2017 Ford Focus Powertrain & Transmission Problems

Driving down the road the car shimmed a couple times I parked it turned it off when I went to turn it back on. It wouldn’t turn over when I finally got it to turn on. It wouldn’t go on reverse sometimes it’ll start sometimes it won’t sometimes it’ll go in reverse and sometimes it won’t.

While driving on the highway, (I-40) my dash lit up with "transmission fault stop car" The it shudders, bounced in and out of gear to finally completely stopped. Although I wasn't killed, my life was in danger. I believe the 2017 dual clutch transmission is faulty and should be added to the 2016 recall.

I have 2017 Ford Focus that is experiencing transmission issues related to the DPS6 Powershift transmission and TCM recall but my VIN number is [XXX] was not included. I am experiencing issues with the car shifting into 1st and 2nd gears, it will revv up at a stop but not accelerate immediately. I have been to a mechanic multiple times and had the lower actuator replaced, new radiator fan installed, clutches scrubbed, and TCM reprogrammed. Multiple mechanics have recommended replacing the transmission as a solution. I called my local ford dealership who denied to service my vehicle under any recall or warranty, I spoke with a manufacturer representative who also told me that Ford is unwilling to do anything for my vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Recall maintenance with regard to NHTSA ID Number: 19V515000 for a Purge Valve was completed 1/9/2025. Starting in October 12, 2025, driving on the freeway, a large "bang" was felt/heard. I pulled over, the dust cover under the car had ripped partially off and took a portion of my grill trim with it. The car still ran perfectly fine, so I continued the mile and a half to my house. I did not see anything that I may have hit on the highway and did not see anything eject behind my car when this incident happened. I noticed the oil light begin to flicker as I was ½ mile from home for maybe a second, then it was off and then flickered again, it did not stay lit. I filed a claim with my insurance-Progressive-they wanted to total my car without inspecting it. I negotiated and they had me take it to The Ford dealer who inspected it visually to see if the cause was internal combustion as my insurance claimed, or external damage. See photos. They recommended a full engine replacement after only a visual inspection and charged me 276.70. I had the oil-pan replaced as shown on my bank statement 1053.77, with Interstate Automotive who verified no engine damage was found. Next the LCD instrument panel showed distorted, or not at all, or perfectly fine at times, which made it hard to read, and no instrument warnings are given for any issue, just the check engine light. As of today, 3/10/26, car will no longer reverse or progress into 2nd gear, is sluggish and feels as though it has no power at all. This happened randomly on 3/9/26 after the car would not start and it was believed to be a battery issue. The battery was replaced 3/9/26 148.08. When the diagnostic codes for the check engine light were tested, they showed a faulty CO2 module issue. New parts will be installed on 3/11/26. All of the above described issues seem as though they could be related to a major safety issue with this vehicle, but Ford insists any courtesy fixes are not available to my VIN.

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.

Transmission actuator A and actuator B making the Transmission not able to shift. Happened after new battery installed and was told it could have been a surge sent to Transmission control module breaking the actuators.

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.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the check engine warning light illuminated, and the transmission failed to shift to second gear. The vehicle was also unable to shift into reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to an Auto Parts Store, where a handheld scanner retrieved a code indicating that “ Clutch B-Fork Stuck”. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. 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 NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 73,001.

My 2017 Ford Focus transmission failed at 113,000 miles. I was stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flashing warning light and no cell signal.

I was driving and got a large nail in my tire. I pulled over and fixed my and went to start my car. The battery had died and we jumped it. We let it charge for a little bit and then started it back up. It started just fine and I went to put it in reverse to drive away and it wouldn’t engage but would engage to drive forward. We hooked the scanner to it and it was showing the TCM code. We took it to ford and they’re saying the A and B clutch are stuck and they need to replace both clutches as it’s a dual clutch transmission and the lever and actuator. The focus has 89,000 miles on it and ford is charging $4100 for a known transmission issue.

On July 2nd my daughter was driving her car and the engine slowed and turned off. She tried to out it in reverse and it would not function. We took it to our mechanics and he got a P287A - code - I then spoke with Ford Customer Service and they stated the extended warranty on that same issue expired June 30th and advised me to reach out to you as the extended warranty was not listed for our vehicle I am hoping someone can help us since we are under the mileage and it was only a few days past the time frame. Thank you

We have a 2017 Ford Focus Hatchback with a 2.0L engine and a Powershift transmission. We are the original owners and the vehicle only has 56,000 miles. The vehicle, when accelerating and shifting from 1st gear to second gear, is slipping, yielding a loss of torque in an unpredicted fashion. My daughter has nearly been rearended several times. The slip and reengagement is only in this shifting pattern (i.e. not evident in higher gears nor at higher speeds). Ford service acknowledges that there is a problem but is not warrantying the service do to the age of the vehicle. My contention that unintended acceleration is a safety issue and I would like NHTSA to investigate this very serious issue, on such a low mileage vehicle. I worry about the safety of my daughter and other vehicles.

Catastrophic engine failure, engine died and was unable to shift into gear My 16 year old daughter was driving on a busy highway when the engine died, causing her to stop completely on a 55 MPH road. She was unable to get the car into a gear to have it pushed to the side of the road and had to sit in the car with traffic flying by her until we could get a tow truck (approximately 30 minutes). She was unable to get out due to the traffic being so heavy. The vehicle had a limited warranty left on it, and it was towed to a facility where they diagnosed with blown head gasket and/or cracked cylinder head. It was towed to a dealership where it was discovered the car had an active recall that caused the engine failure. There was no warning signs previously.

The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and unexpectedly downshifted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The owner of the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.

Bought this car last June of this year and ever since then. First gear will buck sometime and second gear too. After I gotten to thrird gear it goes away. My local Tires Plus says that's with all Ford focus'es he think I'm crazy but I have let a friend drive it when I there and he says the same thing as me. It bucks..

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered while shifting between 1st and 2nd gear, or upon acceleration. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle misfired. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle had hesitated to start. Additionally, the contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle started sputtering, the RPMs increased, and the vehicle lost drive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The messages "Transmission Overheat" and "Transmission Failure. Could be Overheating - Pull Vehicle over Asap" were displayed. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,463.

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.