I have had many issues with this vehicle. The engine leaks oil onto the exhaust causing the engine to smoke, the engine uses antifreeze, the transmission will downshift at highway speeds to such a low gear that I need to put the van into neutral so that the engine doesn't blow up. It uses brakes quickly, (New brakes every 10,000 miles or so). Gas milage is less then 12MPG as well.
2017 Ford Transit transmission problems
40 complaints (41% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 106,000.
- owner complaints
- 40
- of this car's complaints
- 41%
- typical mileage
- 106,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 3
Which part fails
- Driveline: driveshaft2
- Automatic transmission: torque converter1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford Transit transmission problems in other years
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Transit vehicles. This recall includes all full-size Transit vehicles previously recalled under 17V‑408 except ones that received mechanical universal joint (u-joint) as a remedy and any 156" or 178" wheelbase Chassis Cab and Cut-Away bodies models. The flexible coupling connecting the transmission to the driveshaft may prematurely fail.
- Risk
- If the coupling fails, the vehicle will not be able to move under its own power and the disconnected driveshaft may impact and damage the brake and fuel lines. Additionally, the separated driveshaft may allow the vehicle to roll if the vehicle is exited when the transmission is in 'Park' but the parking brake is not applied. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and as an interim repair, dealers will replace the flexible coupling every 40,000 miles until the final remedy is available. The final remedy will consist of installation of a driveshaft front section equipped with a mechanical u-joint in place of the flexible coupling. These repairs will be made free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 1, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S38. Note: This recall supersedes recall number 17V‑408.
Recall number 19V767000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- XL Hybrids, Inc (XL) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with XL's electric hybrid system. The cardan (universal) joint on the front driveshaft may fail, possibly causing the front driveshaft to detach.
- Risk
- If the front driveshaft detaches from the vehicle, drive power will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. The detached driveshaft may also create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash for following traffic.
- Remedy
- XL will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft with an updated one, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact XL Hybrid's customer service at 1‑833‑953‑5338.
Recall number 19V103000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling all 2015-2017 Transit vehicles except 156" and 178" wheelbase Chassis Cab and Cut-Away bodies. In the affected vehicles, the flexible coupling connecting the transmission to the driveshaft may prematurely fail.
- Risk
- If the coupling fails, the vehicle will not be able to move under its own power and the disconnected driveshaft may impact and damage the brake and fuel lines. Additionally, the separated driveshaft may allow the vehicle to roll if the vehicle is exited when the transmission is in 'Park' but the parking brake is not applied. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and as an interim repair, dealers will replace the flexible coupling on any vehicle with more than 30,000 miles. A final remedy repair of a redesigned flexible coupling or a revised driveshaft equipped with a universal joint is being developed and is expected in early 2018. These repairs will be made free of charge. Interim notifications informing owners of the safety risk were mailed July 21, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S15.
Recall number 17V408000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Zipcar Rental Concerns
the federal safety agency opened this audit query to determine whether Zipcar, Inc. (Zipcar) complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act). The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a rental car company not rent, lease, or sell a recalled vehicle until the safety defect or noncompliance is remedied. 49 U.S.C. § 30120(i). Based on the federal safety agency’s inquiry, including information provided by Zipcar, the federal safety agency asserted that, during 2017 and 2018, Zipcar rented certain unremedied recalled vehicles in violation of the Safety Act. In October 2023, the federal safety agency and Zipcar entered into a Consent Order in which Zipcar agreed to pay a total civil penalty of $300,000. The total civil penalty included a payment of $150,000 as a Non-Deferred Amount. Zipcar also agreed to a sum of $150,000 as an Abeyance Amount, to be deferred and held in abeyance pending its satisfactory completion, as reasonably determined by the federal safety agency, of the requirements of the Consent Order. The requirements of the Consent Order include performance obligations that relate to process improvements to Zipcar’s recall compliance procedures and its training materials. Zipcar agreed to conduct an audit of all Zipcar vehicles with an open recall within 150 days after the Effective Date of the Consent Order. Zipcar also agreed to quarterly meetings with the federal safety agency staff to discuss the progress of the performance obligations and issues or concerns from either party. This audit query investigation, AQ18001, is closed. Closure of this AQ has no bearing on the terms of the Consent Order, including Zipcar’s ongoing performance obligations or other legal obligations, and does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency about Zipcar’s performance under the Consent Order to date.
AQ18001
What 2017 Ford Transit owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission sensor had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V408000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while his daughter-in-law was driving approximately 60-70 MPH down the interstate, there was an abnormally loud, unidentifiable sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle rolled to the side of the road. The contact stated that the repairs should be covered under a warranty for three years or 36,000 miles. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the drive shaft coupling had detached. The heater hose and brake lines had additional damage. The brake line and brake fluid warning lights illuminated after the failure. The manufacturer was contacted, who confirmed that the repairs were not covered. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 178,000.
The Driveshaft Flexible Coupling failed while traveling on Interstate 95 South. It is available for inspection upon request. Multiple recall notices have been issued for this (the federal safety agency 17V‑408) problem, and we have complied with them ALL except for one that we never received, supposedly mailed November of 2019. We have two of the recalled vehicles (2) 2017 Ford Transit Vans. Our safety and the safety of others was put at risk when this Coupling failed while traveling on Interstate 95 South. The Van was being driven by one of my employees and another employee was with him when this occurred, rendering the vehicle completely inoperable. The issue has been confirmed by the dealer and has only been inspected by the service department at the dealership. There was absolutely no warning of any kind, no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Ford has refused to cover the collateral (additional) damages that occurred to the vehicle when the coupling failed. They contend this is because we never complied with recall notice 19S38, dated November 2019. We never received this notice, and Ford has been unwilling to tell us exactly when this notice was mailed. Our contention is that it was not mailed to us, because we initially had this part replaced in July 2018 (due to the first recall 17S15). In reading every notice sent to the Dealers, there is a section, "OWNER NOTIFICATION MAILING SCHEDULE", which states, "The parts to repair this condition are currently not available in sufficient quantities to service all of the affected vehicle configurations. Owners of affected vehicle configurations will be notified in phased mailings to ensure part availability." Ford will not tell us when this was mailed to us. They have continued to push the blame on to the NCDMV (their address database) however we have always received every NCDMV renewal notice for our fleet of 15 vehicles.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrated abnormally while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken for an alignment; however, after driving for five miles, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the vibration had become progressively worse. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
This unit has a Failed Torque Converter. I looked online and found that there are hundreds of people (including shipping companies like Amazon) complaining about this issue, but there is no recall for the vehicle. However, they have several recalls for the TC on other models for that year. All complaints state that the TC goes out as low as 60,000 miles, and requires a full transmission rebuild at $3,700-$6200 per vehicle. This only rectifies the issue until the next 60,000 miles and then you have to do it all again?? This is basically a VERY EXPENSIVE lemon.
I have wrote to you before on this, but today (4.29.25) while driving downhill at 65 mph, no cruise control on, my van downshifted ON ITS OWN down to third gear and luckily, I was smart enough to shift the van in neutral and then back to drive or I would have blown up the engine. This is not just happening to my van, I have a friend who has purchased one and the transmission has gone out with only 35,000 miles on his van. My van is leaking oil and leaving spots everywhere it is parked, and it is using antifreeze at the rate of about a gallon every two weeks. This engine is total junk and neither the dealership, Ford, nor the federal safety agency are doing anything to correct this. Eventually, these engines are going to kill someone by locking up at highway speeds. Enough is enough! Ford needs to fix or replace these engines before someone dies!
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and vibrated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it awaited a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
I have sent this before, but my vehicles transmission will downshift, (at highway speeds), to a lower gear. I always have to put the van into neutral and then back into drive to get it to drive normal again. Also the van leaks oil onto the manifold which starts smoking. My van also uses antifreeze and I need to refill the coolant about every 2-3 days. This ecoboost engine is dangerous.
The transmission will downshift when deceleration and will actually throw you forward in the seat due to dropping into a lower gear. Vehicle has also developed an oil leak where oil is dripping onto the manifold, possible engine fire hazard. Engine is losing coolant due to possible blown head gasket.
Questions about the 2017 Ford Transit transmission
Does the 2017 Ford Transit have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 40 complaints about the transmission of the 2017 Ford Transit, 41% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2017 Ford Transit transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 106,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2017 Ford Transit transmission?
Yes, 3 recalls: 19V767000, 19V103000, 17V408000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Transit have bad transmission?
The Ford Transit model years with the most transmission complaints are 2015 (78 complaints), 2016 (60 complaints) and 2017 (40 complaints).
Other 2017 Ford Transit problems
Engine 18Electrical 12Acceleration 6Brakes 5Body 4Driver assistance 4Fuel system 4Steering 4Airbags 3Seat belts 3Lights 2Seats 2Suspension 2Tires 2Locks 1Visibility 1Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2017 Ford Transit?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history