2016 Ford Transit Problems, Recalls & Reliability
211 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Ford Transit, alongside 21 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 90/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 105,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2016 Ford Transit sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2019, 2021–2022.
Avoid
Where 2016 sits among all Transit years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V767000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Transit
“The rear back up camera is very hit and miss….. Works sometimes and not other times. Shows blue screen color,black screen color when it does not work.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Transit
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 127 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 72,419 miles. Half of those reports fall between 25,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (21)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles.…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Transit vehicles. An incorrect driveshaft torsional damper service kit may have been installed, which can allow the damper shield to contact the parking brake cable, possibly resulting in parking brake…
Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger side parking brake cable with a cable that provides sufficient clearance to the damper shield, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Transit vehicles. This recall includes all full-size Transit vehicles previously recalled under 17V-408 except ones that received mechanical universal joint (u-joint) as a remedy and any 156" or 178"…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and as an interim repair, dealers will replace the flexible coupling every 40,000 miles until the final remedy is available. The final remedy will consist of installation of…
New England Wheels (New England) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and 2014-2019 Ram Promaster 2500 and 3500 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Go-ES Foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the…
Fix: New England has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs to the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at…
Fenton Mobility Products, Inc. (Fenton Mobility) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the…
Fix: Fenton Mobility will notify owners, and a Fenton Mobility technician will repair the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2019. Owners may contact Fenton Mobility…
Mobility Transportation Services (MobilityTrans) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and Ram Promaster vehicles and 2014-2015 Ford Econoline vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and…
Fix: MobilityTrans will notify owners and Freedman Seating dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2019. Owners may contact Mobility Transportation…
Mobility Specialists, Inc. (Mobility Specialists) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Ford E-150 and Transit vans modified to be equipped with Ricon S-Series and K-Series wheel chair lifts. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in…
Fix: Mobility Specialists, working with Ricon, has notified the owners. Ricon will provide instructions and materials for replacing defective parts. Owners may contact Ricon customer service at…
Cabot Coach Builders, Inc. DBA Royale Limousine (Royale) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit-based mini-coaches equipped with Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats recalled under 18E-076. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the…
Fix: Royale will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the seat. The recall began June 6, 2019. Owners may contact Royale customer service at 1-800-544-5587.
Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit Van, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2007 Ford F-250-based shuttle vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-3S foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the…
Fix: Vantage has notified owners, instructing them to contact Freedman for a repair kit, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540.
TransitWorks is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit Connect, and 2016 Dodge Ram ProMaster vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Seating GO-ES seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright…
Fix: TransitWorks has notified owners and instructed them to contact Freedman seats for a repair kit. The recall began December 19, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman Seating customer service at…
Quality Van Sales, Inc. (Quality Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit and E-350 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seat back cushions. The seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a…
Fix: Quality Van will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began March 21, 2019. Owners may contact Quality Van customer service at…
Fenton Mobility Products, Inc. (Fenton) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit passenger vans modified to be equipped with Ricon S & K Titanium Wheelchair Lifts. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the…
Fix: Fenton will notify owners, and a service technician will install Ricon Recall Parts Kit RI61396, free of charge. The recall began April 24, 2019. Owners may contact Fenton Mobility customer service…
Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles (Prime-Time) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. When the seat back cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright…
Fix: Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles has notified owners, and Freedman dealers have inspected and repaired the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018. Owners may contact…
XL Hybrids, Inc (XL) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with XL's electric hybrid system. The cardan (universal) joint on the front driveshaft may fail, possibly causing the front driveshaft to detach.
Fix: XL will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft with an updated one, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact XL Hybrid's customer service at…
National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the…
Fix: National Van will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 26, 2018. Owners may contact National Van customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge. The recall began on February 9,…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling all 2015-2017 Transit vehicles except 156" and 178" wheelbase Chassis Cab and Cut-Away bodies. In the affected vehicles, the flexible coupling connecting the transmission to the driveshaft may prematurely fail.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and as an interim repair, dealers will replace the flexible coupling on any vehicle with more than 30,000 miles. A final remedy repair of a redesigned flexible coupling or a…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Transit vehicles manufactured July 15, 2015, to April 14, 2016 and equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine. A fuel injector or the fuel volume control valve may clog due to metallic debris within…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel injection pump and associated parts and, if necessary, will replace the fuel filter and flush the fuel system, free of charge. The recall…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Transit vehicles manufactured March 12, 2014, to March 18, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the side curtain air bag may not deploy with the proper trajectory due to being folded and packaged…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and re-orient the side curtain air bag assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Transit vehicles manufactured February 13, 2014, to January 13, 2016 and equipped with rear passenger seats. The rear seat belt buckles may be damaged if a heavy object is placed on, or…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify or replace the seat belt buckles, depending on their location in the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began May 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
232 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2016 Ford Transit. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 Transit TSB list →
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 Transit reliable?
The 2016 Ford Transit drew 211 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 90/100, scored against the model's worst year (2015).
What are the most common 2016 Ford Transit problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Ford Transit are transmission & drivetrain (60 complaints), other (27), and engine (24).
At what mileage do 2016 Ford Transit problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Ford Transit problems around 72,419 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 25,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Ford Transit have recalls?
21 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Ford Transit. 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.