Reliable Auto DB

2016 Ford Transit Connect reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Transit Connect over 11 years — 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Transit Connect years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Camera, Latch, and Gear position indicator.

2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Titanium LWB
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

104

Per year

6

Recalls

10

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (14 of 104), then Structure (14) and Visibility (14). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 59,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 30,000 and 91,000 miles. Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Transit Connect has 66 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 28 complaints, 2 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Ford Transit Connect. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (10)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-09-04 · NHTSA campaign 25V572000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.
Vehicles affected 1,456,417
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2023-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 23V502000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Transit Connect vehicles. The front door latch pawl may crack and prevent the door from latching.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the front door latches as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 2, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S36.
Vehicles affected 112,225
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2022-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 22V413000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Remedy Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Vehicles affected 2,925,968
Recall visibility, windshield 2022-03-25 · NHTSA campaign 22V192000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 and 2020 Transit Connect vehicles. The front windshield may have been manufactured with inadequate adhesion to the vehicle body structure.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the windshield and, if necessary, remove and reinstall the windshield, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S20.
Vehicles affected 39,720
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2021-05-24 · NHTSA campaign 21V376000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Remedy Dealers will replace the underhood shifter cable bushing, and add a protective cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S24.
Vehicles affected 192,080
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2020-06-08 · NHTSA campaign 20V331000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Vehicles affected 2,147,323
Recall seat belts, front 2020-05-27 · NHTSA campaign 20V305000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Transit Connect vehicles. The front driver and/or passenger seat belt pretensioner initiators could contain an improper generant mix ratio that may prevent the seat belt pretensioners from deploying in the event of a crash.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. This recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S25.
Vehicles affected 1,616
Recall visibility, sunroof 2020-05-08 · NHTSA campaign 20V260000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2017 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with a Panoramic Fixed-Glass Vista roof. An improper bond may exist between the panoramic roof and the vehicle body and may result in wind noise, water leak, and in some cases, separation from the vehicle.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove, clean, and reinstall the panoramic roof panel, free of charge. Ford issued owners an interim notification on May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S22.
Vehicles affected 5,088
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2016-09-06 · NHTSA campaign 16V643000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, preventing the doors from latching and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Vehicles affected 2,046,297
Recall Brake control module 2016-06-29 · NHTSA campaign 16V482000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Transit Connect vehicles manufactured February 22, 2016, through June 16, 2016. The brake Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) pump may be contaminated with metallic debris. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Remedy Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the brake HCU pump, free of charge. The recall began on August 22, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 16C10.
Vehicles affected 1,895

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (104 total)

Electrical system
14
Structure
14
Visibility
14
Powertrain
13
Engine
12
Hydraulic brakes
9
Service brakes
8
Steering
8
Visibility and wipers
8
Speed control
7
Wheels
6
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Air bags
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Back-over prevention
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Exterior lighting
1
Lane departure
1
Seats
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Of the 61 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 59,000 miles. The middle half fall between 30,000 and 91,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

2201613201732018102019162020102021212022102023820247202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "On XXX at 1820 hrs CST I was traveling westbound on HWY XXX between [XXX] and Central [XXX] [XXX]. The weather was sunny, temp 88 degrees. As I was driving between 60 and 65 MPH with cars in front as well as behind me I…"
    Structure, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-20
  • "2 years ago (approx.) I brought my van to Sound Ford in Renton, WA. for the windshield recall. Two employees inspected my windshield and said they could not do the recall because they found a micro-pit in the glass.…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-06-17
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-03-16
  • "Was driving to work passenger front wheel locked overheating brakes and smoking had to have towed to jones ford in Shalotte North Carolina today"
    Wheels, Service brakes · filed 2026-02-04
  • "See attached document for complaint."
    Engine and engine cooling, Air bags · filed 2025-11-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Ford Transit Connect VAN FWD Not rated 4 stars 5 stars Not rated
2016 Ford Transit Connect Wagon FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Transit Connect Van two-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $2600
Transit Connect Van two-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Transit Connect Van flex-fuel 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Transit Connect Wagon flex-fuel 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
Transit Connect Wagon front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 29 24 MPG $2700
Transit Connect Wagon front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
Transit Connect Wagon LWB flex-fuel 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950
Transit Connect Wagon LWB front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

2nd-generation (US market), 2014–2023
Body styles Cargo van, Passenger wagon
Oil 5W-20 (1.6L EcoBoost, 2.0L and 2.5L) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R16 (XL/XLT/Titanium) or 215/50R17 (Titanium option)

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 21S24 (NHTSA 21V-376) affects certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vans with the 2.5L engine, on which the bushing attaching the shifter cable to the transmission can degrade or detach. A damaged or missing bushing may keep the van from shifting into the intended gear, so it can move in an unexpected direction, and it may roll away after the driver selects Park; Ford's dealers replace the underhood shifter cable bushing and add a protective cap free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Ford Transit Connect Next year 2017 Ford Transit Connect See every Ford Transit Connect model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Ford Transit Connect reliable?

Owners have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Transit Connect over 11 years — 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Transit Connect years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 10 recalls on file, including Camera, Latch, and Gear position indicator.

What are common problems with a 2016 Ford Transit Connect?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (14 of 104), then Structure (14) and Visibility (14). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 59,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 30,000 and 91,000 miles. Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Ford Transit Connect more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Transit Connect has 66 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 28 complaints, 2 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Ford Transit Connect been recalled?

The 2016 Ford Transit Connect has 10 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Ford Transit Connect?

Owners have filed 104 complaints about the 2016 Ford Transit Connect with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Ford Transit Connect get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Ford Transit Connect is 22.9 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did the Ford Transit Connect stop being sold in the US?

Ford ended US and Canadian Transit Connect sales after the 2023 model year; production stopped in December 2023, though the model continues in Europe.

Could the first Ford Transit Connect tow a trailer?

No. Ford's own owner's manual for the 2010-2013 model years states the vehicle is not equipped to tow and no towing package was available.