2016 Ford Focus Speed Control & Cruise Problems

2016 Ford Focus, VIN: [XXX] Power Train: Automatic Transmission: Control Module (TCM) This complaint details a recurring and severe safety defect in our 2016 Ford Focus. The vehicle's Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed twice, resulting in sudden, complete loss of power and dangerous stalling incidents at highway speeds. In January 2023, at approximately 8,000 miles, the vehicle suddenly lost all propulsion while traveling on a highway. We were forced to execute a dangerous emergency maneuver across lanes of traffic to reach the shoulder. A Ford dealership diagnosed a failed TCM which had, in turn, caused the clutch to burn out. In July 2025, after only 7,000 additional miles (total vehicle mileage ~15,000), the identical, catastrophic failure occurred again. The vehicle once more stalled without warning on a major highway, creating another life-threatening situation. The diagnostic codes confirmed the same TCM and clutch failure, proving the issue is a persistent, underlying defect and not a random occurrence. This failure is entirely consistent with the widely-documented defect in Ford's Powershift (DPS6) transmission. This problem has been the subject of multiple national class-action lawsuits and is detailed in thousands of other consumer complaints filed. The repeated failure in our low-mileage vehicle underscores that this is a predictable and systemic design flaw that makes the vehicle inherently unsafe. We attempted to address this critical safety failure directly with Ford Motor Company. Our concerns were met with dismissal, and despite being issued a case number, Ford has failed to respond to our calls registered letter. This vehicle is unsafe to operate. We are filing this complaint to implore the NHTSA to launch a formal investigation into this defect. The repeated, sudden loss of power presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death to occupants and other motorists. We believe a mandatory recall is urgently required. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I tried taking out the car and It completely stalled and went into neutral when driving . Ford has a recall for ford focus 2014-2016 but apparently mines not one.

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

My car idles up high often and the car will speed up on it's own. When at a complete stop it struggles to stay on. Sometimes it will cut off. It has shut off while driving as well. It jerks when taking off from a complete stop. After putting gas in the car it will not start immediately. I have to pump the gas pedal for a few seconds. It eventually starts. At Autozone I had a code test ran on it and it suggested EVAP system needed replacing. So, I took it to have it fixed. Precision Tune ran an additional test on my car, but there were no errors. They even checked for any recalls or repair issues posted online, but my car was not listed. They suggested I call the manufacturer. It still does it. I can also hear a scrubbing sound while backing up, but my brake pads are good. The brake light continues to pop on saying I need brake fluid. I had that checked and I do not need brake fluid. The engine light stays on. I get my car tuned on a regular basis. I've only had it for a soon to be year in June 2021. Also, there are times when the gas fumes are strong inside of the car while driving. I want to go on trips but i'm afraid it will shut off in the middle of the interstate.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD FOCUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND REPROGRAMMED. ROBERT HORNE FORD (3400 S TOMAHAWK RD, APACHE JUNCTION, AZ 85119, (480) 508-8831) DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND WAS CURRENTLY REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND SUGGESTED THE CONTACT CALL NHTSA. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DISCLOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

CANISTER PURGE VALVE, ENGINE STALL RECALL. I HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS ISSUE SINCE I RECIEVED THE CAR FEBUARY 2017. THE ISSUES WAS WHEN I WOULD STEP ON THE GAS TO DRIVE, IT WOULD STALL SLOWLY THE SPEED FROM ITS ORIGINAL SPEED AND CAN FEEL A PULL AND PUSH FROM THE CAR TRYING TO SPEED UP EVEN WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL; THE CAR MOVES SLOW, ITS LIKE ITS TRYING TO GO UP A HILL WITH EFFORT BUT TIRELESS WHEN ITS NOT EVEN GOING UP A HILL. ITS MAKES A LOUD CLANK NOISE WHEN IT TRIES TO SPEED UP. IT DOESNT FEEL SMOOTH WHEN DRIVING. I HAD CALL THE MANUFACTURER FORD SINCE JANUARY 2019. THEY ASK FOR MY DATE OF BIRTH TO SUPPOSELY LOOK FOR ME IN THE SYSTEM AND MAKE ME WAIT FOR 12 MINUTES, THEN THEY HANG UP THE CALL. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT FORD JANUARY 2019, THEY CANCELED IT THE DAY BEFORE. I RECALLED FORD JULY 2019, THEY HANG UP ON ME AGAIN.

I BOUGHT A USED 2016 FORD FOCUS 4DR SE AT AUTOCITY EL CAJON ON MAY 21, 2018 WITH ODO: 45,141 AND WAS UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY UPON PURCHASE FOR THE PRICE OF $15,164.23. OCTOBER 29, 2018- I RECEIVED A MASS EMAIL REMINDER FROM AUTO CITY TO CHECK IF THERE ARE ANY KNOWN RECALLS UNDER MY CAR. DECEMBER 2018- I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM FORD VIA SNAIL MAIL AND CALLED A FORD DEALER TO SUBMIT A TICKET. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO FIX THE RECALL AND WILL BE NOTIFIED ONCE AVAILABLE. NO RESPONSE BACK REGARDING THE ISSUE TILL THIS DAY. SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 18S32/ NHTSA RECALL 18V-735 *I WAS ADVISED AND COMPLIED WITH ALWAYS LEAVING MY FUEL LEVEL TO 1/2 TANK OF GAS UNTIL THE RECALL GETS RESOLVED. AUGUST 2019- RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE VIA SNAIL MAIL. SAME ISSUE. SAME PROCEDURES: CALLED FORD DEALER, LEFT A TICKET/REQUEST, NO RESOLUTION. AUGUST 10, 2019-WENT TO GET OIL CHANGE AND ALIGNMENT. STARTED TO NOTICE JERKING WHILE DRIVING, ACCELERATION ISSUE, CAR START TROUBLES AND ENGINE LIGHT TURNING ON/OFF. DECEMBER 2019-GOT AN INITIAL CHECK FROM NORTH PARK AUTO REPAIR DUE TO ENGINE LIGHT ON. DTC DESCRIPTION: P219A- AIR/FUEL RATIO IMBALANCE -I WAS REFERRED TO AUTOCITY TO GET IT FIX UNDER WARRANTY DECEMBER 9, 2019- I REACHED OUT TO AUTOCITY VIA EMAIL AND TELLING THEM MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN USING MY CAR FOR 2 WEEKS. DECEMBER 19, 2019- I GOT AN APPOINTMENT WITH AUTOCITY AND GOT A RESOLUTION UNDER THEIR WARRANTY: PORTFOLIO SERVICE WARRANTY WHICH LEFT ME TO PAY $100 COPAY. RECEIPT SHOWS THE FAULT CODE: P1294 THE ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE WAS FIXED , HOWEVER, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING JERKING, ACCELERATION LAG AND TROUBLE STARTING WHILE USING THE CAR TILL THIS DAY.

WHEN IT'S DRIVING UP A HILL IT'S MAKES A SOUND WHERE AS THE SPEED STAYS THE SAME AND DO WANT INCREASE. I BELIEVE IT'S THE CLUTCH IS SCRAPING WHEN IT RUNS. WHEN DRIVING SAME LEVEL DOES THE SAME BUT SOMETIMES UNEXPECTED.

TRANSMISSION FAILURE LOSS OF COMPLETE POWER JERKING SHAKING COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF POWER WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY. DANGEROUS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FORD FOCUS. AFTER DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000.

WHEN GOING FROM 1ST GEAR TO 2ND GEAR THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION STRUGGLES TO CHANGE GEAR. LEAVING YOU WITH A DELAY TO ACCELERATE WHICH CAN CAUSE INJURY & SOMEWHAT OF A STALL OUT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN INTO TRAFFIC. IT SOUNDS AS IF THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IS GOING TO DROP OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT FEELS AS IF SOMEONE IS PLAYING TUG OF WAR & CAN'T HOLD ONTO THE ROPE WHEN IT IS SHIFTING GEARS; SO IT FEELS LIKE IT WILL FALL OUT OF OR NOT CHANGE GEARS. I WAS TOLD THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO BY THE SELLER AT DAVID IRWIN FORD IN TYLER, TX.

EAST-BOUND ON FREEWAY TRAVELING APPROX 65 MPH. ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE CRUISE CONTROL SPONTANEOUSLY TURNED ON BY ITSELF. ON THOSE OCCASIONS I TOUCHED THE BRAKES AND THE ISSUE STOPPED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I EXITED THE FREEWAY FOR A 2 LANE HIGHWAY . DID NOT EXPERIENCE FURTHER CRUISE ISSUES ON 2 LANE HIGHWAY

I BOUGHT MY NEW CAR FORD FOCUS 2016 THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED COMPLETELY AND THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE I DID NOT HIT THE GAS PEDAL, BUT THE CAR STARTED GOING BACK AND FORTH, THE CAR MOVED FORWARD ABOUT 10 FEET AND I CAUSED A CRASH. MILES 9,498 THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND NOTHING WRONG WAS FOUND.