10 complaints reported

2017 Ford Transit POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

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

Reports
10
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2026

I have had many issues with this vehicle. The engine leaks oil onto the exhaust causing the engine to smoke, the engine uses antifreeze, the transmission will downshift at highway speeds to such a low gear that I need to put the van into neutral so that the engine doesn't blow up. It uses brakes quickly, (New brakes every 10,000 miles or so). Gas milage is less then 12MPG as well.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2026
Apr 2025

I have wrote to you before on this, but today (4.29.25) while driving downhill at 65 mph, no cruise control on, my van downshifted ON ITS OWN down to third gear and luckily, I was smart enough to shift the van in neutral and then back to drive or I would have blown up the engine. This is not just happening to my van, I have a friend who has purchased one and the transmission has gone out with only 35,000 miles on his van. My van is leaking oil and leaving spots everywhere it is parked, and it is using antifreeze at the rate of about a gallon every two weeks. This engine is total junk and neither the dealership, Ford, nor NHTSA are doing anything to correct this. Eventually, these engines are going to kill someone by locking up at highway speeds. Enough is enough! Ford needs to fix or replace these engines before someone dies!

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

I have sent this before, but my vehicles transmission will downshift, (at highway speeds), to a lower gear. I always have to put the van into neutral and then back into drive to get it to drive normal again. Also the van leaks oil onto the manifold which starts smoking. My van also uses antifreeze and I need to refill the coolant about every 2-3 days. This ecoboost engine is dangerous.

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and vibrated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it awaited a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2021
Nov 2024

The transmission will downshift when deceleration and will actually throw you forward in the seat due to dropping into a lower gear. Vehicle has also developed an oil leak where oil is dripping onto the manifold, possible engine fire hazard. Engine is losing coolant due to possible blown head gasket.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2024
Jun 2024

1. Vehicle has oil leaking out of valve covers so bad it starts smoking from under the hood. 2. Transmission will stick into low gear and I have to put the vehicle into neutral to get it to start shifting correctly again. Vehicle will also pulsate speed with transmission growling. 3. Turbo chargers not operating correctly causing Vehicle to buck and hesitate under acceleration.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2024
Jun 2024

Transmission will downshift on its own when vehicle is decelerating making engine RPMs over rev. Only way I have found to prevent this is to shift to neutral and then back to drive. I don't like doing this because it could accidently get shifted into reverse while driving at highway speeds! Valve cover leaks dripping oil onto the exhaust manifold causing the vehicle to smoke very badly and could possibly cause a fire.

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

Vehicle has 140,000 miles on it. 1. Has valve cover oil leak where dripping oil is dripping onto the manifold and starts smoking. I talked with the dealership, they said they wont fix it under their "Lifetime warranty". I am concerned it will start a fire. 2. The transmission will suddenly downshift and seems to lock into lower gear when decelerating. Only way to get it to stop is to put vehicle into neutral while coasting and then back into drive. I am afraid its going to lock up and cause me to spin out. 3. The engine has a turbocharger issue in which when I try to pull out into traffic, it will sometimes buck, hesitate and backfire before it accelerates. Eventually I am going to try and pull out and it's going to do that and I am going to get hit! It seems to do it while coasting and then when accelerating again, that's when it happens. I took vehicle to dealership (Johnson City Ford) where they provide a "Lifetime powertrain warranty", but they are telling me that unless I have all service records, they will not fix it under the warranty. The only thing I have done with this vehicle is oil changes when the vehicle tells me it's due, Tires and brakes. I also called "Contact Ford" about the problem, and they basically told me it's not their problem, so there is a record somewhere of me contacting them Twice.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2024
Dec 2022

When driving my transit 250 it vibrates a lot and I was told that the transmission is going out. After I researched I find that this is a common problem with this Ford vehicle. It cost about $4000 to fit and Ford is not helping customers with their vehicle. Why is there no recall on this problem?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
May 2020

VEHICLE WILL RANDOMLY SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR TYPICALLY WHILE GOING DOWN HILL ON INTERSTATE AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH OR GREATER. THE RESULTING SHIFT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO REV FAR PAST RED LINE AND CAUSES SEVERE UNINTENDED DECELERATION. SITUATION HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND AFTER A FEW MORE HARSH SHIFTS GOES BACK TO NORMAL. CONTACTED MULTIPLE FORD DEALERS WITH NO ANSWER TO PROBLEM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD TRANSIT, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Ford Transit has 10 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.