10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,553 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Ford F-150:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #57

Oct 082023

F-150

  • miles
I was driving at 75 mph on the freeway when suddenly I lost acceleration and the ability to accelerate. There was a message "Hill Descent Control". I did not have time to see if it said error or failure. Then "Check Manual". I was very lucky to get 3 lanes over to get off to the side of the road without being rear ended. I turned the vehicle off in order to regain my composure, then back on with no warning messages. I drove home slower.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #56

May 302023

F-150

  • miles
Driving up a hill on interstate 70MPH when an engine light with Hill Climb Assist disabled error came on. Accellerater shut down and had to coast to side of road. I shut vehicle off and started back up and was able to proceed till I got off highway and proceeded up another hill and same thing happened stalled and came to a stop. I found dozens of other F150 owners having the same problem stalling in the highway. All the posts indicate they had a bad "Throttle Body". Ford has had similar problems on other models but doesn't aknowledge this one.

- Lenexa, KS, USA

problem #55

Jan 212023

F-150

  • miles
I was cruising on the highway normal speed them out of nowhere, my engine lost power and then a hill decent fault warning popped up. I pulled over then when I came to a complete stop my truck was shaking like if it had a misfire. So then I turned it off then back on. It turned back on on the first try but it struggled. When it turned on everything went away like nothing happen. Warning lights and the shaking went away.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #54

Oct 082022

F-150

  • miles
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.

- Signal Mountain, TN, USA

problem #53

May 172022

F-150

  • miles
Downshifting while I was driving happened without warning. Besides the gear switch, I noticed problems with the speedometer, erratic gear shifting, and the transmission stuck in one gear. I could have caused a major accident by the vehicle as I was at moderately high speed in motion when the vehicle began to fail. I did also bang my head on the steering wheel when the truck began to decelerate on its own! Mechanics told me it was a problem with the OOS (Output Speed Shaft Sensor). I could have got in a major accident had I not had a quick reaction to the truck automatically downshifting while at a high rate of speed. There is currently NO recalls for the 2016 F-150 model however, I did research and found that there are issues recalls for this VERY same problem for older F-150 models. This is an incredibly dangerous problem. My truck at this time only has 66,000 miles. Not very many miles on it for a 2016 to have this type of issue. Major research needed to get this resolved asap! People-€™s lives are at stake with this truck!

- Corpus Christi , TX, USA

problem #52

May 152022

F-150

  • miles
I was driving vehicle to work. Going approximately 70 mph, the truck suddenly lost the ability to accelerate and starts running very rough, like it lost a cylinder. Then the collision warning comes on the dash and advanced trac icon and then the manual icon with the wrench that says check manual. I coast down the hill from the far left lane to the slow lane and take the first exit off the freeway and pull to the side of road. Shut the vehicle off, wait 30 seconds, try again starts right up and acts like no problem. Happened three times since. Same thing every time

- Petaluma, CA, USA

problem #51

Nov 082021

F-150

  • miles
during normal highway crusing, the transmission gear indicator started flashing and experienced loss of power, as if the car was in neutral causing me to decelerate. sometimes when the transmission "catches" again, it'll catch in a lower gear such as 2nd, which will cause rapid deceleration. Multiple times I've been worried about getting rear ended when this happens. This issue happens about 3 times per week. Dealership can't diagnose and I even have a video of this happening. Dealership states tranmission repairs are over 3 weeks out. Simply unnacceptable.

- Hoffman Estates, IL, USA

problem #50

Nov 162021

F-150

  • miles
I was following behind my sister driving the vehicle. While on the interstate behind a big rig in the fast lane, he was driving in the lane without passing anyone. I thought my sister was tired of following behind the rig and decided to pass him in the right lane. After watching her apply the brakes several times, she moved (to the next only and right) lane and the truck kept accelerating to high speeds 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 and then to 95 miles per hour, all along she is trying to apply the brake and it is not helping but you could see the taillights lighting up. Finally about a mile down the road she was able to get the truck back in control and pulled over into the median. We are all lucky the interstate was not congested at this area at this point of time, especially my sister.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #49

Jul 062021

F-150

  • miles
I have a critical safety issue with the 2016 F150 truck I bought from Cavalier Ford, Chesapeake VA. The issue is the 6R80 automatic transmission unexpectedly changes gears while driving. In my case the truck down shifted from high gear to low gear on the interstate while driving about 70 miles per hour. I was fortunate no other cars were near me. My truck almost came to a stop, no brake lights displayed. This occurred the week on Jul 6 2021. It has occurred multiple times since than as well. I had the battery checked, showed bad, and bought a new one Jul 9th. I also had the "Check Engine" light scanned at Autozone. It revealed codes P0706/707, ie Range Sensor inside the transmission. I called Cavalier for an appt (Aug 11th almost a month away!!!), informed it would be $140 for a diagnostic!! It was free at Autozone. I also had another free scan done at Logan's Auto repair on Jul 22nd, having codes P0702/705/706/707/1921, all pointing to the Range sensor in the tranny. I spoke with Cavalier representative Nicole on Jul 16th, no help, and also left Service Mgr. Cathy Hunt. a voicemail on Jul 23rd explaining my dilemma. She has not returned my call. My status now, I have a 2016 F150 Ford truck, I urgently need to work and daily errands, ie Grandkids. There was a recall on this issue on the 2011/12 F150s. How come not now, its a major safety issue, and I see a lot of these trucks around. I wanted to convey this to Ms Hunt. Summary...the motor in this truck blew up at approx 39000 miles, and Ford did replace it. Now, at 79000 miles the transmission is also gone out. Since my extended warranty of 75000 just expired, I need some assistance from either Cavalier or the Ford plant. I need a reliable truck for work and taking care of the grandkids. If no one has reached out to me my COB Jul 28th 2021, a safety complaint will be sent in to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...Thank you

- Virginia Beach , VA, USA

problem #48

May 282021

F-150

  • miles
Driving down Interstate 80 at 70mph and Track Assist error, then Hill Start Assist Unavailable Error, Wrench light (see manual), engine light. I depress the gas pedal and there is no response, the engine rpm does not increase. I have to pull off to the side of the interstate, towing a boat, luckily not in construction zone ahead with concrete barriers on both sides. Turn off and restart, the engine / rpm still do not respond. Turned off for 5 minutes while I make a call. Turn on again and rough idle but the engine responds and I am able to drive the remaining 15 miles to home. Exact thing happened again 4 days later on 2 lane, hilly, country highway without a shoulder. I stopped in the road, hazards on, turned off/on again, didn't respond to gas. Wait 5 minutes turned on again and was able to get to home.

- Oxford, IA, USA

problem #47

Aug 012020

F-150

  • miles
I went to the Ford dealership & they're the ones who told me about the recall on the vehicle after I had purchased it. They made up excuses as to why they couldn't fix the problem, according to them they didn't have parts to resolve the recall issue & to come back another day. Not to worry that my vehicle is fine. I've noticed my truck is malfunctioning when I try to slow down & starts shaking making it hard to break on time. I now put in the VIN number to their website so I can schedule a service & the website tells me there's not a recall on my vehicle. I uploaded a image of what it says so there's evidence of their negligence. Not only did they sell me a truck with mechanical issues guaranteeing me that the truck was in phenomenal conditions but now they're also refusing to fix it.

- Monticello, GA, USA

problem #46

Aug 232020

F-150

  • 30,000 miles
Intermittent failure of reverse gear to engage. On multiple occasions the reverse gear fails to engage after multiple attempts to shift into and out of gear. This appears to be an electronic control issue with the transmission shifting control as it eventually resolves itself after numerous attempts. The problem is both inconvenience and safety as backing up is often necessary to execute a normal turn around. An accident resulting in two insurance claims resulted from this defect; I was attempting to backup in my home driveway and there was delay in the reverse gear engagement; not fully comprehending what was going on, I pressed on the gas to proceed while reverse was not engaging. Then the truck suddenly engaged in reverse and I lurched backward hitting another vehicle before I could apply the brake. Total damages for both vehicles exceeded $15,000.

- Lansing, NC, USA

problem #45

Oct 242020

F-150

  • 89,200 miles
The steering on my 2016 Ford F-150 went out while driving almost making me crash I lost control of my truck the steering wheel was really hard for me to turn luckily I was able to make it home safe I have a hole bunch of light on my dash coming on say steering assist fault service steering

- Georgetown, FL, USA

problem #44

Sep 012020

F-150

  • 25,000 miles
I erratically simultaneously receive a warning that adaptive cruise control is inoperative & collision avoidance is inoperative. Both indicate sensor is blocked when it is clearly not the case. Also receive arbitrary collision warnings. Both occur with no other vehicles in the vicinity. The systems works fine most of the time but then the problem appears "out of nowhere". seems to be occurring in all Ford models with adaptive cruise/collision warning. May happen on the interstate or in town. There are hundreds of reports of this condition on the internet. Stopping, shutting down, and restarting will "fix" the problem for an hour or so or maybe even a few days until it occurs again. Again, the sensor is not blocked. I can't find a safety recall or technical service bulletin for this problem.

- Madison, AL, USA

problem #43

Jul 192020

F-150

  • 69,000 miles
Ford has a known issue with the master brake cylinder failing in these trucks. Mine has clearly failed due to this issue, and my entire family was nearly killed on the interstate as a result. I took the truck to the dealership and they agree that this is the same master brake cylinder issue that Ford has acknowledged as a known issue. But magically my truck is not included as part of the recall even though its a 2016 Ford F-150 3.5 ecoboost built in Kansas City. All the parameters for the recall seem to match my vehicle precisely but yet somehow it magically is not included in the recall. Ford refuses to take accountability for this major safety issue and now I am out $500 out of my own pocket because Ford refuses to step up and take care of this known safety hazard for me. Ford should be ashamed of themselves and with how many new complaints I see filed here weekly for this same issue the NHTSA should also step up and force Ford to expand the recall because clearly not all affected vehicles have been recalled at this point. I cannot say it enough, this is a major safety concern. Me and my entire family were nearly killed as a result of this issue. It is appalling to me that Ford and the nhsta have not done more to rectify this very dangerous and deadly problem. Next steps I see in the near future is a class action lawsuit against Ford for ignoring this well known issue. This should have never happened and Ford should take accountability for this problem but they are refusing because it isn't part of the "recall". shame on you Ford!

- Herriman, UT, USA

problem #42

Jul 292020

F-150

  • 59,000 miles
Related to tsb-16-0139. While driving: Hill start assist unavailable message; service advancetrac message. Wrench icon, traction icon, and check engine icon displayed. Truck went into limp mode. Rough idle, would not accelerate until turned off and back on. Dealership diagnosed to replace throttle bodies. Would not cover under extended warranty I believe there may have been a recall on some F150S, but it didn't include my month/year of manufacture, to the best of my knowledge.

- Warren, NJ, USA

problem #41

Feb 222020

F-150

  • 70,500 miles
Cruise control will not disengage. Driving down highway with cruise control on and when I put foot on brake to slow down, cruise control does not stop and accelerator begins to speed up. Pulled over and had to keep foot on brake as accelerator continued to increase while stopped. Turned off vehicle, did not disengage. Turned off engine again and stomped on gas, break petals. Finally cruise control disengaged.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #40

Feb 142020

F-150

  • 42,560 miles
My 2016 Ford F150 with engine block heater caught fire today 14 February 2020 at 11:12 am. It was moving and caught fire when I parked the truck

- Crestview, FL, USA

problem #39

Dec 172019

F-150

  • 5,000 miles
The truck was set on cruise control when I accelerated to pass a moving vehicle on a freeway. The truck would not stop accelerating when I removed my foot from the gas pedal; I had to break hard to control the speed. As soon as I removed my foot from the break, the car engine revved up again and quickly accelerated from 70 to 96 mph even though I was not touching the gas pedal. When I stopped the vehicle and put the truck in park, the engine continued to idle at a high speed. The diagnostic reader produced the error code "P068A - ECM/PCM power relay de-energized performance - too early". I took the truck to the dealership and they were able to reproduce the problem. To fix the issue, a new battery was installed.

- Azle, TX, USA

problem #38

Oct 212019

F-150

  • 56,791 miles
Attempting to accelerate, no power. Vehicle was on 2 lane highway with concrete barriers on both sides and no shoulder. I was going approx 70 mph. I had our toddler, new born and wife in then vehicle. Vehicle slowed faster than I have ever felt before. Cars and trailers slamming on brakes. I'm assuming this did not trigger my brake lights and it was almost dark. So incredibly dangerous not to mention scary. Dash warnings indicated no traction control, hill decent or ABS. Dealer is replacing the throttle body. This was a catastrophic and dangerous flaw.

- North Syracuse, NY, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »