There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2016 Ford F-150in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Transmission is going down in gears at high speeds and a wrench is showing up
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while purchasing a warranty for the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 149,000 and at the time of purchasing the warranty, it was discovered that the mileage was 146,000.
My Ford F150 randomly won't start.It also randomly down shifts while driving.There have been times I've been driving 50mph and the transmission starts down shifting on its own.
2016 F150 5.0L 6 speed transmission. Lead Frame failure, Output Shaft Speed Sensor failure/lost communication with PCM. Truck had poor shifting, poor driving, eventually locked in 5th gear and went into limp mode. Only downshifted into 3rd When slowing to a stop. Continued limp mode. Dealer replaced lead frame after diagnosis of the failures.
While driving at approximately 55 mph the vehicle began to behave strangely. The "D" light for drive and the gear indicator began to flash. Then the transmission abruptly down shifted to 2nd gear from 5th then lost all power before returning to somewhat normal operation for a short period of time before happening again. The issue occurred multiple times in a 5 mile trip. If there was anyone close behind me it could have resulted in a crash, or it could result in myself losing control of the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a mechanic. There were no warning lamps or any messages prior to, during, or after the issue.
My truck has had multiple issues with randomly downshifting while on the freeway, i'm getting a code that leads back to the "Lead frame" wiring every now and then. The code comes and goes without having it cleared. I've had this issue before and have replaced it with the Ford Manufactured part. Its now doing it again but now more frequent not even a year and a half after replacement. I have been almost rear ended multiple times due to it locking up the rear tires and once it locked up the tire on ice and it caused me to slide into the median. There are multiple reports of this issue currently on many Ford Truck Forums. I am currently in the process of contacting Ford again as last time they said to just replace the wiring. My truck is equipped with the 6-speed transmission
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 106,000; and at the time of the registration, it was discovered that the mileage was over 300,000.
I was driving home and the truck started to shift very harshly and had died at a stoplight , I put it into park and restarted it and the engine light came on tried to put it into drive and it had jumped forward very rough as soon as I did, started driving again and then the truck shifted into 5th gear and would not shift out of 5th gear at all was very slowly leaving from stop signs and the high speed fans had turned on and ran the entire rest of the time. Causing very irratic shifting where at times it would down shift and skid the tires
Transmission downshifting and electrical issues
Vehicle is having ECM module errors and sensor issues just like other Ford models. It throws a code and then will not go above 5th gear or go below 3rd gear until vehicle is shut off and restarted. Once it restarts it is fine for a bit. It can go a few days in between malfunctions or can happen multiple times per day.
Vehicle: 2016 Ford F-150, 5.0L V8, 6R80 automatic transmission Mileage at time of failure: Approximately 118,000 miles Approximate date of occurrence: Late 2025 (Late October to Early November) While driving at speeds above approximately 40 mph, the transmission would randomly and unexpectedly downshift, causing a severe and sudden jerking motion accompanied by extremely high engine RPMs. After several seconds, the transmission would violently upshift back into the original gear. Most occurrences involved the transmission downshifting one or two gears; however, on multiple occasions it downshifted from 6th gear directly to 2nd gear while traveling at highway speeds. This caused the rear wheels to momentarily lock up, creating a dangerous loss of traction and loss of vehicle control. These events occurred frequently, including during short trips, and were not related to driver input, braking, or road conditions. During these incidents, the check engine light and wrench warning light would illuminate. Diagnostic trouble code P0720 (Output Shaft Speed Sensor Circuit) was consistently stored. This pointed to a failure within the transmission molded lead frame, which houses the output shaft speed sensor and related circuitry. Due to the severity of the symptoms and the known issues with the Ford 6R80 transmission molded lead frame, I replaced the molded lead frame myself. After replacement, the erratic downshifting, wheel lockup, warning lights, and fault codes were completely resolved. The vehicle has operated normally since the repair. Ford has a documented history of issues related to molded lead frame failures in 6R80 transmissions, including erratic shifting and loss of speed sensor data. This failure presented a significant safety risk, particularly at highway speeds, due to sudden and uncontrollable deceleration and momentary wheel lockup.
While driving the instrument cluster would flicker and then the truck would down shift gears. The first time it did, it dropped from 6th gear to 3rd gear at 70 mph, and the next time it dropped from 6th to 1st around 65 mph. It also occurred at lower rates of speed.
Rear view camera dows not function correctly, black screen, distorted screen, or no visibility. I indicated 9/1/2025 as the date but has been like this for longer
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 136,900. The contact later discovered that the mileage on the title was 189,000.
2016 F150 Lariat - Backup camera warning system is not working. Safety issue - When the vehicle transmission is placed in reverse the backup camera does not function. The touch screen in the cab displays a blue screen with the words "Please check surroundings for safety". The camera image displaying the rear area behind the vehicle should be displayed in the touch screen in the cab. This backup camera warning system malfunction has recently been reported and included in a large recall including 2017 vehicles but does not include the 2016 vehicles.
The truck suddenly gave all kinds of warning signals like horn honking, side lights flashing, auto door locking/unlocking, etc. I had to disable the horn for not bothering the neighbors. I drove to Ford dealership without horn but with the fear from the BCM signals. The dealer service spent 5 days and eventually found the problem. It is "water intrusion causing BCM malfunctioning". Further diagnosis is that water came from heater box/AC condensation. The truck is 8.5 years old and has only 50K miles. How could it happen? The service manager and all mechanics never saw this happened with a Ford F150. But after searching on internet and consulting ChatGPT, we were told this is a known issue for Ford F150 made in 2015 to 2017 although there is no recall for it. For technical details you may reach Parrish Ford at 2900 River Rd., Goochland, VA 23063. The service manager is Jason Evens. His phone # is 804-556-4444 ext 2145. Thanks.
While driving, the vehicle has been going into limp mode at varying speeds on the roadway or while pulling onto the road. The problem lies within the components of the electric throttle body. The system malfunctions and locks the throttle body closed, thus putting the truck into limp mode. Shutting the vehicle off, waiting, and restarting temporarily resolves this issue UNTIL the PCM detects a fault in the electrical components of the throttle body and sends the truck into limp mode. When this happens, it also triggers a warning message regarding hill start assist. This is an extreme safety issue as pulling onto the roadway or loosing power in traffic and not being able to pull off can lead to collisions especially around blind curves or in heavy traffic. There also isn’t always a location to safely pull off the roadway, potentially leaving the vehicle and its operator in the roadway, increasing the risk of collision and injury
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
Driving out of town for a trip and out of nowhere atSteering Assist Fail alert hill decent alert
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026