What 842 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Focus RS

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked, lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact waited for the vehicle cool down, restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated normally. On another occasion, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled with the transmission failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that no failure was found. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482486

I was driving and all of a sudden could not go over 30 miles an hour. I took it 3 dealerships 1 including a Ford Dealership. What I have been told is that there have been many issues with this type/manufacturer of transmission. The diagnostic codes that are coming out when being run are P072C P2832 P0219 P2578 Ford dealership states that the internal fork stop inside the transmission is broken. It needs a partial rebuild including forks, case, clutchesm], and related parts.

NHTSA ODI 11481809

The transmission strutted or slips when accelerating from a stop

NHTSA ODI 11481455

EVAP EMISSION PURGE VALVE FORD HAS A RECALL BUT VIN.NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL

NHTSA ODI 11481263

The contact called on behalf of a client who owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated the client was at a stop light when the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The client restarted the vehicle and drove to the independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the failure to be a stuck canister purge valve. The mechanic also related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,763.

NHTSA ODI 11481016

So in 2019 or 2020 i honest cant remember because it has happening many times and ive taken it to the dealership and nothing gets done but I had the headgasket recall done on my car. My car is modified and the recall job was still performed. Afterwards i started to experience problems witht the motor. I notice i was loosing oil fast and it was also all over the side of the engine. also when it would be cold and rain, my car would struggle to startup and sometimes the engine would not want to run. the car never threw a code so when i took it back to the dealership they would let it sit, the condensation would disappear and the car would run fine. After spending time on the internet and seeing a couple of other mechanics it came down to the TIMING COVER being install improperly due to the headgasket job performed. TIMING COVER is leaking oil from thetop of the engine which also lets in condisation inside the engine that also gives me problems when it rains. The dealership that worked on the car does not want to fix the issue becasue the car is modified even though its been proven that any modifications will not cause a timing cover to leak oil unless the headgaket job was done impropely. now i am stuck with a bad engine when it was working fine before the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11480279

Interior lighting. Multiple shorted wires kept blowing fuses for interior lights. Wiring harness for all interior lights had to be replaced with multiple areas of chafing and wires melted together.

NHTSA ODI 11479858

While driving 2017 Focus on 8/14/22, the car began to shutter. When owner stopped to buy gas, the car would not restart until about 10 minute later . Then it would not go into reverse. Made it home. Next day, 8/15/22, while driving, it began to shutter again, the Transmission overheating warning light appeared, and vehicle immediately stopped running. Pulled off to side of road. It would not restart. Was towed to a local repair shop (not a Ford dealership). The repair shop ran a diagnostic and reported 4 PCM and 7 TCM fault codes. (See attachment.)Vehicle has not been repaired. Vehicle has approx 130,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11479613

My transmission started to slip , took it to a garage then I had to WALK through A VERY BAD area in Philadelphia. Ford Roadside towed it to Chapman’s on Roosevelt Blvd on 8/9 where we bought it. They still haven’t looked at it because they’re so busy and backed up and in the meantime I have no way to get to work & it’s costing me $40 a day for Lyft and my mental health. The car only has 60,000 miles, I shouldn’t have to be dealing with this

NHTSA ODI 11479463

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop and at various speeds, the vehicle was shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. Additionally, the contact stated would fail to respond when depressing the accelerator pedal and would not go pass a certain speed. The contact stated that the RPM would reeved when depressing the accelerator pedal but the vehicle would fail to respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission clutch had been replaced every 4,000 to 7,000 miles on six occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479025

Transmission module failure. Car stalls and shutters when driving causing possible car accident. Took to Ford dealership service center and they found Transmission module failure needs replacement immediately can cause auto accident. Warning engine light comes on.

NHTSA ODI 11478913

I financed a 2017 Ford Focus se 6 speed manual in March of 2020 (it’s now aug 2022), and about a month ago I was driving a main hwy when I needed to downshift due to traffic. I go to put it in 3rd and instead it slips into 1st. (It’s not suppose to allow you to do that, states in the owners manual bc it’s a safety feature). Meanwhile it is stuck in 1st, redlining, as I’m in the middle of a busy highway unable to do anything. I had to push the car off the road in order to not get hit by oncoming cars. Called Ford, called the dealership, found out there’s a recall on the engine and the transmission but neither of them would Honor the recall. Attorney’s won’t do a thing about it, and now I’m stuck paying $8k on a car I can no longer drive. I promise this is the last time I’ll EVER own a ford.

NHTSA ODI 11478047

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle and driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring after refueling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that fuel tank vacuum system had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that her vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477713

Ford owners have been plagued with the issue of poorly designed lug nuts that expand with age. My service center just informed me that most or all of my lug nuts need to be replaced, so I have authorized that to complete the service. I have read that the problem is caused partly because of improper tightening. When I purchased my Ford in 2018(a one year leftover) the Ford dealer had to resurface the rotors twice because of pulsation. I've since had oil changes done at another Ford dealer that supposedly included tire rotation, so it seems that Ford could be at fault for bad lug nuts and reinstalling them as well. I think that a recall is justified. What is odd is that this issue has been around for quite some time, but they are still selling the same part. How is that?

NHTSA ODI 11477742

On Friday July 15th around 7PM, my wife and I were driving out of town to visit family. We stopped at a gas station along the highway to make sure we had gas an everything before getting too far out of town. We had no issues when we stopped but after leaving we tried getting on the highway and after merging the car reved up very high and seemed to have dropped into a low heat like 1st or 2nd. We attempted to get off the highway but with this low gear the car could not do more than about 20Mph. We finally made it off the highway and checked everything we could think of that could cause this issue but found nothing. We had to get the car towed home because besides being stuck in a very low forward gear when shifting to drive, we also lost reverse. After being towed home we parked the car to see if this just needed to cool off and come back to it later. We let it sit for a few days and now the car is disabled. It turns on and runs smooth but the transmission is non-operational. We no longer have any gear control and can only turn the engine on. I called Ford about this issue but was not helped in any way. Just asked to pay for a diagnostic.I don’t think I will be buying any more Ford vehicles since they could not fix this issue after so many years.

NHTSA ODI 11476676

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering while shifting gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was previously diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired with a new clutch and linkage; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

NHTSA ODI 11476492

Failure of the encase power train transmission. Delay is shifting & transmission to shift gears gets stuck. COMPLETELY unsafe when pulling out into traffic. Driver is unsure if the transmission will engage or not. Unable to accelerate at times until transmission engages. Sounds like gears are being stripped on the automatic Transmission. Started in May 2021 & continues to happen daily.

NHTSA ODI 11476498

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with the fuel system and fuel tank. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown repair and an unknown software update were completed; however, the vehicle failed to start a month later. The contact later drove the vehicle but the vehicle would not exceed 10 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed; however, the parts were on national back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in a recall associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11476406

The contact's wife owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that soon after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact stated that his wife would depress the accelerator pedal to prevent the vehicle from inadvertently stalling. The contact stated that initially, no warning lights had appeared on the instrument panel; however, recently the check engine warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to the dealer however, the mechanic found no failure with the vehicle. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test showed that the vehicle had a defective PCV valve. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the mechanic informed him that he was familiar with the failure; however, he was provided an estimate for a diagnostic fee. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475644

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while parked or while driving approximately 5 MPH, the power steering malfunction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with power steering rack failure. The vehicle was then taken to a local independent mechanic and the failure was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475097

In June of 2021 my car started shuddering when shifting into 1st and 2nd gears. I am a very cautious, defensive driver but had to really baby the car to try to avoid the shuddering and learned to shift around 9 mph for 1st gear and 19 mph for 2nd gear. However as the year progressed, the issue became worse and had to schedule a diagnostic test at Roush Ford in Hilliard Ohio in December which cost me $150, and place not only a financial burden upon me but also those who had to help me get to and from the dealership and appointments and church. Then in January 2022, my car was in the shop for 8 days while Roush Ford repaired the transmission by replacing the clutch that Ford continues to use in the vehicles even knowing it is a problem, which cost me $778.51. This has been going on since 2013 when there was a class action lawsuit for the Ford Focus between 2013 and 2016. Now there is another one for the same Ford Focus from 2017 to 2019. My car wasn't even 4 years old when the problem originated and had less than 59,000 miles on it. I only made last year $1,032 per month so this was a huge burden as well as a huge inconvenience for mevand my friends. Its amazing this problem did not cause any accident as I expected to be rearended every time I had to drive it. People were very annoyed with me and showed it with gesturing, honking, and zooming around me. When picking up the car after the repairs, the service coordinator informed me that they have a the clutches for this transmission in stock. That tells you something!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11474784

Vehicle shudders in lower gears typically starting from a stop as it shifts up in gears. I consider this a safety issue considering it impacts the driveability of the vehicle and limits the ability to get out of the way of traffic if needed. The symptoms are exactly as described in earlier 2011-2016 Focus model power transmission recall.

NHTSA ODI 11474187

Gas indicator numbers went wrong. So could not identify how much gas is left in my car

NHTSA ODI 11473333

1) A bracket that connects the seat to the rails that are attached to the floor had a weld break. Photos provided below. 2) The seat is no longer attached to the car in this particular part 3) No 4) I took the car to my dealer who did not physically look at it but refused to do anything to help me because the car was no longer within warranty period. They could provide me a quote only after I paid a $220 diagnosis fee. The part to repair is $1,020 before diagnosis charge, labor, and tax. 5) There were no warning or symptoms prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11471895

Have taken in my car 2 times for a clutch repair and it’s still not fixed. It shudders when taking off from a stop. I bought this car in June of 2020. One year later in June of 2021 it needed a new clutch. Then in June of 2022 it went in again for a new clutch. I drove it off the service lot and it was worse then when I dropped it off. I will be returning to ford service center on Monday June 27 2022 to tell them it’s still not fixed. I will be going I. With info that I found on the internet regarding problems with the transmission on the make and model of cars. Thank you Carol Brunson.

NHTSA ODI 11470976