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DCT / PowerShift Transmission Update TSB Thread

1M views 4K replies 556 participants last post by  rczrider 
#1 ·
Well, I just scheduled an appointment on Monday to get my update for my 6-speed dual clutch. Seems like some dealers are willing to hand over the update (another poster on this board did), some dealers will still give the ole "its not a torque converter" mantra, and some dealers (the one I just called) don't know that there's a TSB out there, and when researched will come up with it. And the dealer I called fell into the latter (after I went to another dealer who gave me the mantra).

I'm happy with my DCT but I'm willing to see what this new update does for the transmission (in terms of smoothness and less hesitation). Hopefully, I'll have some noticeable difference. Did anyone else get an update? If so, how'd it work out for you. I'll let you know my thoughts after a good drive on Monday.
 
#3,779 ·
PoweerShift is unsafe for the road. And it is depressing.

I have an '05 SE with 372k miles. Never had a single problem, except an "evaporative fuel system leak" that was fixed with a $15 gas cap. Everything is original except for that, the belt, and the plugs.

But. . . . the other night I hit a very large ammo can in the middle of I-40 and it took out my oil pan. Very bummed out. Doubt the rings/cylinders will be any good now. Waiting for Ford tech's scrap or fix estimate. Best car I have ever owned.

Even more depressing is that I can not buy a new Focus. I have test driven 3 Foci lately at rental car places and I can honestly tell you, Ford has destroyed this once great car. Transmission is not safe to drive. I kept renting different Foci because I thought that it was just a quirk, that I may have gotten one with a rare anomaly. . . but no, they're all crap. I don't know why the DOT hasn't pulled them off the road, someone is going to get killed. Ford will get sued over this, if they haven't already, and they are going to lose big time. They should not be selling any more of these piles of crap. Almost got in several wrecks. Late model Foci shutter, shift when they shouldn't, don't shift when they should, don't stop properly with the transmission not disengaging or down shifting, and they lurch forward unexpectedly from a stop or when first excellerating. This is very depressing to me. For the life of me I can't understand why Ford changed anything about the Focus engine or drive train. I believe the Foci I drove were all '14s and '15s. [mecry]
 
#3,780 ·
...they're all crap. I don't know why the DOT hasn't pulled them off the road, someone is going to get killed. Ford will get sued over this, if they haven't already, and they are going to lose big time. They should not be selling any more of these piles of crap. Almost got in several wrecks. Late model Foci shutter, shift when they shouldn't, don't shift when they should, don't stop properly with the transmission not disengaging or down shifting, and they lurch forward unexpectedly from a stop or when first excellerating. This is very depressing to me. For the life of me I can't understand why Ford changed anything about the Focus engine or drive train. I believe the Foci I drove were all '14s and '15s. [mecry]
Can't say I've ever driven one with any of the problems you state. However, I imagine one's perspective can lead to different conclusions. What some consider lurching, others don't. What you consider not disengaging others don't. On and on.

Not sure why you'd want a 2005 Zetec over a 2015 GDI, but hey, to each their own.

I suggest you look for a good used 2011 Focus. Unfortunately, I believe the 2011's Duratec engine is a bit changed from the 2005 Zetec or Duratec or whatever name they used then. Maybe you could get a 2011 and perform an engine swap from a 2005 Focus.
 
#3,781 ·
TooOld - don't have your history right on these, by '05 all the models had 2.0 duratec as the normal engine, with the ST version using the 2.3 variant.

Still the same basic architecture as the current 2.0 GDI, and the only change by '11 before going to that was adding electronic throttle in '08.

Mk1 through MkII U.S. versions were simpler & more dependable than the MkIII has proven so far, even when it has the same 5 spd manual, so wanting one of the lighter cars that handles nicely (and has hydraulic power steering) makes sense to many.

If the MkIII had the same rep., it would be a runaway success.
 
#3,782 ·
I thought I would update on my experience. After 6 trips to the shop for the issue, 2 new clutches, a new tcm and 6 tcm reprograms I gave up. I ditched the focus and bought a fusion. I wasn't going to buy another Ford until I found the only dealer who would give me anywhere near what I owed was a ford dealer 40 miles away. Everyone else was offering 3-4 grand less for trade in thanks to the horrible rep these cars get from their transmissions. I had an early 2012 and that might be why I specifically had the continuous problems, but I recommend those who can't get theirs fixed get rid of it. The value keeps dropping ahead of the curve for these cars and with the newest foci not having near as many problems dealers will continue paying less and less as these older gen 3s are harder to sell. I appreciate the help I've gotten here from everyone but boy am I glad to be out of that nightmare. Best of luck to everyone with this problem. I really hope Ford gets it figured out or assists those with problems to get into a better car.
 
#3,783 ·
I did the same thing about two years ago, before the problems became widely known to other dealers or other brands. At the time I got a good trade value and about 2,000 off sticker on a mazda.
The hard part now is all the other companies know and they offer low ball trades.
This makes things especially hard on people who were already stretched to buy the focus.
I agree though, the repairs are hopeless, owners come back in several weeks to several months with more problems.
 
#3,786 ·
I agree. My focus was awesome when it worked. I loved the sport package and how well this car handled in general. But having also lost work time and not being able to take it on trips longer than 50 miles or take the car out in 85+ degree weather for fear of the transmission failing again or becoming virtually unusable, I was done dealing with it. I literally had to park it if i knew i would be going somewhere far or if it was hot out because just like clockwork it would start acting so bad that it would stall or nearly stall at stops or upon acceleration. While Ford covered the parts and labor I don't get my vacation days back when i had to miss work to get it to the dealership or the money for towing it because it stopped working while driving it. I'm just glad I found a dealer who would give me enough in trade that I was able to get out.
And yeah it's too bad we can't give Ford dealers the same excuse when trading the car in as they give us when we want our cars fixed.
 
#3,788 ·
Agree with all of the above====with all the recalls this year how come the Focus isn't mentioned? I just read the 2003 Ford Crown Vics are getting recalled ..huh how many of them are left....... how does this one stay ok & continue to sell at record #'s?? I'm confused.....
 
#3,789 ·
Crown Vic was a simple answer, one relatively small part (light control module) with solder joints that tend to break. Definitive failure, works or doesn't.

Easy to say replace that piece with a redesigned one in all cars still on the road.

Also an easy "safety" decision. Headlights are required, broken headlights are a safety violation, single part breaks to take them out without warning, replace that part.
 
#3,790 ·
I sit here and read how people hate the DCT , how they have taken it back soooo many times and Ford cannot fix it , how they traded it and lost money

Yet the one option that has fixed all that has bought it that makes people love there Focus again was never tried , a simple custom tune that if your not happy with you can return for a refund , how simple , how easy it would be to try

Nope , people had rather complain that Ford cannot fix it , how many trips I had to return it to Ford like its a badge of honor , how many parts Ford has put on your Focus like its a challenge to see who has the longest list

Then the Ford dealers screws you using how bad your DCT works to get a cheaper trade in ... WHY ?

I have posted dozens of times about my Custom tune , my customers have posted how it cured there issues yet I read the same people saying the same thing about how Ford cannot fix there DCT problems , how upset they are , how there going to take a loss and sell it , is 462.00 that much money to make your DCT work like it should and if it doesnt you get 429.00 of it back , My custom tune you have a very good chance of a cure , another trip to Ford and more parts thrown at it ?????

Tom
 
#3,791 ·
I had read about your tune before. As much as I appreciate someone who goes out of their way to do something like this(I used to make custom fuel maps for people converting their gen 1 neons from na to turbo) I don't understand how Ford can't figure this out.
For me the fear of trying it is will it kill my warranty? Not that Ford was doing me any good but what if I did the custom tune and then needed to take it to Ford? Would they then decline warranty service because of a tune? I can afford $500 for a tune but I can't afford to pay for replacement parts on my transmission should an issue arise at a later time. I really think what you did was awesome but for some people, like me, it isn't an option.
 
#3,801 ·
Rev and no power

2x I have had a problem when driving where the tachometer revs to 5 or 6 but the car will not go above 10MPH. it catches and runs and then does the same. It did this 3 weeks ago and then 2 days ago. It is parked in my drive waiting after the holidays to get to the Ford facility. The computer has been "reprogrammed 2 x in the past 2 years. I have 110,000 miles on the ca
 
#3,802 ·
2x I have had a problem when driving where the tachometer revs to 5 or 6 but the car will not go above 10MPH. it catches and runs and then does the same. It did this 3 weeks ago and then 2 days ago. It is parked in my drive waiting after the holidays to get to the Ford facility. The computer has been "reprogrammed 2 x in the past 2 years. I have 110,000 miles on the ca
I would take it to another dealer, tell them you want the 15B22 update.
The TCM sounds fried. The new update will add the diagnostics to show this.

Warranty on that part should be good to 150k miles.
 
#3,804 ·
Hey guys, im new to this forum yet i have some serious questions regarding some strange events that happened today and a few times on my 2015 Ford focus DCT. Today i was driving and went WOT to catch up with traffic and when i hit the higher rpm band the car lost all power including on the second gear ,it felt like it never left 1st gear as if it was stuck. i lost power for about a minute before the transmission was able to catch . This also happened to me on the highway before and was during acceleration (moderate) and it took a good minute for the car to get back into gear and it shuddered horribly and i believe the check engine/transmission message came on . what do you guys think about this ? could it be the TCM ? the car only has exactly 4,000 miles.
 
#3,805 ·
Sorry to hear that, best bet is to get it into a ford dealer as soon as possible, that is an unsafe condition.
 
#3,807 ·
Two months after my second clutch replacement in under 2.5 years and it's starting to slip/shudder again -- this has happened each time and then it continually progresses to the point where it's so bad that I get it replaced. I'm disappointed, yet again, and am not sure how comfortable I am hopping into another Ford considering they sold me a car with a transmission they truly don't know how to fix.

(Grumpy post. I feel like that's the only thing I post here nowadays.) :)
 
#3,808 ·
Sorry to hear that, but not surprised.

For what its worth, I have also owned a german ford fiesta, german mercury capri (2), much older ford focus and two mustang 302's. All were fine cars whether automatic or manual.

In my opinion this issue is limited to a very bad mistake on a dual clutch transmission on the focus/fiesta.
 
#3,813 ·
Hello again everyone.

Some bad news here!
I'm taking my Focus into the dealership AGAIN... the clerk said this is the most problems she's ever heard of from a Focus.

But first a little background about my Focus problems...
Purchased brand new December 2012.
Engine shutoff/failure while driving 30mph - never diagnosed - January 2013.
Replaced clutch pack February 2013.
Several visits to dealerships for transmission concerns/updates between summer 2013-2015.
Replaced TCM August 2015.
And now this (below)... This is your last chance Ford... [?|]


Current Problems happening with my 2013 Focus:

-"Transmission fault Service now" message on dash in Dece 2015:
(I scanned for codes) Codes are: P0332, P0701, B1182, and B124D
-Clutch slipping badly in 1-3-5 gears
-After or during rainy weather, first engine start of the day, barely any engine power in 1st gear:
won't rev above 2k rpm although flooring the gas pedal doesn't help and the car crawls at 2mph. [Nov 2014 - current]
-Broken shifter: cannot lock into gears N or D, cannot shift to S at all. [Jan 2015 - current] (I can post a video of this if you all want)
-Reduced fuel efficiency (I'm getting less than 300 miles to a full tank driving all highway)

-Please check for Engine Wiring Harness TSBs:
TSB #ASI-44360
TSB #ASI-44287

-TSB #ASI-44673 Often times, when parking my car in parking lot turning 90 degrees to the right, the engine feels like it accelerates unexpectedly even though I'm braking and I have to hit the brakes.
-Center steering wheel/reset Steering Angle Sensor Calibration?

-My Sync loads slow, and my car's Bluetooth is not working right.
-Please apply the quad-screen display update that a lot of people got:
TSB #CSP-12M02 - January 14, 2013
TSB 13-6-17 - June 15, 2013
TSB# APU-12A04 (relevant)

my Appointment is set for Tuesday January 12 with a Transmission Adviser.
The clerk suggested I "include myself in a supposed claim against Ford going on for these cars, and also call Ford and ask for a new transmission because they are just a dealership and they get the cars as-is from the Factory and often can't do much about it."
 
#3,816 · (Edited)
Hello again everyone.

Some bad news here!
I'm taking my Focus into the dealership AGAIN... the clerk said this is the most problems she's ever heard of from a Focus...
Need some advice...had my car tested in July and it was 3 times the allowable threshold on the RPM test...
Hello everyone,

I’ll be happy to check my resources. Please PM your full name, VIN, mileage, dealer, and best daytime phone number.

You're getting a runaround to be "waiting" that long.

Contact Ford through Meagan or another rep here, or use the phone number in your owner's manual.
sailor,

Thanks for the mention, and have a wonderful day! [:)]

Tricia
 
#3,814 ·
Need some advice...had my car tested in July and it was 3 times the allowable threshold on the RPM test. I was told the parts would be ordered but that they were back ordered, which I was expecting. Here we are in January and my service advisor is still saying the parts are not available. I'm on the list with about 20 other people waiting. Does this seem reasonable? Are they feeding me bs? The car gets worse by the month and I'm starting to get concerned.
 
#3,817 ·
You are not getting a run around....I have been waiting for around 4 months for the g/f 2015 from a shop that usually had the part in around 1 month. This is not the shops fault. This is because the parts are being shipped straight from the manufacturer instead of from ford. My shop has always been honest with me and has always had my part quickly. I have no choice but to believe theyre being honest since they always have been and have always had the parts quickly. The issue is way bigger than ford wants to believe, so the need is surpassing the supply, simple as that. I have a 12 with my 5th clutch pack in it and its starting to act up again. Just glad I didnt get a lemon according to ford lol. Good luck.
 
#3,818 ·
News from the dealership.

Today they say my Focus is "ready to go" and did the following:
-Replaced front motor mount for engine.
-Reprogrammed transmission. [They said relearning program takes 1,000 miles so any transmission issues occurring within the 1,000 miles are “due to learning process” and they can't diagnose any problems until I drive it for 1,000 miles from the time of reprogramming.]
-They said the reason I have no power when it rains is because "water is getting into my cold air intake because I don't have a shield."
-They said the reason I'm getting reduced fuel efficiency is "due to my aftermarket intake."
-They said the shifter had a "walnut stuck between the clutch and the shifter and they removed it and the shifter is fine."
 
#3,819 ·
News from the dealership.

...
-They said the shifter had a "walnut stuck between the clutch and the shifter and they removed it and the shifter is fine."
I'm trying to envision this. Between the clutch and the shifter? But the shifter / gear selector is external to the transaxle, and the clutch assembly is (somewhat) internal - the bell housing.
 
#3,826 ·
If you're asking about the preceding post, contact info. is in his "sig" with a little more info. in the avatar section (all visible by computer, phone visibility varies).

There's also a thread on this in his Vendor section under Focus Power.
 
#3,827 ·
2012 Titanium Hatchback. Purchased used in October 2015. Knew of the DCT issues because of this forum. Has been exhibiting the shudder, grinding, and slipping gear changes since purchased. Of course the issues fluctuate from day to day. And then I got the error message (see attachment). Took it to local dealer, had to barter for a rental. Spoke to service mgr & we both assumed clutches. Stated there were 9 other foci in the back awaiting clutches. Unfortunately they called the same day & only replaced the TCM and did a reprogram/relearn. Now I'm stuck in the 1000 mile everything is normal relearn process. I find it interesting they said the TCM was a recall? Is this information correct, as I've not read of that before? Oh, and it still does all the shudder & grinding it did before the TCM replacement
 

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#3,831 ·
Just a quick question - I just got a 2013 Focus with 7K Miles on it. It runs smoothly and no transmission problems, but there is a "Click-click-whirr" that I understand is the transmission warming up when I unlock the car.

Apparently getting a software update fixes this stuff - but if it'll reset my "learning" I don't want to start having problems all of a sudden.

Does a software update reset the "learning" that was done in the previous 1K miles?
 
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