Most common 2017 Ford Transit problems
Share of the 98 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Transit complaints by model year
Best Transit years: 2014, 2021, 2025. Years to avoid: 2023, 2020, 2015. Compare all years →
2017 Ford Transit recalls (18)
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026.
Parking brake › Conventional › Mechanical › Linkage and cable
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Transit vehicles. An incorrect driveshaft torsional damper service kit may have been installed, which can allow the damper shield to contact the parking brake cable, possibly resulting in parking brake failure.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger side parking brake cable with a cable that provides sufficient clearance to the damper shield, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 24, 2021.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
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.
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.
Seats
New England Wheels (New England) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and 2014-2019 Ram Promaster 2500 and 3500 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Go-ES Foldaway seats.
Remedy: New England has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs to the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019.
Seats
Fenton Mobility Products, Inc. (Fenton Mobility) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719.
Remedy: Fenton Mobility will notify owners, and a Fenton Mobility technician will repair the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2019.
Seats
Mobility Transportation Services (MobilityTrans) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and Ram Promaster vehicles and 2014-2015 Ford Econoline vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719.
Remedy: MobilityTrans will notify owners and Freedman Seating dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2019.
Show 12 more recalls
Equipment adaptive/mobility
Mobility Specialists, Inc. (Mobility Specialists) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Ford E-150 and Transit vans modified to be equipped with Ricon S-Series and K-Series wheel chair lifts.
Remedy: Mobility Specialists, working with Ricon, has notified the owners. Ricon will provide instructions and materials for replacing defective parts. Owners may contact Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884.
Seats
Cabot Coach Builders, Inc. DBA Royale Limousine (Royale) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit-based mini-coaches equipped with Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats recalled under 18E-076.
Remedy: Royale will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the seat. The recall began June 6, 2019. Owners may contact Royale customer service at 1-800-544-5587.
Seats
Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit Van, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2007 Ford F-250-based shuttle vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-3S foldaway seats.
Remedy: Vantage has notified owners, instructing them to contact Freedman for a repair kit, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540.
Seats
TransitWorks is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit Connect, and 2016 Dodge Ram ProMaster vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Seating GO-ES seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when…
Remedy: TransitWorks has notified owners and instructed them to contact Freedman seats for a repair kit. The recall began December 19, 2019.
Seats
Quality Van Sales, Inc. (Quality Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit and E-350 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seat back cushions. The seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
Remedy: Quality Van will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began March 21, 2019. Owners may contact Quality Van customer service at 1-800-408-8550.
Equipment adaptive/mobility
Fenton Mobility Products, Inc. (Fenton) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit passenger vans modified to be equipped with Ricon S & K Titanium Wheelchair Lifts. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height.
Remedy: Fenton will notify owners, and a service technician will install Ricon Recall Parts Kit RI61396, free of charge. The recall began April 24, 2019. Owners may contact Fenton Mobility customer service at 1-716-484-7014.
Seats
Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles (Prime-Time) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. When the seat back cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load,…
Remedy: Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles has notified owners, and Freedman dealers have inspected and repaired the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
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.
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.
Seats
National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719.
Remedy: National Van will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 26, 2018. Owners may contact National Van customer service at 1-508-222-2272.
Electrical system › Wiring
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display, an electrical short and possibly the deployment of seatbelt…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge.
Electrical system › Wiring
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display, an electrical short and possibly the deployment of seatbelt…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018.
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2017 Ford Transit:
Zipcar Rental Concerns
NHTSA 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).
What 2017 Ford Transit owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 40 →
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal rattling and humming sound. Additionally, the vehicle was shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure increased, and the vehicle made an abnormal loud grinding sound. The contact later noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driveshaft flexible coupling was fractured. The mechanic determined that the flexible coupling needed to be replaced; however, the part had been discontinued. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V408000 (Power Train); however, the failure persisted. …
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V767000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, when the vehicle was shifted into drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond. …
Engine & cooling
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that DTC: P2002 was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the diesel particulate filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 23M01 (Certain 2015-2019 Ford Transit 3.2L Diesel Replace Diesel Particulate Filter); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 172,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact noticed that while at idle or when the vehicle was parked, he noticed exhaust fumes in the rear of the vehicle. The contact's children who would ride in the rear seats of the van also noticed the smell of exhaust. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact noticed that the exhaust pipe was short and was venting under the vehicle and not away from the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked at the residence. The contact was asleep and was alerted to the fire by the local authorities after a neighbor witnessed the fire and called the emergency services. Upon reviewing the ring camera footage, the contact became aware that the fire had originated at the rear driver's side of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department, and the vehicle sustained damages to the rear driver's side of the vehicle. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
Our fleet of Ford transits are all having similar issues. This is the 2nd time this particular vehicle has lost power while driving causing extremely dangerous safety concerns. We were instructed by Ford to replace the throttle body which was done in 2021 and now the same issue is occurring. Ford needs to remedy this issue long-term. This issue is affecting the trust from my employees to provide them safe transportation, inoperable vehicles are causing lost revenue and the rest of my fleet is now unreliable causing concern for more serious accidents. This is a major issue for people that have Ford Transit fleets.
2017 Ford Transit engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl turbo | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 19 / 16 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 18 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: Van.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2017 Ford Transit a good car?
Based on 98 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2017 Transit rates average: 25% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Transit at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2017 Ford Transit?
The transmission & drivetrain — 40 complaints, 41% of all complaints for this model year, most often about driveline › driveshaft. Next are the engine & cooling (18) and electrical system (12).
How many recalls does the 2017 Ford Transit have?
There are 18 recalls for the 2017 Ford Transit, the most recent from September 3, 2025 (camera). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Transit?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2021 and 2025. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2020 and 2015. See the full Ford Transit years comparison.
At what mileage do 2017 Ford Transit problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 49,000 miles; 51% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.