NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford F-150. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact called on behalf of a family member who owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of burning oil was present inside and outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the engine O-rings on three separate occasions however, the odor was still present. The contact stated that the the engine vacuum pump was also replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that no oil leaks were visible underneath the hood of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Was told the Steering Wheel Control Module needed replaced. Was driving and the blinkers stopped working, window washerfluid button doesn’t work, and anything pertaining to the hazard switch is not working. This is very dangerous to not have working blinkers and windshield wipers not working as they should. Was told that the part is on back order until December or January. Hopefully we will see it before that since it’s a primary vehicle and I don’t feel safe driving it with my children in the car.
Vehicle was parked, pressed brake pedal to start it and pedal went to floor. Found right front flex brake hose failed. Brake fluid spraying out just below the top fitting. Brake fluid low indicator came on while troubleshooting problem. OEM part not available from dealership replaced part with non-oem part.
It was raining and the rear window was fogging up, so I turned on the rear defrost. About 30 seconds go by and I smell a burning smell. Not sure what it was. I parked and was outside waiting on the bus to go into work and about 5-6 minute later the rear window shattered. It has a sliding window but the sliding portion didn’t shatter just the entire rest of the window.
Body scratches were repaired on the truck after minor scrapes done while parking vehicle. Passenger side door repaired scrapes and after repaired door would not open from either inside or outside. Repair place sent us to Ford dealer for repair of door latch, then Ford dealer told us it was not covered by recall. Amount charged was 189.99 and we still have problem with an estimate of around 700.00 for fixing the problem. We were told the latch problem was related to the aging of the latch. This truck is 2016.
While driving on a hilly and curvy 2 lane highway the engine lost all power. Warning lights came on such as a wrench and “see manual”, service advancetrac, hill assist not available. The car was steerable but stalled out in the traffic lane as there was no suitable shoulder to pull over. The car was idling a bit rough, but there was no throttle response. Turning the ignition off, the car then restarted and ran perfectly with no warning lights…til it did it again a few miles later. Restarted it, drove to a safe place. Put a code reader on it. P2112 (Throttle actuator stuck shut). Took to a Ford Dealer where for $714 they replaced the Electronic Throttle Body. Driven about 1000 miles and no further problems as of yet. I believe this is a serious safety issue due to the unpredictable nature of the car stalling, and risk of accident while in heavy traffic.There should be a better “limp mode”, than to shut off all throttle response to what is otherwise a perfectly working engine. This truck has low mileage, trouble free (til now) and we’ll maintained. Unfortunately I forgot to ask to see the removed ETB.
Wipers will not shutoff, continue to wipe at the slowest setting. This is occasionally intermittent and sometimes does not start to be an issue until the wipers are engaged once, then they will not shutoff.
Door will not latch while its cold Door will not stay closed when cold outside
Used the remote start and came out to the truck and got in to a cab full of smoke, shut the truck off and found a electrical fire in the rear defrost system
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that as he was stopping the vehicle in front of his garage and slowing to approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle was not stopping. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle crashed into the garage door causing the garage door to buckle. There was minor damage to the vehicle's front end. There were no injuries. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
The throttle body caused the vehicle to post a Hill start assist not available, service advance trac and service light to display on dashboard on two separate occasions. Each time the vehicle lost almost all forward propulsion. On one occasion it happened on 4 lane highway and almost resulted in a serious accident. The other time (first time) it caused me to block a lane of traffic on a busy 2 lane road. The vehicle was able to restart each time after a brief amount of time with no check engine of service light displayed. The fact that it restarted without any service indication prompted me to drive it again, which almost resulted in a serious accident. I took the vehicle to the dealer and he indicated it was a faulty throttle body. The throttle body problem does have a TSB issued (TSB 16-0139). How this is simply a TSB and not a safety recall does not make sense. This is a well known problem and well reported in different forums on the internet.
Transmission refused to down shift from 5th gear or go over 55 mph. Truck began to shutter and the powertrain wrench error code appeared on the dash. Truck also began to have a clanking sound. The truck jerked violently at 50 mph causing the safety of myself and 3 other passengers at risk. The Marshal Mize Ford dealer in Hixson, TN confirmed the transmission lead frame was faulty, just like the Ford recall for the 2011-2013 F150 truck.
I was on my way to work the truck started just fine ran just fine the day prior. I was leaving my neighborhood and my truck felt like it was stuck in 3rd or 4th gear. So i pulled to the side of the road after existing the neighborhood. Nearly causing an accident. Shut the truck off. And started the back back up and seemed like everything was fine. I started to head toward work again and the dash lights lit up and the truck started to down shift really hard. I easy the truck off the road and called my father. As i waited for him to get there to plug the truck up. Once he plug in his scanner i got the p0706, p0705 code. The truck would not start back up. I had a toad to Ford and they Advise me that it was the lead frame the simiconductor Needed to be replaced. I don't understand why Ford is putting Customer's lives at risk This has been an ongoing problem with these transmissions some customers have to pay for them some customers don't. I believe #FORD should be held responsible. I could have been seriously injured. But since corporate America Holds all the power and persuasion this complaint will go on notice
The brake fluid reservoir cap cracked for reasons unknown allowing debris and contaminants to enter my braking system. I noticed this while checking the engine air filter. I went to the dealership to purchase a new cap and the parts salesman inform me that this is a very common issue... I'm concerned that issues my arise in the future relating to this problem.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was an abnormal ticking and rattling noise detected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact who is an independent mechanic stated that the failure was due to the camshaft phasers. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
Having a horrible screeching sound and after being diagnosed its the exhaust manifolds warping on both sides by the turbos. Local shop is telling me this in a known issue and cannot figure out why Ford has not addressed this issue due to it being a emissions issue technically and they have replaced several for same issues.
The truck will die at alight or stop after been driven for about 25 mins.rpm’s also go down u set 500.
Lug nuts have swollen. Auto repair cannot remove wheels due to swollen lug nuts. Can't remove wheels to rotate tires.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle would shutoff while at a complete stop. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, causing the contact to depress the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal simultaneously to prevent the failure from occurring while at a complete stop. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part was not available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
I have a 2016 F-150 Platinum (VIN [XXX]) and live in West Palm Beach, FL where it rains almost every day. I have noticed over the last several months that I can't open or close (without slamming them) three of the doors. This is a safety issue and one that needs to be addressed ASAP. I have two little kids in car seats and I don't feel safe driving my truck with them in it as is. I have taken my truck in to two different Ford dealerships in the area and neither of them are able to fix the problem. There are two current notices (20M04 and 18N03) that I have received and Ford says it doesn’t apply because I live in Florida. I bought my truck in North Carolina and lived there for 2 years and it does freeze there so my truck should be covered under this. Again, with the way the doors are currently I feel that this is a major safety issue where in the event I need to get my kids out of the truck in an emergency I won’t be able to. This needs to be fixed quickly and thoroughly so this issue doesn’t happen again. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
It’s a known problem that the sunroof will stop working. It’s happened to me once when the truck was under warranty and it just happened again. My sunroof will not close all the way. This could be a safety issue especially here in Florida when it rains just about everyday. Again, it’s a known problem and constantly discussed on message boards.
Rear glass window spontaneously shattered. Sounded like a big boom. then smelled burning. Turned on rear defrost prior to driving.
On 4/9/2020 the F150 was taken to Crossroads Ford of Dunn-Benson because the vehicle would suddenly shut off while in motion, this included pulling out of traffic or truck would lose power and/or lose power while in motion leaving my husband having to manipulate the vehicle to get out of oncoming traffic. This would occur back to back and as many as 11 times before he would find a place to pull off safely. After the throttle body and gasket was replaced, the vehicle repeated the same actions on: 2/19/202, 8/31/202, and 9/12/2022. Each time the part was replaced. We ended up paying out of pocket for the 1st repair and last repair. This is very dangerous and it appears that the parts aren't the problem.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The low brake fluid and service brake warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder leaked into the brake booster and the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the part was defective. The contact stated that he was waiting on parts to complete the repair. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V332000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was aided with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford 150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently downshifted to a lower gear. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. While restarting the vehicle, the vehicle revved up to 3rd gear and downshifted to 1st gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist who retrieved DTC: P0722 and P0720 which were related to the wheel speed sensor however, the parts for the repair were on back order. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Both exhaust manifolds have broken manifold studs at 95,000 original miles. This has caused the manifolds to warp and potential leak exhaust into the passenger compartment. Both exhaust manifolds are leaking exhaust at the cylinder heads. The vehicle is currently at my mechanic. His estimate for the repair is $2,700.
I was driving on the highway when my door came open. Now the door will not close.
Engines for the f150 stall out at idle and while on the road. This could leads to a variety of safety problems and for has shown a unwillingness to address the issue and an inability to fix it. i have found 10s of thousands of people online who have similar issues and have ( like me ) taken it to for at their own expanse and gotten no solution. Without action from NHTSA ford will not fix it as they have millions of income from customers paying to fix to no avail. I myself have spend over 5k at the dealership and hour of my time to resolve and yet no repair works for longer then a few weeks at best.
I had brake line rupture behind front right wheel and it caused immediate brake failure due to loss of fluid rapidly. There was no indication prior to this failure. My front brake lines had to be removed and replaced to correct problem. I had recently had my brake pads and rotors replaced at 104,000 mile this past June. My dealer had done at this time a full inspection of braking system in June. Yesterday, my brake pedal went all the way to the floor and I had to use emergency brake to stop.
5.0 liter V8 engine has a stalling problem. Very randomly the engine will stall when I come to a stop. This has become a very concerning safety issue for me. I have taken it to my local Ford dealership and after 5 days of having the vehicle they cannot duplicate the issue. I have had the injectors cleaned, the plugs replaced and the dealer replaced the throttle body. None of these repairs that cost over $1500 made any change to the problem. Vehicle is currently at another mechanic and after 4 days he also cannot duplicate it yet has had the engine go into a very low idle and come close to stalling. This is not producing any engine code or check engine light or any incident on a in drive scanner. This issue is well documented on Ford F150 blog sites with no real solution to the problem.
Exhaust manifold failure on an F-150 with a 3.5L Ecoboost engine with only 65000 miles. Exhaust fumes enter the truck cab when the engine is running and the truck is stationary. One exhaust manifold was replaced under an emissions system warranty. The other is also leaking at about 70000 miles and Ford doesn’t think they need to replace it as a manufacturing design issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, she attempted to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle however, the brakes failed to engage. As a result, the contact's wife rear-ended another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The brake system warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that upon inspection, he noticed brake fluid was spilled on the ground. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. The consumer stated the brake hose had come off causing brake line failure and the cost of repairs was $1000.
I use only Ford dealers for maintenance. I just took my 2016 Ford F150 in for an oil change and a tire rotation. The work order states the lug nuts cannot be removed because they are swollen. This is a well known problem with Ford Lug nuts. I had to pay to have all the lug nuts replaced on another Ford I own. Several lawsuits have been filed against Ford, their legal team has beaten these. There are actions against Ford in 7 states. Why not order Ford to replace swollen lug nuts at their own expense. If a Ford gets a flat tire, the lug nuts cannot be removed with a Ford lug nut wrench or any standard lug nut wrench. How is this permitted to exist? Why doesn't Ford stop using these lug nuts and sell lug nuts that don't fail?
Lug nuts have swollen and were required to be broken off and replaced at the dealership. The cost fell to the customer.
Transmission slips into neutral and downshifts to first while driving sometimes. It also tends to kick when giving gas after stopping.
My sliding rear window shattered while having the rear defrost on for the second time in two years. This time my son was rear-facing in his car seat while it happened. There were no warnings. My ears hurt and I've had a headache since and hope my son isn't experiencing the same. This is an extreme safety issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving, the vehicle went into Limp Mode. The contact then stated that the brakes inadvertently engaged causing the vehicle to skid. The check engine and service maintenance warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and an unknown trouble code was retrieved. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to a dealer for maintenance, a mechanic discovered an oil leak coming from the timing belt cover. The contact had the vehicle serviced and the timing belt cover was replaced. The contact then stated that while stopped at a stop light, a blackish then greyish smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the same failure occurred for the second time. Despite the second repair, the failure returned for a third time. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally accelerated and decelerated independently while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the power train warning light had flashed on the screen; however, the light quickly disappeared. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the lead frame on the transmission was defective. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 119,067.
Had multiple leaks from both driver and passenger side exhaust manifolds cause by broken stud bolts. This resulted in loss of power and emissions.
Oil pan leaking
2016 F150 on interstate at speed a pop heard and all acceleration stopped suddenly and would not move forward. No warning lamps, no messages before this dangerous event. Had to unsafely cross 2 lanes of interstate traffic with no acceleration until unsafely stopped on shoulder. Horns blared, tires screeched for semis and interstate traffic to avoid striking me. On inspection and confirmation by Ford dealer service, rear differential found shattered metal inside with fracture causing truck to completely stop without warning. Severe safety failure and malfunction easily leading to death and destruction was the result while driving abruptly interrupted on interstate. Collision with loss of property and life was narrowly avoided and should not have happened in a less than 6yr old, 60K mile truck.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle drifted to the left. The contact stated it felt like it was windy. The contact turned the wheel to the right but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle swerved across two lanes of traffic however, the contact was able to stop the vehicle. The contact turned the Lane Departure Assist feature off and continued to drive; however, the failure persisted. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and after five minutes the vehicle worked as designed. The ABS and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the battery warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the purge valve; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 131,687.
Vehicle idles rough than stalls after being at speed when stopped. Present a drivable condition in dangerous situations,no warning and throws no codes according to Ford service dealers. This condition has been present for over a year. It’s my belief FMC knows about faulty VCT selinoids and cam phasers failure. They do have a TSB out on some of it. This condition does present a dangerous condition because there are no indications that the truck engine has died. FMC needs to recall vehicles with this condition and replace/ repair the faulty components at their cost.
The exhaust manifold system on my F-150 failed and the Ford Motor Company is making me pay for repairs that costed approximately $4,000.00. At the time of repairs my truck had around 78,000 miles and yet the Federal Emissions Warranty is supposed to cover my vehicle for 80,000 ,miles or less for components that could adversely effect the vehicle's emissions status while in the continental United States. I have been bringing my vehicle to Ford-Service for it's regularly scheduled maintenance intervals. I have been maintaining my vehicle in accordance with the Ford Vehicle's manual for 2016 F-150. Failure of the F-150 exhaust manifold system is common on Ford Vehicles with the 3.5L Eco Boost Engine. This is due to the metallic warping of the cast iron manifold system over time. To address this issue, Ford has issues a 2021 Special Service Message Sep 1 2021 2979 - 2015-2021 Transit - 3.5L EcoBoost - New Exhaust Manifold Part Numbers - Built On Or Before 01-Dec-2020. The proper repair and replacement parts calls for stainless steel parts that will not warp over time. Failure of the existing manifold parts on these engines could result in the unplanned loss of these critical emission components directly onto the road and into the path of other drivers while operating the vehicle. Ford should be issuing a recall in addition to it's already published Special Service Message for these components so that the safer components can be installed on all affected vehicles. If Ford does not feel any pressure from the NHTSA or any other federal agency in regards to vehicle safety, then it will take a series of tragic accidents involving emission component failures and personnel death/injuries to get the proper amount of attention to force a recall. This is my attempt to notify the NHTSA of a possible critical safety flaw in their 3.5L Ecoboost designs and to get Ford to issue a recall as soon as possible, before getting into extremis.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. Several unknown warning lights illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact stated that he attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. Additionally, the contact stated after the vehicle had been parked for a while, he was able to restart the vehicle but the failure recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was currently being towed to the dealer. The vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
Paint is chipping along both drip rails.
The front left brake line ruptured unexpectedly (no warning lamps leading up to the incident, no reduction in braking leading up to the issue; just sudden, unexpected loss of braking ability). Fortunately, this occurred while backing out of a parking spot; had this failure occurred moments earlier while driving on the highway, this could have been a much more dangerous situation. Following failure of the brake line, vehicle was towed to local dealership, who confirmed it was the brake line that failed "due to normal wear and tear", and that the master cylinder and other components were in good condition. The line was described by the mechanic to be "dried out and cracked from age" leading to a rupture. This vehicle was manufactured in 2016 with ~82,000 miles and has undergone routine maintenance as prescribed; so "normal wear and tear" does not seem so normal to me.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while reversing at approximately 3 MPH, the back over prevention camera became blurry. The contact stated that the camera had failed completely and he was no longer able see an image on the screen. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V082000 (Back Over Prevention) however, neither the VIN nor the make or model was included. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.