2023 Ford Transit Connect
The 2023 Ford Transit Connect is sold in the U.S. as a gas van with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Transit Connect Wagon LWB FWD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 1 complaint, most often about the power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
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Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit Connect Wagon LWB FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 24 | 28 | 26 | $2,600 |
| Transit Connect Van FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 24 | 26 | 25 | $2,700 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 46371, 46370.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit Connect Van FWD, Transit Connect Wagon LWB FWD | 6 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV50 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 50 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Van |
| GVWR class | Class 1D: 5,001 - 6,000 lb (2,268 - 2,722 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 2 L |
| Engine configuration | In-Line |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 3 |
| Seating capacity | 6 seats |
Transmission
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 8 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Parking assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking
Optional: Blind-spot monitoring, Rear cross-traffic alert
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes one configuration rather than every trim (seen: XL). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 189.4 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 72.4 in |
| Height | 70.5 in |
| Wheelbase | 120.5 in |
| Track, front | 61.4 in |
| Track, rear | 62.2 in |
| Curb weight | 3,580–3,977 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 55/45 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: Van Xl/Xlt, Wagon Xl/Xlt/Titanium. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2023 Ford Transit Connect is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2023 Ford Transit Connect, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Transit Connect →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported
0.4 per 10,000 built · Ford reported 24,173 Transit Connect built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2026: 1
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving our 2023 Ford Transit Connect (VIN ) van that resulted in an unintended vehicle movement and collision. While the incident resulted in only minor property damage and a minor injury, we believe the circumstances warrant review due to the potential for a much more severe outcome.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| CV FWD | not rated | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | not rated | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Equipment, Structure, Back Over Prevention.
- 25E06 Other2026-03-07 · Electrical System
- Certain 2021-2023 Model Year Transit Connect Equipped with 2.0L Engine Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming The affected vehicles have an emissions control system that might not control tailpipe emissions effectively
- 25E06 Emissions2025-12-18 · Power Train
- Certain 2021-2023 Model Year Transit Connect Equipped with 2.0L Engine Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming
- 25L02 Other2025-12-02 · Unknown Or Other
- Special Field Action 25L02 Certain 2017-2024 Model Year California Emissions-Certified Vehicles Transmission Control Assembly Reimbursement
- SSM 53465 Service bulletin2025-03-04 · Unknown Or Other
- Some 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, 2020-2024 Escape/Corsair/Edge/Nautilus/Transit Connect and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles may exhibit erratic shifting and/or a transmission fluid venting condition. If during the preliminary inspection the transmission fluid is found to be a foamy pink color, this may indicate possible cross contamination of engine coolant and transmission fluid due to an internally leak
- SSM 53040 Service bulletin2024-10-10 · Unknown Or Other
- While performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
- 23B85 Service bulletin2024-05-09 · Unknown Or Other
- Certain 2023 - 2024 Model Year Transit Connect Vehicles with Remote Start - Enable Remote Start
- SSM 52410 Service bulletin2024-04-03 · Unknown Or Other
- Various vehicles have had pinpoint tests, guided routines and the Warranty and Policy Manual recentlyupdated for diagnostics and repairs on SYNC generation 3 and later applications. When performingdiagnostics and repairs on SYNC Gen 3 or later, select the diagnostics tab and search for related symptoms,DTCs and keywords. The search results will be shown in the search results pane. Read and follow
- SSM 52335 Service bulletin2024-03-06 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- For 2015-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. Ford has evaluated turbochargers replaced for oil leak symptoms and although oil may collect on the external surface of a turbocharger, it is extremely rare for a turbocharger assembly to b
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2023 Ford Transit Connect failed the emissions check on 2.7% of first inspections — higher than the 1.6% for every 2023 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0.33% (every 2023 vehicle: 1.1%).
failed emissions
303 initial inspections of 299 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2023 Transit Connect | Every 2023 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 2.7% | 1.6% | 301 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 0.33% | 1.1% | 303 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.99% | 0.16% | 303 |
| Miles driven a year | 9,234 | 10,038 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 31,463 | 32,673 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2023 vehicle” is every 2023 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Transit Connect by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2023 Transit Connect
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2023 Ford Transit Connect have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
NHTSA gave the 2023 Ford Transit Connect 4 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2023 Ford Transit Connect, the best EPA combined figure is 26 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
Transport Canada measured it at 189.4 in long, 72.4 in wide (body, without mirrors), 70.5 in tall, on a 120.5 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,580–3,977 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2023 Ford Transit Connect, most often about power train. Of those, 1 involved a crash, 1 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
The EPA smog rating for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect is 6 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV50, Federal Tier 3 Bin 50 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect?
The manufacturer has filed 18 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2023 Ford Transit Connect, most often covering electrical system, unknown or other, equipment. The most recent is dated 2026-03-07. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2023 Ford Transit Connect do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2023 Ford Transit Connect failed the emissions check on 2.7% of first inspections — higher than the 1.6% for every 2023 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 0.33% (every 2023 vehicle: 1.1%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 2 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 2 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 1 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 18 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 10 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.