2016 Ford Transit problems & reliability
155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Transit, alongside 21 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
6 complaints report injuries (7 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Ford Transit vehicles were involved in 48 fatal crashes with 15 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 60 | 39% |
| Unknown / Other | 23 | 15% |
| Engine → | 20 | 13% |
| Electrical System → | 12 | 8% |
| Structure → | 12 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 11 | 7% |
| Seat Belts → | 11 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 5% |
| Steering | 7 | 5% |
| Suspension | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 26 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 92 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 73,210 miles (middle 50% between 27,875 and 112,239 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The rearview camera on my 2016 Ford Transit 150 intermittently fails while the vehicle is in reverse. At times, the rearview mirror display shows a blue/blank screen instead of the rear camera image. At other times, the camera image appears reversed/inverted. Ford Safety Recall 25S89 includes certain 2016 Ford Transit…”
Unknown / Other · filed Sep 8, 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera malfunctioned and displayed an upside down or distorted image, with the distance being inaccurate. The contact stated that due to the failure, the vehicle reversed into a fence. The vehicle was not yet…”
Back Over Prevention · filed Aug 21, 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the rubber-flexible coupling between the transmission became shredded into pieces and the vehicle swerved off the road. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic, who confirmed that the…”
Power Train · filed Aug 4, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Zipcar Rental Concerns
Audit Query AQ18001 · opened Apr 2, 2018 · closed Sep 25, 2024
Technical service bulletins
233 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Ford Transit. The 10 most recent:
Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor that…
SSM 55098 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 2026
Customer Satisfaction Program 25N15 - Supplement #1 Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 S1 · Other · issued Apr 20, 2026
Some 2013-2016 Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine and 2015-2019 Transit vehicles equipped with a 3.2L diesel engine may not pass a state smog test due to the exhaust gas system (EGS) monitor that…
SSM 54690 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
25N17 · Other · issued Mar 25, 2026
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacemen
25N15 · Other · issued Jan 5, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 · Other · issued Dec 22, 2025
This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display…
TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2025
Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in…
SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 12, 2025
All Transit accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code.
SSM 53323 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Ford Transit has 21 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Ford Transit?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 73,210 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.