FORD FOCUS RS · model year

2016 FORD FOCUS RS

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016FORDFOCUS RS carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 FOCUS RS is power train with 3 filings, followed by engine (2) and unknown or other (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2016 FOCUS RS, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN3
ENGINE2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recent Complaints

20181005ENGINE

ITS 27000 MILES AND ITS LEAKING OIL OUT THE FRONT AND BACK AS WELL AS THE TRANSMISION

Mileage: 27,000

20180519POWER TRAIN

CLUTCH PEDAL STUCK TO THE FLOOR AT INTERSECTION WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AND READY TO ENGAGE FIRST GEAR TO GO. ANOTHER DRIVER HELPED ME PUSH MY CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. KEPT PUSHING CLUTCH BUT IT WOULD NOT COME BACK TO REGULAR POSITION. I WAS ABLE WITH MY HAND AFTER GETTING OUT IF THE CAR TO PULL THE CLUTCH PEDAL FORWARD AND IT WORKED AFTER THAT.

Mileage: 9,300

20171221POWER TRAIN

CLUTCH STICKS TO FLOOR AND WILL NOT COME BACK UP. I EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING ALL NIGHT ON A VERY COLD WINTER NIGHT IN UPSTATE NY. I WENT TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND PULL OUT OF MY APARTMENT, BUT THEN THE CAR STALLED. I PUSHED THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO THE GROUND AND TRIED TO TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR. I COULDN'T MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER. I LIFTED MY FOOT UP AND THE CLUTCH WAS STUCK TO THE FLOOR. I PULLED THE CLUTCH PEDAL BACK UP FORCEFULLY BY HAND SEVERAL TIMES WHILE TRYING TO GET THE CLUTCH TO WORK. EACH TIME IT STUCK TO THE FLOOR. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON A FLATBED. THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. I SUSPECT IT'S BECAUSE THE WEATHER HAD CONSIDERABLY WARMED UP WHILE IT WAS WITH THEM. SINCE THEY CAN'T REPRODUCE THE ISSUE THEY DECIDED NOT TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I'M SCARED THE CLUTCH WILL BECOME INOPERABLE WHILE DRIVING AND PREVENT ME FROM BEING ABLE TO SHIFT DURING A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Mileage: 13,700

20171116POWER TRAIN

WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC DUE TO AN ACCIDENT FOR 40 MINS. AT ONE POINT MY CLUTCH PEDAL GOT STUCK DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT COME BACK UP YET THE CLUTCH WAS STILL ENGAGED AND BURNING. THE BURNING SMELL SO SO BAD. I MANAGED TO REACH DOWN AND PULL THE CLUTCH PEDAL UP WITH MY HAND. ONCE I DID THAT I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN FIRST AND DRIVE.

Mileage: 7,000

20171105ENGINE

AT 26000 MILES MY HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED. STARTED WITH ROUGH MORNING START WHITE SMOKE AND LOSS OF COOLANT. LEAK WAS CONFIRMED IN CYLINDER 3. THE CAR IS STOCK WITH NO MODIFICATIONS.

Mileage: 26,000

20170426UNKNOWN OR OTHER

HELLO MY CLUTCH PEDAL KEEPS STICKING AND BURNING MY CLUTCH ALSO PEDEL STICKS TO FLOOR UNLESS I TURN CAR OFF AND PULL PEDEL UP HAS HAPPENED NOW 5 TIMES PLEASE REPORT THIS SO FORD CAN LOOK INTO IT [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM

Compare 2016FORDFOCUS RS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 FORD FOCUS RS have?
The 2016 FORD FOCUS RS has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 FORD FOCUS RS?
The 2016 FORD FOCUS RS received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 FORD FOCUS RS?
The most-complained component for the 2016 FORD FOCUS RS is POWER TRAIN with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2016 FORD FOCUS RS safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2016 FORD FOCUS RS has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.