2017 Ford Transit Connect reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Ford Transit Connect holds 28 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 2 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Transit Connect years here — under the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Camera, Panoramic roof, and Gear position indicator.

2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon Titanium LWB — Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (5 of 28), then Service brakes (4) and Visibility (4). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 50,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 36,000 and 73,500 miles. Those filings include 1 that reports a crash.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Transit Connect has 104 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2018 has 22 complaints, 1 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Ford Transit Connect. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (6)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-09-04 · NHTSA campaign 25V572000

Summary 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. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.

Vehicles affected 1,456,417

Recall visibility, panoramic roof 2024-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 24V294000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Transit Connect vehicles. An improper bond may exist between the panoramic roof and the vehicle body, which can result in the panel detaching from the vehicle.

Remedy Dealers will remove, clean, and reinstall the panoramic roof panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S29.

Vehicles affected 1,315

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2022-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 22V413000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Remedy Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Vehicles affected 2,925,968

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2021-05-24 · NHTSA campaign 21V376000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Remedy Dealers will replace the underhood shifter cable bushing, and add a protective cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S24.

Vehicles affected 192,080

Recall seat belts, front 2020-05-27 · NHTSA campaign 20V305000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Transit Connect vehicles. The front driver and/or passenger seat belt pretensioner initiators could contain an improper generant mix ratio that may prevent the seat belt pretensioners from deploying in the event of a crash.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. This recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S25.

Vehicles affected 1,616

Recall visibility, sunroof 2020-05-08 · NHTSA campaign 20V260000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2017 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with a Panoramic Fixed-Glass Vista roof. An improper bond may exist between the panoramic roof and the vehicle body and may result in wind noise, water leak, and in some cases, separation from the vehicle.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove, clean, and reinstall the panoramic roof panel, free of charge. Ford issued owners an interim notification on May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S22.

Vehicles affected 5,088

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (28 total)

Electrical system

Service brakes

Visibility

Back-over prevention

Hydraulic brakes

Powertrain

Steering

Visibility and wipers

Air brakes

Engine

Exterior lighting

Speed control

Show 4 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 15 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 50,000 miles. The middle half fall between 36,000 and 73,500 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse, the rear-view camera displayed a blank screen with the message "Camera Unavailable. The contact stated that the VIN…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-07-24
"The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit Connect. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-03-03
"Rear brake lights work when locking and unlocking van however the passenger brake light does not work when pushing the brake pedal to stop van"
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Service brakes · filed 2025-11-01
"See attached document for complaint"
Powertrain · filed 2025-01-23
"The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while reversing with the rearview camera engaged, the screen became blurry or blank. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated…"
Visibility, Back-over prevention · filed 2024-11-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2017 Ford Transit Connect VAN FWD	Not rated	4 stars	5 stars	Not rated
2017 Ford Transit Connect Wagon FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Transit Connect Van two-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	27	23 MPG	$2800
Transit Connect Van flex-fuel	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	27	23 MPG	$2800
Transit Connect Wagon flex-fuel	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	27	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Wagon front-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	27	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Wagon LWB flex-fuel	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	27	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Wagon LWB front-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	27	22 MPG	$2950

Specs and fitment

2nd-generation (US market), 2014–2023

Body styles Cargo van, Passenger wagon

Oil 5W-20 (1.6L EcoBoost, 2.0L and 2.5L) , 4.8 qt capacity

Tire size 215/55R16 (XL/XLT/Titanium) or 215/50R17 (Titanium option)

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 21S24 (NHTSA 21V-376) affects certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vans with the 2.5L engine, on which the bushing attaching the shifter cable to the transmission can degrade or detach. A damaged or missing bushing may keep the van from shifting into the intended gear, so it can move in an unexpected direction, and it may roll away after the driver selects Park; Ford's dealers replace the underhood shifter cable bushing and add a protective cap free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Ford Transit Connect Next year 2018 Ford Transit Connect See every Ford Transit Connect model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Ford Transit Connect reliable?

What are common problems with a 2017 Ford Transit Connect?

Is the 2017 Ford Transit Connect more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2017 Ford Transit Connect been recalled?

The 2017 Ford Transit Connect has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Ford Transit Connect?

Owners have filed 28 complaints about the 2017 Ford Transit Connect with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Ford Transit Connect get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Ford Transit Connect is 22.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did the Ford Transit Connect stop being sold in the US?

Ford ended US and Canadian Transit Connect sales after the 2023 model year; production stopped in December 2023, though the model continues in Europe.

Could the first Ford Transit Connect tow a trailer?

No. Ford's own owner's manual for the 2010-2013 model years states the vehicle is not equipped to tow and no towing package was available.