331 complaints reported

2017 Ford Focus Power Train

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

Reports
331
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

May 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle started shuddering. The vehicle was taken to a dealer twice where it was diagnosed, and the dual clutch was replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred approximately two years later. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2019
May 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate after a stop, the vehicle shuddered while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure, and the clutch was replaced. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired approximately 5 times. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Summerville Ford (9700 Dorchester Rd, Summerville, SC 29485), where it was diagnosed with the same failure and the clutch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the first local dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure, and the clutch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a third local dealer, Jones Ford, Inc. (5757 Rivers Ave, North Charleston, SC 29406) where it was diagnosed with a transmission failure, and the clutch was replaced. 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 unavailable.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2018
May 2025

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Transmission is overheating is the warning I keep getting on the dashboard read out. The transmission is shifting very hard and you can hear it grinding and winding up when it is trying to shift. I had the car put on a computer at a shop and the codes were reading that the clutch was not releasing and he tried to reset it and it kept failing. I googled my car and saw that this is a known problem with them and that Ford hasn't acknowledged the problem yet.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the message "Transmission Overheating - Pull Over" was displayed. After stopping the vehicle to allow the transmission to cool down, the vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The vehicle was later taken to the local transmission mechanic, who diagnosed that the TCM and clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The transmission was rebuilt, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that approximately 8,000 miles later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 64,517.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Mar 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving uphill at 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle jerked and failed to respond while the engine revved significantly. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The message "Transmission Overheating - Please Let Cool For 5 Minutes" was displayed. The contact allowed the vehicle to cool down and attempted to drive back to the residence; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the clutch actuator motor was previously replaced due to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle would be covered under an unknown Customer Satisfaction program if the failure was related to the transmission. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission dual clutch pack assembly had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2023
Mar 2025

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.

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

Since November 22nd, my 2017 Ford Focus with 79,503 miles has been at a Ford dealership leaving waiting for a motor. My timing belt and oil pump belt snapped, casing my engine to jump timing. When this happened, I had no time to pull over or anything. It was in the middle of the night and broke down in the middle of the road. The real kicker is, ford claims my car isn’t affected by the recall due to my car featuring a manual transmission. This car put my life at risk, and has the exact same issue as the recall and is requiring the same fix. Before my warranty, my engine replacement is over $11,000! I’m still sticking paying a few thousand dollars, and my car has been at the dealership for3 months. Still no updates or engine available. This car should be under the recall.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2024
Feb 2025

I own a 2017 Ford Focus. When I got in my car to leave work for the day, it would not shift into reverse. I was stranded in subzero weather for 2hrs before someone was able to come and get to me. My son-in-law and his friend pushed it out of the parking space and limped it home. They hooked it up to a code reader...TCM failure...but mine is not in the recall?! After SO many people with the same issue on the same car?! I am now stuck with no car that I am still making payments on, no where near a bus route in the dead of winter in the midwest.

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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch actuator and the TCM had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer confirmed that the VIN was associated with Customer Satisfaction Numbers: 14M01 – (Extended Warranty on the clutch, transmission software calibration), and 14M02- (Extended Warranty for the Transmission Control Module). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 105,980.

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

Car is roughly seven years old and has around 75,000 miles. It is is very good condition mechanically. I was driving down the highway and the vehicle stopped accelerating, but the RPMs surged even with my foot off the accelerator. I was able to pull off to the side of the road and get somewhere safe before the car completely stopped. Once I put the car in park, it made a loud "grinding" noise and would no longer move. I called roadside assistance and had the car towed to a mechanic - he said that it needed a new transmission, but was otherwise in very good condition. He advised me to reach out to Ford regarding recalls, as the 2016 model had almost the exact same issue and mine was manufactured just months after.

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

Car was experiencing symptoms similar to past incidents when it needed service on the transmission. Shaking, vibration when moving forward from a stop or slow down.

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

Engine light came on and couldn't do a reverse with 60k miles

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle jerked abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

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

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective transmission clutch. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. Upon investigation, the contact became aware that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V845000 (POWER TRAIN). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound while shifting into the intended gear. The transmission malfunction warning light was illuminated, and the Service Vehicle message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while coming to a complete stop. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond intermittently while shifting into reverse(R). The dealer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a stop light, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet 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 50,000.

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire, and the transmission was slipping gear. The contact stated there was an alert indicating that the transmission was getting hot-illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission clutch assembly failure. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,976.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD FOCUS, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2024
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle shook erratically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed clutch assembly. The contact was informed that the clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred previously in 2019 and 2021. The contact stated that the clutch assembly was replaced twice under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

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

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Quick Summary

The 2017 Ford Focus has 331 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.