KnownCarProblems2017 Ford Focus Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 899 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Focus, most often about the transmission (51% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles). It is 10th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints and has 10 recalls.
Most common 2017 Ford Focus problems
Transmission
455 complaints · 51%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly.
Car stuttered when gear shifted from 1st to 2nd. Car stood accelatating while driving, causing the transmission to overheat. Transmission now is making a grinding noise.
The vehicle shakes and loses power at take off. It does not happen every time. The car was taken to Ford and we were told that it is a "normal feature". This car was purchased for our teenager and, 2 days after purchase, we are not comfortable with her driving it. She pulls into traffic and the car shakes and does not…
Engine
301 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 67,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the oil level warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled the vehicle over and inspected the vehicle but found no issues with the vehicle. The contact called perry Ford of poway (12740 poway rd, poway, ca 92064…
My engine light came on while driving to work on a city street around 7:30 am on my way to work and when I got home my husband check the code was p144a for a evap purge valve. After doing some research this is a common problem with a recall just not for my vehicle.
Fuel system
177 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 58,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v735000 (fuel system, gasoline). Five star Ford stone mountain (3800 US-78, snellville, ga 30039, ([phone]) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were available. The contact stated that the dealer did not replace…
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 19v515000 (fuel system, gasoline) at shottenkirk Ford jasper (868 ga-515, jasper, ga 30143), however the failure recurred. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a stand still, the vehicle shuddered when…
Other or unspecified
80 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.
I bought a brand new 2017 Ford Focus and have had it in the shop 6 times for an error code of p0299 turbo/super charger underbooster going off. The engine is losing power when it starts acting up and to protect the car it shuts down the underbooster. I have almost been rearended several times and my very pregnant…
Where the rear tail-light assembly mate with the car body there is a rubber seal/gasket in between the screw of the assembly and the hole on the car body, to prevent water leaking into the car. The rubber seal goes bad quickly, and water leak into the trunk while parked and cause water damage to all the components…
Speed control
37 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 35,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
At unpredictable times, accelerator pressure results only in engine revving. This occurs regardless of current speed, when turning at any speed or when moving forward. The transmission will not engage for several seconds. When it does finally engage, it will do so in a burst of acceleration. These conditions create…
Car will not start. Will respond to a jump but will not start after running for awhile again. Then it starts with a bit of hesitation for awhile and then back to needing a jump. When at a stop and accelerating, there is a huge pause before the rpms kick in then it goes all the way to max before calming down to where…
Electrical
36 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 27,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel, adas.
While driving the car, 4 days after having the 2nd clutch replacement at 30,000 miles, it was on a street not highway, the cars electronic dash displayed "transmission fault fix now". The car then slowed down a bit losing power, then several other signals appeared on screen, brakes and a few others, then the engine…
While driving to work as I pulled out of my neighborhood my rpms began began do rapidly bounce between 0-6 and the gas pedal didn't respond to anything like the engine was not receiving enough fuel. I stopped the car, in the middle of the road, put in park and the engine returned to a normal idle. I began to continue…
Steering
20 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: gear box (other than rack and pinion).
While driving my 2017 Ford Focus se, I received a message on the display indicating steering failure. The moment the message displayed, I lost steering immediately and the car pulled dramatically towards the right edge of the road. Up till this point, there was no indication of a steering issue. Thankfully, I was…
Power steering assist, in-op. Vehicle has 60k miles. Serious injuries may occur, if vehicle was to loose assist while driving. Luckily assist gave up in the parking lot. This is a design flaw, their are thousands of people with the same problem. Nhtsa should force Ford to remedy this issues.
Air bags
15 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 42,500 miles.
So for some reason my airbag light will come on and off for a few weeks. When its on my high beams and dont work and when its off my high beams work. Then today , my car battery randomly died on me twice. It started shaking uncontrollably before then. I thought maybe I needed an oil change because I was close to due…
I was involved in an accident and was injured on feb. 1, 2020. I was driving on straight away when and an SUV turned in front of my vehicle at high speed. My Ford Focus struck the SUV driver side door and my Ford Focus right side bumper got stuck under the SUV driver side door. My airbags in my Ford Focus did not…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2017 Ford Focus recalls
Transmission: manual transmission
Risk: A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will inspect focus vehicles and replace the clutch assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were october 16, 2026. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26s43. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on july 6,2026.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 focus and 2013-2016 fusion vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 18v169 and 18v845. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
Fuel system: canister
Risk: An engine that stalls while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed july 29, 2026. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26s40. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on july 6,2026.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 focus vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 18v735. The canister purge valve (cpv) may malfunction, causing the engine to stall unexpectedly while driving.
Equipment: engine block heater
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed march 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26s01. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall b
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 focus, 2013-2019 escape, and 2015-2016 mkc vehicles equipped with a 2.0l engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Equipment: engine block heater
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed february 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in october 2026. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25sa4. Vehicle identificatio
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 focus, 2019 explorer, and 2024 explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Engine: pump
Risk: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed august 11, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23s64.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 ford focus and 2018-2022 ford ecosport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.
Fuel system: canister
Risk: The excessive vacuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the cpv as needed. If the cpv is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began july 29, 2019. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s22.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2012 and 2017 focus vehicles equipped with 2.0l gdi gasoline engines and 2013-2014 focus st vehicles equipped with 2.0l gtdi engines, previously recalled under 18v-735. The affected vehicles did not have the powertrain control module (PCM) updated as intended. Therefore, the canister purge valve (cpv) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in the fuel vapor management system.
Transmission: manual transmission
Risk: A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update vehicles with software that detects and prevents prolonged clutch slip, and will replace the clutch, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began january 17, 2019. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18s07. Note: this recall is an expansion of recall 18v-169.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 ford focus vehicles equipped with a 1.0l fox gtdi engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. The clutch may fracture, resulting in damage to the transmission assembly and possibly a transmission fluid leak.
Fuel system: canister
Risk: The excessive vaccuum may result in an engine stall while driving, without warning and without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module. Dealers will also check for fault codes and replace the cpv as needed. If the cpv is replaced, dealers will inspect and replace the carbon canister, fuel tank and fuel delivery module as necessary. The recall began august 19, 2019. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18s32. Note: until the vehicle is serviced for this concern, owners are advised to keep the fuel tank at least halfway full.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2012-2018 ford focus vehicles with a 2.0l gdi or 2.0l gtdi engine. The canister purge valve (cpv) may malfunction, possibly causing excessive vacuum in fuel vapor management system.
Seats: mid/rear assembly
Risk: The reduced seat back strength may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the rear second left side rear seat back as necessary, free of charge. The recall began october 10, 2017. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17c13.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2017 focus vehicles. The rear left side seat back frame may have an insufficient weld between the outboard pivot bracket and the pivot nut joint, resulting in the seat back having reduced strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 207, "seating systems," and 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
Doors and locks: lock
Risk: With only a single press needed, the driver may accidently unlatch the hatchback, increasing the risk of injury to any unsecured passengers in the back.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module with updated software, free of charge. The recall began february 10, 2017. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16c13.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 ford focus hatchback vehicles manufactured february 14, 2012, to august 26, 2016 and equipped with a manual transmission. The hatchback of the affected vehicles may be unlatched with a single press of the interior latch release button. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 206, "door locks and door retention components."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Timing belt failure
Summary
On december 18, 2025, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (my) 2015-2017 ford fiesta and my 2015-2018 ford focus vehicles manufactured by ford motor company (ford), equipped with a 1.0l engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles). Additionally, my 2018-2021 ford ecosport and my 2016-2018 focus vehicles with a 1.0l engine and automatic transmission were analyzed as peer vehicles because they utilize a wet timing belt comprised of similar material as the timing belt in the subject vehicles. Through the pe, odi investigated a potentialâ failure/degradation of the timing belt that may affect oil pump functio
Timing belt failure
Summary
On december 18, 2025, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (my) 2015-2017 ford fiesta and my 2015-2018 ford focus vehicles manufactured by ford motor company (ford), equipped with a 1.0l engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles). Additionally, my 2018-2021 ford ecosport and my 2016-2018 focus vehicles with a 1.0l engine and automatic transmission were analyzed as peer vehicles because they utilize a wet timing belt comprised of similar material as the timing belt in the subject vehicles. Through the pe, odi investigated a potentialâ failure/degradation of the timing belt that may affect oil pump functio
Oil pump failure
Summary
On september 20, 2023, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe23-015 to investigate instances of engine failure due to loss of oil pressure in model year (my) 2018-2021 ford ecosport vehicles. Some consumers reported a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction of motive power while the vehicle was in motion. The investigation revealed that the engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm may fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. A loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine seizure, which can result in a loss of motiv
Loss of motive power
Summary
On september 15, 2023, the office of defect investigation (odi) opened this recall query (rq) after receiving 98 consumer complaints alleging loss of motive power in model year (my) 2012-2018 ford focus vehicles. The rq focused on the effectiveness of the remedies of recall 18v-735 and 19v-515. In october 2018, ford issued recall 18v-735, which updated powertrain control module (PCM) software in my 2012-2018 ford focus vehicles equipped with 2.0l gdi engines built prior to april 13, 2017, and those with 2.0l gtdi engines built prior to february 2, 2018. The recall addressed vehicles experiencing a malfunctioning canister purge valve (cpv) that can stick open and PCM software that does not ad
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Questions about the 2017 Ford Focus
- What are the most common problems with the 2017 Ford Focus?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (455 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles); engine (301 complaints, typically around 67,500 miles); fuel system (177 complaints, typically around 58,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2017 Ford Focus have?
- 10 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 9, 2026 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2017 a bad year for the Ford Focus?
- It is 10th of 19 Focus model years by number of complaints, with 899 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.