2016 Ford F-150 Engine Problems

344 owners have reported engine & cooling problems with the 2016 Ford F-150 to NHTSA — 17% of all 2,080 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 56,000 miles. That ranks #8 of 32 F-150 model years for engine complaints (a typical year has 158). 3 related recalls have been issued.

344complaints
56ktypical miles
3related recalls
3crashes
6fires
2injuries

Which parts fail

  • Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
    8
  • Exhaust system
    3
  • Engine › Oil/lubrication › Seals/gaskets
    2
  • Engine › Solenoid/actuator
    1
  • Engine › Gasoline › Turbo/supercharger
    1
  • Engine › Oil/lubrication
    1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    4223%
  • 25k–50k
    3720%
  • 50k–75k
    4223%
  • 75k–100k
    2614%
  • 100k–150k
    3016%
  • 150k+
    63%

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 driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. The vehicle failed to stop immediately rear-ending another vehicle. No air bags deployed. The contact sustained injuries to his neck and back but did not receive medical attention. A police report was filed. Additionally, the contact stated the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of oil and the key fob failed to function as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

85,000 miles · Jul 2022 · crash · 1 injury

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. …

90,000 miles · Jun 2022

The contact's wife owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 75-80 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted from 6th gear to 3rd gear. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and pulled to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as needed while driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the transmission failed to shift from third gear to first gear. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. …

138,000 miles · Nov 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the vehicle idled rough, with an abnormal chattering sound from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing power and was no longer able to tow the RV. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust manifold was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the replacement exhaust manifold was cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that recently the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the exhaust manifold was cracked. …

105,000 miles · Feb 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving various speeds, he heard an abnormal whistling sound coming from the vehicle. One day upon exiting and returning to the vehicle, the contact's girlfriend had passed out in the back seat. Upon approaching the passenger's side to wake her up, the contact smelled carbon monoxide odor coming from her side of the vehicle. The contact's girlfriend did not seek medical attention after becoming unconscious. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that bolts on the exhaust manifold were improperly placed, causing the bolts to shear off, leading to a carbon monoxide leaking into the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that there were no recalls on the VIN. …

Exhaust system · 140,000 miles · Jan 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to misfire and shake. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the contact stated that while starting the vehicle there was blue smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs, and the coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-2384 Oil Consumption, Rough Idle, Misfire with Or Without Blue Exhaust Smoke (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact relayed the information to the dealer who then determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. …

119,000 miles · Dec 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle would shutoff while at a complete stop. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently, causing the contact to depress the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal simultaneously to prevent the failure from occurring while at a complete stop. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part was not available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. …

80,000 miles · Sep 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a routine oil change, and he was informed of an oil leak. The dealer informed him that the leak was on the oil pan and that the oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated the front driver's side failed to latch in the winter causing water to enter into the door handle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under an unknown recall however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where he was informed that they could not assist with the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance as the vehicle was not under warranty. The contact stated that the manufacturer informed him to call the NHTSA to have a recall issued. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Engine › Oil/lubrication › Seals/gaskets · 60,000 miles · Feb 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH on three occasions, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear and the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH. The vehicle became uncontrollable momentarily; however, the contact was able to regain control of the vehicle. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The powertrain service warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission lead frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a ticket was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.

182,000 miles · Apr 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping. There was an unknown recording alerting the contact of the issue. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed there was no recall coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that while the mechanic was driving the vehicle, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the turbo charger and the transmission. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. The VIN was not available.

119,000 miles · May 2025

Related recalls

Engine

NHTSA recall 20V-098 · Feb 21, 2020 · 13,854 vehicles

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 too close to hot engine components, possibly resulting in a damaged cable.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the block heater's location and its cable, replacing components as necessary, free of charge.

Engine

NHTSA recall 19V-278 · Apr 8, 2019 · 131,068 vehicles

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.

Remedy: 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 engine block heater cord,…

Engine

NHTSA recall 18V-894 · Dec 18, 2018 · 410,289 vehicles

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 block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.

Remedy: 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 began June 3, 2019.

Engine complaints in other F-150 years

’95’96’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26’27732654418724615827826297257228151146755113851149856719028234436858937413910141281652
Engine complaints per model year, Ford F-150.

Frequently asked questions

How common are engine problems on the 2016 Ford F-150?

NHTSA has 344 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2016 Ford F-150, 17% of the model year's 2,080 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (8 mentions).

Is there a recall for 2016 Ford F-150 engine problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-098 (engine, Feb 21, 2020); NHTSA recall 19V-278 (engine, Apr 8, 2019); NHTSA recall 18V-894 (engine, Dec 18, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2016 Ford F-150 engine problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 3 crashes, 6 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling 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.