25 complaints reported

2017 Ford Focus POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
25
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the light changed, and the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated and then jolted into gear. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact stated that the engine symbol was displayed, and the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the RPM gauge was RED-lined. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that at first, he was stopping the vehicle and turning off and restarting the vehicle to reset the transmission. The contact stated that turning off and restarting the vehicle no longer resets the transmission. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 92,619.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2025
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal and the vehicle jerked forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally hesitated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and to a dealer; however, the neither the dealer nor the independent mechanic were able to determine the cause of the failure. On another occasion, the vehicle stalled and unintendedly shifted to neutral, and then lunged forward while driving 20 MPH. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle stalled every 30 seconds. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the vehicle was diagnosed with an electronic clutch failure. The contact stated that the mechanic was able to shift to neutral and start the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with clutch failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2024
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the transmission was shifting abnormally and jumping into gear. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a transmission center, and it was determined that there was a clutch and gear shifting failure. The mechanic recommended a dual clutch and gear assembly replacement. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired; however, the contact was provided and estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2025
Mar 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the transmission failed to shift properly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2025
Mar 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly shuddered and jerked before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the clutch position sensor, and the battery monitoring sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Feb 2025

The contact’s son owns a 2017 Ford Focus. While the contact’s son was pulling into a parking space, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle then failed to exceed 10 MPH. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, after the light had changed, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the engine revved but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to turn off and restart the vehicle; however, after shifting to drive (D) and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several years before, and the check engine and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2025
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling very rough. The contact stated that while idling, the vehicle shuddered and jerked significantly, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The contact was able to restart the vehicle with assistance. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had illuminated several times. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where diagnostic trouble codes related to a stuck canister purge valve were retrieved. Additionally, the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch and the engine mount needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2024
Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to reverse as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the clutch failure. The local dealer was contacted, and diagnostic test was suggested. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2024
Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal squeaking sound and failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "Transmission Overheating" was displayed. The contact stated that upon shifting into neutral, the vehicle started. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart when shifted into neutral(N). The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 164,727.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2024
Sep 2024

Unknown

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2024
Apr 2024

My car was running fine up till last Wednesday when I got to work and I pulled in and put it in park shut the car off went into work I came out nothing the battery wouldn't crank over nothing I had a jump started once it jump started it wouldn't go in reverse and barely went forward now they're telling me I need a TCM and a clutch and they're quoting me 4,600 but I can't just replace the TCM because the transmission case is cracked and it won't relearn you know I don't know what's what to do anymore I mean this car I only put $44,000 miles on it I mean I bought it used but yeah I had no warning that the battery was bad and they're telling me that that's what caused all this and it caused the TCM to fail which cracked the transmission case you know and I can't drive it they're saying because it's dangerous to drive but I have no choice I don't have a car and I got to get to my job and of course my van isn't covered under this TCM replacement that they got going on with 150,000 miles or 10 years cuz my car only has 144,000 miles on it so now I'm I don't know what to do about thisall I know is that this car was running perfectly fine and shifting perfectly fine all day Wednesday until I got to work and turned it off and went into work and came out that's when I got nothing no battery nothing it just I don't know what happened but it was running perfectly fine before that and there were no indications to me that the battery was bad or anything else was wrong with this car before any of this happened none whatsoever I wouldn't even have known cuz I had no problem it went in reverse just fine went drive just fine cranked up every time there was nothing wrong with the battery that I know of all I know is when it died it's caused all these problems

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2024
Jan 2024

Good Morning, I hope you are having an amazing day , I first financed this car in 2018 but the car was made in 2017. I searched my vin number to see if my car was a part of the recall list and was not. I have been getting a code P1450 since about 40,000 miles, my car has been stalling upon acceleration since I got it. and I had the part replaced, a year and a half later the code popped up again and I got the part repaired and still the same issues, after the part has been repaired as well as a PCM issue is now happening. My car shudders between the 1 and 2 on the acceleration , this has been happening since I got the car but the salesman told me that this was not an issue and it was normal for the fords to do this. I have been having issues with my car starting up in the mornings mainly a lag in the ignition. I believe my car should have been a part of that list but was not. Please investigate

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2018
Dec 2023

The transmission is slipping on my 2017 Ford Focus. There is delayed braking, acceleration and harsh vibrations. There is already a recall on 2011-2016 ford transmissions. 2017 needs to be included!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2023

Driving and car no longer would accelerate, this could have been very dangerous had I been traveling on a fast paced road/highway and even more concerning with my child in the car. oil pressure light and check engine light came on simultaneously when this issue happened. Car was immediately turned off in hopes of not damaging the engine. There was no warning of any type of issue with the car. Has been running fine for almost 6 years, until this. 2017 Ford Focus Ecoboost SE Approx 59,000 miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Jul 2023

In may of 2022, while driving at highway speed (approximately 65 MPH) my engine stopped working overheated and I almost crashed attempting to get off the highway. The vehicle mileage was just over 40,000 miles. The reason was vehicle oil pump stopped working due to pieces of debris from engine rubber drive chain clogged engine oil filter. This has occurred over and over on the 1.6 liter eco boost engine. Engine was replaced under warranty and I was given a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty on replaced engine. During the time of the warranty I on numerous occasions dealt with overheating issues as coolant level was constantly low. On one occasion engine stopped working and steam bellowed out almost again causing a crash at highway speed. Engine was diagnosed in 7/2023 by local Ford dealership of engine block grooves allowing coolant to leak into cylinders which led to catastrophic engine failure. My vehicle now has just over 50,000 miles and Ford states that since I am over my 60 month power train warranty they will do nothing to cover costs on a 3rd engine replace. That is 2 separate instances where engine completely failed and stopped while driving at highway speeds and at least 2 times where engine overheating nearly caused the vehicle to become overheated to the point of causing a fire.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Jan 2023

Wet belt failure due to manufacture decent and design flaw. Wet belt seized up the motor at 80,000 miles no oil went to motor and we had to replace it. Motor cost us 6,000 and we had to buy a used one because ford stopped making them because of the defect. However they refused to help financially with the motor. We were also told that the wet belt can break again so basically the car is useless and we can’t sell it to anyone knowing that it is defective. We want the car purchased back from ford.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jul 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with the fuel system and fuel tank. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown repair and an unknown software update were completed; however, the vehicle failed to start a month later. The contact later drove the vehicle but the vehicle would not exceed 10 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed; however, the parts were on national back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2022
Jul 2022

I financed a 2017 Ford Focus se 6 speed manual in March of 2020 (it’s now aug 2022), and about a month ago I was driving a main hwy when I needed to downshift due to traffic. I go to put it in 3rd and instead it slips into 1st. (It’s not suppose to allow you to do that, states in the owners manual bc it’s a safety feature). Meanwhile it is stuck in 1st, redlining, as I’m in the middle of a busy highway unable to do anything. I had to push the car off the road in order to not get hit by oncoming cars. Called Ford, called the dealership, found out there’s a recall on the engine and the transmission but neither of them would Honor the recall. Attorney’s won’t do a thing about it, and now I’m stuck paying $8k on a car I can no longer drive. I promise this is the last time I’ll EVER own a ford.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Apr 2021

ENGINE TIMING CHAIN COVER IS SEEPING OIL AFTER APPROXIMATELY 130,600 MILES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED PER THE FORD MAINTENANCE MANUAL AND HAS NEVER MISSED A SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE EVENT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2021
Mar 2021

2017 FORD FOCUS S, SHUDDERS/SHAKES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL STOP. THE CAR ACTS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. THE CAR IS PARKED AND I REFUSE TO MOVE IT UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS ADDRESSED. FORD NEEDS TO FIX THIS ISSUE OR ISSUE EVERYONE WHO OWNS THIS VEHICLE A FULL REFUND OR A DIFFERENT MODEL! THIS IS NOT SAFE AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO ANYONE DRIVING IT, ESPECIALLY ON A HIGHWAY OR BELTWAY AT A GREAT AMOUNT OF SPEED AND THE CAR REFUSES TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT SHUDDERING OR SHAKING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2021
Feb 2021

I PURCHASED MY FORD FOCUS MAY 2017 AS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE WITH ONLY 12 MILES ON IT. IN TWO YEARS, I BEGAN TO FEEL A SHUDDER WHENEVER I STARTED TO DRIVE FROM A STOP. THE SHUDDER WAS ON AND OFF FOR A MONTH AND INCREASINGLY GOT WORSE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO FORD, JULY 2019. THEY STATED THAT MY CLUTCH WENT BAD AND I NEEDED TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. SINCE THIS IS A BRAND NEW VEHICLE I WAS SURPRISED IT WAS ALREADY HAVING SUCH A MAJOR ISSUE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT STAFF NOTIFIED ME THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON WITH FORD FOCUS'S. A YEAR IN A HALF LATER, I BEGAN TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AND SYMPTOMS AGAIN. I CALLED FORD TO NOTIFY THEM IN DECEMBER 2020, HE STATED IT MAY BE THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THEY HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND GOT MY VEHICLE REPAIRED FOR THE SAME CLUTCH ISSUE THAT WAS REPLACED ORIGINALLY. THIS WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS INFORMED THAT ONCE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED THEY WILL NO LONGER COVER THE COST FOR MY REPAIRS ON THE CLUTCH IF IT WENT BAD AGAIN. THIS WOULD RESULT IN ME PAYING $2,300 EACH TIME IT NEEDED A REPAIR. GIVEN THE TWO CLUTCH REPLACEMENTS WITHIN 3.5 YEARS OF HAVING THIS BRAND NEW CAR, I WAS UPSET SINCE THIS SEEMED TO BE AN ISSUE THAT SHOULDN'T BE OCCURRING. I LOOKED UP RECALLS ON 2017 FORD FOCUS'S AND FOUND THE RECALL NUMBER 18V845000 & 18V169000 (18S07). THESE TWO RECALLS SPECIFICALLY MENTION THE TYPE OF ISSUE I'VE HAD TWICE WITH THIS NEW VEHICLE WITHIN 1.5 YEARS OF EACH OTHER. ITS STATES THE SNOWBALL EFFECT OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WITH THE CLUTCH FRACTURS. I CALLED 800 NUMBER TO FORD REGARDING THIS MATTER AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO ASSIST ME UNTIL THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS THREE TIMES. I AM APPALLED SINCE A NEW VEHICLE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THREE TIMES FOR ASSISTANCE. THIS IS A SERIOUS LIFE-THREATENING MANUFACTURES DEFECT, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO KEEP PAYING, EVEN AFTER WARRANTY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2021
Jan 2021

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE JANUARY 9TH 2021. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AS THE HEAD GASKET RECALL HAD BEEN DONE ALREADY. I COULDN'T HAVE THE CAR CHECKED OUT AS I WAS 3 HOURS EACH WAY FROM HOME AND HAD TO MEET THE DEALER AT 9 PM. I DROVE THE CAR AND ALL SEEMED GOOD. ON THE 3 HR DRIVE HOME I NOTICED OIL PRESSURE WAY GOING BACK AND FORTH AND THE CAR DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE POWER IT DID 1 HR BEFORE, I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST IN MY HEAD. SO MONDAY I PUT THE CAR ON THE LIFT AT WORK AND SEEN THEIR WAS OIL COMING FROM THE HEADGASKET AREA AGAIN. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL PAPERWORK FROM WHEN IT WAS DONE AT A DEALER BUT IT ALSO IS KNOWN THAT THE EARLY RECALLS THAT WERE DONE DID NOT USE THE CORRECT GASKET EVEN FOR THE RECALL. I AM ASKING FOR THIS TO GET FIXED AS I DIDN'T PAY 30,000 FOR A CAR THAT I CANT DRIVE AND HAVE TO PAY 11,000 TO FIX THE MOTOR. THE CAR HAD 51522 MILES WHEN I BOUT IT. IT IS 200 MILES FOR THE DRIVE HOME. AND IT HAS 51833 ON IT RIGHT NOW AND I DRIVE IT DAILY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2021
Oct 2020

WHILE GOING FROM A STOP TO ACCELERATING, MY VEHICLE SHUTTERS AND WILL ATTEMPT TO STALL. I HAVE HAD THIS CAR ALMOST CAUSE MULTIPLE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS AND EVERY TIME I TAKE IT THE DEALERSHIP (5 TIMES) THEY TELL ME ITS THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY CLUTCH. THEY SAY THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT THERE IS NO PERMANENT FIX FOR IT. I HAVE MYSELF AND 2 VERY YOUNG CHILDREN TO WORRY ABOUT WHILE DRIVING, NOT TO MENTION THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. ALSO WHILE DRIVING AT ANY STEADY SPEED, THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY REV UP SOMETIMES GOING FROM 2000 RPMS TO OVER 4000 RPMS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2020
Jan 2020

CAR ALMOST STALLS FROM STOP TO GO IN FIRST GEAR. AND THE ENGINE RATTLES WHEN COMING TO A STOP.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2020

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Quick Summary

The 2017 Ford Focus has 25 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.