2016 Ford F-150 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,544 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Ford F-150, alongside 14 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 58/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2016 Ford F-150 sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1991–1993, 1996, 2003, 2007–2009, 2020, 2022.
Avoid
Where 2016 sits among all F-150 years
What owners report
“While driving my truck the transmission gear lights on the dash will begin to flash and the transmission will downshift very hard causing the rear end to lock up. This has happened three times now at traveling at a high rate of speed on the interstate (roughly 60-65 MPH).”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
“Throttle body failure while driving at 75 mph causing vehicle to shut down in high-speed traffic [failure defined by dealer service person].”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
“Light came on brake fluid low then immediately no brakes going down the road. Bad master cyclinder.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
“Parked truck. Put shifter into park. Turned ignition off. Truck was stationary and in park. Opened door. Got out of truck. Opened back door. Truck rolled 6 feet forward and then came to a stop.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
“I was driving on the highway when my door came open. Now the door will not close.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
“I was driving and there was the smell of burning electronics and my truck cabin filled with smoke. I pulled over, and saw the defroster on the rear window was smoking. I exited the vehicle, opened my doors to let the smoke out, and all of a sudden i heard an explosion like a gun shot and the rear…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 F-150
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,323 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 46,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 19,000 and 76,650 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (14)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150 vehicles. A loss of signal between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the transmission to unexpectedly downshift into second gear.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and 2016-2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake…
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification…
Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain MOOG K500359 ball joints, for aftermarket installation on 2015-2018 Ford F-150 trucks. The ball joint may have a misaligned dust boot and may be missing alignment hole and installation warning tag, which may…
Fix: DRiV will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary replace the ball joint, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Tenneco Automotive customer…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2017 F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may leak brake fluid into the brake booster.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake master cylinder and inspect the brake booster, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. Ford issued owners an interim notification on…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2016 F-150 pick-up trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines and block immersion heaters that were potentially relocated from their originally installed location. The incorrect location could put the heater…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the block heater's location and its cable, replacing components as necessary, free of charge. If the replacement parts are not available, dealers…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894.…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 F-150 and Explorer vehicles. Loose power seat adjuster pivot bolts may cause the front seat cushions to detach and not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tightness of the power seat track upper pivot link bolt, either applying threadlocker or replacing the lift link and hardware, free of charge.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks. The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the door latch actuation cables and repair if necessary, and install water shields over the door latches, free of charge. The recall began October…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250 and F-350 trucks equipped with a crew cab. The left rear inflatable seat belt buckle assembly may be inadequately attached to its mounting bracket. As such, these vehicles fail…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assembly, replacing the attaching rivet as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles originally produced with black or body colored exterior door handles that may have been subsequently equipped with a chrome exterior door handle…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the accessory covers and refund the purchase price. The recall began July 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Explorer and F-150 vehicles equipped with a manual recline driver's seat. The seat back frame may have insufficient welds which may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall begin on August 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 F-150 trucks manufactured April 27, 2015, to November 22, 2015, and equipped with Multi-Contour Seats (MCS). The front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) that calibrates the air…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Occupant Classification System Module (OCSM) with new software, free of charge. The recall began on March 11, 2016. Owners may contact Ford…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 18V568000.
Led to recall campaign 20V332000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2016 Ford F-150 reliable?
The 2016 Ford F-150 drew 2,544 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 58/100, scored against the model's worst year (1997).
What are the most common 2016 Ford F-150 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Ford F-150 are transmission & drivetrain (548 complaints), engine (345), and brakes & stability (340).
At what mileage do 2016 Ford F-150 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Ford F-150 problems around 46,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 19,000 and 76,650 miles.
Does the 2016 Ford F-150 have recalls?
14 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Ford F-150. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.