Owners have filed 478 complaints on the Ford Transit Connect, covering 2011–2021. The system named most often is Power Train (84 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2016, 2015; cleanest: 2021, 2012, 2011. 14 reports describe a crash, 5 a fire. On average the car was 5.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Transit Connect
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 478 Transit Connect complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 84 Read
Transmission failure in my 2.0L Ford Transit Connect at approximately 94,000 miles. When I shift into reverse, the van sometimes drives forward instead of backing up — as if the transmission is confused or stuck in the wrong gear. Over time, reverse completely stopped working altogether. Additionally, after coming to…
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Transit Connect. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V643000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 21V376000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the gear shifter seized and the vehicle rolled forward, crashing into a brick wall and damaging…
The Transit was parked on a slope and was in "Park", but it rolled back down the slope and hit a parked car
Structure 48 Read
The contact owns a 2016 ford transit connect. The contact stated that on various occasions, while driving at various speeds, the brushed aluminum on the steering wheel and the plastic around the radio and vents reflected sunlight, creating a glare which blinded the contact. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer…
Some driving positions might not be able to see the shift indicator or turn signal indicators. This means it may be hard to tell whether the transmission is a neutral, drive or manual position. I nearly hit a driver and a car wash because I thought the transmission was in neutral and it was in drive. There is an…
Water is leaking down into the vehicle from up above in the roof. There are caps located in these channels on the exterior roof of this vehicle. There was snow overnight sitting on top of the vehicle. A puddle formed inside on the back plastic arm ledge. Ceiling carpet was wet up above. I drove the vehicle in wet…
Service Brakes 45 Read
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH in the rain, the vehicle in front of him made a sudden stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond, causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of the other occupied vehicle. There were no injuries…
Automatic braking system module System went out mid drive and Locked up the front right and back left brakes making vehicle immovable in the middle of the highway. Towed to a dealership where they had to remove and replace ABS module no warning lamps were present. No prior symptoms before failure
Two tires lock up gradually and then completely preventing the vehicle from being driven and causing damage to the other tires. The inability to drive the vehicle on the open road is very dangerous. There are no warning lamps. The vehicle may seem sluggish to accelerate. After towing to a service station, the ABS…
Electrical System 43 Read
As I'm driving home, I start to smell an unusual odor. I get home , pull in drive, turn off transit and start unloading groceries. This is when I notice smoke coming from the dashboard. I continue to unload while I keep an eye on the smoke. It worsens and I realize it was on fire and by now there were orange drops of…
1. The 2019 Transit Connect Wagon transmission would buck or jerk when removing my foot from the accelerator when going 60 mph or more. The brake was NOT press at the time of the jerk. 2. When entering the Ford Service Center for the transmission check appointment, the left front brake seized. There was an odor of…
I can not seem to get my reduced guard function as shown in internal memo ssm48081 and in my factory ford owners manuel set up by any ford dealership I have been to. Last night at dinner it set off 5 times with my dog inside. Was told by one dealership to just not lock the doors
Visibility 30 Read
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that the windshield was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility) but the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was unable to locate a mechanic to compete the recall repair. The…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation leaking from the top of the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V192000 (Visibility). The manufacturer was notified…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact discovered moisture leaking into the vehicle on the passenger’s side. The vehicle was taken to several dealers and independent mechanics who were unable to determine the source of the leak. An independent mechanic eventually discovered that the leak was coming…
Steering 26 Read
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the brakes locked up. After releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle began to shake abnormally. While driving, the power steering became inoperable. The Hill Assist, traction control, and steering assist became inoperable. The…
Unexpected power steering failure while driving. Driver and surrounding vehicles at risk Ford Dealer has reproduced the problem but can't identify the cause There weren't any warning lamps or messages before failure I own two other Ford Transit Connect vans from 2018, each has had the same problem
Power steering failure while driving Driver safety at risk as well as surrounding vehicles yes yes no warning lights, messages or other symptoms prior to failure
Engine 25 Read
The vehicle in motion all of a sudden on fire and burned and reduced to charcoal ed frames. All equipment, tools, and parts for AC and home remodeling burned. Driver escaped in time with no visible injury. Police had it towed to their impound lot
There was a recall for potential engine fire issues. I took the van to for several time to ask about this and was told the vehicle I had was not part of the recall. I eventually sold the van to a friend of mine with about 106,000 miles on it. I also advised him of the recall info and told him ford said it was not part…
While traveling at highway speed the vehicle suddenly and without any warning lost propulsion and died forcing the driver to pull over. As a result of how sudden the failure was the driver was just barely able to find a safe place to pull off the road. The vehicle would not start or run leaving the driver and his…
Latches/locks/linkages 24 Read
The contact's company owns a 2018 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while an employee was driving at 30 MPH, the rear driver side sliding door unintendedly opened. The employee could not shut the door due to a defective latch. The contact stated that a zip tie was used to secure the door. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while her husband was operating the vehicle, the front driver side door failed to shut closed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear sliding door failed to remain securely closed. The local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was advised that the failure was not related to a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related…
Transit Connect years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2018 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2017 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 3 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2012 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2011 | Electrical System | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 315 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 8 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.0 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 8. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Transit Connect?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2016, 2015 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Transit Connect years are the cleanest?
2021, 2012, 2011 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Transit Connect have?
478 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2011–2021. Of those, 14 describe a crash and 5 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.