Problems · by component

2016 Ford F-150 fuel/propulsion system problems

80 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Ford F-150 cite fuel/propulsion system, 4% of all 1,798 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
80
4% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the fuel/propulsion system

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I made an appointment for July 22,2026 with Purvis Ford in Fredericksburg to have the 28S26 recall for a transmission issue outlined in the recall. The process was estimated to be 4-6 hours. Purvis Ford called said the software upgrade was completed and i could get my truck. The truck would not shift out of 1st gear so i turned around and went back to the dealer and told the service advisor the situation. He told me i had to drive it for about two hundred miles to get it adapted to my driving habits. I drove it about 20 miles to my home and never shifted out of low gear. I called the service advisor and he said it needed to be towed back to the dealership for a second recall procedure. That was scheduled for the following Friday. On Thursday they called and said it needed a new transmission. The transmission was working fine when i delivered it to them. I did exact all what they told me to do. I’ve made several calls to Ford customer Service with no help from them. Monday the service manager told me it was going to be test driven by a factory technician and they would get back to me. It’s now Wednesday and no word on what the results are. I called this morning…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 19, 2026Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11758033
“My F150 engine stalls while driving when I am at a1/4 tank or less in hot or cold weather in stop and go traffic, at a stop sign or red traffic signal. I am able to restart the engine after placing the transmission in neutral or park. I have reported this issue to my ford dealer, but they say there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. There is currently a recall (#25S75) for this issue in later model F150s, but my vehicle is not covered. The Ford hotline instructed me to report this issue to NHTSA.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2025Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11676561
“I was going to pass someone and as I was speeding up the check engine light came on. I pulled over and there was nothing wrong with the truck. Months later there was a warning that came up on the dash it said something about shifting and i was to park the truck. I took it to a transmission shop, come to find out that the shifting sensor had went out. They cleared the check engine light and it came back on. Ran a diagnostic on it and it said there was like 8 different things that needs to be fixed. There was Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold, Air Distribution Damper Position Sensor- Circuit Short to Ground or Open, Bank 1 Air/Fuel Ration Imbalance, Sensor Circuit, Internal Control Module Torque Performance, Heater Control Circuit (Bank 1, Sensor 1). When I am at a certain speed the truck will vibrate (feels like you have ran over the rubber strips on the road), if I accelerate and the passing gear kicks in there is a strange sound coming from under the truck. I dontfell like this should be put off on me. I have had alot of people saying that they are having the same issues I am having.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 27, 2025Unknown or other, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11676484
“While driving, the vehicle has been going into limp mode at varying speeds on the roadway or while pulling onto the road. The problem lies within the components of the electric throttle body. The system malfunctions and locks the throttle body closed, thus putting the truck into limp mode. Shutting the vehicle off, waiting, and restarting temporarily resolves this issue UNTIL the PCM detects a fault in the electrical components of the throttle body and sends the truck into limp mode. When this happens, it also triggers a warning message regarding hill start assist. This is an extreme safety issue as pulling onto the roadway or loosing power in traffic and not being able to pull off can lead to collisions especially around blind curves or in heavy traffic. There also isn’t always a location to safely pull off the roadway, potentially leaving the vehicle and its operator in the roadway, increasing the risk of collision and injury”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 2, 2025Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11670921
“2016 f150 3.5L eco boost V-6 was purchased recently from used dealership. Upon taking possession the vehicle would shut down while driving. I would need to get to the shoulder of road, put truck in park, turn off vehicle and then restart. It’s happened 20 times in last 30 days. I’ve taken to dealership 5x and they are unable to resolve, diagnose or offer any help. Online, many other owners have noted same issue. Doing 65 on fwy and truck suddenly dies is big deal! Ford does nothing. Error message on dash says something about stability track. When restarting engine, it turns over many times as if flooded but then starts.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 22, 2025Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11656139
“Unknown, I was pulling into a parking spot, at Sam's Club, and lightly tap the gas petal for the turn and the truck lunched forward in the one carlink, and hit a concrete parking pole (Sam's club in Southgate Michigan has security cameras) it warped around the pole and bent the frame as if though it was 90 mph and a telephone pole.. I had taken it in twice under warranty for the gas pedal not working correctly, the warranty company would not allow a 3rd repair nor did Ford dealership take that warranty company. The airbags did not deploy, and I now have a T4 fractured vertebrae.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 22, 2025Air bags, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion systemCrash reportedODI 11637680

Showing 6 of 80 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.