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EnginePart report

2017 Ford Focus Engine Problems

Complaints
230about this part
Share
26%of 900 total for the year
Median mileage
63,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 230 complaints about the engine of the 2017 Ford Focus, 26% of the 900 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Cruise control fails constantly, has trouble picking up speed going up hills. Can't maintain speed on hills and sloaps. Gave to dealership for two months said it was fine only for them to tell me they had no mechanic. Engine continues to fail and they won't check for new recall for free on my car. My check ending light is currently on, I believe it is the same issue with the other Ford Focus recall.”

NHTSA complaint #11633798, filed 2025-01, 269,573 miles

“I was accelerating from a stop sign when the car didn't want to go forward, the rpms just idled as the engine revved but I couldn't drive forward, then the vehicle lunges forward, as if the transmission was stuck in neutral. After it jumped forward it began making a terrible grinding noise and lost control, almost driving straight into another car. …”

NHTSA complaint #11318392, filed 2020-03, 70,192 miles

“When accelerating, typically from a stopped position but not exclusively, the transmission shudders. This started happening at about 20k miles and I'm told by the Ford dealership some shuddering is to be expected & cannot be repaired . I disagree. This is not to be expected as no other vehicle I've owned did this unless there was a mechanical problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11363046, filed 2020-10, 20,000 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 . …”

NHTSA complaint #11217279, filed 2019-06, 52,000 miles

“Car shut off in the freeway, shutters and shakes when turned on and RPM goes up to 4,000 to accelerate. I called multiple places and talked to multiple Ford representatives that wont help me and obviously my car is a danger to the road and myself. Theyre making me pay out of pocket for a Ford problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11397922, filed 2021-02, 63,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201823228%
201723026%
201623420%
201517317%
201444217%
201334416%
201247513%
201133%
20104215%
2009167%
2008146%
200762%
200621%
2005112%
2004133%
2003182%
2002162%
2001322%
2000160%

Other parts of the 2017 Ford Focus

Transmission and drivetrain
455 complaintsFuel system
177 complaintsEngine cooling
81 complaintsOther or unknown
81 complaintsVehicle speed control
37 complaintsElectrical system
36 complaintsSteering
20 complaintsAir bags
15 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsExterior lighting
9 complaintsWheels
8 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2017 Ford Focus

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology