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DST Stalling the Car. Anyone Else Having a Problem?

5K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  flingwing1969 
#1 ·
Yesterday I was stopped on a pretty tame hill at a stop light with two cars in front of me. The light turned green and we started to move, I gave the car a little gas but then the idiot in the front of the pack stopped for no reason and I slammed on my brakes from a very slow roll (we've all been there). The gearbox shuttered and then the car stalled. I was puzzled, put the car into neutral and it fired right back up and off I went.

Then tonight coming home from work I had to slam on the brakes again from a guy who wasn't looking and pulled out of a gas station as I was slowly accelerating away from a light. Once again the car shutter violently and stalled out.

Is this supposed to happen? I mean I know it's a manual that has an automatic shift program more or less, but I really don't think the car should stall.

I plan on taking the car into the dealer tomorrow (which I'm getting really tired of doing) and seeing if they can look at it.

I am slowly losing my love for this car quickly, which is a shame because when it's working I love the way it drives.
 
#2 ·
If it stalling, you have to re-start it? Or is it just sputtering, almost stalling? I wonder if it is a malfunction of the fuel-shutoff mechanism for impact and/or the gas saving function that cuts gas during deceleration being over-enthusiastic. I haven't had this problem but I don't know if I have had to really slam on the brakes yet.
 
#5 ·
I've yet to have it stall on me however, I've been in the same situation were you touch the gas then need get off it quickly and the transmission freaks out. It usually happens to me in reverse.
 
#6 ·
Sounds exactly like what happens in a manual car if you come to a stop while in gear. It dies. You get ninja quick in traffic with slapping it into neutral with a stick when the idiots attack, lol.

(A dual-clutch setup shouldn't be doing this unless the clutches aren't disengaging fast enough...lots of other manufacturers use this type of auto with no issue)
 
#7 ·
Depending on your build date, did you get (or need) the transmission update? I have had some sputters - but it's never killed my engine. Before my transmission update, the engine RPMs flared up past 3,000RPM when stopping and always felt weird. If your build date is on or before 8/12/2011 and you haven't gotten the transmission reprogram, I suggest you do.
 
#9 ·
Needed it and got it about a month ago. The update made the car far worse then it was prior to the update.

And I'm dropping my car off Monday night for them to keep it for a few days. They are giving me a loaner too, but apparently it counts towards my 14 free rental days, to which 3 are already gone. I miss MINI's customer service where you just got a car by default if you left your car for more then a day.
 
#8 ·
The driveway to my office is on a curve, I started out into the street when a car came screaming around the curve and I had to hit the brakes fast. Nothing happened, no stalling or hesitation. Mine is an earlier build and I have not had the reprogramming work done.
 
#10 ·
I got my car back from the dealer today, apparently Ford said it was normal for the car to stall under quick braking. I some how do not buy that, I'll be calling their customer service line tomorrow to see if I can get a better answer.
 
#20 ·
Ford said it was normal for the car to stall under quick braking.
That is completely B.S. When does any automatic (DCT, or otherwise) stall under hard braking? It's dangerous. You need to be able to stop fast, and then get the hell out of the way.

To add more proof: I had to deal with some putz who had a bit of unwarranted road rage the other day. He decided he would pull in front of me, and then as we were traveling about 25-30 mph, slam on his brakes to force me to slam on mine. I missed his rear bumper by about a half an inch the third time he did it, and at no point did my car exhibit any signs of stalling.

Luckily the oncoming lane cleared and I was able to fly around the putz, but you get the picture.
 
#12 ·
Could this be something with the fuel line and not the DCT?
 
#13 ·
There have been a several times when I thought my car had stalled but it hadn't. It would sputter and then all of a sudden it was so quiet and smooth that I thought it had stalled. But I tapped on the gas and the engine revved up.

Hopefully you get this worked out. I doubt the car should be stalling like that.
 
#18 ·
I spoke with the service manager again. He assured me that it's normal operations for the car to stall under heavy braking and be really jerky in stop and go traffic. He's supposed to call Ford and let me know Monday, if he doesn't then I'm calling the customer support line. Apparently if you call the service line without discussing it with the dealer they can't do anything for you. So I want to make sure I've followed all the steps.

I took a co-worker for a ride yesterday to get lunch and I had never mentioned my car issues to him. We got caught in traffic and I had to progress slowly till we cleared the accident. The car jerked and bucked the entire time and my co-worker asked me if the car was supposed to do that. At least I'm not imagining things with the way the car is.



Why wouldn't you worry about it? A brand new car stalling is something you should be worried about.
 
#19 ·
I have a 2012 focus se. ,my car does the stalling thing to and its a automatic. In addition to the stalling my alarm randomly goes off!! my car has been in the shop 7 times for the alarm and is actually going back again tomorrow for the alarm randomly going off! But back to the stalling, the dealer told me that my car wasnt stalling it was the way the trans reacts to my driving. I have had friends and family in the car and they have noticed it also. I called the 1800 # and got no where! How did your story pan out were they able to help you?
 
#22 ·
Stalling car = loss of vacuum = loss of power brakes = safety issue. There is nothing in the manual about car operation guidelines to prevent stalling.

Pro tip: Ford's hotline solution will be use another dealer. The situation at Ford makes warranty repairs undesirable for many repair shops, so smile when you go in.
 
#24 ·
I had the same problem before the recall reflash. The issue was related to starting off, the fact that the transmission was programmed to quickly shift to 2nd, then you brake and then attempt to go and you are moving too slowly while still in 2nd, or maybe even 3rd, and the car lugs and stalls when the clutch releases. It was a PITA but also very dangerous in moving traffic situations like attempting a rapid lane change in commuter traffic and someone pulls out in front and it happens as you brake/accelerate. Thankfully, it has never happened since I got the recall applied at 800 miles, now at 18k.
 
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