Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while approaching a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated to unknown speeds. The driver continuously depressed the brake pedal, but it failed to respond. The driver crashed into a mailbox, brick decorations, a stop sign, a golf cart, a gas line, and a tree. The driver pulled the emergency brake, and the vehicle stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The contact sustained injuries to her hip, but medical attention was not provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire or air bag deployment. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle after a while. The contact continued driving; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where unknown repairs were performed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 20 MPH on a slight incline and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Hill Assist Not Working" was displayed. The contact stated that she reversed at 3 MPH to her residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving on a level road. …
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. …
Today I was driving my truck at 55mph on a local highway and all of the sudden I felt/heard/experienced a massive clunk out of nowhere - almost like the truck tried to downshift into 1st or something similarly jarring. It only lasted a second, and then I got a dash light on that said Service AdvanceTrac. Based on the service codes I'm seeing (two of them that are both UO100 codes which indicate loss of communication), I did some research and found out about the OSS sensor issue and think that's what is going on with my truck too. Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get a Ford dealership to do anything about it since there isn't an official recall, and I'm afraid to keep driving it as this is likely going to keep happening - but fixing it myself is going to be expensive I think. It is available for inspection upon request. …
My car is experiencing a harsh down shift from 3rd to 4th gear with lack of power on acceleration on my vehicle since 10/25/2024. I have taken it in to three service departments including Karl Flammer Ford in Tarpon Springs, FL. Each service department has said the only remedy is a New Transmission estimated to be $7,000-$8,000 (receipts of diagnostics can be provided). We have already spent $524.95 for diagnostic testing. Because we have been unable to afford to have the problem fixed we are currently driving around in an extremely dangerous vehicle. I have received the notice of Ford's "Important Safety Recall" Notice 26S28/ NHTSA Recall 26V237 and have researched that other F-150's from previous years have experienced similar issues with the transmission and have been recalled. …
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. …
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. …
I was driving on [redacted] in the City of Chester, PA, at the merge with [redacted]; 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.
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. …
When accelerating to merge on to a major highway, my truck lost power and went into "limp mode". This caused rapid deceleration and I was nearly rear-ended by a semi-truck with my family in my truck. I had to slow to a stop on the shoulder and shut the engine off and back on to clear the faults and drive away. Error codes: hill start assist not available, hill descent control fault, and the service wrench and "see manual". I also received the P2112 engine error code for throttle body stuck shut. This entire sequence repeated approximately 15 times before I could get it to the dealer and I was significantly reduced in my ability to accelerate (at all speeds) until it was fixed. This is a major safety issue and needs to be recalled immediately. Throttle bodies should not fail at 60k miles. Ford replaced my throttle body and the issue was corrected.
Acceleration complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2016 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 101 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2016 Ford F-150, 5% of the model year's 2,080 complaints. The component named most often is throttle (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Ford F-150 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2016 Ford F-150, though it has 13 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Ford F-150 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.