2016 Ford Fiesta · symptom sheet

Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard

43owner reports
65,000median miles
2involved a crash

Newest report Nov 12, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026

101 of the 178 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 43 of those describe transmission shudder, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2016 Fiesta.

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

2 crashesin 43 reports

Tick what matches of 43 reports

shudders or vibrates at low speed

slips or revs without pulling

bangs or clunks into gear

hesitates when I accelerate

a dealer did a software update

Transmission shudder on other Fiesta years

2014102 reports 201547 reports 201643 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019.

What this problem usually is

This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the clutch (9 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 50,000 and 85,000 miles, from the 30 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 Ford Fiesta that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletinSSM 46936Nov 23, 2017
Some 2016-2017 Fiesta ST vehicles may exhibit a clunk noise while shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. To correct this condition replace the front left C1BZ-3B437-A and right C1BZ-3B436-A half shafts. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 205-04.
Service bulletinTSB16-0109Aug 16, 2016
SOME 2011-2015 FIESTA VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/15/2014 AND 2012-2016 FOCUS VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DPS6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MAY EXHIBIT EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDER ON LIGHT ACCELERATION.
Service bulletinSSM-45814May 10, 2016
CLUNK NOISE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR

What owners wrote

“2016 ford fiesta se has had a transmission/clutch problem. It is doing everything that the recall says it's suppose to cover and Ford is not willing to honor and fix it. It's jerking, shaking, and not accelerating properly.”
Filed Feb 22, 2023

“Transmission control module failed and driving is unsafe as lurching pick up in traffic and complete failure of transmission. No reverse or forward gear.”
Filed Jun 3, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 2 of 43 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found