Ford Motor Company probably wishes it had gone with a CVT.
After weathering years of complaints about the performance of its six-speed PowerShift dual clutch transmission, Australia just added to the misery with a class-action lawsuit, CarAdvice reports.
The suit, which alleges the transmissions are unsafe, concerns 2010–2014 Ford Fiesta and Focus models. Ford owners involved in the legal action claim the gearbox “slips, bucks, jerks, and harshly engages when driven” — a gripe echoed by other owners and the automotive press for years.
Sudden or delayed acceleration and difficulty in bringing the vehicle to a stop were other complaints listed in the suit, which alleges the transmission’s problems amounts to a violation of consumer law.
Poorly-shifting transmissions can give an automaker a reputation (looking at you, Smart Fortwo), something Ford tried to avoid with continuous upgrades to the PowerShift’s software. Still offered in the Focus and Fiesta, the transmission didn’t show up in North American Fiestas equipped with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. The similarly powered Focus is equipped with a traditional automatic as an option.
It’s also possible the transmission’s spastic nature is behind the relative popularity of manual-transmission Focus models.
A different version of PowerShift went into Volvo models beginning in 2008, but that unit avoided complaints of bad performance. The Volvo version uses hydraulic actuation, rather than the electric motor/solenoid actuation used in the Focus and Fiesta.
In Australia, Ford extended the warranties of tens of thousands of PowerShift-equipped vehicles last year after a barrage of consumer complaints. The owners in this lawsuit are going after a bigger win — they want a full refund of their vehicles’ purchase price, as well as compensation for repairs and stress.
Worst automatic transmission I’ve ever had the misfortune of operating.
I drove a Passat TDI wagon, and I don’t think the DSG is any better. That too was a lurching, laggy mess.
I’d take a DSG any day of the week over the Powershift’s unpredictable behavior. It’s so disappointing as the Focus is a very competent vehicle, let down by a spastic transmission.
Pennst8, I completely agree. The comment about Diesel and DSG is unfair relative to VW and gas versions of DSG. I have driven VW DSGs. As someone who is not a fan of VW (previous owner of Golf with many problems), I would take it over the terrible Ford automatic in Focus and Fiesta. No comparison in my book when it comes to shift qualities of the VW vs. Ford.
JimZ – While I nearly dislike all DSGs, the VW wet clutch transmission is light years ahead of Fords miserable dry-clutch Powershift contraption. I am amazed that it has not been subject to a class action lawsuit here in the US.
Me, too. I guess they just haven’t found the right lawyer.
JimZ is a diehard Ford apologist.
Anyone who can defend the PowerSh!t transmission as anything other than horrid, let alone claim that the DSG in a Passer is anywhere remotely as bad, is either a) tripping balls, or b) lying.
JimZ is one of the only people here that has no apparent brand biases, and actually discusses mechanical merit rather than styling or opinion.
He also doesn’t incessantly mention the socio-economic status of any particular brand’s patrons when discussing their cars.
You’re flailing, DeadWeight.
I bet he has a very close relationship to Ford.
Ring the bell of truth, JimZ.
Not much of a defense. He said that the Powershift was a “lurching, laggy mess”.
The DSG is a poor match to the diesel engines. DSG + 2.0T is great.
The Powershift in my Focus SE rental was by far the worst transmission I’ve ever used. Loved the rest of the car, but that transmission was abysmal.
You are overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sale.
hf_auto,
The 6spd auto Ford are slotting in behind the 2.2 diesel Ranger here in Australia is abysmal as well.
To get off the line takes a bit of effort, then it does a lot of hunting to find a gear.
I have driven quite a few different 2.2 diesel auto Rangers as well. All seem to be afflicted with a poor transmission.
Even that Ford built Getrag MT82 is quite bad. Shifting can be onerous. Quick shifts are out of the equation.
I wonder how Ford is doing so well. With the EcoThirst engines and some really sh!t transmissions.
“The DSG is a poor match to the diesel engines.”
I spent a week in the mountains of northern Italy driving a Tiguan 2.0 TDI with a 7-speed DSG and emphatically differ with that assessment. This combination showed itself to be fast, smooth and responsive.
(Note that this is a powertrain not offered in North America.)
Hope local buyers get that lawsuit going, it will affect the European Fords in Ford Australia’s lineup.
“The similarly powered Focus is equipped with a traditional automatic as an option.”
AFAIK that’s due to auto stop/start.
Ever try driving a Kia Forté? Just drove one for a week and the transmission was one of two primary complaints about the car.
Which model year? I’ve never been in a Forte other than the one I now own (current-gen 2014). I was careful to find a good engine/transmission combo as I was hanging up my manual transmission shoes. I find the 6-speed auto with decently snappy manual mode shifts very good, and not just ‘for the class of car’.
’twas a ’15 model. Thing would simply take too long to downshift on a grade and then suddenly surge just as I would begin a turn onto a side street; often as another car was coming out of that side street, increasing the risk of accelerating into a collision.
“Ford owners involved in the legal action claim the gearbox ‘slips, bucks, jerks, and harshly engages when driven’ ”
My favorite thing about the Powershift is when the Ford fans exclaim “it is supposed to be like that!” Why in the world would Ford engineer and release an automatic transmission that delivers a terrible driving experience even when operating properly?
I’m truly surprised Ford dug in and just released 50 software updates over the years instead of replacing it with a conventional 6-speed or a CVT.
Now that Smart’s abomination is gone, the Powershift is likely the worst transmission on sale in North America. (Although some of the Fiat offerings are pretty bad too.)
is it worse than the 9 speed introduced in the earlier Jeeps?
I see it is reviewer improved in later versions on different makes and models.
But the earlier Jeep were seemingly terrible.
Never drove one.
I did test drive several Focus and they were fine. In fact I never noticed the trans. But this might be more the chosen,tricked out and manipulative dealer test drive routes.
“is it worse than the 9 speed introduced in the earlier Jeeps?”
Nope. I drove one of the earliest versions of the Powershift in a ’12 Focus. It wasn’t as smooth as a proper torque-converter automatic or even the DSG in my own car, but it wasn’t horrible. The 9-speed that FCA uses, however, most certainly is.
Ok, I will play contrarian and show the Smart FourTwo “auto” some love. We have a ’09 cabrio, and I do agree if you leave the thing in auto shift mode, the factory shift mapping will drive you nuts. However, shifting in manual mode and treating it like a slow shifting manual and picking the shift points YOU want is actually kinda fun. If you think of it as the best shifting 1920’s Soviet tractor, you WILL find some joy in it. Seriously, this thing is a slightly automated manual transmission and you just have to enter into the spirit of the thing, but WTF the Smart engineers were thinking when mapping out the auto shift program, I cannot fathom.
There….I feel better now.
Yeah, manual mode in the smart actually borders on enjoyable. There were 3 or 4 revisions to the automatic shift logic programming that attempted to smooth it out. My guess is that the original intent was to program firm “Teutonic” shifts to save the clutch as much as possible.
For those who haven’t been under one, the smart gearbox really is a “robotized” manual transmission. A stepper motor attached to a plastic pushrod works the clutch fork, and another stepper motor is geared to a slotted drum in the top of the transmission case. The zigzag slots in the drum engage two pegs that extend upwards from the shift rails. Rotating the drum moves the shift rails to whatever position is needed for a particular gear.
Seems like a whole lot of work to get 33MPG off of premium.
Averaged 42mpg in the four years I had mine.
I only ever drove the PowerShift transmission on the occasional rental, but I really didn’t even notice it outside of the first two minutes I was in the car, and it seemed fine. Maybe I got lucky.
Same here. I thought it was a little different, but certainly not horrible or dangerous. All automatics suck, this one just sucked in slightly different ways.
You must be new here (joking of course). There is only black and white here among the B&B. It’s either gold, or it’s dog sh1t. There is no between.
“Sucks and Rocks.”
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/03/avoidable-contact-torture-forgiveness-meaning/
It’s either a manual, or it’s dog…..
Nothing all that surprising, IOW :)
What if a dog ate gold?
I agree. It was a little jerky—more so than the DSG in my car—but not nearly as bad, in my opinion, as everyone makes it out to be.
“owners involved in the legal action claim the gearbox “slips, bucks, jerks, and harshly engages when driven” — a gripe echoed by other owners and the automotive press for years.
Sudden or delayed acceleration and difficulty in bringing the vehicle to a stop ”
…ths sounds a whole lot more dire than that.
But then again, the law firm Gonna Cheat Em and How is usually willing to take on any good cause.
I too have only driven it in rentals, but at the time I was driving for a courier service, and putting 200+ miles a day on it. It was slow to engage, you had to anticipate about a second ahead if you wanted to slip into a spot in traffic. If you stopped on an incline, you would roll backwards when you let off the brake. If you do something odd like lift, then floor it because some idiot in front of you decided he wanted to try and get into an accident with you, it will get caught off guard and buck and moan and groan until it can finally find the proper gear.
In normal driving, even stop and go, it was a very capable transmission. But I otherwise hated it.
I’ve sampled a couple of Focuses with this transmission and it seems like it’s been improved a lot between the early years and 2015. The ’15 I drove had no issues (and a paddle shifter).
the earlier problems of low speed “chattering” seems to mostly fixed. The one issue I’ve still encountered in later cars is slow downshifts. As I understand it, it’s pretty much inherent to a DCT; if the transaxle is commanded to downshift with a gear skip (e.g. from 4th directly to 2nd) then since the requested gear is on the same input shaft the downshift will necessarily be slow. Shifts are done via dog-collar clutches (just like in a manual) so there MUST be a torque interruption if the gear change is being done on the same input shaft. as mentioned elsewhere, this is also why the ZF 9HP has shift quality complaints, if you read the deep-dive posted here about a year ago, the 9HP’s 4-5 and 5-4 gear change involves the movement of a dog collar clutch, which means there needs to be a torque interruption and thus a much slower shift event.
normal upshifts and downshifts alternate input shafts, so the TCM can “blend” the clutch engagements/disengagements.
I didn’t know that. Thanks, as always, for providing us with a technical response.
It sounds like you could make this better by having less gears… more gears means more skipping and slower shifts.
I wish that were the case. I have a 2013 Focus that’s had a replaced clutch seal, replaced revision F clutch pack, and new transmission control module, all to fix terrible shuddering from a stop and grinding issues, usually between 2-3. Everytime a repair is made, it comes back somewhere between 500-1000 miles. I’ve done a ton of research, and some tuning guys suggest that Ford’s been extremely lazy about the software tuning, that they could do better. What I don’t understand is why Ford would take the more expensive route of replacing thousands of clutchpacks and TCMs rather than issuing a decent tuning update. Considering that it doesn’t usually show up until 1000 miles, I have to wonder if there’s an issue with the adaptive learning process, that something is getting screwed up. I also know that there’s a grounding issue with these cars that can cause DCT problems. Who knows? Maybe the computer is losing the adaptive learning in some of these.
UPDATE: About three months ago, my dealer replaced my clutchpack. This is the best this car has ever driven. Possible mechanical issues with the clutchpack, and this latest revision is finally OK? Who knows. I’m still on the list of the California class action. LOL
Interesting, JimZ. Thanks, you shameless Ford suckup!!!!
(wink)
Don’t forget, this only applies when the DSG box knows which way you’re going. If it thinks you’ll be needing an upshift to the next gear, but you surprise it with a requested downshift, it’ll be slow again. This is why proper autos are the best. Love my 8hp in the xfr.
Looking for a car for my kids, I drove a new (late) 2014 Focus and a new (early) 2015 Focus back-to-back. It was pretty clear that whatever software upgrades occurred ‘solved’ the described issues. All of which is to suggest that the problems are not necessarily inherent in DCTs, but rather that DCTs are devilishly difficult to ‘dial in’.
P.S. We bought the 2015, and (with the DCT problems ostensibly solved) one year into the vehicle, IMHO it’s the best-executed car in the class.
it gets more difficult when you’re using dry clutches, which can’t tolerate more than a tiny amount of slippage. Wet clutches can slip more to smooth out engagement, but at a cost and complexity penalty.
That’s interesting. The one in my car is a wet-clutch type (yay $400 DSG fluid changes!), but Volkswagen does employ a dry-clutch 7-speed DSG in the Jetta Hybrid and probably some other stuff.
That $400 is list…shopping around will get you down to around $290 or thereabouts.
Call some other dealers or a respected independent.
Good idea. I have an independent mechanic I go to (who’s a high school friend and who used to work for the VW dealer). I’m sure he could do it a lot cheaper for me. But at 24,000 miles, it’ll be a while before that needs to happen…especially if VW buys the car back.
Before I first drove the jetta hybrid I thought that the dry clutch was their solution to complaints about costly dsg oil changes. Then I drove it. Their unit is hardly a basket case, years of developement overseas probably and experience tuning the wet clutch version, but it’s not even ballpark on the 6 Speed wet system in terms of feel and response. I was on a cone course driving hard in manual mode and I could feel a certain brittleness if that makes any sense. The shifts were slower, and most tellingly, the electric motor doesn’t add total system torque, it just fills for the turbo. So there’s very serious torque limitations on top of the less expensive feel. I guarantee these aren’t vw specific issues.
Gun to my head and no left leg I’d take a torque converter over a dry dct. The wet dct’s are really the only premium automatic I’ll recognize in transverse platforms, everything else is just good enough for commuting at best. For longitudinal cars you could make a case that the latest torque converters are the best option, depending on vehicle purpose.
Cvt’s, in my opinion, are for the manufacturer not the driver. I wonder sometimes (not really) if the manufacturers colluded to make that switch together, so as to avoid dumping customers while simplifying their assembly and procurement process. We all suck at this! Welcome to the new normal!
“Cvt’s, in my opinion, are for the manufacturer not the driver. I wonder sometimes (not really) if the manufacturers colluded to make that switch together, so as to avoid dumping customers while simplifying their assembly and procurement process. We all suck at this! Welcome to the new normal!”
I think you’re on to something!
Take a tip from another admitted VW owner. Get a new mechanic! My independent VW tuner/specialist charges me $250 for the magic lube and no more. (I’m still writing a $400 check, but I get all the 40K service done at that price.)
I am waiting for DW’s comment that the only reason TTAC published this was in a vain attempt to “prove” TTAC isn’t a shill for Ford, which everyone knows they really are.
Good morning Best and Brightest ! .
.
I have questions about this tranny :
.
Slushboxes always have multiple clutches by nature so what’s the difference here ? .
.
TIA ,
.
-Nate
Nate – DCT architecture is largely common with a conventional manual transmission, with the added feature of being able to discretely clutch each shaft, thus enabling automation, and super-fast shifting (if well-executed). But the actual ratios are still defined by a pair of meshing gears at a time, just like an MT. Conventional automatics rely on a number of planetary gearsets which are engaged or disengaged through ‘clutches’, resulting in the various ratios.
slushboxes have wet, multi-plate clutches which can tolerate a lot more slippage. They’re actually quite similar to motorcycle clutches, and if you ride you know how important the ability to slip the clutch can be.
Plus, since slushboxes change gear ratios using wet clutches and band brakes, there doesn’t need to be a perceptible torque interruption during the shift.
The DPS6 uses dry clutches, where slippage is like sunlight to a vampire.
Another big thing is that first gear is already engaged while sitting idle when you have a torque converter. The engagement from rest is the most difficult thing to get right, and the torque converter eliminates that process. The torque converter also helps to smooth out and absorb the impacts of the rest of the gear changes.
When I first starting learning how to drive a manual, I wondered why they don’t have torque converters too. You could just leave it in gear at a stop with no need to use the clutch to start, and every shift would be soft and smooth. But then, after a little practice, those concerns become irrelevant and I realized it would just add weight, complexity, and inefficiency to a process that an experienced driver can handle using fine control of the pedals.
Honda question for the B&B:
I’ve heard that Honda slushers are a lot like manuals, but less so than a DCT. That true?
Also, Their DCT (and maybe their CVT) uses a torque converter for starting out. True or false?
We’ve had a couple of Focuses with the PS transmission. Both bad. First one my wife scolded on my driving. I told her it wasn’t me. The next Focus was worse. She believed me when I said I didn’t know how to drive an automatic. I owned a dreadful Fiesta with a manual, belonged to a Fiesta forum. The two biggest topics were shift quality and reliability of the PS transmission. I go back to the forum once in a while, even the new ones aren’t much better. Sadly, the rest of the Fiesta is as bad as the transmissions. Even my manual had to be overhauled!
Ford – Quality is Job #1
Ford – Find New Roads.
Have you driven a Ford lately?
I recently read about some little one-way check valve on my Dart’s clutch fluid lines that is supposed to soften, or make more uniform, the clutch actuation– and it infuriates me.
There’s no way to smoothly engage this type of clutch because this aparatus is supposed to make every release the same. It’s meant for new clutch drivers or something is what I’ve read, but it basically makes seasoned manual drivers not know how their clutches are going to behave.
BMWs and Kias have them as well as the Dart. Could your Fiesta have used one? This Dart is the only car I’ve ever smelled burnt clutch in– and I’m blaming this valve, because I’ve been driving them for 20 years now.
Ah, the infamous clutch delay valve.
WHY HAVE I NEVER READ ABOUT THIS HERE?!?!?!?!!
Because snarking on VW, Panthers, and brown diesel wagons is more fun than discussing the various wacky devices manufacturers come up with to make manual transmissions outlast the warranty.
When I was car shopping 2.5 years ago, I test drove a Focus with the DCT. A fun to drive car hobbled by a crappy transmission. Even with access to a family member discount, I couldn’t bring myself to get one. It’s a shame because otherwise it’s a very good car.
You were overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sake.
Wow DW, what made you change your opinion of Ford so drastically?
I have a 2014 Transit Connect that has this same transmission. I think it drives extremely well.
Are you in Europe or somewhere else? The US-market Transit Connect has the conventional 6F35 automatic, not the DPS6.
aha…in the US. Thanks for clarifying–Wikipedia seemed to indicate it was the Powershift. No wonder I like it–it’s normal!
it’s possible it uses the DPS6 in other regions; the C-Max and Kuga use it outside of North America.
2012-2013 Focuses were more prone to problems due to a bad seal design which allowed transmission fluid to get on the dry clutches.
As years went on they got better due to progressively better software updates, like most transmissions these days.
My 2012 Focus went through a couple of clutch replacements and software updates and got better but still wasn’t quite right.
My 2014 Focus has never seen the service dept, at 25k miles now, and behaves mostly perfect. Some jerky 1-2 shifts, especially when hot, is the biggest complaint. Other than that, love the car!
My wife had a 2012 Focus Ti hatch and the problems were unbearable. Jerky, chattery, unpredictable transmission. Got rid of it after 6 months and bought a Taurus SHO and haven’t looked back. We still have the Taurus, 70k miles later. No issues.
The Focus was great, but that transmission sucks. I wish we would have waited for the manual Trans because we’d likely still have it today.
You were overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sake.
DeadWeight,
I’m surprised not one mention of the Getrag MT82 manual fitted to the Mustang and the associated problems with it.
Tens of thousands complaints were made about that transmission. And yet they fitted that very gearbox to another vehicle knowing of the problems.
Ford would never make do that.
That Getrag is the perfect rebuke to anyone who gives you crap for buying an automatic Mustang. It’s very telling that Ford with a Tremec unit for the Shelby, but all other Mustang owners get that China-built wonder.
“Hey you, ricer! Buy ‘Murican next time! Preferably sumthin’ with a V8!!!”
– Mustang GT manual gearbox driver
I never expected DeadWeight to be passive/aggressive ;)
My GF has a 2013 Focus and the transmission stuttering becomes unbearable and frankly unsafe at times. All auto transmissions will have quirks but it is the severity and inconsistency of this issue that makes this one unique.
She has had it looked at by the dealer probably 8 times in the past 12 months with no resolution or improvement. Typical repeat dispositions of intermittent issues as “could not recreate issue” when Ford is well aware of mountainous evidence pointing to a faulty design.
You and your girlfriend are overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sake.
Only at TTAC is the Fiesta not the car that made everyone forget how bad the Aveo was. Where’s my check from Ford?
In early 2011 I went down to Orange County and couldn’t believe my good fortune when I picked up the rental car and it was a brand new Fiesta with only 16 miles on the odometer. It had leather, heated seats and pretty much every option offered. Within 100 miles the transmission had started slipping and 200 miles after that I had it back at the airport because the transmission was moments from completely giving up the ghost. Color me unsurprised at this news.
Be thankful!
A rental Sentra with CVT would have bored the arse and put you to sleep.
Acura has it right with the torque converter on their DCT. Just think… a measly ~$300 part could have saved them countless millions in lawsuits, as well as lost sales and bad press. I won’t even rent a Ford Focus thanks to all the horror stories I’ve heard. Hyundai/Kia are also having a miserable time with their DCTs. Lots of horror stories.
SHAME *CLANG CLANG* SHAME *CLANG*
The problem isn’t gone from 2015 and 2016 models. Maybe lessened, but still awful, especially for 99% of the population who doesn’t want to put up with that.
You are overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sale.
Lol. Your persistence paid off, it’s funny now.
Strange how that works. There was a point there where I thought I was tiring of the act.
I drove a 2015 Focus rental last week and it was fine. A marked improvement over every 2011-14 Fiesta and Focus I’ve driven, otherwise pleasant cars marred by that god-awful transmission.
This transmission concept works reasonably well in class 6-8 OTR trucks.
For a pass car, where a much higher level of pleasability is needed to be competitive, not so much.
It’s possible with more years of software refinement they may get there, but no guarantees.
Yes it’s a lower cost to manufacture initially. But as Taguchi used to instruct, the total cost to society is higher.
i can’t imagine why people buy a cheap, nimble, small car as the fiesta and pay extra for the powershit trans.
if you put 97087987 miles per year just buy a proper automatic with converter.
otherwise learn to move the left foot.
soon we’ll use electric scooters even at home. why walking?
2013 Ford Focus owner here (Check the profile pic). After about 8 months of owning this car, I can confidently say that, at least in my vehicle, the transmission isn’t bad at all. Sometimes I wish I had gone with the manual because I miss rowing my own gears but the Powershift in my car doesn’t behave like some of the other horror stories I’ve read. It’s probably a mixture of: A.) Which clutches the car has (I think they’re up to release F atm), B.) How you drive it. C.) Luck of the draw.
I will admit that sometimes it’ll hold a gear or shift when it should be doing the opposite, but that’s any automatic tranny for you. Downshifting isn’t as sharp as it should be sometimes. Taking off from a dead stop produces a slight shudder, like it would if you didn’t let the clutch out all the way on a manual. Nothing crazy. Upshifts are crisp and nearly unnoticeable. In fact, the only real complaint I have about this transmission is that sometimes when placing it in reverse and then pressing the gas, nothing happens for a second. This almost always causes me to look down and make sure it isn’t accidentally in neutral, and then try again. Pretty weird, but nothing dangerous, really.
All in all, my experience hasn’t been that bad. Maybe I’m just lucky, but I’m most certainly considering trading this thing in further down the road before the warranty expires, just in case. The rest of the car is solid.
Deadweight Disclaimer:
This is my first Ford vehicle. I’m not a Ford Fanboy. I looked at Mazda 3 and 6s before this but I’m a poor college graduate. This’ll probably be my last Ford vehicle. They should actually just sack up acknowledge there’s a problem.
I hope you don’t have problems and good luck with school and the rest.
Too many people I know and other people they know have been burned badly by Ford vehicle reliability issues AND horrific Ford Stealership “Service” (I once was burned badly and never looked at another Ford vehicle).
Fool me once…
Oh, Ford gets Mad Cray Cray Love on TTAC and always has.
I had the 6 speed DSG in both my 2009 VW TDI & my 2011 VW GTI and both transmissions were great. Fast shifting and smooth pick up. I loved it on my GTI as it was always in the right gear. Of course i changed the fluid every 30-35 thousand miles and the fluid always came out very clean. The DSG fluid with filter and O rings costs approx $110.00 (with shipping) and takes about 45 minutes for the entire job including jacking up the car. The $400.00 that the dealers want is their wet dream.
Have a 2013 Focus. Plain and simple the transmission sucks. Holds a gear frightenly long in traffic. When its hot out in stop and go traffic , can smell the clutches. On the highway it’s fine, around town, horrible. Hoping for a class action suit here, as the resale on it is awful
You are overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sale.
PowerShud-d-d-er transmission is a disaster. I bought two, a Focus and a Fiesta. Both have had clutch-packs replaced. Updates and “fixes” are revised about twice a year. They were on seal revision “F” when I stopped keeping up with it. It can’t really be fixed. Maybe, just maybe, they can stop it from leaking. Transmission does seem to work better in smaller Fiesta than in Focus. What is most surprising is that four years later, they are still making them. Ford has been pretty good to me about the replacements. I will say that about them. Feel the pain on Focal Jet website. Here is just one 145-page thread among countless others. I do appreciate Ford trying to step ahead with technology, but this was a swing and a miss.
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/mk3-tsb-recall-problems-archive/455833-14m01-ford-dual-clutch-warranty-extension-details-new-tsb-clutch-parts.html
You & all those people whining in that linked thread (and thousands of others) are overly sensitive, overly picky, or outright imagining any problems with the PowerSh!t Transmission.
Ford is awesome and would never release a vehicle with such a flawed transmission for retail sale.
I really wanted to like the Focus, but everything I read about its transmission from here and everywhere else led me to believe that it wasn’t going to take kindly to my stop-and-go commute. That said, I also read that they made significant improvements in the last few model years. Maybe I should have at least taken a test drive?
I ended up getting a used C-Max instead. We’ll see if it holds up.
Funny. I was just reading a Toyota thread elsewhere of someone with a Focus with a DCT transmission they can’t stand. They’re shopping a Camry and dumping a 2014 Focus. Hey Ford, as a stockholder I’d like to let you know those customers probably won’t be back for a long time, if ever.
People complain about Caddy instrument gauges or CUE, and give GM a hard time about not replacing or improving those(rightly so). Here is Ford with a transmission in its bread and butter entry segments (Focus and Fiesta) and years after production of the current generation, other than some fixes to tuning, it hasn’t replaced the problematic transmission with something that is safe and drives well. As someone who sat with a friend owning this transmission in a Focus, the car can shake and is hesitant with this transmission. I am not sure if it is a safety concern, but as is, I would never buy a Focus (or Fiesta) automatic. Not having a automatic in this segment competitive with Corrolla and Civic is suicide. The car sites and magazines give Ford a pass by focusing on manual transmissions which are such small segment of car buying public. A lost opportunity for a otherwise good Ford product(s).
Well, if you buy an automatic you get what you deserve.
Gloating manual transmission gloater <——–ROFL
I don’t even see the 1.0 Ecoboost as an option for the Focus or the Fiesta anymore. Maybe they decided that it wasn’t worth it? I could be wrong.