Recalls apply to specific production ranges. To see whether a particular car still has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Repairs for safety recalls are free at authorised dealers.
2016 Ford Focus recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: storage, evaporative emissions, canister
NHTSA campaign 26V369000 · reported June 9, 2026 · Ford Motor Company · 257,868 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18V735. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
- The risk
- An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 29, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S40. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Power train: manual transmission
NHTSA campaign 26V376000 · reported June 9, 2026 · Ford Motor Company · 5,252 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Focus and 2013-2016 Fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18V169 and 18V845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- The risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect Focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were October 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S43. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6,2026.
Equipment: electrical, engine block heater
NHTSA campaign 26V011000 · reported January 15, 2026 · Ford Motor Company · 116,672 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
- The risk
- An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Equipment: electrical, engine block heater
NHTSA campaign 26V012000 · reported January 15, 2026 · Ford Motor Company · 2,403 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
- The risk
- An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.
Engine and engine cooling: engine, oil/lubrication, pump
NHTSA campaign 23V905000 · reported December 22, 2023 · Ford Motor Company · 139,730 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.
- The risk
- A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.
Power train: manual transmission
NHTSA campaign 18V845000 · reported November 28, 2018 · Ford Motor Company · 2,828 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- The risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 17, 2019. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-169.
Fuel system, gasoline: storage, evaporative emissions, canister · Fuel system, gasoline: storage
NHTSA campaign 18V735000 · reported October 22, 2018 · Ford Motor Company · 1,282,596 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
- The risk
- The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the CPV as needed. If the CPV is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began August 19, 2019. Owners may contact Ford Customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S32. Note: Until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.
Power train: manual transmission
NHTSA campaign 18V169000 · reported March 12, 2018 · Ford Motor Company · 5,361 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Fusion vehicles equipped with a 1.6L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission and 2015-2016 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L GTDI engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Also included are four 2017 Ford Focus vehicles that had clutch replacements with potentially affected parts. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
- The risk
- A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Focus vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. Owners of Fusion vehicles will have their clutch assembly replaced free of charge. The recall began August 3, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S07.
Structure: body
NHTSA campaign 17V052000 · reported January 24, 2017 · Ford Motor Company · 17 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 Focus and C-Max vehicles. The floor pan may have improperly welded left-hand apron joints.
- The risk
- Improperly welded apron joints may reduce the front-end structural integrity of the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the apron joints, repairing the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S03.
Latches/locks/linkages: hatchback/liftgate, lock · Structure: body, hatchback/liftgate
NHTSA campaign 16V698000 · reported September 28, 2016 · Ford Motor Company · 64,038 vehicles potentially affected
- The problem
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Ford Focus hatchback vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to August 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
- The risk
- With only a single press needed, the driver may accidently unlatch the hatchback, increasing the risk of injury to any unsecured passengers in the back.
- The fix
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began February 10, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C13.
What owners report
Recent complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. These are unverified accounts from owners, not findings.
Oct 13, 2026 · Fuel/propulsion system
The vehicle is subject to NHTSA Safety Recall Campaign 18V-735 (Ford Recall 18S32) regarding a defective Canister Purge Valve (CPV) that causes fuel vapor saturation, excessive fuel tank vacuum, fuel tank deformation, and engine stalling.The vehicle presented with an active check engine light for diagnostic trouble…
Oct 7, 2026 · Fuel/propulsion system
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure of the canister purge valve (CPV), causing an excessive vacuum that violently deformed and collapsed the plastic fuel tank. The deformation was so severe that it breached the fuel system, causing raw gasoline to pour directly out of the filler area and onto the ground…
Sep 20, 2026 · Power train
The DPS6 transmission started out shuddering in low gears even after clutch replacement early on. This made pulling out into traffic slower than it should be. Received “transmission overheating” message “pull over for 5 minutes” in heavy traffic. Prior to the message car would shudder and lose power. This happened…
Aug 31, 2026 · Fuel system, gasoline
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while in active traffic. There was no warning light illuminated. Prior to visiting the dealer, the vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics and the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the fuel tank had collapsed. The…
Aug 25, 2026 · Engine
I WAS DRIVING 75MPH DOWN I-10 AT 11:30PM AND MY FOCUS SUNDDENLY DIED, I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. INFORMATION FLASHED NOT IN PARK AND STARTED GHOSTLY TRYING TO START ON ITS OWN, I BELIEVE THE TCM FAILED. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED.
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint data, updated October 27, 2026. Latest complaint received October 13, 2026.