Ford Focus Complaints (2017)

907 consumer complaints on file.

#11661934May 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his son was driving at slow speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved a code for transmission clutch failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was referred to the manufacturer and attempted to file a case; however, the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661427May 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle would not operate while shifted into reverse. Additionally, the vehicle jerked while driving and attempting to accelerate from a standing start. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 151,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660701May 13, 2025
POWER TRAIN
While driving my 2017 Ford Focus SE (automatic), the vehicle began experiencing severe transmission problems including hesitation, shuddering during acceleration, jerking between shifts, and eventually a complete failure to engage any gear. The car became inoperable in traffic, posing a serious safety risk to me and others. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. I took the vehicle to a certified Ford dealership, and after performing a diagnostic inspection, they confirmed the transmission had failed and needs to be completely replaced. The symptoms are consistent with widespread issues linked to the DPS6 PowerShift dual-clutch transmission used in Ford Focus models from 2012 to 2018. Ford is aware of these defects, as documented in multiple Technical Service Bulletins (including TSBs 16-0109, 17-0044, and 18-2358), and several class action lawsuits. Despite this being a known and well-documented defect, Ford has refused to provide any assistance or coverage for the repair, citing the expiration of the basic warranty. I believe this is a manufacturing defect that should be covered regardless of mileage due to the nature and safety risk of the failure. The transmission issue has been diagnosed and confirmed by a Ford dealership and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I am filing this report because I believe this issue continues to put drivers at risk and warrants further investigation and action by NHTSA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660048May 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart after cooling down. The transmission overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); but was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659707May 8, 2025
ENGINE
Clutch needs to be replaced at 77,000 miles. This is a related issue with Ford Focus vehicles’ transmission. I was never told that the transmissions were an issue when I purchased this vehicle. I took it to ford and they said it’s wear and tear instead of addressing the issue that the transmission is bad. They wanted $4000 for repairs. I paid $17k cash for this car. The car does not switch gears and makes grinding noises when driving or coming to a stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11659095May 5, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle lost automotive power and shuddered abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the there was an unknown part in the fuel tank that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657890April 30, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed that the timing belt had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657337April 28, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and failed to shift properly with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655904April 21, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654935April 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the dealer found particles from the clutch inside the actuators, which caused the clutch to fail. The contact had the clutch replaced; however, soon after picking up the vehicle from the dealer, the contact stated that the failure recurred with the messages "Transmission Overheating Stop Safely" and "Transmission Hot Wait 5 Mins" displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train); and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655049April 16, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654764April 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after starting and driving forward, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle began to shake and vibrate. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who diagnosed that the clutch assembly, cylinder assembly, lever assembly and seals were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (POWER TRAIN). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 57,313.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654238April 12, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The vehichle was shuttering upon while it shifted into higher gears for a while and then about a week ago the vehicle stalled and would no longer go into gear.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652921April 5, 2025
ENGINE
I had a head gasket repair that failed almost causing an accident on the interstate. Then I had a new long block engine assembly, turbo charger, catalytic converter replaced due to a crack in cylinder 3. Car had 45,500 miles and never ran without oil. This occurred [XXX]. Warranty did cover this repair. Then at 65,000 miles I had another new long block assembly, turbo charger, and catalytic converter replaced again due to a crack in cylinder 3. Again the car was not run without oil. I did pay for this repair. Kunes Ford service department told me that the same cylinder 3 keeps cracking on the 1L 3 cylinder eco boost engines. Also be advised that they are not listing engine replacements on service repair records. The engine/turbo charger/catalytic converter replacement from July 2024 is not even listed. A case was opened with Ford but I still had to pay $1500 for the repair due to a manufacturer defect in cylinder 3. Ford is not listing any of these repairs correctly on the vehicle service records. The July 2024 repair is not even listed under the service records. Ford also had cases opened up but I do not currently have the case numbers. Kunes Ford has the no fear power train warranty, all service done at Ford and it was not honored for this repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652640April 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle started jerking. The transmission symbol was displayed, and a message that the transmission was hot and to wait for 5 minutes was displayed. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with canister failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, after 5 minutes of driving the vehicle, the message was displayed again. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and with assistance from two other drivers, the vehicle was pushed to a parking lot. The contact stated that after the vehicle had cooled down, the contact drove home. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power while shifting gear. The following day the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with clutch failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652648April 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11651938April 1, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I have a 2017 Ford focus that the powertrain is messed up in it there's been multiple other cars that I've looked up online that have the same problem it's faulty of Ford and I think there needs to be a recall on these things if there is let me know because I know there was a lawsuit going I don't know what happened but these transmissions are faulty in these cars
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11651939April 1, 2025
ENGINE
The catalytic converter which is essential for the vehicle to pass smog going to be registered has failed at less than 100,000 miles for a component that should last potentially the life of the vehicle this is unacceptable tell us the approximate
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652069April 1, 2025
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and then stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was running rough. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the fuel injectors. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there was no recall coverage on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652166April 1, 2025
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, and jerked abnormally. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, and the RPM fluctuated, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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