This NIGHTMARE Transmission DESTROYED The Ford Focus (Fixing My Girlfriend's)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- One transmission took the Ford Focus from being an extremely reliable and affordable car, to being the laughing stock of compact cars, the Powershift DCT. My girlfriend drives this 2015 Focus and with less than 70,000 miles on it, it's ready for an early funeral. We've got the dreaded P0902 Clutch Actuator A code.
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#Ford #FordFocus #Powershift
We’ve got one in the family with same amount of miles, only has 1st 3rd and 5th, R, 2&4 are out. Codes say clutch B stuck. I swapped clutch motors but no change. It’s now at Ford dealer as warranty was extended to 150k miles.
I just read that!! I'm taking it straight to the dealer! 😳
@@WatchJRGo my mom has a 2012 focus and they tried to pull some BS stating that they didn't have to give her a rental, eventually after some back and forth they gave her a brand new malibu for the 2 months!!! that it was in the ford dealer for. Something about a chip shortage during covid.
@@WatchJRGo Fingers crossed there's any parts in stock.
@@WatchJRGo Just expect to be without it for a very long time because they are so behind on actually acquiring more TCM's. Or unload it with the dealer. Ebay was the only place I could find a TCM. My problem was that I had a salvage title so they wouldn't touch my daughter's 2014 focus. Should have been a recall. I'll never buy another Ford after how they handled this.
@@darthwhit do they have to be reprogrammed?
I was in Europe earlier this year and noticed a LOT of Focuses on the road while they are becoming somewhat rare in the US.
The difference: Most of the European Focuses have manual transmissions.
There are literally millions of them on the UK roads, out of the UK in the rest of Europe the Golf,.Renault Megane and Peugeot are the kings of the hatchback
I also read somewhere that Ford Europe used a wet clutch for the DCT, but cheaped out (per usual) for the US with the dry clutch. On top of that, instead of changing to the wet clutch after problems started piling up, they went with bandaid programming updates, probably hoping to push the lifespan until the customer was out of the warranty period.
Yeah, 08-11 Focuses are much better cars in terms of reliability. Although a ‘12-‘19 would make a great candidate for a manual swap.
Small econobox cars like the focus are also just generally more popular in europe
@@mitchkelleher7972 They should have just taken the traditional 6 speed auto from the Escape and put it in the Focus. It should fit because both cars are built on the same platform and use variants of the same engine family. Oddly enough, the 3cylinder Ecoboost Focus does have this transmission.
The Ford Focus transmission defects have resulted in thousands of lawsuits against Ford across the United States. Today, in California alone, there are at least 800 current individual lawsuits against Ford Motor Company for issues with the PowerShift Transmissions on the 2011-2015 Ford Fiesta and 2012-2015 Ford Focus.
It should be pointed out, it’s not a Ford Transmission it’s a MagnaPT, previously Getrag, transmission.
@@bigjml Listen ford chose it, ford profited from it, Ford is responsible.....thanks again ford for proving once again you're an inferior company!
Ford has bad 10 speed transmissions as well. But they love to outsource to low budget companies and get stuck in bad contracts.
General motors designed the 10 speed transmission in a joint venture so not good for gm vehicles either
@@outkast40
Isn't that the same transmission as on the Transit Connect?
Had two of those Focus’ in the family, both had transmissions fixed multiple times under warranty by Ford. There was a great article by the Detroit Free Press about this transmission and about how Ford knew it had massive issues after testing, but went ahead with using it anyway.
Heard about that, when the replacement transmission is no better than the original and Ford knows it !
I actually just barely avoided it. Salesperson was pushing the automatic transmission features really hard on my 2015 fiesta... I decided to get the manual because I thought it was more fun to drive. They suggested that the auto transmission was more efficient which I cannot imagine since I get between 38 and 40 mpg with my mixed use driving of the fiesta.
@alleriodrone That's amazing mpg my Dad got 25mpg in his 5spd Chev Aveo he purchased new. I think he got it for like under 10k brand new in 2010 with his GM rebate
@@ricochetey yeah, I'm really annoyed at Ford discontinuing it. Can't find anything on the road today that is that efficient unless it is hybrid. Wish they kept chugging toward higher MPG with it but the US market continues to go to larger cars rather than smaller. I posted to Facebook that in a few years we'll all drive tanks and be looking at another energy crisis because charging the batteries will be just as crazy and our power grid will not keep outpacing these cars (California already has issues but I guess they don't count since they've almost always had power issues)
@@alleriodrone You said it. It's good to know I'm not the only one that knows what's going on. Insane to think that mining for lithium and switching to EVs is a viable option. The grid won't support it, we will end up like Mexico city only allowed to drive our cars once a week. It's all a scam
I used to drive a 2017 GTI with the dual clutch and I loved the speed and response of the transmission. The dual clutch used in those uses a wet clutch setup which is what Ford should've used for the Focus if they really wanted to go the DCT route. A dry style dual clutch like in the Focus needs to be driven like a rental so the clutch doesn't have to slip as much. It was the wrong setup from the get go for something like a Focus, or anything daily driver for that matter.
Small correction or two; VW uses dry clutch setup for its DSG in the lower power Golfs, including the GTI I think - the R and some of the higher torque diesels use a wet clutch. VW also had issues early on with their dry clutch versions, but fixed them a bit more quickly than Ford did. Similarly, Focus Gen 3 also used a (very reliable) wet clutch setup in the diesel Focuses, they were just never sold in the USA. I had one for 7 years and the gearbox was flawless in that time. Gen 4 Focus has moved to a traditional auto, however.
@@sjb2471 In 2017 the GTI had the wet clutch DSG, it's the DQ250. I can't speak for the lower power models because that's not what I was talking about.
@@sjb2471 All the Golfs with the 2.0 Turbo (including the GTI) or the 2.0 TDI use a wet clutch (6-speed DQ250). The ones with a dry clutch are the ones with the 1.4 TSI, 1.8 TSI or 1.6 TDI, those had the 7-speed DQ200 (also notoriously problematic), the Mk7 facelift brought a newer DSG to the more powerful models, the 7-speed DQ381, also with a wet clutch.
GTI dual clutch are awesome, it's everything else lol. Had a 5 door and now a 3 door '11
The diesel Focus has a wet clutch DCT also.
Boy do i feel this pain! I never bought cars from dealerships, always shopped the private market for creampuffs. but once my 1999 Escort rattled its last, my girlfriend at the time (i have no family left to drive me around to look at cars, didn't know enterprise would pick you up to rent a car) insisted that she wouldn't take me anywhere (and my friends who at thanksgiving said, "we gotta get together sometime!" all had excuses at Christmastime) unless it was a real dealership (no "buy here pay here" scams which i wouldn't do anyway) and it couldn't be an older car (i always buy older cars, since problems are found out by then. few models are ever perfect, and the pursuit of efficiency has made for more problems as we try to bend the laws of physics).
Found a sweet charcoal grey 2018 Focus, it had been a rental car during the pandemic so you knew it had been cleaned daily. I didn't like the automatic transmission because I always went with standards, but I'm not a Luddite either. Paid $17K in cash, and 2 months later I get stranded in a gas station--had to bang it into 1st to finally get the trans to engage. Found out Ford knew back in 2010 (when detroit was suffering from the subprime mortgage crisis, so they weren't going to say anything) that the trans was unfixable because they use a dry dual clutch (VW uses a wet one). they claimed it was fixed by 2018, so even though there's a class action lawsuit, I'm not included because the car was too new to prove anything.
ford's solution was to charge the customer $5K to install a new transaxle they knew was equally flawed...but by summer 2022, they had run out of transaxles and so they were piling up at some dealerships. So after two months, i took the $17K bath and scrapped the car. Bought a 2013 Hyundai Tuscon and learned at the beginning of July there's a class action lawsuit on those! the connecting rod bearing goes and worst case scenario blows out the side of the block and causes fires.
but no one will do anything about it, as Hyundai has time to appeal the "pending discovery" and change what they are responsible for. so i'm doing 10 hr round trips on the weekend--if its going to blow, that should do it and then supposedly i get a new engine and go on with life. meanwhile i'm clearing out my garage so hopefully i can get my 1986 GT Mustang back on the road...they weren't perfect but they get the same gas mileage and aren't running 100% efficiency so they won't wear out as fast.
at least that's the theory :)
Although I don't think the ground is the issue, the transmission ground is on the frame rail under the air filter box. I guaranty that there is paint that needs to be removed there also. On my manual trans ST I have removed and buffed the paint from all the ground connections because they are very susceptible to electrical issues from poor grounding and low voltage. I have also run a cable from the main ground on the chassis down to the trans ground on the frame rail just for a little extra insurance.
So much hate for the DPS6. It's actually a fun transmission to play with. It needs special operational rules that don't apply to any other automatic transmission. It has to be driven as a dual dry clutch transmission. It wants to be driven harder than many drivers who bought it, are comfortable with. If not operated correctly, a whole host of issues will surely occur, as the clutches shed more and more dust, from running really hot from abuse..... Don't creep in traffic, like you have OCD. Don't ride the clutch, by using 1st gear to hang on the side of a hill at a stop light....use the brake pedal, and hold it, silly....... pretend you are driving a manual, in D, but you don't have to physically do the shifting, just the throttle control, and brake....... shift gears in S, or expect each gear to wind out, before each changes automatically. If you begin shifting with the +/- button, you're in control from now on, unless you switch back to D, or come to a stop, with the brake applied.. the rules are completely different to a hydraulic automatic, or CVT.
Ford recalled this transmission over a year ago. Just bring it to the dealer. If they can't fix it, they will make you an offer to buy the car back.
Was gonna say something similar. I have a ‘14 that was doing similar things and they recalled it and rebuilt it under warranty. Have 90k on it now and no issues since the repair.
I tried but my dealer said no since my car was already above certain miles.
I tried that and they didn’t do anything. Luckily it was under warranty
For about 20 cents on the dollar…
Not true. They'll buy the car back for a few grand, lmao.
I read ‘nightmare transmission’ and immediately thought “oh no not the escalade” 😂😆
Nah, that's a 6L90, one of the ultimate transmissions 💯
@WatchJRGo so is the 80e
I had a 2014 Titanium, which was a wonderful car. The transmission was odd, but since I understood how a DCT works I accepted it as logical trade off for the 39 mpg I got on the hwy. I had the ECU flashed per a recall and it really transformed the transmission to being almost normal. Still a bit odd, but logical. The damage was done with the original program so at around 85K I had to shell out $1400 for a new clutch at the Ford dealer. A real shame. I was planning on giving it to my oldest son, but I didn’t want to stick him with this ongoing problem.
The best thing to do is to replace the clutch assembly and either sell/trade it, or drive it with the understanding that it’ll need a new clutch every 85,000-100,000 miles.
BTW, the dual clutch refers to the fact that these transmissions are like 2 regular manual transmission built together. One of the clutches handles the odd gears (1, 3, 5, Reverse) while the other handles the even gears (2, 4, 6). Also, as it was supplied by Getrag, who makes DCTs for BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes and others, so the problem came down to the calibration and - perhaps - sub-par clutch materials.
It comes down to the fact that it is a dry clutch system, all the others you mentioned use wet clutch systems, for a good reason, using dty clutches us just cheaping out, and here's the results
I dunno. My 2014 Focus has nearly 165K miles on it and it's still on the original transmission and clutches. I am its only owner.
@Kevin-fm1vn That may be a factor as over 90% of my daily commute is highway. I think they should've went with wet clutches instead of dry because the trans loves to stutter randomly when driving around town.
well as long as you don't creep it forwards cause that will wear out the clutches, you'll be fine with the tranny provided yours does not shift like it has a cvt in it lie my 2013 ford focus did and wore the clutch out by 27k kilometers luckily ford replaced the clutches with heavier ones and after that the tachometer needling jumped around lie a bunny rabbit during acceleration it was strange all it took to make the needle on the tach move was put in better clutches into the tranny to get the tach needle to as the car accelerates
I have a 2017 Focus. Experience, and several Focus facebook groups, have taught me that these cars need to be driven a little aggressively. Accelerate the same way you would in a regular manual transmission. It will greatly improve the life of the clutches.
I have 68,000 miles on my 2017 Focus, and 202,000 miles on the beat to hell ex-delivery car 2012 Fiesta that I also own.
Stop and go driving and slow acceleration is horrible for these cars.
On a side note, I love the 45 MPG that both of my DCT Fords get on the highway.
Been trying to decide between the two I need to test drive a focus asap they say same fuel mileage but I think fiesta gets better in the 2012 range. Plus it seems like the focus has way more transmission problems. What would you recommend? Obviously the extra space in focus sounds good for trips but I dunno
@DanielGennaro The Fiesta gets better mileage around town, but the Focus gets better mileage on the highway.
@@cjamesr0877 really?
@@DanielGennaro Yeah. The 1.6L in the Fiesta runs at higher RPMs on the highway, so the mileage isn't quite as good.
@@cjamesr0877 I don’t know man I’ve read a lot of forms and things and people are saying that they can get over 40 miles per gallon in their fiesta on the highway pretty consistently
I had a 2012 Focus with this issue. It was a factory recall issue. Ford couldn't get me a replacement, so they just told me they wouldn't replace it, so I was in my own to pay for it myself. I am no longer a 'Ford guy' and I am now part of a class action lawsuit against Ford over this issue.
Best of luck to you. I'd say settle for a reliable Toyota in the mean time till you find something else you can enjoy.
Sweet!
@@normandy1140 Tell me who held a gun to your head when you were at the dealer TELLING YOU to buy a crappy AUTOMATIC? You DO NOT buy automatic transmissions in cars like that in the first place. The manual DRIVES LIKE A DREAM! Why do you think everyone in South America buys MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS? Automatic transmissions SUCK in LOTS of cars, not just FORD. Stop being lazy and BUY A MANUAL!!!!!
@@dbzownz12345 You did the smart thing by unloading the Focus so early on. Honda Civics have always been a solid car.
@@normandy1140 I sorta screwed myself. Got it for $400, but car didn't start so I thought it'd be an easy flip, but then my mechanic told me it's shot electrically & I managed to squeeze $800 for her but dang it took like 3 weeks. Def not a car people want. Didn't bother to go into inspection with car & kept hiding it at dead ends for awhile cause cops lol
2012 model, had it since new with 8 miles. Now sitting at 107k miles. Clutch replaced every 45k. One TCM replacement, multiple reprograms. Best is when you drive it on the highway or have minimal stops. Stop and go or abrupt stops or accelerations will make the transmission drop into neutral for a second or two. Not good if you need to get out of the way quickly. I learned you have to drive it with a bit of a heavy foot so it’ll shift right away. Rare occasions during downhill it will get hung up and have the RPM go through the roof. Buddy of mine traded his in for same reasons, with three clutch replacements. It was a 3-4 year old car at the time.
Reading about the history of this car and actual stories here, one has to wonder how many of these were driven in the run-up in R&D. I recall the Ford ad touting the Ecoboost engine for the F150 that it was driven hard to prove it was a good engine. For the amount of issues that has turned up one would have thought a red flag would have arose during R&D. A good engine is great but if all that goodness can't be delivered to the wheels ...... it is still no good as a whole. Sad that Ford shot itself in the foot like this.
I'm glad my 09 Focus is still running like a champ. Granted, I've only put ~60k miles on it. I expect it to last another 20 years.
My Dad has a 2008 4-door SES auto. 150k, never had an issue and still going. Do your maintenance and you'll be fine.
Because you are a SMART MAN. Car payments are for dummies.
The 2011 and older focuses are tanks. 2012 and later are not because of the dry clutch DCTs. Now if you get a manual one theyre pretty good
@@justinprohm I'm so glad I have an older one.
My 09 got 88
Do a manual transmission swap, JR! The Focus manuals from that generation were a LOT more reliable. Plus, it would be great video content!
But it's under recall and Ford will replace the transmission for free.
I had a 2013 ford focus, same transmission, did a lot of research to figure out hot best to take care of anything transmission related and the number one suggestion is to check grounds and take the access paint around the grounding bolt. I also had read that you can’t drive slow in this car it doesn’t like it you have to drive it in such a way like you have a manual transmission, basically i drive it in such a way as to get to the speed limit as fast as possible and I didn’t have to many problems
Yes exactly if your trying to drive a manual car through a drive tru or stop and go traffic ridding your clutch constantly you will burn it up making it smoke. Same idea with this transmission u can't ever just lightly tap the gas to creep through the drive tru or in traffic. You are on the gas moving or off the gas stopped.
@@johnsnow1355so no more drive thrus with these cars?
Use your scan tool to reset the clutch learn memory. Then take it to the nearest back road and do about 5 dead stop wide open throttle launches. Hold it wide open until it shift through the gears. Do this four or five times. You’ll be surprised how much it helps.
What happens is the front seal leaks slowly and glazes the clutch over.
Yep, it takes the glazing off the clutch. Car will shift like new afterwards!
Dielectric grease is an insulator.
So ideally should be put on after you make the connection to seal the area from the elements. it will cut down on thr electric flow if placed between the two items.
I used to think it was called "dielectric" that because it was conductive, but it's actually just a silicone grease designed to not react with anything when a current is passed through it and is non-conductive.
Ditto, covering each part in 'grease' and then connecting them is going to make electrical problems worse, not better. Put the connection together and then cover it in dialectric goo. If you want to go next level on older connections, spray and clean it all with DeOxit D5 first, then assemble and goop it up.
Clean the connection, put it back together, and spray the crap outta everything with SO-Sure, formerly AMLGuard. US Navy uses it to provide protection against corrosion. I've never seen it fail, and use it on my cars....
I came to say the same thing. Put the grease on after the connection is made.
If you want something conductive that resists corrosion use copper based anti-seize.
There was a big class action lawsuit for those transmissions, took my ex-wife’s in to the Ford dealer and they replaced it for free.
Not me. I tried but my dealer said no since my car was already over certain miles.
so they swap out one turd for another turd. the thing just does not work. Its a design flaw. Run as fast as you can from Ford motor company.
I bought a 2014 Focus as my first new car. It was a basic se but I loved that thing! Drove it from Ohio to Chicago and Atlanta a few times. I had the clutch pacs replaced 3 times and around 40 thousand miles mine did what this one did. I was sick of this car at the end and ended up trading it in after 3 years. I feared it was only going to get worse 😩
We had a 2014 Focus as a rental when my wife and I were visiting Seattle; Oh. My. Goodness. The transmission in this car; there are no words - the thing lurched, bucked, would sit there doing nothing and then take off... It was nerve-wracking to say the least! It's a shame too because otherwise it was a very nice car.
I have a 2012 Focus Hatchback Titanium. I have over 263K miles. The rpm’s will slightly vary because you’re going up and down on a road with cruise control on. This is essentially a manual transmission. When you nail the gas and there’s a delay, that’s because it’s gear hunting. This transmission has two problems. One issue is that it slips into neutral. That’s not the transmission, that’s the control module outside the transmission. The other issue is that it shudders like a stick shift. When that happens, people think it’s bad and they get rid of it. It’s still driveable. Mine has been shuddering for over 5 years. The car itself is built like a tank. I’ve tried to kill it so I can get a new car and it won’t stop. I even taught my daughter how to drive with my shuddering transmission and she did great.
My daughter has a 12 SEL, Trans stuttered a lot while taking off. All motor mounts were shot. Changed them and 100% improved.
We had a '14 .... No problems.
We changed the trans fluid (Amsoil's DCT 1.8qts.) every 30k miles.
I had heard about the issues with these cars and the Fiesta and finally found one at Copart listed with mechanical damage. It definitely had issues when it was delivered and I did the usual fixes of grinding the grounds at the firewall and it only got a little better. I finally took all the bolts out for the grounds and transmission ground and put them in vinegar until all rust was gone. I also cleaned the transmission to body ground wire under the air cleaner the wire ends were corroded. Put them back in and all was well. It really was bad grounding and mainly from the transmission losing signal and freaking out from the ground issues. Always on the look out for another.
So before you give up check all the grounds and wires under the air box and clean them. Check my other post
I have a 2017 Fiesta SE with 80k miles now. Made my grounds properly grounded, and sealed in dielectric grease a year ago when I got it used, and it drives fine still. I think too many in the Mexican factories didn't come to the conclusion that the grounds need to be on unpainted body steel, to make a good connection, so the ground tabs needed to be masked before color and coat.
My 2013 Ford Focus with 179,000 miles and dual clutch transmission runs as good as the day it was new, and shifts as smoothly as any fully automatic transmission that I have had.
I still have my 2012 Titanium, bought brand new, and currenty at 164 000 miles on the original clutches and DCT. It can be picky at time, but very good if you drive it like a manual.
Not sure if thst can help, but those cars are VERY sensitive to any kind of play in the front end (ball joint, motor mount, etc.). The transmission seem to try and compensate for any slack, and slips and jerk, and shift very slowly. Had some front end work done not long ago, and it actually fixed what i thought was cluch slowly going out.
Since you have a shot motor mount, it could make the issue much worse.
100%. I think the "mechanical flaws" on these are massively overstated - 140k 2012 SE here with original clutches and transmission. It did have a TCM fail at 90k, but that was free. Driving it like a manual with an invisible clutch pedal helps GREATLY. It definitely has a personality, but once you learn how it likes to be driven, I actually like it. And if you drive it right, it rewards you with better than advertised mileage.
My guess from a limited sample size is that all the mechanical failures start as TCM failure, and people with no mechanical sympathy try to power through the obvious symptoms and end up torching the clutches - it seems the weakness is on the electronics side and not the actual mechanicals.
Absolutely agree! I'm pushing 92k miles on my DCT and have zero issues. The DCT operates like a manual because at the end of the day it is.
My son got a new 2016 Focus SE. He started having issues at 10k miles. It would frequently drop out of gear at freeway speeds. He had 3-4 firmware reflashes/upgrades which helped a little but it still was bad. He gave it back to his mom and she thought he screwed up the transmission until she found out about the issues and Ford extended warranty.
If you can find one with the manual transmission the 3rd gen Focus really is a great little car. But if it doesn't have 3 pedals, run screaming.
The regular automatic should be ok
@@jochenstacker7448 In the US market at least there was no "regular" automatic in this generation of Focus. With the 2.0L you could get the DCT or a 5 sp manual. With the 1.0L it was the DCT or 6sp manual. (And of course the ST and RS were 6sp manual only)
@@BigBagOfNope ah, cheers
Yep my 2013 manual has almost 400k km and still rockin
My 2015 focus with automatic is still shifting like a dream with 137k on it
I was moon-lighting as a valet around 2013-14 when Ford introduced the powershift Focus/Fiesta. These were brand new rental cars, like less than 1,000 miles on them and the transmission shifted like it was broken. Slipped or lurched when pulling away from a stop, banged into gear on the 1/2 and 2/3 shift. Who in their right mind would have bought one of these new, when on the test drive it felt like the transmission was broken. I've heard they're great cars if you get one with a manual. And manual ones are stupid cheap because of the bad rap these cars got.
Sister has a Focus with the same transmission. It never stopped having problems and finally got sold to the dealer in a broken state after years of ownership. I actually recommended the car based on how reliable the first gen was and didn't suggest the Cruze that I owned because of the few issues I've had.
That Cruze is downright reliable in comparison.
why in the world would you recommend a completely redesigned car based off the past model's performance? i don't think they share any common parts, especially the drive train...
@@christophers.4007 Because I thought Ford knew how to design a car. To be honest the rest of the car was great. All of the problems centered around the transmission.
That’s saying something too because Cruzes are pretty crap when it comes to reliability, especially if they have the god awful 1.4T.
@@97I30T Mine is a 1.4t. It honestly has been a pretty good car, but if I didn't do my own work it would have required a few trips to the dealership at this point.
@@97I30TI have one Cruze 12/13 w/ 75k Miles on it. Manual six speed trans, 1.8 N.A engine. It is a really cool and reliable car so far. I like It.
This is the car that is preventing me from buying ANY NEW Ford. I have a 2005 focus and with 140,000 miles, I have replaced coils, plugs, and oil. It is still going strong. (Duratech 2.0 / Automatic)
I have over 200k on mine .it’s a fantastic little car I would buy again
The sad thing is, there are 5-speed stick shift cars out there with like 200,000 miles and going strong. Those are cars are probably some of the best in the class. Great fuel economy, nice ride and handling, 160hp is enough to get by.
Yup. Own a 5 speed. 60k miles and I've only had to do regular maintenance. Even still running the sketchy 8 year old factory Conties.
I spent 10 years at Ford as a tech , primarily working on the Focus, and Fiesta dsp6 transmissions. Ford really messed up with the design. the Input shaft seals leak, leak onto the clutch, contaminating the friction material, causing that shudder. They were also terrible for the shift actuators, and the TCM's (valve bodys) . If you do some spirited driving, it will scrub the clutch from contaminates , and will not shudder for awhile. Otherwise your pulling the trans, replacing the seals, installing a new clutch. Also sometimes the relearn procedure will solve the shudder and poor shifting for a bit, but it will always come back.
I had a 2011 Fiesta with the Powershift. The clutch pack was replaced under the previous owner. Luckily for me, an electrical fire from a seized radiator fan took the car before I had any transmission issues.
You are the luckiest man on earth 😆😆 !! Got rid of it before it got rid of your wallet !!
I like using antiseaze instead of dielectric. It helps promote more conductivity whereas dielectric is an insulator.
NO OX ID grease for the win. Actually conductive and blocks oxidation in electrical switches
@@bluetheron I've seen that somewhere else too. Actually have that saved in my Amazon cart. The only downside of antiseaze is that it can dry out over time. But as long as it's wet it block air as well.
@Mr69abody I rebuilt the traction battery in my hybrid and used the NO-OX-ID sparingly on all of the electrical connections. A lot of the sensor wires were corroded when I took the thing apart. I only used dielectric grease where I wanted to prevent things from shorting out but still wanted to have that ease of removal. Mostly, I use it on the lightbulbs.
youre not supposed to put the dielectric grease on the connection but after you put the ground back on and then coat the entire connector.
the grease is meant to insulate against electricity and not allow it to flow.
Wrong, You put it on or you could use Copper anti-seize. Use a voltage drop test and you will find it to be good, even 5 years later.
@@FRUGALWITHJOHN ashishpatel350 is right. Definition of Dielectric: a nonconductor of direct electric current.
What Is Dielectric Grease?
is a viscous non-conductive waterproof substance used to protect electrical connections from corrosion and dirt.
How to use Dielectric Grease
Dielectric grease can be applied to the metal parts of virtually any electrical connection that will be exposed to the elements to serve as a sealant that protects the connection from contamination and corrosion.
Application should be done very carefully, as the grease will cut off the flow of electricity through the connection if some of it is left between the mating surfaces.
@@DT-ns9hb I did send a rebuttal to your comment with a video link, but I don't think the comment section here allows links. I have been a Mechanic for 42 years, sorry you are right and wrong at the same time. (A little but of information is dangerous without all the facts and experience).
@@FRUGALWITHJOHN 🍻
Thanks for this! Read & listened a ton ab this xmission but no1 showed it (not) working like this
The main issue with theses dual clutch were bad rear oil seals, oil leaks out and gets sprayed all over the clutch pack hence the slipping, take a look at transmission where it mates to the engine on the bottom, you will probably see oil seepage between the two. Depending on what there worth get a low mileage 2016 box
My dad has 2012 that recall
fordtechmakuloco did a video on this. it looks like they changed material on a few parts as well as seals. it looked like a real sob to do. you need special alignment tools designed for this job. it looked like an all day job, and that's after you pull the transmission.
I had 2018 focus SE with the power shift transmission, had the clutch replacement done by the Ford dealership with less than 10000 miles. Sold it soon after. The worst part about the transmission was waiting for that horrible jerky shift that you knew was coming any minute. It made driving the car a nightmare and me a nervous wreck.
I got 2016 fiesta st and i can confirm battery is a pain to remove, also i did the same on the body ground strap.
Bought one band new in 2012, and still have it. Took it in when Ford sent me letters, but ever had any issues until recently. The TCM failed at 180,000 miles, and Ford paid to replace it. Then the clutch pack failed at 183,000 miles. It was rusted solid due to a leaking starter seal. Paid for that replacement because the money was better spent repairing it than selling it and buying an used car with a unknown history. The service guy said that was very good mileage on any clutch, and impressive on a DCT.
Bottom line, from my sample-of-one experience, do the required maintenance and drive it like it wants to be driven and it will last a long time.
IMHO it's a great car that was damaged a bad initial programing issue and very bad press. BTW I've spent less than half on non-maintenance repairs on the focus than on our 170,000 mile 2006 Toyota Tacoma.
The rolls! I started following you on that build.
My mom has a 2012 Ford focus bought a brand new, two transmissions and a TCM did not fix the problem. I watched a video from a guy in Canada, who had a shift problem with no reverse it, cleaned the negative ground cable terminal, and where it grounds to the car and cleaned it down to bare metal in the car shift perfectly I did the same to my mom‘s car and the car shift perfectly follow the ground cable off the battery to the chassis clean it down to bare metal. It works for me. Car is great now.
Can I get this done somewhere?
I "think" from 2016 or 2017 on they had pretty much resolved most of the issues with the Powershift in the Fiesta and Focus. Still, I wouldn't touch one regardless. The weird thing is my nephew has one just like you're driving and its been fine for him (not sure what year).
My 2017 SE drives pretty good. (Almost 80k miles now)
i have one and its been fine but my sister bought a 2017 also and her transmission went to shit. really just seems to be luck on if the car will live or not.
@@DetroitMicroSound hows it been driving almost a year later?
Nissan: "We have the world's worst transmission"
Ford: "Hold my beer"
16:34 if you think the focus battery placement is bad, you haven’t dealt with the absolute NIGHTMARE that is the 2013-2019 Escape; to remove the battery, you either have to completely remove the windshield cowl, or the air filter box! And coupled with the Lug Nut Plague (it’s not a matter of IF they will swell, it’s WHEN) and if you have to replace the heater core or evaporator, BOTH FRONT DOORS have to be COMPLETELY REMOVED to access some of the dash bolts, the torque vectoring clutch in the rear differential in the AWD models loves to grenade and it’s a $900 repair, and the engine skid plate that is the bane of all quick lube technicians (that aspect GOT WORSE with the 2020+ models) it’s the reason why I’ve dubbed the escape the most maintenance unfriendly vehicle in ford’s ENTIRE vehicle portfolio.
Thank God I never bought one of those turds. I came real close in 2013 after they first came out. Thanks for the heads up.
Yea, car company's have been putting lug nuts on cars as long as I can remember.....Ford managed to screw up even lug nuts.
Usually just the TCM. They lose electrical conduction overtime due to corrosion / oxidation of contacts. I think, just opening it up, and cleaning the contacts of the pins inside the TCM may fix it. The weird shifting is because sometimes it skips gears. Like it shifts to 1st gear, then it does not engage 2nd gear, then goes to 3rd when the proper speed is achieved.
How is this video longer then All off your mini resort videos? Lol
Need longer Mini Resort vids! Thanks
Transmission mechanic here, honestly the best thing to do would be get a clutch kit made by LuK, comes with everything you need. Also, a brand new TCM from Ford will fix the issue and get you smooth sailing
You also have to do all of the relearns. I work at Mister Transmission in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. We have seen several Fiestas and Focuses.
Once it’s fixed how long before it fails again?
Not moving after you stop is bad, hope you have success... 👍
New drinking game. Take a drink every time JR says "dual clutch".
Yeah, I remember those powershift trans issues back when I had my old Ford Fusion. Luckily, my Fusion had a normal 6 speed auto, but when I would get it serviced, I would always get a Focus rental car and most of them had powershift trans issues. I had one that had maybe 10k miles on it and the trans was already jacked up on it. Also, I think it had a major class action lawsuit due to how many of them were failing.
Shame because the rest of the car is damn good. The engine is bulletproof, my 2013 5 speed has 389,000km on it still running very well.
The transmission may be trash but how are the hood and trunk struts?
6:55 N/A, no hood struts
My daughter saved up to buy her first car. A used '11 fiesta. Same power shift trans as this focus. Dealer put in new TCM under the recall that had never been done due to it stalling when coming to a stop. Ran o.k. ish afterwards then got progressively worse. Shuddering and slipping. The fix was easy.... sold it. The engine ran fine. The car drove straight and true and was as smooth as you would expect from a small domestic econo box. If it had a manual 5 speed, I'd say it would have been a great little car. Ford sold knowingly a vehicle that had issue upon issues with this dual clutch transmission from the beginning. She now has a Mazda 3. I know, virtually the same car, but with a "normal" transmission.
A friend of mine had one of these. They had to rebuild the transmission twice in the 1st 2 years he had it. He traded it in before the warranty ended.
The updated clutches fixed this problem. The original clutches and seal leaked fluid out the factory that caused the clutches to slip.
I had the same car but the 2014 version. They had a recall issue with this transmission as long as the car is under 70k miles. It also had a backdoor latch issues, recall, Trunk latch issues, recall, faulty security system located in the radio, silent recall. For I believe four years they used a European style transmission. One reason it had the roll back like a manual when sitting on a hill. Call Ford and see what they say. It is under 70k miles.
My wife has 2013 focus. Transmission grendaded itself which resulted in the TCM being replaced around 65k miles. Still shudders here and there but at 106k we’ll keep it til it blows up.
Transmissions were getting really reliable and good milage so they changed to something less reliable so they won't last as long
I drive a 2012. Had it since 2015. Dealership wouldn't touch my car. When I had issues, they blamed everything on a K&N cai. Convinced them it was the notorious transmission issue. They did a "fix" but the car had shifting issues again about 6 months later. Since then, I drive it in sport mode and control the shifting as if it were a manual. It has worked so far, but yeah, the automatic transmission is garbage. If you drive a Ford Focus, this is what I recommend to extend it's life.
I test drove a 2014 focus titanium with 35k back in 2016… and was so put off by the transmission I passed on it even though it was a sweet deal. It felt like it was going to stall when coming to a stop, and like you said, needed about 10% throttle to even start moving the car. This was basically a new car, no codes. It’s a shame, because these were nice cars (for the price) otherwise! If only ford had just put a normal old torque converter trans in it (or put the manual in higher trim levels). Pretty sure this car is why Ford stopped selling cars.
I dodged a bullet. Had a 2015 Focus. I had no problems with the transmission. At about 32,000 miles I traded it in. The transmission went on it on the next owner within the next six months. It sat on a lift torn apart at the dealers for at least five months. I'm not kidding. They eventually put it back together so it would roll and they rolled it into a corner. It sat in the dealers shop for 11 months! After it was gone I asked the service guys about it and they said Ford actually took it back. So glad I got rid of it. My guess is they need to be driven a little aggressively to keep them working.
There are a lot of people who don't understand these simple transmissions, even Ford even did a recall of the clutches when the shifting forks just needed to me replaced. These things are easy to fix in the driveway even; I know because I've done a few of them over the last year and a half. All info I needed was here on youtube. And no not driven aggressively, just driven daily to keep tiny bearings in the clutch forks from rusting up too much.
Had a 2012 SEL with that trans. had 112k and i could tell it was going as it would do weird stuff sometimes while accelerating. Glad someone ran a stop sign in front of me cause I was not ready to pay that repair bill LMAO
So what you're saying... You'd rather get T-boned then spend another day in the Focus!? That says a lot
in that focus yes lmao i have a 2013 ST that i love dearly. All the mods and a big turbo are a nice plus too@@CheezeCracker
@@danielstory2825 Nice !
I was actually just looking at one of these for my daughter's first cat. Didn't know about the transmission issues
if its like the ecosport im pretty sure there is a clutch kit
So blessed to have just picked up amanual se a couple weeks ago 🙏🏾 it’s been a blast
Early in the morning: Freshly served WatchJrGo content....
What do you do with a broken gearbox
What do you do with a broken gearbox
What do you do with a broken gearbox
Early in the morning
I bought a 2012 with a manual, and my wife bought a 2012 with the DCT. I warned her about the DCT, but she told me it won't be a problem. 6 months later lemon law. My neighbor brought home a used 2017 DCT, and I warned him about the DCT. He also said it's fine. Two years later, no reverse and limp mode.
Do an LS swap! 😂
Is that possible?
My friend had the 2012 Focus with the dual clutch automatic transmission. There is no fix. Your better off just cutting your losses. She finally found someone to buy it from her.
I’d say good call not attempting to fix it any further you’re definitely at a point just walking away from it makes more financial sense than fixing it, From what I remember there was a class action lawsuit over this I don’t know if it might still be warrantied but I’d still just walkway even if they fix it under warranty it’s just gonna break again
Got that fixed on mine too. Older car, Focus 2008, but same engine. Since my has a manual trans, I had issues with another Control module: ESP, ABS and windows control.... Fixed it the same way as you did.
Thanks!
Interesting, I haven't heard about that or seen any leaks on this car. Thanks!
I am an owner of a focus st, so when it was in the shop for some repairs I was in a rental focus se, that rental had 60k and it would buck, and on a few occasions it was grinding gears. I recommend to people that for the focus, you need the top of the line model. My daily driver again is a Focus ST with 180k
get her a camry or accord
Camry!
@@cheapcargarage i swear by accords...but camrys aee good too
@@iufan71 I like accords also. I was a Honda tech in the late 90’s. I just think Camry’s are a tiny bit better. I’m being picky also. I think the trim on a Camry holds up better and that’s probably the difference I’m speaking of.
Wanted a new vehicle years ago, was stuck between a ford focus and a ford cmax. 600,000km later im so glad i went with the ford cmax.
Probably would have been better off with a Honda.
@@steveduerr6367 lol absolutely not, sold it to my buddies dad, and he is still driving it at 630k 2 years later
@@mrconductor144 working for Ford, I would not drive one if it was the last car on earth.
@@steveduerr6367 ya ya I hear that all the time, that is just my experience. Heard many times before about that six speed transmission seen them broken aswell. I work for this company I work for that company, heard that all before. One to many "Forums" online and I bet most of them are generated by the other brands. Honda maybe back from 2008 and earlier yes. They ALL have there problems.
🤔 you've got a missus? Did i miss an episode?
theyve been together for about i year i believe shes in the video called "Torture TESTING My $9,000 Porsche Boxster... Will It SURVIVE?" which was uploaded 8 months ago and im sure she was there before that
I was a near 40 year long dedicated Ford only owner whose last new car was a 1997 Ford Escort that I owned for 22 years and with nearly 180k miles. It was as reliable and durable as a Honduh (but without the Honduh tax). Up until about 178k miles, I had no issues and was just replacing tires, brakes, a slave cylinder in the transmission and scheduled water pump/timing belts. But at this point the original parts were failing in succession and the cost to repair exceeded the value of the car. And after 22 years, I was tired of the car and wanted something different.
I had considered a Focus but knew the transmission was garbage and even though I wanted a manual one, the value of the car was also garbage and if I bought one, the resale would decrease significantly. I started to look around and found out that the 2016 Hyundai Elantra was a great product and after more work, I found one that was three years old, with 21k miles and it looked and drove like a new car. It cost $13k and I bought it. I will never go back to Ford. This Hyundai has been a joy and recently turned in real world mpgs of 48.3 mpgs on a tank. The car still looks and drives like new and I am blown away with how much room it has.
My sister.... bless her heart, bought a 2015 Focus with that awful transmission without first asking me and she has the issues you point out. That car is garbage on so many levels - cramped and just not well designed. So glad I didn't buy the manual transmission version.
I know that JRCAMO will never fix this and this is because he doesn't fix anything - he just half-arsed does stuff all while his voice made for print media continues to drone on.
So it's literally Found On Road Dead?
Literally 😂
@@WatchJRGo man get yo old lady a Miata and or a S2000
Give her your Escalade or your sports car.
I had the 12 Fiesta and it was a little gas saving rocket. I started having issues around 70K miles. First it was the battery causing the transmission slip, dealer replaced the battery and performed a software update. It fixed the problem and I traded it immediately. I would be driving it today if it was a true manual.
How about introducing us to your new girlfriend JR? We are a family aren't we?
she was in his video called "Torture TESTING My $9,000 Porsche Boxster... Will It SURVIVE?"
She's been in several videos.
Yes, we're John's parasocial family.
I have a 2015 Focus myself. It has a 5 speed manual in it though. Absolutely zero regrets because it is a solid little car otherwise.
That’s the sad thing with this car for me because it’s really nice other than the DCT Transmission
Have a 2013 and it ran like a dog until I had a battery replacement and to my utter surprise it is now purring along. Never run better.
Sadly, most of these cars will end up at the junk yard early. Last time I went to the junk yard I was surprised how many fairly new Focus and Fiestas I saw there that weren't crashed. My mom had a 2014 with a manual and she traded it in last year with 170k. Still running fine, my parents just hadn't been doing the maintenance items that it needed so it needed a lot of stuff with suspension, steering, and motor mounts so they traded it in on a new Escape. I have driven a couple brand new Focus Powershifts in (at the time) brand new rental cars. They felt fine. No slipping, very quick for what the car is compared to what I'd expect from a torque converter. I have always been curious how much of a factor came into play of people just not understanding how clutches work that caused them to die early vs a Ford mechanical issue. I think it might be a little of both. The problem I saw driving the Focus powershift was when creeping along slowly you could definitely feel it engaging and disengaging trying to figure out what you were doing or keeping the car moving slow without stalling. That's definitely not the way you drive a manual car, so it shouldn't be the way you drive an automated manual, but you have people coming in only knowing how to drive a torque converter automatic and expecting it to act the same because it's an automatic.
It’s incredible how shortsighted the Domestic automakers are. This would’ve been competitive with the Civic and Corolla if they put a conventional six speed automatic in it but instead they have a dead model and thousands of people put off from owning another ford
Are we done with the mini resort? Kind of like to see you finish something.
I had a 2010 2.0 powershift that had only 2 issues, going uphill in reverse it would jerk violently and after a long journey you would feel slipping in the shifts but it lasted 110000 miles and I did one gearbox service in the 5 years I owned it.
JR my daughter’s car was doing the same thing. Ford is offering an extended warranty for free to repair the problem. We had her’s fixed for free at the dealer.
My 2016 focus s was a manufacturer buyback it had a brand new 2018 transmission put in it before it was sold to me at 31k miles and it’s snappy I’ve never had a major issue out it and I love it you gotta stay in the gas 168k miles going strong
My niece used to have a Focus with that transmission and they sent her a letter saying the transmission had an extended warranty. I’m not sure of the mileage, but thinking it was 100,000 miles. Might check that out.
(I own a 2014 Focus SE) Ford released this Dual Clutch transmission in their Focus and Fiesta models from 2011 to 2016. The transmission is actually a manual transmission with a Transmission Control Module (TCM) slapped on the transmission case where the manual linkage would normally enter the case. The symptoms of the failure start subtly: You will first notice a slight shudder when shifting from 1st to 2nd, then things shift normally. After a period of time, the "slight shudder" will progress to a "noticable stutter" of the engine between 1st and 2nd. As things are allowed to progress, the transmission will randomly drop into neutral instead of shifting to 2nd. I've had all three of these symptoms present in my Focus. Ford initially denied there were transmission issues with their PowerShift transmissions, but somebody discovered corporate documentation created PRIOR to the 2011 car model release that identified the issues that would later plague owners. Ford never did figure out a solution to the TCM problems and they eventually told dealers to just replace the TCM under a special warranty extension for anyone bringing an affected vehicle with the described symptoms. Note that Ford was just replacing a defective module with another defective module, so the problem would eventually return. A class-action lawsuit was filed against Ford Motor Company and Ford settled in 2020 for ~$30 million in buy-backs of defective vehicles.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a30689585/ford-settlement-transmission-lawsuit/
Bought a used 2013 Focus in 2013 from a dealer that only had 9000 miles. At the time , we were unaware of the transmission issues. Not long after we bought it, the problems started. Took it to the dealer and they said the software needed to be updated. So within a few days, the problems came back. Very rough shifting in 1st and 2nd. It's an automatic. Every time we took it back to the Ford dealer, we got the same excuse. They even tried telling me the transmission was adjusting to my driving habits. What ??? Anyway, no matter what they did, the problems were still there. Over time, the problems got worse. It got so bad that sometimes at a full stop, when you hit the gas, the car just sat there. Very frustrating . My wife hated driving it. Finally, after 2 and 1/2 years we had enough. We bought a different car and offered the 2013 to a Ford used car dealer. The car had about 45000 miles on it. The dealer took the car and paid us what they thought it was worth. Not sure what happened to the car after that. If the dealer didn't repair that transmission, I pity the guy who bought that car. As I think back to all the cars I've owned over my lifetime, this 2013 Focus was , by far, the worst car I ever owned.
@WatchJRGo Swap the clutch actuators and see if that makes a difference, there is also another ground under the air filter housing. Shift forks could be gummed up with all that clutch dust too
My mom just went through this with a 2013 titanium with just over 100,000 miles. They couldn’t even get the control module decided it wasn’t worth it and bought a different car. Which was really too bad. They still have their 2001 Ford focus that just refuses to die.
We have a 2018 ford focus SEL with the power shift automatic transmission but it does have the select shift on it as well and by far and so far it has been a good car. We got it used on carvana for like $16,000 almost 2 1/2 years ago 23,000 miles it’s a silver sedan with black tinted windows all the way from the back to the front of the car and windshield is tinted too. It current has 74,000 miles and it’s still going strong!
Gotta drive the first few gears like a manual, clean the paint off the grounds, and reset the computer. Clean the actuators, it’s free.
I had one of these for a few months when my main daily driver was in accident so the body shop had it for awhile. Uber had unlimited mile short term leases relatively cheap so it was a no brainer.
I had the transmission overheat warning turn on a hill going up waiting for a red light but luckily I returned the car a few weeks after.
The other annoying thing was the bottom door outside scuff plate would get super hot and burned my calves a few times exiting the vehicle. I’ve had over a dozen other cars that never happened before.
As a ford transmission tech, take the car to the dealer, we get about 2 to 4 focus’ a day for tcm issues, they can be fixed and you need to basically abuse the car for it to act right and also the battery must be good for the tcm to act properly, there is no hydraulic controls for these units it’s entirely electronic, the clutch fork is most likely bad on this and will need a clutch job, which will include forks, bearing and clutch with possibly getting both motors replaced, the tcm was extended to 250k warranty replacement
Sometimes the transmission is not shifting smoothly because the engine mount is bad. I replaced the engine mount on my focus and the shifting was normal again.
Same, the mounts also notoriously go bad.