The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the transmission downshifted to 1st gear without warning. The contact continued driving and while coming to a stop light the failure recurred. The contact attempted to accelerate when the light turned green, and the vehicle inadvertently shifted into neutral, and the contact nearly crashed into another vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle over at a gas station and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where the cable shifter bushing was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
2016 Ford Transit Connect transmission problems
13 complaints (13% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 84,000.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 13%
- typical mileage
- 84,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford Transit Connect transmission problems in other years
Related recalls
Power train: shift linkage/cable/rod
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
- Risk
- A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Recall number 22V413000 · Recall details
Power train: shift linkage/cable/rod
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
- Risk
- A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, causing the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the underhood shifter cable bushing, and add a protective cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S24.
Recall number 21V376000 · Recall details
What 2016 Ford Transit Connect owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Going down highway at 70 mph, no power all of a sudden. No warning. Made it to the side, stranded. Transmission needs to be replaced, 83000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Transit Connect. The contact stated that while attempting to operate the vehicle, the transmission failed to shift into either drive or reverse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced and the failure was remedied but eventually the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that after parking in the driveway, his wife exited the vehicle; moments later the vehicle rolled backward down the driveway. The contact stated that his wife was able to get back in the vehicle and depress the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling out into the street. During the failure, the front driver’s side door and driver’s side quarter panel were damaged. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 59,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 20V260000 (Visibility) and 21V376000 (Power Train) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The vehicle failed to shift into reverse causing the vehicle roll down hill when the driver expected to back up. The driver was able to stop the vehicle without incident. It turns out the shift cable broke that links the shifter to the transmission. We had it repaired (replaced) by a local shop. The vehicle is available for inspection if necessary, but has been repaired. We have had two of these break on two different vehicles of the same model and year. This happened on this vehicle at 127000 miles. There were no warning indicators illuminated before this incident occurred.
Vehicle failed to go into park when putting shift lever into the park position. Vehicle actually went into reverse instead even though the shift indicator showed the vehicle was in park. We could not shift the vehicle out of reverse. This was the result of a broken shift cable. This is the 2nd vehicle of the same model we have had this happen with. We will be reporting the other vehicle as well.
Shifter cable bushing failure. Car is stuck in gear, won't start because it says it is in drive.
I stopped at the foot of my long driveway as I arrived home. I put the car in park and applied the parking brake and exited the vehicle to get my mail. When I returned to my car it would not shift into drive. The shift lever had become disconnected, and the shift lever bushing was gone. I found part of the bushing in the engine compartment. When researching the problem, I found information on the safety recall 18s20, covering the ford fusion, with the same motor and transmission as the 2016 ford transit connect I own. I feel very fortunate I was in a safe location when the bushing failed. I don't understand why the safety recall 18s20 does not cover my 2016 ford transit connect. Picture of failed bushing attached.
Shifter cable broke. Vehicle stuck in reverse and would not go back in park. This is not the first time this has happened on our vans of this model. Also happened on the fusions, but they were finally recalled.
Questions about the 2016 Ford Transit Connect transmission
Does the 2016 Ford Transit Connect have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the transmission of the 2016 Ford Transit Connect, 13% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Transit Connect transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 84,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Ford Transit Connect transmission?
Yes, 2 recalls: 22V413000, 21V376000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Transit Connect have bad transmission?
The Ford Transit Connect model years with the most transmission complaints are 2019 (24 complaints), 2016 (13 complaints) and 2014 (12 complaints).
Other 2016 Ford Transit Connect problems
Visibility 22Brakes 17Body 14Electrical 14Engine 13Steering 8Acceleration 7Driver assistance 6Wheels 6Airbags 3Fuel system 3Locks 2Lights 1Seats 1
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