The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered, and the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, a message indicating that the transmission had overheated, and that the vehicle was overridden and would shut down was displayed. The vehicle stalled. The service warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to Akron Transmission Inc, where it was diagnosed that the dual clutch assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 6.
2017 Ford Focus: transmission slipping
63 of the 900 complaints about the 2017 Ford Focus describe transmission slipping.
- owner complaints
- 63
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 47,000
- recalls
- 2
Transmission slipping by model year
What owners say
We have a 2017 Ford Focus Hatchback with a 2.0L engine and a Powershift transmission. We are the original owners and the vehicle only has 56,000 miles. The vehicle, when accelerating and shifting from 1st gear to second gear, is slipping, yielding a loss of torque in an unpredicted fashion. My daughter has nearly been rearended several times. The slip and reengagement is only in this shifting pattern (i.e. not evident in higher gears nor at higher speeds). Ford service acknowledges that there is a problem but is not warrantying the service do to the age of the vehicle. My contention that unintended acceleration is a safety issue and I would like the federal safety agency to investigate this very serious issue, on such a low mileage vehicle. I worry about the safety of my daughter and other vehicles.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving uphill at 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the transmission was slipping, and the vehicle jerked and failed to respond while the engine revved significantly. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The message "Transmission Overheating - Please Let Cool For 5 Minutes" was displayed. The contact allowed the vehicle to cool down and attempted to drive back to the residence; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the clutch actuator motor was previously replaced due to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle would be covered under an unknown Customer Satisfaction program if the failure was related to the transmission. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission dual clutch pack assembly had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V845000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The transmission has been slipping since I got the car.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an engine misfire, and the transmission was slipping gear. The contact stated there was an alert indicating that the transmission was getting hot-illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into reverse. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission clutch assembly failure. The contact was informed that the transmission clutch assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V169000 (Power Train). The contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,976.
The dual clutch transmission slips, shudders and hesitates in first gear. It will even at times, jerk in other gears. This has been repaired 2 times, but the “fixes” only last maybe 20,000-25,000 miles if I’m lucky. The dealership now refuses to fix this and wants to charge over $4000 to fix this. This is not something I can or am will to pay for every 1.5-2 years.
The transmission is experiencing the following: Difficulty shifting gears, Delayed or harsh, shifting, Transmission slipping. I have a 2015 that experienced the same thing and was recalled and fixed. This is not under recall. The vehicle has under 80K mines.
While on the freeway theTansmission started slipping and not accelerating properly. Dashboard displayed transmission overheat warnings that require the vehicle to be stoped for at least 5 minutes, only to display overheat error again. Informed Ford and was told
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from being idle, the vehicle was lunging forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was unaware of the diagnostic result. The dealer informed the contact that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure occurred approximately 5 years after the repair. While driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced the failure and the transmission started to slip. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed and DTC code: PO7A3 (Transmission Failure) was retrieved. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.
my transmission started slipping like it was in neutral and coming to a stop when it downshifted to low gear it would lunge forward the ford garage said it was tcm but didnt have the part i dont know what to do i need a car
I purchased the vehicle in 2019 and noticed significant shuddering almost immediately. This was surprising as the vehicle was only 2 years old at the time. The vehicle has particularly intense shuddering when accelerating from a stop on any slope, sometimes seeming as it can't make it up steeper inclines at all. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership 3 times within the first year or so of ownership (while it was still under warranty) and they replaced the clutch each time, even though this only helped the suddering for a short period (a month or two) each time. It was after this time (after the warranty had lapsed), that I realised transmission issues with my make and model were very common and similar to what I was experiencing. The shuddering has persisted over the last 5 years, and has worstened in the last couple of years. Lately, the transmission issues have also included Slipping. Frequently, when accelerating, the vehicle will often not respond (or respond very slowly). This is especially true when shifting into or out of reverse. These issues make the vehicle a safety issue and should be addressed by Ford.
The clutch on my 2017 Ford focus needs to be replaced due to it slipping/shuttering when I go to accelerate.
Service bulletins that may apply
- 2015-2018
- Certain 2016 through 2017 Model Year Focus equipped with a DPS6 Automatic Transmission
- Illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018,...
- Short-Term DPS6 Dealer Customer Handling Direction
- On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be...
- Some all-wheel drive (AWD) 2013-2018 Escape vehicles equipped with 1.5L/1.6L/2.0L EcoBoost/Fusion vehicles...
- Illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018,...
- No start condition with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and a DTC P161A after PCM replacement
Related recalls
Power train: manual transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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 on July 6,2026.
Recall number 26V376000 · Recall details
Power train: manual transmission
- What is wrong
- 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.
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 18V845000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2017 Ford Focus slipping
Is transmission slipping a common problem on the 2017 Ford Focus?
63 of 900 owner complaints about the 2017 Ford Focus (7%) mention transmission slipping. The model year with the most reports is 2014.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2017 Ford Focus?
There are 2 recalls and 15 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2017 Ford Focus
Check engine light 201Stalling 165Shudder 117Jerking 98Hesitation 78Transmission failure 65Overheating 50Engine failure 45Loss of power 37Won't start 25Grinding brakes 24Won't shift 24Misfire 11Harsh shifting 10Sudden acceleration 10No deployment 8Power steering loss 8Knocking 7Fuel pump 7Fuel gauge 6
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