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2016 Ford Transit Connect

Gas
Special Purpose Vehicle 2WD
8 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns10
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA104
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA25 mpg
20232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Ford Transit Connect is sold in the U.S. as a gas special purpose with 8 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Transit Connect Van 2WD, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 104 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Transit Connect Van 2WDGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo222925$2,500
Transit Connect Wagon FWDGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo222924$2,600
Transit Connect Van 2WDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl202723$2,700
Transit Connect Van FFVGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl202723$2,700
Transit Connect Wagon FFVGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl192722$2,850
Transit Connect Wagon FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl192722$2,850
Transit Connect Wagon LWB FFVGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl192722$2,850
Transit Connect Wagon LWB FWDGasFWD2.5L 4-cyl192722$2,850

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36757, 36758, 36759, 36762, 36764, 36761, 36763, 36760.

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Recalls (10)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Back Over Prevention

25S89
1,456,417 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA rearview camera that displays an inverted, distorted, or blank image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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, 202
NHTSA campaign 25V572000reported Sep 3, 2025Ford Motor Company
●moderate

Latches/Locks/Linkages

23S36
112,225 vehicles
ProblemFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Transit Connect vehicles. The front door latch pawl may crack and prevent the door from latching.RiskAn unlatched door can open while driving, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 23V502000reported Jul 21, 2023Ford Motor Company
▲high

Power Train

22S43
2,925,968 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V413000reported Jun 10, 2022Ford Motor Company
▲high

Visibility

22S20
39,720 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskDuring a crash, the windshield may detach from the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V192000reported Mar 25, 2022Ford Motor Company
▲high

Power Train

21S24
192,080 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, causing the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V376000reported May 24, 2021Ford Motor Company
●moderate

Latches/Locks/Linkages

20S30
2,147,323 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.FixFord 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.
NHTSA campaign 20V331000reported Jun 8, 2020Ford Motor Company
▲high

Seat Belts

20S25
1,616 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskIn the event of a crash, the front driver and/or passenger seat belt pretensioners may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.FixFord 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.
NHTSA campaign 20V305000reported May 27, 2020Ford Motor Company
▲high

Visibility

20S22
5,088 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskIf the panoramic roof panel separates from the vehicle while it is being driven, it may increase the risk of an injury or crash.FixFord 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.
NHTSA campaign 20V260000reported May 8, 2020Ford Motor Company
●moderate

Latches/Locks/Linkages

16S30
2,046,297 vehicles
ProblemFord 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.RiskA door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.FixFord 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.
NHTSA campaign 16V643000reported Sep 6, 2016Ford Motor Company
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

16C10
1,895 vehicles
ProblemFord 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."RiskIf the brake HCU pump is contaminated, the performance of the electronic stability control and related brake systems may degrade, increasing the risk of a crash.FixFord 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.
NHTSA campaign 16V482000reported Jun 29, 2016Ford Motor Company

NHTSA defect investigations

Structure:Body — Door Latch Failures closed

In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab due to thermally induced cyclic fatigue. Other VOQs alleged a similar failure in vehicles not previously recalled. A latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a ?door will not close? condition, however in certain somewhat rare circu

Opened Dec 19, 2019 · closed Feb 7, 2022 · action RQ19005

Latches/Locks/Linkages — Door Latch Failure closed

In January, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation based on consumers' allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2012-2013 Ford Focus vehicles (subject vehicles).ODI has received 464 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 200 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion.One consumer alleged an injury that occurred while driving when a door inadvertently opened and then closed on a child's arm.Another alleged that a door that inadvertently opened struck a parked vehicle.In response to ODI's information request, Ford Motor Company (Ford) provided 500 unique repo

Opened Jan 16, 2016 · closed Oct 29, 2016 · action PE16001

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
104complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 3 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 2 · 2017: 13 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 10 · 2020: 16 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 21 · 2023: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Electrical System14
Structure14
Visibility14
Unspecified13
Power Train13
Engine12

What owners describe

“Some portion of the brakes master cylinder degraded into small pieces and were found in the brake lines by a Ford Dealership technician. While traveling on highway at highway speeds (70mph), about an hour into a trip, the brakes locked on which caused vehicle to travel into the median and slide sideways. The vehicle ha…”Aug 24, 2022 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“My Passenger Seat Occupancy Sensor failed. Caused my airbag system to throw a code and become inoperative and SRS light on. Took to Middleton Ford in Middleton, WI and they confirmed the code indicated the OCS sensor has failed and required replacing to make the airbag system operable again. Meaning if I got into an ac…”Aug 22, 2022 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“My SRS system has thrown the SRS light with code B00C0:11AB Passenger Occupancy sensor A short to ground. According to The weight pad is faulty and requires a $989 part replacement. The SRS system is disabled with the light on which is a safety issue in today's vehicles as none of the airbags will deploy in an accident…”Jul 19, 2022 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
WAGON FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆18%
VAN FWDnot rated★★★★☆★★★★★not rated—

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Transit Connect model years

F

2023 Ford Transit Connect

18 recalls · 57 complaints

A

2022 Ford Transit Connect

1 recalls · 6 complaints

C

2021 Ford Transit Connect

4 recalls · 8 complaints

F

2020 Ford Transit Connect

8 recalls · 32 complaints

F

2019 Ford Transit Connect

8 recalls · 51 complaints

F

2018 Ford Transit Connect

6 recalls · 22 complaints

F

2017 Ford Transit Connect

6 recalls · 28 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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