general problems of the 2016 Ford F-150 - part 1

When traveling at around 70-75 mph the vehicle will downshift to 5th gear and vehicle speed drops as well, without warning. This causes the vehicle to not want to excel until it comes to a complete stop or turns off and then turns back on.

Occasionally on startup will hard shift then get stuck in 5th,3rd,or 1st gear and will move slowly upon accelerating. This will also happen when driving at different speeds. Cooling fan will also be running on high speed. Had lead frame and valve body replaced($2000) but within two weeks symptoms returned. Truck is now in dealer waiting for replacement transmission to come in($7000) will add receipt when vehicle is returned.

The truck wrench symbol showed up. The second time it showed the truck didn’t seem to shift correctly. It hesitated to progress in speed like usual, creating a situation that I could have been hit by cross traffic because it was moving at a lot slower speed than expected for trying to accelerate. I had Ford inspect my vehicle for what might be working incorrectly and they couldn’t diagnose the issue. It has not acted up since I had it looked at. As far as I know they couldn’t determine what created the shifting problem and no course of action to repair it was taken.

When shifting the truck into gear the lights such as the parking, driving, neutral, reverse and lower gears lights as well as the lights showing which gears the trucks shifting into do not light up! therefore, you cannot tell what gear the truck is currently placed into. Also, if the lights do light up, they flicker very erratically, and the truck will change gears on its own. When driving the vehicle, the truck will just suddenly change gears and makes a hard shift into lower or higher gear or gears which is extremely dangerous. This makes the truck feel like I've been hooked up to another vehicle that is trying to snatch me backwards. I was driving on the highway the other day and the truck went from 6th gear doing over 70mph to all of a sudden downshifting and dropping down to 40mph on the highway. I thought the engine and transmission were both going to explode on me and cause an accident. This was extremely terrifying and if I didn't keep my cool it could have easily caused a wreck. Most people would have freaked out had an accident. The truck barely made it home because of the gears shifting all over the place and the truck wanting to lose power and shut down. This is extremely dangerous and the representative I spoke to from Ford agreed that considering the mileage of the truck and with the recent recalls concerning transmissions being recalled for the exact same issues that my truck is experiencing that I needed to call you guys and get my tuck added to the Ford F-150 recall list for the transmission issues Ford trucks have been having. The truck is a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT. This is the case number provided to me from Ford to give you Ford case # cxh03020325.

Driving down the expressway at 70 mph, vehicle gear light indicators started to flash between gears, and vehicle abruptly entered limp-home mode and downshifted to 3rd gear, causing the vehicle to aggressively decelerate to the point of the back wheels squealing. If another car was in standard following distance, it would have been a certain accident.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the transmission lead frame failed. It was replaced by the mechanic. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the transmission suddenly shifted to a lower gear and locked up the rear tires. This suddenly decreased the speed while traveling in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the service center scanned the truck and recorded the error codes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? the transmission shifted erratically and the gear indicator on the dash blinked. After the sudden downshift the check engine and see service manual light came on.

Vehicle is exhibiting issues consistent with the recalled lead frame part on previous year models, despite my 2016 having the same transmission as they do. Truck will randomly downshift into first at slower speeds causing engine to rev very high and not want to shift into next gear. Often times it will get “stuck” in 3rd gear even when coming to a complete stop and leaving a stop in 3rd still. On one occasion the truck shuddered and began to decelerate even as the accelerator was being pressed on the highway causing a significant safety issue, I had to put in neutral and restart the truck while still driving to regain forward mobility of the vehicle. When these things occur typically a little gear wrench symbol will appear on the dash and on one occasion has raised a check engine light with code p0720.

Transmission started shifting eratacely eventually went out in 2023 replaced late or early 2024, transmission still exhibiting same problems,biggest problem is not shifting out of 5th gear when coming to a stop. Have to shut off truck to disable safe mode,doesn't always work. Code is 720,721,723.

I was driving on I-95, northbound in the city of chester, PA, at the merge with us route 322; this is a high traffic, multi-lane, confusing merge for drivers unfamiliar with the road ( I know it well). My truck just shut down, and I had to put it in neutral to re-start it. I knew there was a problem, because it had previously shifted roughly at times. But I just had it inspected at the garnet Ford dealership, told them about the problem, and they could not diagnose/fix it. It passed inspection, and I thought that it would iron out, but instead, I could have been in real trouble. I took it to another mechanic, and they told me it was something else. I paid $1,206 and the problem was still there. I finally think I figured it out by going on a chat with other Ford owners. I just made another appt. With garnet to do the repair. This should be re-called.

Transmission does not shift into gear when idle and pushing in the gas pedal. Truck randomly shuts off when at stop lights and have to restart it. Transmission shifts randomly into different gears at different speeds while driving. Transmission struggles to shift into gear and when it does the whole truck shakes and loud clunk noises happens. Cruise control speeds go up and down while driving and engine has trouble shifting into gears to keep up speed.

The 6r80 transmission lead frame cause my truck to slam into first gear when going 55 miles an hour.

Car abruptly switched gear and slowed down while driving. Stepped on the gas but the car did not move while the rpm was spiking.

This has happened quiet a bit I'm driving on the highway going 75mph set my cruise control and I go to pass or up a hill and the truck engine and tranny light start flashing the truck losses power it won't go even when u push petal to floor it also spits and sputters if u turn of the cruise control put the car n neutral and shut it off then back on it stops this seems to b an constant thing there's no engine light or tranny lights on after it happens it.

2016 Ford f150 platinum 5. 0l v8 with automatic 6r80 transmission. Erratic gear shifting while driving. Sometimes not getting out of/stuck in 3rd gear and sometimes not downshifting below 3rd gear. Orange wrench or illuminated mil light came on followed by a solid check engine light. Took it to dealership - dtc p0720 and p0722 appeared. Dealership tech states that he reprogrammed the pcm and output shaft speed sensor, and that the next step is to drive it and see how it does and if it didn’t fix the problem then he will have to change the molded leadframe. This issue is exactly the same issue as the customer satisfaction program 19n01. The safety concern is I don’t want to drive it around, waiting for the leadframe to fail one day while I’m driving down the freeway with my family in 6th gear and have the truck shift abruptly to 3rd or 1st gear and lose control. This issue is exactly like the 19n01 with the same 6r80 transmission.

Transmission will down shift to first while driving on highway. Code come up for transmission speed sensor short. Same as in the 2011 to 2013 models. That tab should be extended to later models. It is unsafe and could cause an accident/ death in high speed driving.

Vehicle downshifts unexpectedly sometimes and it also kicks hard when slowing down or coming to a stop. Brought it to hempstead Ford and test drove it with charlie the senior service advisor, he said he understands and feels what I’m explaining, but Ford says its normal.

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.

On three occasions my vehicle went into a “fail-safe mode” . The first occurrence happened while I’m driving on dry pavement at approx 45mph. Unexpectedly the engine shakes and slowed the vehicle to 5mph while I’m in medium to heavy traffic. I was on a two lane road and had to quickly pull off to the shoulder. The second occurrence was while I was merging in heavy traffic and accelerating into the flow of that traffic. As the fail-safe mode made my vehicle rapidly slow the cars behind me had to swerve and make fast lane changes. I engaged my emergency flashers to caution other drivers until I could escape the roadway on to a private driveway. The third occasion was similar to the first. Each time the fail-safe mode happened a warning message appeared on my dash with a description of the problem and a large wrench appeared. Two different messages appeared. Twice the message was regarding a failure in the traction. Control. Once the message was about a problem with the hill descent control. After each event I turned off the engine, waited a few minutes, restarted the engine and was able to drive away like nothing happened. The owners manual instructed me to stop driving and have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer has now had my vehicle for a month. They computer on this vehicle erases the code when the engine is restarted. So they cannot fix this problem. I asked the service manager at the dealership to reach out to the manufacturer which he did. The manufacture’s response was “without a code we can’t diagnose the problem, give the vehicle back to the guest”. This is a serious safety issue, a vehicle that would come to a crawl while in traffic. This would put myself and other drivers at risk. The dealer wants me to drive the vehicle to have the issue duplicate itself and then what?.

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.

I’m a single mother driving a 2016 Ford F-150, my only vehicle, while transporting small children daily. I’ve been experiencing sudden, violent shaking and unexpected downshifting while driving, especially at highway speeds. On more than one occasion, it has felt like the rear wheels try to lock, causing the entire truck to jolt and decelerate rapidly, putting my safety and the safety of my children at serious risk. I’ve taken the truck to the dealership and multiple independent mechanics, but no one can diagnose the issue because no error codes appear related to the transmission or shifting. The only code that comes up is for a faulty catalytic converter, but both catalytic converters have already been replaced. The dealership confirmed that the check engine light keeps coming on anyway, even though there’s no actual issue with the new parts. They said it’s as if the system is being triggered by something else, but they don’t know what. I was relieved to learn that NHTSA is investigating this exact issue in 2015–2017 F-150 models, because what I’m experiencing matches it exactly. I depend on this truck for everything, school drop-offs, groceries, and survival, and I have no backup vehicle. I am asking NHTSA to prioritize this investigation and take action. This is not just a transmission defect, it’s a public safety threat, and families like mine are being forced to drive dangerous vehicles simply because there’s no help yet. Please step in and hold Ford accountable before someone gets seriously hurt.

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.

Hill start assist not available is the associated light. Component replacement: throttle body assembly. I was driving down the road and vehicle caution light came on above, in addition it caused me to have zero throttle pedal control. This occurred out of nowhere and I needed to glide into and off the road to luckily a pull off area. I shut off the truck, and restarted light went away. I thought it was a fluke. I continued and a mile later same exact issue, light came on, and I was going down a hill with no throttle control only brake and steering control, all the while passing vehicles and pulling over by a busy intersection with multiple lanes. I then pulled over and had to have my vehicle towed costing me $320. On top of placing myself at complete risk, if there wasn’t a spot to pull over to, and/or I was going up hill, this would have caused a crash with other motorists and needs immediately fixed. On top of the tow bill, I had to pay $271 for throttle body assembly and associated gasket. This on top of diagnostics $90 and labor associated. I have watched youtube videos of others having the hill start issues, but this issue occurred out of nowhere and occurred frequently and on the road. Truck has around 125,000, never been involved with a crash of any sort, and this issue should be recalled. I request a refund at the very least from Ford for part and labor and I strongly feel this is the least they should do for putting my life at risk.

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.

On 4/9/2020 the f150 was taken to crossroads Ford of dunn-benson because the vehicle would suddenly shut off while in motion, this included pulling out of traffic or truck would lose power and/or lose power while in motion leaving my husband having to manipulate the vehicle to get out of oncoming traffic. This would occur back to back and as many as 11 times before he would find a place to pull off safely. After the throttle body and gasket was replaced, the vehicle repeated the same actions 2/19/202, 8/31/202, and 9/12/2022. Each time the part was replaced. We ended up paying out of pocket for the 1st repair and last repair. This is very dangerous and it appears that the parts aren't the problem.

2016 f150 on interstate at speed a pop heard and all acceleration stopped suddenly and would not move forward. No warning lamps, no messages before this dangerous event. Had to unsafely cross 2 lanes of interstate traffic with no acceleration until unsafely stopped on shoulder. Horns blared, tires screeched for semis and interstate traffic to avoid striking me. On inspection and confirmation by Ford dealer service, rear differential found shattered metal inside with fracture causing truck to completely stop without warning. Severe safety failure and malfunction easily leading to death and destruction was the result while driving abruptly interrupted on interstate. Collision with loss of property and life was narrowly avoided and should not have happened in a less than 6yr old, 60k mile truck.

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!.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.