10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,245 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Ford Focus:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #56

May 202019

Focus

  • 13,000 miles
I have a 2017 Focus that the transmission thats sluggish/slipping. I bought the car new and at 13,000 I already had to replace the transmission for a clicking/stalling/slipping. When I bought it in and explained the reason its like they already knew about the issue and the part was on back order. Had to wait about a month before the part got changed. Now at 15,000 the transmission acting up again. The transmission revs high before switching gears. It sluggish when merging onto the highway. Even when needing that little bit extra power going up a hill, it bogs down and I have to move over in lanes make sure no one behind me gets stuck. I'm already thinking about taking my car back in again before my 30,000 mile warranty hits to try and get it replaced once again. The transmission is unreliable and not effective. I wish I didnt buy this car and went with a Nissan or Toyota. But im stuck with this unreliable car.

- Lewisville, TX, USA

problem #55

Jul 022019

Focus

  • 29,500 miles
The transmission skips, lunges, and does not shift well. It has been in for transmission flash and automatic transmission clutch rebuild at 19,000 miles. Was in for check and trans flash at 29,000 miles week of June 27th 2019. Was in today, July 16 for check because it operated worse after it was looked at three weeks ago. The service manager says clutch has to be rebuilt/replaced again...it has about 30,000 miles on it. This is a safety problem as we cannot trust the vehicle to get out of the way or move properly when gas pedal is put down. Ford knew about this problem for years and still sold defective vehicles

- Newton, NH, USA

problem #54

Mar 182018

Focus

  • 55 miles
Bought car new took test drive all seemed fine did paper work drove home, first stop on off ramp when light turned green I gave car gas and it just sat there slipping and not shifting. Cannot drive it in summer months gets hot and slips and will not up or down shift right. No good to me if I can only drive it in winter. Car has 11,000 miles on it and it is just sitting in my driveway with dead battery. And mine was a new 2017 witch was suppose to be fixed, now the dealer wants me to trade it in so they can make more money.they are as bad as Ford cos they know there bad and keep selling them too!! there have been more then one episode with this car, its even worse with two adults in car. They should not be on any road.

- Argyle, Twp, ME, USA

problem #53

Jan 012018

Focus

  • 1,500 miles
This 2017 Focus was brought brand new. When it hit about 1500 miles, it began to shutter and shake under the hood upon acceleration. This happened at stop signs or on the highway. This happens with any sort of acceleration. It happens when the car is straight, like accelerating from a "stopped" position at a stop sign when it is my turn to go. It also has happened when I was attempting to pass another vehicle. I called the dealership and was told this was "normal" with these cars. I took it in and was told if they checked it out & it was determined this was a "normal" shutter with these cars, I would have to pay for their time. Not able to afford that, I did not have them check it out. At about 2500 miles, I was passing a vehicle and while in the opposite lane, the car began to shutter & stall. Me & child were nearly hit head on. I took it back to the dealership. This time they kept it to check it out. They kept it a week. It was determined that it was indeed this particular transmission and currently, Ford had no recalls and therefore they could not do anything. The dealership done what they could do as far as what my Ford warranty would pay for. Basically, I'm stuck paying for a car that, at times, is unsafe. I can't pull out on the road or pass a vehicle because I do not know if this will be time the that my car shutters and we are hit head on. According to the dealership, Ford is aware of this transmission issue and has continued to sell them in these cars. This car is dangerous and I am cannot afford to turn it in nor can I afford to replace it.

- Amory, MS, USA

problem #52

May 052018

Focus

  • 9,000 miles
Purchased new at 9000 miles transmission started to shudder and slip on acceleration, had clutch replaced at 11K miles, at 22K miles it occured again this time jerking into gear while accelerating, replaced clutch again 24K miles at 37K miles had it replaced again for the same reason. 3 clutch replacements in under 40K miles and it is happening again. This is unsafe in heavy traffic and highways transmission failure is dangerous. Transmission jerking, shuddering takes longer to get up to speed and maintain speed in traffic. Also shudders and slips when starting off from a stoplight.

- Grandy, NC, USA

problem #51

May 012018

Focus

  • 8,000 miles
About a couple of months after purchase I started noticing a "shudder" in the transmission. When I would try and take off from a stop it would shudder and feel as though my tires were skipping across the pavement pretty bad. Eventually it was so bad that I would not turn in front of an oncoming car that was even a half mile away out of fear it would stall or simply not move. I ended up taking my car in for repair after seeing numerous complaints of the same issue and deciding it wan't all in my head. I was charged $130 for them to tell me they cleaned the clutch and it was "normal" for this type of car and that I need to drive it harder due to the transmission it has in it. It does not matter how hard I drive my car it is still there. Cleaning of the clutch or whatever they did to it, worked for about a week. Here I am back to having the same issue and it is gradually getting worse. I am seeing all types of complaints for this same issue and feel this is not normal. A brand new car should not feel like crap to drive. Buyer beware!

- Decatur, MI, USA

problem #50

Jul 062019

Focus 4-cyl

  • 8,500 miles
My car was at a standstill and my car stuttered like the transmission was going to fall out, I talk with kevin at Liberty Ford in Aurora Ohio and he said didn't the salesman tell you about the transmission problems and I said no. My radio has stopped working twice, I didn't have this problem until Liberty Ford did my oil change back in May 2019, also my car is missing while driving. Not happy with being sold a lemon. Consumer no longer has the vehicle.

- Solon, OH, USA

problem #49

Jul 012019

Focus

  • 17,000 miles
Upon coming to a stop (such as at a traffic light or stop sign, ) the vehicle makes extremely loud "clunking" noises when shifting down in gear. The sound seems to come directly from the transmission area and is in sync with the changing of gears. Upon acceleration from a stop, the transmission will make grinding sounds and stutter the entire car in a jerking-type motion. When this happens, the entire car feels as if there is a loss of power and makes it hard to accelerate properly in high-speed/high-traffic areas (such as freeway on-ramps or state highways.) I personally believe that this could be a dangerous thing because if I were to pass someone on a dotted line, or even pull out onto a roadway, the car may either stall or stutter so slowly that I wouldn't be able to get up to speed correctly, resulting in a possible collision. Lastly, I would like to mention that on 3 separate occasions now, when I am trying to park the car in a parking space, the transmission would not switch it into reverse at all. My gear shifting stick was in reverse, as well as the gauge-cluster displaying I was in reverse, however, my car acted as if it was in neutral. I would have to place the car back into park or drive again, and then try again for the transmission to successfully switch into reverse. I did contact my local Ford dealership, however they said they were many weeks out and I never could get ahold of anyone there to schedule a time to look at it. I will add on that my car only has 17,000 miles on it as of July 2019. From my research, I have seen many others post complaints or worries in regard to the 2017 Ford Focus and its transmission. I hope that NHTSA will look into this further and can find answers as to why many, many of these cars are having issues with stalling, stuttering, and grinding noises and motions coming from the transmission.

- Oak Harbor, WA, USA

problem #48

Apr 182019

Focus

  • 30,000 miles
My 2017 Focus developed a problem with the power shift dual clutch transmission slipping at low speeds. It would launch well initially, but then start to shudder and slip until 2nd gear was fully engaged. The problem was more pronounced when turning onto a road while accelerating to merge with traffic, and the shuddering was stronger at the end of a drive than at the beginning. Gradually the symptoms became more severe, until I did not feel safe merging into traffic at normal speeds. At that point I took it in to the dealer. The dealer did a road test and inspection and concluded the clutch needed replacement. The part was on national backorder and took 8 weeks to arrive; in the meantime I had to continue driving my Focus with its defect. The dealer replaced the clutch and half-shaft seals under warranty at no charge. The issue was resolved, and has not reoccurred.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #47

May 202019

Focus

  • 4,995 miles
When taking off from stand still, it acts as though the transmission is slipping causing a hesitation

- Elizabethtown, KY, USA

problem #46

Jul 242017

Focus

  • miles
When accelerating from a stop and when turning while in motion on a city street and when accelerating after slowing down on the highway the transmission hesitates and makes the car jerk and shake as if the transmission is slipping and/or going out. This has been an ongoing issues since approximately a week after I purchased the vehicle in July of 2017

- Aberdeen, WA, USA

problem #45

Apr 262019

Focus

  • 37,000 miles
6-speed dual clutch automatic transmission slips while accelerating from a stop, clunks and rattles while slowing down to a stop. Has happened every day since I've had the car.

- Three Rivers, MI, USA

problem #44

Feb 042019

Focus

  • 27,000 miles
Transmission problems that include hesitating, shuttering, and what feels to be clutch slipping with their "new" double clutch transmission. This happens periodically when starting from a stop and usually shutters the whole car through 1st and 2nd gear. Sometimes it feels like the transmission is going to fall out of the car. Along with the hesitation and violent shuttering I'm worried to drive my car that has less than 30,000 miles on it. I've heard of many other people experiencing the same problem and the dealership can't seem to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it.

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #43

Jun 142019

Focus

  • 30,000 miles
The transmission shudders frequently. Its a reoccurring issue every time I drive and the car only has 30K miles on it, the car did not come equipped with the select shift mode and it has been doing it since I got the car, it makes the whole front end of the car shake (not violently enough to make the car steer out of control). I took it to a Ford dealership and they said they don't know what I'm talking about and cant reproduce the issue, but its a well known that the Ford powershift transmission is terrible, basically the issue is not common enough to need replacing so I'm just stuck with a poor transmission.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #42

May 242019

Focus

  • 24,000 miles
Occasionally the transmission mis-shifts or slips violently. Occasionally it feels like the car is trying to accelerate without accelerator input. Example 1: I was on the freeway and someone accidentally merged into my lane where I was. I braked as I got over to avoid an accident. I then tried to accelerate. The engine RPM went to around 8000. The car didn't accelerate, in fact it felt like it was continuing to slow. My foot wasn't on the brake, there was no reason for the transmission to be in a neutral state. The vehicle behind me had caught up to me and had to veer into the furthest left lane to avoid me. After releasing the gas and pressing it again the car felt like it fell into the correct gear and it accelerated. Example 2: my wife and I were out and we stopped at a red light. I had my foot on the brake and eased up to avoid that lurch feeling as I came to a full stop. The car lunged like it was trying to drive itself. This was a very short time frame but it was still terrifying. I had my wife in the car, she said she has experienced that a few times. Example 3: when accelerating from full stops the vehicle occasionally hesitates to go. The engine RPM will go up but the car will sit still or barely move and jerk about. Luckily none have resulted in accidents but in all situations the only reason there wasn't one was because someone else reacted quickly enough. The vehicle that swerved to avoid, the driver behind me not going just because my brake lights were off and no one in front of me when the car lurched forward on its own.

- Madison Heights, MI, USA

problem #41

Jan 062019

Focus

  • miles
Anytime I try to make any sort of turn in this vehicle, trying to accelerate into the turn I essentially get stalled out even though the gas pedal is engaged and trying to power the vehicle to make the turn. It becomes a dangerous aspect especially when it starts to become busy on a main city street and the car won't accelerate like it's supposed to while trying to make the turn. My vehicle can start to make the turn and then start to stall out as I'm in the middle of the turn, and then it will sit there for a second until there are inbound cars coming and then it'll continue to make the turn after stalling for about 5 seconds. It's become a concern because it now comes down to waiting until the roadway is empty and full to make a safe turn. On top of that, if I'm going anywhere between 8 to 15 miles an hour, my car starts to stutter at low speeds. Not sure exactly what the cases for that, but it has raised some eyebrows and some concerns to myself with that because you never know what's going to happen if it starts to stutter and stalls out completely or disables the vehicle. This is the second hatchback I've purchased through Ford, and it's the first time I've ever had any sort of issues with the vehicle. I just don't want something to happen while I'm driving or trying to make any sort of turns from a main street to a side street install out in the middle of the roadway and possibly get hit from oncoming traffic. Especially going through any sort of school zones when it's clearly marked to go 15 miles an hour or below. I would recommend looking into this issue, because it looks like it has happened very frequently with a few other 2017 Focus's.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #40

Jan 012019

Focus

  • 27,000 miles
I have had this vehicle since October of 2017, and have already had to get the clutch replaced once. This is the select shift automatic transmission and even though Ford has replaced the clutch once already, I am still having the same problems with what seems like the clutch slipping which is causing the vehicle to shudder/jerk when going from first to second (accelerating). It has started occurring more often than not and I have taken then vehicle back into to Ford many times for them to just tell me there is nothing wrong with my vehicle, and the slipping is 'normal' for this transmission. I drive this car on a daily basis to and from work and what it is doing does not seem normal. You can also hear it clunk when decelerating when approaching intersections.

- Rockville, VA, USA

problem #39

Sep 062018

Focus

  • 52,000 miles
When I first purchased my vehicle 8 months ago there was 5 recalls on the vehicle I was in aware of. Since I've found out about these recalls the local Lincoln shop keeps informing me that Ford has not been sending them the replacement psrts to fix my vehicle I've contacted Ford multiple times to figure out what they are going to do about this junk of a car. I'm paying for a car 30K for this 2017 and it's slowly but surly breaking down the car putters there's a loud ticking the idling is rough the clutch and computer has been replaced twice since I've had the car and I never use the manual part of this vehicle I'm to the point to where I just want them to buy this trash back so I can get into something better and more reliable.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #38

May 012019

Focus

  • 43,000 miles
Shifting from first to second the transmission shudders and sounds and feels like vibrations. Had the clutch replaced at 34K. Happenjng again. Brought it to Ford, they reprogrammed the transmission, 2 days later happening again.

- North Grosvenordale, CT, USA

problem #37

Jun 012018

Focus

  • 450 miles
Transmission slips & shutters, grinds, & sometimes won't accelerate properly.

- Warsaw, IN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »