Module (TCM), causing hard shifting, irregular transmission behavior, and occasional failure to engage properly. The TCM issues are well-documented among 2016 Ford Focus vehicles, some of which were included in recalls and extended warranty programs, but my vehicle is excluded from this coverage. Given that these issues directly impact the vehicle's drivability and safety, I am requesting an investigation into why vehicles with similar symptoms are not covered by these recalls. These issues pose potential safety risks, including sudden stalling and compromised transmission performance. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Filed Apr 3, 2024 · Engine · GA

On March 29 2024, vehicle had rough idle on start, problem remedied with restart. All fluids appeared to be within normal levels with coolant reservoir indicating just below half-full. On March 30 2024, vehicle idled rough on starting. Attempted restarts led to multiple stalls with failure to start after third attempt. Inspection of engine bay found coolant reservoir to be empty. Upon towing to dealership, service department denied the federal safety agency #23V905 as cause of failure, stating that the engine was showing coolant intrusion into cylinders and needed a full replacement at 57,771 miles. This is similar to the federal safety agency Complaint # 11570577. The engine showed no driver-visible warning indicators of imminent failure. This is a cause for concern as engine failure while driving will lead to loss of power steering and brake assist systems. These are safety critical systems and can cause an accident if rendered inoperable while in motion.

Filed Oct 14, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · NY

the car shut off doing 60mph it was very scary took it to mechanic it had 2 codes the check engine light was on they cleaned the throttle body it ran but was struggling and rough idling drove to work and it wanted to stall multiple times put it in neutral to get idle up at a light then it stalled at a light drove home very afraid that it would shut off again took to the same mechanic to explain what happened have appt for estimate to fix . i need this car for work and am very scared to drive it as is never know when it will shut off called the dealer that sold me the car and all they said was theres no recalls and bring it in. i had an extended warranty but they said i was over by 1000 miles so no warranty i wont drive it there its a long drive. driving for many years i have never felt unsafe in a vehicle before this is very dangerous and needs to be resolved asap . also still have a loan for this car that i cant drive along with the repair costs my wife called ford directly and they said theres no recall and werent helpful at all

Filed Jul 31, 2023 · Engine · WA

Random misfire and wondering if Head Gastker recall repair was done on this vehicle

Filed Feb 22, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

1st Started having issues with advancing, at idle stops,when engaging fuel, it will hesitate and run poorly. after a week, engine light started turning on, and stating that transmission, was running hot, and need it to stop and cool down. after the 2nd time, the vehicle runs rought, and grinding can be heard by shifting gear. An off duty Ford worker, checked vehicle with a computer and stated that the transmission clutch had gone out. checked the internet and stated that Ford Focus from 2012 to 2016 had a recall. yet I enter my vin number and nothing is said. I am currently paying my vehicle and can not drive it, have 3 children, and no money to repair. can you please help.

Filed Oct 15, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · MN

I was exiting Parking lot into busy intersection when vehicle suddenly hesitated and stalled completely. Was hard to restart and kept stalling after that. Very dangerous when traveling on busy streets when it stalls and steering wheel locks up. As I accelerate the car violently jerks and has hard time shifting and getting up to speed maybe a “slipping” feeling and engine is constantly misfiring and stalling. Idles very rough when stopped RPM jumps all over the place. No warning lights on dash whatsoever. Had this problem and took to ford about 2 years ago they said they fixed it but the problem still persists. I can see there are various recalls for this vehicle for the exact things that are happening to me. Huge safety concern. Seems to me it’s something to do with fuel tank and transmission.

Filed Nov 11, 2021 · GA

UNKNOWN, The car stalls and the engine misfires. The check engine light comes on after that. While driving, the car suddenly stalls without warning. This has happen on multiple occasions.

Filed Apr 20, 2020 · Fuel system, Transmission · 88,504 miles · NC

The purge canister valve had a safety recall last year, which the dealership stated they performed and marked the recall as completed. However, the part was never replaced, and is in fact defective. When filling the car with gas, it does not want to start and stalls out multiple times. When it does start, it runs rough for about ten minutes. The dealership is refusing to fix the issue without charging me, despite the fact they never replaced the part. They also refuse to repair the transmission shudder that is a known issue because it's no longer under warranty, even though they said that ford was covering that issue up to 100,000 miles.

Filed Jan 29, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 87,000 miles · IL

Earlier in january, I was driving down interstate 70 from kansas city to st. Louis at the rate of 77 MPH. All of a sudden the car dings and sends a message on the dash "engine failure" and the car literally shuts down. I had no control over the car, no lights, no brakes, nothing! Luckily I got to the shoulder of the road safely and finally came to a stop. I put the car in park and turned the key off. Still nothing... I waited about 5 minutes and then turned the car back on and thankfully it started. I drove it to the nearest place to have them run a diagnostic test and nothing came up. Finally got it home. It's not done this again, but now it runs rough. Like really rough. I've had the transmission clutch fixed once already. Luckily it was still under warranty. I will be contacting my local ford dealer about this issue. Was unaware it was under recall.