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.
My trunk model should been a part of the big recall for the transmissions throwing himself into different gears . It only allows me to upload pictures I have actual videos while I was driving a bit happeriod but it kept going from sixth gear and throwing itself into fourth gear Immediately numerous times and then whenever I would go faster cause I bumped it up 2 miles per hour going 77 miles per hour it dropped gears as I went up and speed
Several times while at highway speed and while towing, the transmission suddenly downshifted into a very low gear causing the rear wheels to lock up and skid. This happened randomly and also left me stranded for a bit at a stop light. The vehicle was towed to porter ford and they replaced the lead frame harness
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the subframe was severely rusted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a routine oil change and was determined that the subframe was severely rusted. The dealer was unable to be raise the vehicle up on the hydraulic lift. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,076.
Started [XXX] transmission jumping from 6 gear to first gear and rear tires to lock up. Carried to Rock Hill ford for repair and they had to replace the lead frame… same repairs make on same recalled transmission. The Tech at Ford said sorry and charged me $1443.29. Hope I can at least get some kind of response from you guys why that is possible. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Transmission downshifting unexpectedly 6 to 1 during hwy speed. Also unexpected hard down shifts. No codes or warnings before or after events. Started having issue June 12th 2025. Does it once or twice daily since it began. Started case with Ford Motor Company. Talked with mechanic and tells me the 6spd transmission in ford have that issue. Mine doesn’t seem to be on recall list. Needs to be fixed, drive grand children around in this vehicle and is my daily driver for work. Thanks for all your help in the matter.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while undergoing a routine inspection at an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that the vehicle failed the inspection due to a rusted subframe. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
I went for an oil change, tire rotation, etc at the dealer on 6/9/25 and was told that my frame had rust damage/holes and would not pass inspection this coming December. Went to Ziebart on 6/11/25 and they confirmed multiple hole/rust damage on frame which needed repair. They were perplexed as no problem was seen at my last yearly check of the rust protection in July of 2024. Also, no mention of a potential problem was found at my last vehicle inspection in December of 2024. How does this kind of damage occur in 6 months? I'm reading on-line that this is an issue with Ford F-150s, but no recall?
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, causing the vehicle to dramatically decelerate. The contact then pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The “Service Transmission” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the powertrain control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 145,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her son was driving 55 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that her son pulled over to the side of the road. The contact's son turned off the vehicle and waited for a short while before restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred a short distance afterwards. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and it was determined that the lead frame had failed. The contact was informed that the internal transmission needed to be repaired or replaced. The lead frame was replaced, and the vehicle was reprogrammed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed highway speeds, the vehicle stalled after the transmission shifted to the sixth gear. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed; however, the failure recurred while accelerating and shifting to the sixth gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 79,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, while accelerating the vehicle jolted forward. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with an output shaft speed sensor fault related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 17E01 and 24E03; however, the VIN was not included. The contact stated that several local dealers were contacted however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 215,000.
The passenger occupancy sensor is not working correctly, giving an airbag indicator on the dashboard. It is not recognizing when a person is in the seat. This causes a huge safety risk if airbags don’t deploy in a collision.
When you turn ignition off, pull key out of ignition and open driver door. The doors unlock but the tailgate will not. It won't even make the sound of it unlocking or locking. Its stuck shut, handle won't do anything.
Radio system
Transmission will slip upon accelerating and down shift without shifting. Causes the truck to pause until it shifts back into gear. This has happened multiple times.
Just pick up son from day care on afternoon of [XXX]. We were heading out of pea ridge and it was raining that day so speed was approximately 52-55 mph when all the light for the traction system starting flashing followed by a metal squealing sound. pulled over and noticed the brake was hot. so limped it home at 25 mph and scheduled it to be in the shop. come to find out the rear axle had broke inside the housing, caliper had locked up. had that axle broke off and slid out of the housing most likely would of been fatal to my [XXX] in his car seat and my self. there was no warning light or anything before it happened, and it happened all withing about 35 seconds to 1 minute. truck was in accident 2 year priors and side swiped on left side, but Geico claims that since it passed the alignment test that it wasnt related. attached is pictures of the axle it self, and the copy of invoice from the mechanic shop INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Throttle body failure lead to loss of power right as I pulled out into traffic. Serious safety issue. No light appeared on the dash after turning truck off and back on and the same thing happened again.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon opening the front passenger's side door, the contact noticed that water had leaked into the interior of the door panel through the rubber seal. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
Transmission will unexpectedly downshift on its own while driving at highway speeds causing significant RPM increase and wheel slowdown.
Truck Shifts from 6th gear to 1st gear at freeway speeds. This only takes place for a matter of seconds and then shift back to 6th gear. During down shift all throttle response is gone and then regains throttle as if it was resetting. My fear is its going to happen and lock up the truck causing a major accident. I recently had the trucks transmission serviced (Fluid, filter and flushed) thinking old fluid may be causing the issue. But sadly the problem is still there with nothing looking broke or out of place according to FORD. Then today i find my trucks year is apart of a Investigation opened into nearly 1.3 million Ford F-150 trucks over unexpected gear shifts [XXX] . This is a major safe concern not to mention very expensive repair,. Looks like ford is back to old ways, this similar Problem was in the 2012-14 model I believe and eventually ford recalled the vehicles. Now i ask what about the rest of us???? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
After passing a car on a two lane highway 120 miles from home a wrench light came on and the transmission got stuck in 5th gear. We pulled over, stopped the truck and then it got stuck in 3rd gear and then the check engine light came on. The truck then proceeded to on into limp mode. At that point with the transmission clunking we and the truck shutting down we didn't feel safe driving the vehicle to our weekend destination nor did we feel safe driving it home as we had no idea if the transmission would completely fail. These were two lanes roads with not much shoulder and steep cliffs along the road in many areas and it was very unpopulated so any number of things could have happened to put us at risk. We had the truck towed 120 mileshome and taken to the nearest Ford Dealership, which was Larry H Miller Ford in Mesa, Arizona. The wrench and check engine light did go off but the service center was able to find the codes when they checked and it was determined to be lead frame failure. They removed and replaced the lead frame. There was no warning or codes prior to this happening - only on the day it happened.
Transmission lead frame failed.
When you put vehicle in reverse the back up camera has a blank screen
Driving on freeway at 70mph and suddenly the truck shifted to a lower gear causing my RPM's to shoot to over 6,000rpm. I was able to get to the shoulder and turn off vehicle. I waited about 10 minutes and restarted the truck. When it happened the wrench light came on and then went away before I got to the shoulder. I checked for stored codes and it was showing PO720 Out put speed sensor (lead frame in transmission).
Truck suddenly downshift into 5th gear and bucked for second starting out to get up to 60 mph Wrench light comes on transmission at 60 mph. holding back due to communications from the output sensor and the PCM. Took it to a ford dealer and had transmission flushed it was diagnosed with code PO722. Dealer said earlier years of these type of transmission on F150 had same problems.
While at idle with a hot engine, the vehicle will intermittently shudder and stall. Once a check engine light appeared with the vault being cam shaft sensor. The check engine light has not reappeared to assist a mechanic as to the specific fault. The engine still has an idle issue which seems to be common with this engine and model year according to auto forums I have visited.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping. There was an unknown recording alerting the contact of the issue. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed there was no recall coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that while the mechanic was driving the vehicle, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the turbo charger and the transmission. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. The VIN was not available.
The Transmission Started suddenly, downshifting from high gear to a lower gear at speed, non-sequential and unexpected. I.e., not regular accelerations shifting from 6th to 5th, but a hard, sudden, unexpected shift from 5th to 1st. causing jerking and high rpms. Subsequently, it has not downshifted and has remained stuck in a higher gear at a complete stop, like at a traffic light in 5th or 6th gear, increasing the risk of being unable to accelerate from a stop if needed.
On 4 separate occasions approaching stops/stoplights the engine shuddered and died leaving me without power steering or power brakes. Three additional occasions while taking off from stops the engine did the same thing and dies suddenly causing the vehicles behind me to rear end one another. The electrical system has malfunctioned while driving, leaving me without blinkers, headlights or dash lights. The dealer as well as ford are aware of the problem and have issued reports regarding the faulty engines. This truck has been in the dealership multiple times without remedy from ford. There is no warning prior to the engine shuddering and cutting off. These issues have been reported since the first month of ownership. We purchased this vehicle new.
Transmission issue. Driving in 3rd or 4th gear at about 40 MPH when vehicle dropped down into 1st gear. Additionally, Multiple occasions of 1st and 2nd gear not being available while vehicle is at full stop, only 3rd gear and higher.
Sudden and without any warning, complete catastrophic brake failure while stopped attempting to pay at the pay station to exit a parking garage. My truck was fully stopped, in drive with my foot on the footbrake pedal, and started moving forward and suddenly lurched thru the parking exit gate and damaging it and the front end of my truck. Fortunately, no one was crossing on the sidewalk in front my truck or they would have been injured or worse, or we would have T-boned by oncoming traffic on the street. There was brake fluid in several areas where I parked the vehicle on the street after moving from the parking garage. There was a "low brake fluid warning light" after having the truck towed to Haley Ford in Chester, VA. There were warnings prior to the accident. The truck had had a "The Works" service done at Haley Ford the week prior. Haley Ford claims the front brake lines were leaking and need to be replaced after their "diagnostic" inspection.
Truck randomly downshifted while going high speed, causing tires to lock up.
Seems like it doesn’t know what gear to be in. At a stop it’s in high gear then slams into low gear then check engine light
My truck while driving will downshift into 1st gear. There are no warnings before hand. This puts me and other drivers in harms way. This has happened 4-5 times previously and then it has happened 2 this past week. When it happens my truck just stops and because my foot is on the gas the engine will rev until I put my foot on the brake. I have been very fortunate that no one has rear ended me. I do have an appt with my Ford Dealership for this coming Tuesday. At this point I’m afraid to drive it until this matter has been taken care of. I have read where there was a recall on the 2014 F150 for the same thing. I’m not sure what else you need from me at this time. Also it usually happens when I driving between 40-50mph, but this last time I was going 35mph.
Rear camera image becomes distorted or inoperable during reversing. Discovered recent a recall covers many similar vehicles however not my specific vehicle despite having the same issue.
Driving through thunderstorms the rear sliding window popped out from the bracket. The top bracket came loose allowing the window to pop out. This top bracket was fastened with 4 strips of 2 sided tape. Had to pull over and tape the window & bracket.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while exiting a highway at an undisclosed speed, the transmission downshifted hard, and the vehicle jolted forward. The contact stated that simultaneously, the power train warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the molded lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 114,476.
Transmission Lead Frame Failed.
Vehicle will down shift while traveling at hi way speed. It will almost make you skid.
I Was Highway Driving this afternoon so speed was about 65mph with Cruise Control On, and suddenly the truck downshifted through the gears like it went into low gear and almost lost control of the Vehicle but was able to safely pull over to the side of the road. Warning light came on as this happened that looked like a wrench(never seen before). Talked to my mechanic right away and confirmed the code that triggered the “Wrench”icon and showed 'bad lead frame in the transmission’… I have never had such an experience with a vehicle ( other then that something severely breakdown because of broken part or flat) to cause such an unsafe situation and thus reason for making this my first ever Report to the NHTSA. So hopefully gets documented and seen by the proper authority’s to remedy this before someone could easily have lost control and been severely injured. After doing just a little checking on this it appears that Ford has had several issue like this with recall’s to earlier year models :-( …. thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while at a red light the vehicle failed to move forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a transmission repair facility where it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
Was driving down highway going about 60/65 mph. Then the transmission shifted from 6th gear to 1st gear very rapidly. Was able to pull over to side of road and truck repeatedly jerked while shifting back into 3rd then back to 6th. Truck drove normally for a while afterward and then it happened again when driving roughly 40 mph. This seems like a major safety issue considering downshifting 5 gears suddenly reduces speed quickly and can cause an accident or loss of control. It seems something with the transmission is the issue. It is available for inspection if requested. There’s been issues with the gears shifting incorrectly and when taken to ford they just say they don’t know what I’m talking about and give the truck back but it’s pretty obvious when driving that there’s a transmission issue. However this is the first instance where it shifted significantly when driving at a high speed. The check engine and wrench lights popped on when the incident occurred as well.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the power steering assist became inoperable. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance and transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 225,000.
Driving out of town for a trip and out of nowhere atSteering Assist Fail alert hill decent alert
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle failed to start. The contact’s husband went underneath the vehicle to maneuver the gear shifter cable and the vehicle was able to start. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and started to decelerate. The contact coasted to the side of the road where the vehicle was turned off. After waiting and after several attempts the vehicle was restarted, and the contact continued driving. The failure had occurred several times intermittently. The contact stated that the gear indicator lights on the instrument panel failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer transferred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
We noticed that the f-150 would down shift and jerk the whole vehicle and the RPM would spike. It would throw you forward when it occurred. We brought it to Hall Ford October 23, 2024. Left it for three days and Hall Ford could not duplicate the issue. We have experienced the issue multiple times and we want to document this issue. It is dangerous. We noticed that NHTSA Investigating 1.3 Million Ford F-150s For Unexpected Downshifts. That is when the light went off that this was exactly what we were experiencing. Please help us get this fixed at the Hall Ford or any Ford dealership near us. 04/16/2025 The contact stated that since the complaint has been submitted the failure has been more frequently. When the contact depressed on the accelerator pedal the vehicle locked up.
While trying to backup my rear view screen camera is black and flashing on and off so fast that I can’t gauge how close or far I am away from an object. Everything works ( radio, GPS, source and other things) with in the screen it self. But the problem is threatening to my safety. I ve tried to reset it by the recommendation of Ford but to no avail.
To whom it may concern. The vehicle down shifts from a much higher gear to a lower gear which causes a violent slow down and high revs of the engine. This is happening much more frequently and is dangerous because of the rapid deceleration. The reason I think it is downshifting is the RPM's spike and the gear selector flashes when the episode happens. My VIN Number is [XXX] . I have taken the vehicle in a few times to my local Ford Dealer. Hall Ford Elizabeth City NC. They tell me there is nothing more they can do until Ford gives them direction. I had another service appointment today and I pushed Hall Ford Elizabeth City NC to do another inspection and they did see a code which they say they reset but did not know if it was what caused our issue. The code P1921 (Range Sensor) which if defective some sources say it could cause the transmission to have issues understanding what gear to go to. I need some help Please let me know what I can do, short of parking it, or driving it and have it have a serious episode. -- INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rearview camera intermittently displayed a distorted or blank image while the transmission was shifted into reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026