2017 Ford Focus: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
85%
751 of 880 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
85% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2017 Ford Focus are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 99% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 22 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 83%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
Driving 75mph down the frontage road. The car just stopped. No warning no lights just a violent stop. If there were cars behind us or we were on the highway we could be dead right now!! It stopped no lights took us 2 hrs to get the car home with a no service area. It was clicking in the engine. After it was parked for …
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE12/22/2019CRASH1 INJURED
SHORTLY AFTER I BOUGHT THIS CAR. I NOTICED ORIGINALLY LAST OF POWER DURING ACCELERATION AND LATER IT WOULD DO A COMBINATION OF LAST OF POWER AT TIMES AND LUNGING WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT GEARS(AUTOMATICALLY). EVENTUALLY, FRONTIER FORD(DEALERSHIP) REPLACED THE CLUTCH N A FEW OTHER MINOR ITEMS RELATED …
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM04/07/2019CRASH1 INJURED
I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT APPROXIMATELY 3-5 MPH AND THE CAR SURGED FORWARD JUMPING THE CURB AND HITTING A TREE. PRIOR TO APPROACHING THE PARKING SPOT A SPEED BUMP WAS NEGOTIATED SO THE STATED MPH ARE ACCURATE AS THE SPEED BUMP WAS 25 FEET PRIOR TO THE PARKING SPOT ENTRY.
Three of 751 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (10)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Ford Focus vehicles with a 2.0L GDI or 2.0L GTDI engine. The Canister Purge Valve (CPV) may malfunction, possibl…
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 and 2017 Focus vehicles equipped with 2.0L GDI gasoline engines and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles equipped with 2.0L GTD…
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0L Fox GTDI engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fract…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2017 Ford Focus
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
10 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
