2019 Ford Transit Connect reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Ford Transit Connect over 8 years — 3 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 8 recalls on file, including Back-over prevention, software, Transmission control module, and Panoramic roof.

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 Powertrain (24 of 51), then Service brakes (17) and Electrical system (5). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 30,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 10,500 and 71,000 miles. Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Transit Connect has 22 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2020 has 32 complaints, 4 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 Ford Transit Connect. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (8)

Recall back-over prevention, software 2025-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 25V442000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Remedy Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

Vehicles affected 200,237

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, transmission control module 2025-03-28 · NHTSA campaign 25V196000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V-636. The powertrain control module (PCM) software has fail-safe temperature threshold values higher than intended for the engine. This may delay engine cooling and result in engine overheating.

Remedy Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 21, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S32.

Vehicles affected 152

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 air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2020-12-17 · NHTSA campaign 20V791000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 EcoSport and 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles. Depending on the model, either the driver side or passenger side frontal air bag modules are missing the first-stage booster propellant and sleeve. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bag module on either the driver or passenger side, free of charge. This recall began February 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C26.

Vehicles affected 12

Recall engine and cooling, cooling system 2020-10-15 · NHTSA campaign 20V636000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines. The powertrain control module (PCM) software has fail-safe temperature threshold values higher than intended for the engine. This may delay the fail-safe cooling strategy in the event of coolant loss and result in engine overheating.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began November 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S60.

Vehicles affected 2,903

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2020-09-10 · NHTSA campaign 20V550000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Edge, Transit Connect and Lincoln MKX and 2020 Escape and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing or loose bolts.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the start/stop accumulator, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S49.

Vehicles affected 97

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

Complaints by component (51 total)

Powertrain

Service brakes

Electrical system

Back-over prevention

Visibility and wipers

Air bags

Forward collision avoidance

Hydraulic brakes

Engine

Lane departure

Visibility

Wheels

Show 4 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 12 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 30,000 miles. The middle half fall between 10,500 and 71,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Since I’ve bought it at 48,000 miles the van has always had hard engagements on 1 gear and 2nd. I knew the transmission was bad a week after I bought it at the ford dealership. All they did under their limited warranty…"
Powertrain · filed 2026-06-18
"Description of Defect: When the vehicle is shifted into reverse, the rearview camera display freezes for several seconds before going black. This malfunction creates a direct and serious safety hazard — during the…"
Unknown or other, Visibility and wipers, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-05-12
"The vehicle has only been driven for 24K miles and there was an issue with the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) and the recommendation is for it to be completely replaced. Seems ridiculous if the ABS Hydralic Control…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-05-04
"While traveling on the freeway after approximately 45 minutes of driving at 65 mph, the car suddenly felt like it was down shifting causing it to slow substantially. When I tried to accelerate to avoid cars behind me…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-04-20
"Transmission failure after all known transmission recalls were repaired."
Powertrain · filed 2026-03-23

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Ford Transit Connect VAN FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2019 Ford Transit Connect Wagon FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	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 USPS	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	27	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Van two-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	27	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Van two-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	24	27	25 MPG	$2600
Transit Connect Van flex-fuel	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	24	27	25 MPG	$2600
Transit Connect Wagon LWB flex-fuel	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	24	29	26 MPG	$2500
Transit Connect Wagon LWB front-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	20	26	22 MPG	$2950
Transit Connect Wagon LWB front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	Front-wheel drive	24	29	26 MPG	$2500

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 2018 Ford Transit Connect Next year 2020 Ford Transit Connect See every Ford Transit Connect model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Ford Transit Connect reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Ford Transit Connect?

Is the 2019 Ford Transit Connect more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2019 Ford Transit Connect been recalled?

The 2019 Ford Transit Connect has 8 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 2019 Ford Transit Connect?

Owners have filed 51 complaints about the 2019 Ford Transit Connect with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Ford Transit Connect get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Ford Transit Connect is 24 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.