2016 Ford F-150 complaints

Exhaust manifold bolts constantly warping & also causes fumes to get inside of cabin of vehicle.

I began noticing the illuminated instrument cluster indicating that I was in drive, flash from drive, to manual, and my truck began changing gears. Truck wouldn’t start after so I changed the battery. A few days later it was driving fine then the lights began to flash once again. My rear wheels seemed to lock up while I was driving about 50 mph, I believe it shifted into first gear and the truck jolted forward. I received a “wrench” icon that stated to “see manual”. Truck began driving fine once again. I contacted 4 local Ford dealerships and all claimed they have never heard of anything like this.

I took my 2016 Ford F-150 Lariat in for repairs. I was getting a dash light on Blind Spot Warning and Cross Traffic Warning. My service advisor called and told me I needed a battery junction box but that part was no longer available and that my truck will begin to break down. It only has 46,611 miles and otherwise in excellent condition. I can't believe Ford does not have access the this part to fix my truck. Any suggestions?

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.

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

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to rotate the tires, the service mechanic discovered that the lug nuts had swollen, and the wheel could not be immediately removed from the vehicle. The contact was advised that the lug nuts on all four wheels were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 68,000.

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.

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.

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.

The transmission had to be replaced. I knew something was wrong because the truck was lunging. I took it to the garage and the mechanic said not to worry because everything looked great. I was pulling down a tree and the transmission stopped working. I had to get the transmission replaced.

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 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 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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

2016 Ford F-150 XLT panoramic sunroof rails damaged not adhered to truck properly and water leaking into Vehicle. excessive water damage from faulty Sunroof. Danger of separation from roof and breaking and flying off.

Radio system

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.

Transmission will unexpectedly downshift on its own while driving at highway speeds causing significant RPM increase and wheel slowdown.

After vehicle warms up. There is a "shudder" in either the engine or the power train. It is random and makes the truck vibrate. RPM gauge also fluctuates.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle vibrated abnormally, and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that occasionally, while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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.

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)

Engine failure at 90,000 miles Services all done at ford dealership yet the engine still didn’t work somehow. Wheel bearing at 100,000 failing causing rattling of wheels

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was sputtering while attempting to accelerate, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed, and the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while driving at various speeds. In addition, the vehicle occasionally shut off while driving, with the "Transmission not in Park" message displayed on the instrument panel, while the gear shifter was in park(P). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the molded lead frame had caused the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from 6th gear to 1st gear, with the service vehicle's soon-to-be warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V444000 (POWER TRAIN) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

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).

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.

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.

Backup Camera has stopped work has a blue screen. Was told by Ford that it was a wiring harness that is having problems this is the 3rd time that i have had to replace it.

2016 Ford F-150 pickup has no backup camera or front camera. Resets have done nothing. Defective module, camera wiring or camera itself has to be defective. I heard the 2015 model Ford pickups have a recall associated with this problem.

The door latches on some of the f150s, including mine, freeze under certain weather conditions. This presents the latches from opening. This can trap an individual inside in an emergency situation, or prevent someone from opening the door external to remove or address babies and children, which is an issue I experienced. Ford is aware of the problem, but will not repair unless the issue is replicated in an unrealistic environment. This leaves many owners at risk of a dangerous situation should the issue occur in a non-controlled environment. The inverse issue can also occur, where the door latches does not close properly and can cause the door to open during driving, and this has also been experienced. There are no warnings of the problem ahead of time.

Transmission Lead Frame Failed.

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.

Truck randomly downshifted while going high speed, causing tires to lock up.

Transmission has torque converter shudder

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.

The transmission down shift at high speeds

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact used a handheld diagnostic machine and retrieved a code indicating a failure with the catalytic convertor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact became aware of an unknown recall repair for the powertrain control module software was reprogrammed. The contact had experienced the failure several times. The contact stated the failure reoccurred 30,000 miles after each software reprogramming. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Vehicle will down shift while traveling at hi way speed. It will almost make you skid.