2017 Ford Focus problems

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a recall repair associated with an engine oil failure and tensioner replacement. The contact stated that after the recall repair, while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking and then unintendedly accelerated. The "Service Engine" light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA complaint #11758167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I was driving and during the drive I realized that if the accelerator pedal was pressed more than the lightest touch the car would stop accelerating. I decided that I had to turn back to go home, and during my return trip the engine oil pressure lamp started flashing at me. Soon after, I entered a roundabout and pressed the clutch. At this moment the engine stopped working (tach to 0 rpm) and I had to coast and pull over. The starter worked but the engine did not turn over--it was seized. Prior to that day, it seemed like the car was having trouble with its turbocharger--boost was delayed at first and later intermittent. Since I was on a mostly empty road this did not pose a safety threat to others, though I did slow down traffic as I pulled over on a two-lane road. If this same issue had happened later into my drive on a busier road or highway, mine and others' safety would have been put at risk due to my car suddenly not working with little warning. The engine is seized and needs to be replaced. It would be available for inspection as I have not yet replaced it. The current cost to repair has been quoted to me at between $9000 and $10000.

NHTSA complaint #11756867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I am filing this complaint regarding a severe safety hazard and prolonged failure to resolve an official recall repair by the manufacturer and dealership. In April 2026, the vehicle was brought to the dealership for an official recall repair. The repair was delayed for 2 months. In June 2026, after the dealership confirmed completion, I retrieved the vehicle. While driving on the highway, the check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle completely lost power. Pressing the accelerator pedal produced no response, leaving the car unable to accelerate in active high-speed traffic. This created an extreme safety risk that nearly caused a severe highway collision. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership. The dealership returned the vehicle a second time, claiming it was repaired, but the exact same check engine light illuminated immediately with the same loss of power, requiring another tow. As of August 2026, the dealership has retained the vehicle for over 4 months in total due to backordered parts, without providing a clear completion date or loaner/rental transportation support. The dealership and corporate customer care are currently ignoring attempts to communicate. The recurring loss of engine power on the highway and unresolved recall defect pose a direct and imminent risk to public road safety. The components involved are currently at the dealership for inspection.

NHTSA complaint #11756823 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I am filing this complaint regarding a severe safety hazard and prolonged failure to resolve an official recall repair by the manufacturer and dealership. In April 2026, the vehicle was brought to the dealership for an official recall repair. The repair was delayed for 2 months. In June 2026, after the dealership confirmed completion, I retrieved the vehicle. While driving on the highway, the check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle completely lost power. Pressing the accelerator pedal produced no response, leaving the car unable to accelerate in active high-speed traffic. This created an extreme safety risk that nearly caused a severe highway collision. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership. The dealership returned the vehicle a second time, claiming it was repaired, but the exact same check engine light illuminated immediately with the same loss of power, requiring another tow. As of August 2026, the dealership has retained the vehicle for over 4 months in total due to backordered parts, without providing a clear completion date or loaner/rental transportation support. The dealership and corporate customer care are currently ignoring attempts to communicate. The recurring loss of engine power on the highway and unresolved recall defect pose a direct and imminent risk to public road safety. The components involved are currently at the dealership for inspection.

NHTSA complaint #11756823 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I am filing this complaint regarding a severe safety hazard and prolonged failure to resolve an official recall repair by the manufacturer and dealership. In April 2026, the vehicle was brought to the dealership for an official recall repair. The repair was delayed for 2 months. In June 2026, after the dealership confirmed completion, I retrieved the vehicle. While driving on the highway, the check engine light suddenly illuminated and the vehicle completely lost power. Pressing the accelerator pedal produced no response, leaving the car unable to accelerate in active high-speed traffic. This created an extreme safety risk that nearly caused a severe highway collision. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership. The dealership returned the vehicle a second time, claiming it was repaired, but the exact same check engine light illuminated immediately with the same loss of power, requiring another tow. As of August 2026, the dealership has retained the vehicle for over 4 months in total due to backordered parts, without providing a clear completion date or loaner/rental transportation support. The dealership and corporate customer care are currently ignoring attempts to communicate. The recurring loss of engine power on the highway and unresolved recall defect pose a direct and imminent risk to public road safety. The components involved are currently at the dealership for inspection.

NHTSA complaint #11756823 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 45 minutes after each failure. The vehicle was towed to the neighbor's house approximately seven times and was taken once to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that on one occasion while attempting to restart the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine revved; however, the vehicle lost power and stalled. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,226.

NHTSA complaint #11756238 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 45 minutes after each failure. The vehicle was towed to the neighbor's house approximately seven times and was taken once to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that on one occasion while attempting to restart the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the engine revved; however, the vehicle lost power and stalled. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,226.

NHTSA complaint #11756238 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Timing belt came apart and my engine blew in the middle of driving. I contacted ford and they said i had to deal with it. So I have had it repaired. I have invoices. Warning light came on seconds before it died. I only have 40,000 miles on my car.

NHTSA complaint #11754853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I presented my vehicle to Oliver Ford-Lincoln in Plymouth, IN for inspection under recall 23S64 / NHTSA 23V-905. The dealership confirmed that the oil pump drive belt degraded, clogging the oil pickup pump screen and causing engine oil starvation and complete engine failure. The dealership subsequently denied recall coverage claiming "bad maintenance history". Under NHTSA Campaign 23V-905, Ford explicitly acknowledges that the wet belt and tensioner are defective by design and cause oil starvation. Denying a safety recall remedy for the exact failure mechanism detailed in the federal recall notice based on discretionary maintenance rules violates federal safety recall requirements. Furthermore, I attempted to escalate this denial to Ford Corporate. Ford Corporate refused to generate an official case number, promised a callback, and abandoned the request. I am requesting NHTSA intervention to compel Ford Motor Company to honor the remedy mandated under Safety Recall 23V-905.

NHTSA complaint #11752825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering and sputtering while driving. While accelerating, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle failed to shift into gear properly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11751096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

multiple clutch's have had to be replaced in BOTH of my 2017 Ford Focuses. Had to replace the transmission in my other one. Now this one is having transmission issues again. Dont know if I can handle another $4000 bill because Ford created and sold a defective product and depite several repairs never fixed it as they kept using the same faulty parts. Was told by dealership that they just replace the same parts over and over at Ford's direction until the warrenty expires as Ford was not going to come up with a permanent fix as they were converting to SUV and Truck only. Maybe the NHTSA

NHTSA complaint #11750753 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low engine oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the contact stopped driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine oil pump, the engine, and the coolant gasket housing were replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the vehicle started overheating. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times, and the contact was eventually informed that diagnostic trouble codes indicating an overheating failure were retrieved when the vehicle was initially taken to the dealer. The contact stated that the dealer stated that the overheating failure was not related to the recall repair. No further assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed; the contact was advised to take the vehicle to another dealer for a second assessment, and the manufacturer would follow up with the initial dealer based on the assessment. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.

NHTSA complaint #11750662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint #11749475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving approximately 53 mph on a main road, my 2017 Ford Focus suddenly displayed the message “Engine Fault Service Now.” The vehicle immediately entered limp mode, downshifted into 2nd gear, and would not accelerate above approximately 31 mph. During the event, the engine shook noticeably and made abnormal noises. No check engine light appeared during this initial incident. This problem occurred multiple times over several days, most often when the fuel tank was below approximately half full. Each time, I was able to temporarily restore normal operation by shutting the vehicle off, waiting about one minute, and restarting it. After restarting, the vehicle would drive completely normally until the problem occurred again. A few days later, while sitting in my vehicle during a work break, I started the engine and it immediately entered limp mode without being driven. A check engine light then illuminated, and the engine stalled shortly afterward. The diagnostic trouble codes retrieved were: * P1674 (Stored, Pending, Permanent, and Enhanced) * U0100 (Enhanced ABS Code) A mechanic familiar with Ford vehicles suggested the symptoms could be related to the EVAP canister purge valve issue that has been investigated on similar Ford Focus models. He recommended keeping the fuel tank above half full as a test. Since keeping the fuel tank full, the limp mode condition has not reoccurred. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership to have the purge valve issue evaluated. The dealership declined to perform any purge valve-related repairs because they believed the problem was transmission-related and stated the engine issue would need to be repaired first. I am submitting this report because the vehicle unexpectedly loses power while driving, creating a significant safety hazard when traveling at normal traffic speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11748428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) in 2019. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed, but the manufacturer confirmed the dealer's information. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA complaint #11748475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) in 2019. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed, but the manufacturer confirmed the dealer's information. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA complaint #11748475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving approximately 53 mph on a main road, my 2017 Ford Focus suddenly displayed the message “Engine Fault Service Now.” The vehicle immediately entered limp mode, downshifted into 2nd gear, and would not accelerate above approximately 31 mph. During the event, the engine shook noticeably and made abnormal noises. No check engine light appeared during this initial incident. This problem occurred multiple times over several days, most often when the fuel tank was below approximately half full. Each time, I was able to temporarily restore normal operation by shutting the vehicle off, waiting about one minute, and restarting it. After restarting, the vehicle would drive completely normally until the problem occurred again. A few days later, while sitting in my vehicle during a work break, I started the engine and it immediately entered limp mode without being driven. A check engine light then illuminated, and the engine stalled shortly afterward. The diagnostic trouble codes retrieved were: * P1674 (Stored, Pending, Permanent, and Enhanced) * U0100 (Enhanced ABS Code) A mechanic familiar with Ford vehicles suggested the symptoms could be related to the EVAP canister purge valve issue that has been investigated on similar Ford Focus models. He recommended keeping the fuel tank above half full as a test. Since keeping the fuel tank full, the limp mode condition has not reoccurred. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership to have the purge valve issue evaluated. The dealership declined to perform any purge valve-related repairs because they believed the problem was transmission-related and stated the engine issue would need to be repaired first. I am submitting this report because the vehicle unexpectedly loses power while driving, creating a significant safety hazard when traveling at normal traffic speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11748428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

While driving approximately 53 mph on a main road, my 2017 Ford Focus suddenly displayed the message “Engine Fault Service Now.” The vehicle immediately entered limp mode, downshifted into 2nd gear, and would not accelerate above approximately 31 mph. During the event, the engine shook noticeably and made abnormal noises. No check engine light appeared during this initial incident. This problem occurred multiple times over several days, most often when the fuel tank was below approximately half full. Each time, I was able to temporarily restore normal operation by shutting the vehicle off, waiting about one minute, and restarting it. After restarting, the vehicle would drive completely normally until the problem occurred again. A few days later, while sitting in my vehicle during a work break, I started the engine and it immediately entered limp mode without being driven. A check engine light then illuminated, and the engine stalled shortly afterward. The diagnostic trouble codes retrieved were: * P1674 (Stored, Pending, Permanent, and Enhanced) * U0100 (Enhanced ABS Code) A mechanic familiar with Ford vehicles suggested the symptoms could be related to the EVAP canister purge valve issue that has been investigated on similar Ford Focus models. He recommended keeping the fuel tank above half full as a test. Since keeping the fuel tank full, the limp mode condition has not reoccurred. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership to have the purge valve issue evaluated. The dealership declined to perform any purge valve-related repairs because they believed the problem was transmission-related and stated the engine issue would need to be repaired first. I am submitting this report because the vehicle unexpectedly loses power while driving, creating a significant safety hazard when traveling at normal traffic speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11748428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and hesitated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. An unknown warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact used an OBD-2 scanner and retrieved DTC: P00C6. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the VIN was not under recall. Upon further investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V515000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA complaint #11744707 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The vehicle experienced a sudden and total loss of transmission engagement and motive power while driving at highway speeds due to a Transmission Control Module (TCM) failure. The vehicle unexpectedly dropped out of gear into a 'no-power' state, creating an immediate traffic hazard and nearly causing a rear-end collision. The vehicle is hardly functioning at any speed, drops all power then jerks into a higher gear. The vehicle is cutting off in traffic and cannot be started unless a transmission reset is done. The vehicle has lost all reverse causing hazards if reverse is needed. The nearest auto parts diagnosed a failed TCM and clutch but dealership and Ford refuses to replace it because Ford excluded 2017 models from "Customer Satisfaction Program 14M02", despite using the identical defective transmission hardware as the recalled 2012-2016 models.

NHTSA complaint #11740996 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The symptoms are shuddering (driving and turning corners), delayed acceleration and bouncing from a stop. This has been recalled and the clutch will never stop performing this way. This is the 3rd time I have had an issue. Researching this online, I have found that it is a federal law that it must be fixed free of charge. Dealership has refused to work with me. WHAT DO I DO NOW?

NHTSA complaint #11738807 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The block heater on this car is leaking. The recall 26V011 does not apply to this VIN, even though it falls under the year, make, model category. How can I get my vehicle to have the recall done when it shows that it is not affected, even though it is clearly leaking.

NHTSA complaint #11731612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The block heater on this car is leaking. The recall 26V011 does not apply to this VIN, even though it falls under the year, make, model category. How can I get my vehicle to have the recall done when it shows that it is not affected, even though it is clearly leaking.

NHTSA complaint #11731612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

engine failure - coolant entering engine cylinder #2, Internal engine failure. Car was stalled loss of power on highway and almost killed. Towed to nearest mechanic shop. Need to disassemble and confirm failure point. Ford law suits for coolant internal engine damage and failure. This is a known defect with Ford Ecoboost engines. Including coolant/antifreeze entering the engine. Also, the coolant intrusion into cylinders. Requesting good will assistance as unable to use car for over 2 months. Ford headquarters is acting like they know nothing about this.

NHTSA complaint #11729480 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

●Unknown- transmition seem to slip or acted like stalling or about to die. Would jerk forward and shutter till finally would not start after being turned off. So had it towed because would not start again. ●myself and others in my 2017 Ford Focus titanium edition were traveling over a bridge at the time of the incident and very well have stalled out or quit running in the middle of traffic on a bridge causing a collision or worse loss of life ●No- no service center has addressed the issue not due to me not trying but merely, nothing's been done from where I've taken it to ●No- at the moment that is not required as of yet. ●Yes- the forward jerking and shuttering started a couple of years every now and then, until it turned into such a severe situation. ●No - no signs signals lights or anything on the dash showed any kind of sign of anything wrong with the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11728958 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.