2017 Ford Transit Engine Problems

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.

NHTSA ID

11731837

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

Mileage

172,000 mi

A known Ford defect on the 2017 3.5 ecoboost engine is when the manifolds, improperly designed and installed, warp and snap off the manifold bolts holding the manifold to the engine. The result is a great deal of extremely hot exhaust fumes being emitted in the engine compartment rather than out the end of the exhaust pipe. There were NO messages, lamps or other indicators of the manifold failure until a wheezing, rattling sound was emitted.

NHTSA ID

11728098

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

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.

NHTSA ID

11721118

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

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 NHTSA 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!

NHTSA ID

11657579

Incident

Apr 29, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11652038

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

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.

NHTSA ID

11650680

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11626151

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

Transmission will downshift on its own when vehicle is decelerating making engine RPMs over rev. Only way I have found to prevent this is to shift to neutral and then back to drive. I don't like doing this because it could accidently get shifted into reverse while driving at highway speeds! Valve cover leaks dripping oil onto the exhaust manifold causing the vehicle to smoke very badly and could possibly cause a fire.

NHTSA ID

11623831

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

1. Vehicle has oil leaking out of valve covers so bad it starts smoking from under the hood. 2. Transmission will stick into low gear and I have to put the vehicle into neutral to get it to start shifting correctly again. Vehicle will also pulsate speed with transmission growling. 3. Turbo chargers not operating correctly causing Vehicle to buck and hesitate under acceleration.

NHTSA ID

11596910

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

Vehicle has 140,000 miles on it. 1. Has valve cover oil leak where dripping oil is dripping onto the manifold and starts smoking. I talked with the dealership, they said they wont fix it under their "Lifetime warranty". I am concerned it will start a fire. 2. The transmission will suddenly downshift and seems to lock into lower gear when decelerating. Only way to get it to stop is to put vehicle into neutral while coasting and then back into drive. I am afraid its going to lock up and cause me to spin out. 3. The engine has a turbocharger issue in which when I try to pull out into traffic, it will sometimes buck, hesitate and backfire before it accelerates. Eventually I am going to try and pull out and it's going to do that and I am going to get hit! It seems to do it while coasting and then when accelerating again, that's when it happens. I took vehicle to dealership (Johnson City Ford) where they provide a "Lifetime powertrain warranty", but they are telling me that unless I have all service records, they will not fix it under the warranty. The only thing I have done with this vehicle is oil changes when the vehicle tells me it's due, Tires and brakes. I also called "Contact Ford" about the problem, and they basically told me it's not their problem, so there is a record somewhere of me contacting them Twice.

NHTSA ID

11583218

Incident

Apr 16, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11556071

Incident

Nov 20, 2023

Mileage

175,000 mi

Vehicle loses ability to control acceleration going into a "limp" mode while on the highway. This poses a serious safety risk to the driver, passenger and all other drivers on the road. The van has to "coast" to safety. This occurs with no warning and is very sporadic. The throttle body was replaced 7/1/2021 after 109,256 miles. This is a repeating issue with my fleet of Ford Transits ranging from 2015-2018, some vehicles having this part replaced more than once.

NHTSA ID

11555248

Incident

Jun 29, 2021

When driving my transit 250 it vibrates a lot and I was told that the transmission is going out. After I researched I find that this is a common problem with this Ford vehicle. It cost about $4000 to fit and Ford is not helping customers with their vehicle. Why is there no recall on this problem?

NHTSA ID

11497295

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11450258

Incident

Sep 2, 2019

Mileage

40,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 FORD TRANSIT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND SHUDDERED AND JERKED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DRIVER PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE DRIVER WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE MIGHT BE DUE TO AN UNIDENTIFIED ECM FAILURE. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MULLINAX FORD OF NEW SMYRNA BEACH (2317 FL-44, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL 32168, (386) 267-4980) AND THE ECM MODULE WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE COULD RECUR DUE TO WATER LEAKING INTO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

NHTSA ID

11415296

Incident

Apr 16, 2021

Mileage

57,000 mi

VEHICLE WILL RANDOMLY SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR TYPICALLY WHILE GOING DOWN HILL ON INTERSTATE AT SPEEDS OF 70 MPH OR GREATER. THE RESULTING SHIFT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO REV FAR PAST RED LINE AND CAUSES SEVERE UNINTENDED DECELERATION. SITUATION HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND AFTER A FEW MORE HARSH SHIFTS GOES BACK TO NORMAL. CONTACTED MULTIPLE FORD DEALERS WITH NO ANSWER TO PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11316321

Incident

Feb 10, 2020

Mileage

80,000 mi

ELECTRICAL THROTTLE BODY FAILED DURING DRIVING. LOST ALL POWER.

NHTSA ID

11231213

Incident

Jul 8, 2019

Mileage

47,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 FORD TRANSIT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING, EXHAUST FUMES WERE PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE CABIN. IN ADDITION, THE REAR FLOOR WAS VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VELDE FORD (2200 N. 8TH ST, PEKIN, IL) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A SHORTENED EXHAUST PIPE; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO REMEDY AVAILABLE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE EXHAUST PIPE WAS EXTENDED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

NHTSA ID

11151919

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

500 mi